Arguing a Position: The Merits of Organic Food

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The Merits of Organic Food
People use the concept of organic food in reference to the way different agricultural products are processed and grown. However, it is noteworthy that different countries have enacted different regulations regarding what should be termed as organic food. In the United States for instance, organic crops refer to that are produced without the utilization of sewage sludge-based and petroleum-based fertilizers, bioengineered genes, and synthetic pesticides. With regard to livestock, organic livestock refers to that are raised without being given growth hormones, antibiotics as well as animal by-products. In addition to having access to outdoor conditions, organic livestock must feed exclusively on organic products. In general, there are a number of factors that distinguishes organic food from its non-organic counterparts. With such factors in mind, there is a heated debate regarding the potential benefits accruing from the consumption of organic food in relation to non-organic ones. The debate has attracted both supporters and critics of food. According to Barariski, Remplos, Iversen and Leifert (1), many developed nations have experienced a significant increase demand for food products produced organically over the last more than two decades. This argument is clear indictor that organic food has a leading edge over non-organic food. This essay advances the argument that organic food is more beneficial to the people’s health and the environment than conventional food.
Organic food presents more health benefits compared to other foods. The health benefit of such food is derived from its nutritional content. Both nutritionists and health care practitioners believe that such food has a relatively higher nutritional content relative to non-organic food. Chahbra, Kolli and Beuer (1) assert that studies that have been conducted on organic food’s nutritional content found consistent results that such food has increased amounts of polyphenols, unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, and vitamins. Such findings underscore the significance of organic food in terms of nutritional value. Specifically, organic meat and dairy has a significant high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids compared to non-organic animal food products. This increase in omega-3 fatty acids is derived from animals that forage on consisting of plenty omega 3s. Omega 3s play a key role in reducing various health conditions including cardiovascular disease as well as improving immune function and neurological function and development. In addition, increased in nutritional value also helps in solving the problem of malnutrition. Overall, higher levels of nutritional content in organic food products than conventional ones underscore the former’s health benefits.
Another argument for organic food is based on the rate with which it loses its nutritional content. While the amounts of some of the conventional food’s nutrients are equivalent to those in organic food, the former loses its nutritional value at a faster rate than organic food. Specifically, relative to organic vegetables and fruits, the amounts of nutritional content of conventional vegetables and fruits declines at a faster rate. The disparity in the decline of organic value between the two types of fruits and vegetables is as a result of different plant growing techniques. Organic farming prohibits both the utilization of synthetic chemicals and preservatives. With the use of preservatives, conventional food products stay fresh for longer time and hence losing their nutritional value. As such, the nutritional value of fresh conventional vegetables and fruits is significantly lower than that of their organic counterparts.
Organic food products contain higher levels of antioxidants relative to conventional ones. Such antioxidants are known to have various health benefits to humans. Such powerful substances help in preventing diseases and improving people’s overall health. They are normally found is fresh fruits and vegetables and play a key role in preventing the oxidation of various molecules within the human body. Specifically, carotenoids such as carotene derived from fresh vegetables and fruits improve people’s eyesight. Similarly, proanthocyanidins, flavanoids, and lycopene improve the health of the urinary tract, heart, and prostate respectively. Additionally, a combination of certain antioxidants with substances helps in protecting the skin against the harmful effect of ultraviolet rays and hence preventing the development of skin cancer (Bennett, Rojas & Seefeldt 216). Given that organic food has higher antioxidant levels than conventional food, it follows that organic food products are more beneficial to people’s health than their conventional counterparts.
In addition, is beneficial in combating the problem of antibiotic resistance and other health issues. Given that the production of organic food does not involve the use of animal by-products, growth hormones, and antibiotics, it is less likely to cause antibiotic resistance and other diseases among the consumers. However, antibiotics are commonly administered to virtually all conventional animals that produce meat and dairy products for consumption. Of great concern is that such antibiotic usage is not meant to prevent disease or prevent infection but rather increase the feed and growth efficacy of conventional livestock. Studies have revealed that the practice of administering antibiotics to livest...