Organic food comes with some pros and cons, and it’s really a personal choice whether you consume it. The price often puts people off, but there are genuine reasons why this is. However, the pros far outweigh the cons, especially if you are concerned about things like animal welfare.
A Shorter Shelf Life
There are no preservatives applied to organic produce, so the shelf life is shorter. This means your carrots, onions, and steaks won’t last as long as their non-organic counterparts. For this reason alone, organic food is better if you cook fresh food every day and you are able to easily get to the grocery store a few times a week. However, if you or your kids use organic on-the-go snacks that are meant to be eaten daily, then you don’t really need to worry about the shelf life.
Free from Pesticides
One of the main contributions to organic food is that synthetic pesticides are rarely used. However, there are cases where they are permitted, such as if farming isn’t possible with natural pesticides. But for the most part, organic farmers use natural pesticides that are safe for human consumption. However, this means there is often a lower yield of a successful crop compared to synthetic farmers, and this cost is passed on to the consumer, so you will pay more for organic.
Organic Food Costs More
If you are thinking of switching to organic food, then you need to know that you will pay a lot more. On average, organic recipes cost around 89% more money than non-organic alternatives. This is a lot more to pay for your produce. However, there are genuine reasons for this. For example, organic vegetables must be hand-picked, hand-weeded, and hand planted. This means farmers have to pay laborers more or spend more of their own time doing the work.
Much Higher Nutritional Value
There is no definitive proof that organic produce is better for your health. However, it is proven that organic foods contain much higher nutritional content, especially of certain minerals. Magnesium and iron are found in much higher quantities in organic vegetables. And they are also shown to be rich in antioxidants, phenols, and salicylic acid. This makes the case for eating organic produce a no-brainer if you want to boost your body’s intake of nutritious compounds.
Better for the Animals
Organic food production isn’t all about vegetables. Meat is also farmed in an organic way across the world, and there are strict rules about how it is done. This is great if you are concerned about animal welfare. For instance, animals must be left to graze freely on their natural food source. This means they aren’t cooped up in cramped conditions and fed poor-quality animal feed. This reduces the stress of the animals, and they pretty much live a carefree farm life.
Summary
A shorter shelf life is one of the cons of organic foods, as is the cost. However, organic food is shown to be higher in mineral content, and organic animal farming is much kinder to animals.
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