1. It’s good for the environment. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without conventional pesticides or artificial fertilizers.

2. Some prefer the taste of organic food. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which some believe leads to better-tasting produce.

3. It’s high-quality food. For example, Compliments Organic products are certified to meet the highest standards set by Quality Assurance International (QAI).

4. Organic food includes more natural ingredients. The production of organic food includes natural ingredients that aren’t genetically modified.

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“Organic food” and “health food” are not interchangeable. Organic is very different. It must meet specific production standards which vary from what has become the normal process over the last thirty or so years. It’s not so much that the foods themselves are bad – it’s the modern technological preparation, processing and alteration that gets us into trouble.

Look for the USDA Organic Seal

Here in the United States, food must be certified organic through the National Organic Standard (NOS) Program, created to comply with the Organic Food Production Act of 1990. However , it was another 12 years (2002) before the U.S. Department of Agriculture produced the USDA Organic Seal to place on all foods that are at least 95% organic.

Organic vegetables, fruits, grains and other crops must be grown without using:

* conventional pesticides
* artificial fertilizer
* human waste or sewage sludge
* food additives
* “ionizing radiation” – energy particles that alter the number of electrons in the item’s molecules and atoms, which is done to change their size and appearance, or experiment with hybrids and taste. This can be harmful to the DNA of human and other animal cells.

Animals considered “organically raised”, must meet these conditions:

* they aren’t given routine antibiotics or growth hormones like steroids
* they continue to be fed their natural, unaltered, non-filler diet

Cows are mostly grain-feed for a time prior to slaughter rather than allowed to feed on their
natural diet of grass, plants and shrubs. They are also often given growth hormones. These two things are done to make them bigger and meatier. Antibiotics are administered to prevent them from getting sick on this grain diet which is foreign to their digestive systems. The animal is getting less nutrition from grain – meaning the consumer will get less nutrition too – and the antibiotics from the animal flesh can get trapped in our tissues, making us resistant to antibiotics that we may need later.

“Free range” or “cage free” – a term used most often for poultry and egg labels – is a general term meaning the chickens, hens, etc. are allowed outside time instead of being “cooped up”, so to speak. But this doesn’t always mean “organic”. They may still be given antibiotics and GMO-altered grain.

What is “genetically modified” (GMO) food?

GMO (genetically modified organism) is a term used to mean that genetic engineering techniques known as “recombinant DNA technology” have been used to combine DNA from different sources and inserted “in vitro” into one molecule of a plant or animal. This could mean that both the animal and its food have been genetically modified. Concerns are turning up about new allergens, increased toxicity and further decreased nutrition from the GMO process. In the U.S. and most other countries, organic foods are not allowed to be genetically modified.

Tom Nuckels is health article author and owner of the LpVitamins.com website. His customers range from children to the elderly and from carpenters to doctors. To learn what liquid vitamins and phytonutrients can do for you, visit www.lpvitamins.com .

Article courtesy of the Come and Read Article Directory.

When the notion of organic living first burst on the scene, the talk was mainly about the dangers of pesticides. A biologist named Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring (1962) that brought to light the dangers of the cumulative effect of pesticides. Pesticide use was high during the 1950’s and ‘60’s.

People have become more concerned about their health. What was it about our parents and grandparents that helped them to live longer? We have so many modern conveniences these days but major health problems still exist. In the search for the key to long life, organic living got its start.

Organic living encompasses every facet of our life. Moving away from the smog and smoke of the city to live in the country is an admirable idea. But, buying and eating food that contains preservatives is counterproductive. For one to say that they are “going organic” they must investigate ways to purify their life from every angle.

In order to live organic, one must do their homework. Read all the information that you can about organic and synthetic substances. Synthetic substances are ones that are created to mimic naturally occurring ones. Synthetic substances are cheaper than the real deal. Chemical compounds can become unstable or breakdown into other substances that are not so good for the body.

Changing to an organic lifestyle takes time and patience. Each change that is made becomes a habit that can be passed on to your children. They in turn will learn to simplify their lives. Think about your family predecessors. What about their lives is different from ours? Well, they worked sun up to sundown. They had gardens, raised chickens and cows, canned vegetables, made soap or bought from someone who made theirs, and a host of other things.

To live organically is to live from the earth. If we don’t have time to tend to a garden, we can visit farmer’s who do and refrain from using pesticides. We don’t raise chickens in the city, but chicken farmers who want healthier animals give them certain feed so they can raise an organic product.

We don’t have to leave our jobs and return to a log cabin in order to go organic. With a little legwork, we can find the products we need to better our lives. When our bodies adjust to the lack of chemicals we will feel like new people.