Organic Foods
Organic Foods: The All Around Healthier Alternative
Organic foods are becoming more available in all types of stores where food is sold. Nowadays, instead of scouring many stores looking for organic foods, they have become available for purchase in everyday shopping locations such as Vons, Ralphs, as well as Target and Wal-Mart. With most of the population being consumed with healthier eating and fitness, eating organic foods is a step people make in bettering oneself. Additionally, it is essential to protect our planet in as many ways as possible. Organic foods have grown nationally, are healthier and safer to consume than conventionally farmed foods, and are beneficial to the environment.
Originally, there was no such thing as organic or conventional foods. All farming was organic as there were no pesticides available. However, as the demand for foods increased, farmers had to figure out how to increase the production of their product, as well as preserving the food to be available for longer periods of time; therefore pesticides were born. The term organic foods is defined by the article Is Organic Food Better For You, as “crops [that] must be produced without conventional pesticides (including herbicides), synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.”(1) Basically the article is saying that organic foods must be grown naturally without any “help”. This implies that farmers can use natural elements but nothing man made. Robin Parnes emphasizes that “organic food, [is] defined by how it cannot be made rather than how it can be made” (Parnes 2). Parnes is insisting that it is more important to state what cannot be used to ensure an authentic organic product. This is because what is NOT in a product is what makes it organic, not what IS in it.
A common misconception about organic foods is that they are “natural”. This is not true. According to Parnes, “Natural foods can include organic foods, but not all natural foods are
Organic foods are becoming more available in all types of stores where food is sold. Nowadays, instead of scouring many stores looking for organic foods, they have become available for purchase in everyday shopping locations such as Vons, Ralphs, as well as Target and Wal-Mart. With most of the population being consumed with healthier eating and fitness, eating organic foods is a step people make in bettering oneself. Additionally, it is essential to protect our planet in as many ways as possible. Organic foods have grown nationally, are healthier and safer to consume than conventionally farmed foods, and are beneficial to the environment.
Originally, there was no such thing as organic or conventional foods. All farming was organic as there were no pesticides available. However, as the demand for foods increased, farmers had to figure out how to increase the production of their product, as well as preserving the food to be available for longer periods of time; therefore pesticides were born. The term organic foods is defined by the article Is Organic Food Better For You, as “crops [that] must be produced without conventional pesticides (including herbicides), synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.”(1) Basically the article is saying that organic foods must be grown naturally without any “help”. This implies that farmers can use natural elements but nothing man made. Robin Parnes emphasizes that “organic food, [is] defined by how it cannot be made rather than how it can be made” (Parnes 2). Parnes is insisting that it is more important to state what cannot be used to ensure an authentic organic product. This is because what is NOT in a product is what makes it organic, not what IS in it.
A common misconception about organic foods is that they are “natural”. This is not true. According to Parnes, “Natural foods can include organic foods, but not all natural foods are
Cited: Alsever, Jennifer. “No Twinkies? Vending Machines Go Organic.” Going Green. NBCNews.com, 12 Jan 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Ciampa, Linda. “The Organic Debate: Healthier or Not?” In-Depth Specials. CNN.com. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. “Is Organic Food Better for You? Here’s How to Decide If it’s Worth The High Price.” Food & Recipes. WebMD. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Parnes, Robin Brett. “How Organic Food Works.” How Stuff Works. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. Shapin, Steven. "Organic Food and Farming Has Drawbacks." The Local Food Movement. Ed. Amy Francis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. Vukovic, Laurel. “A Shopper’s Guide to Organics”. Better Nutrition. Organic Directory, Sep. 2008. PDF fiile. 12. Feb 2013