The question "Why eat organic food?" is a good one. The main reason, in broad terms, is to foster in the body what we call homeostatic "intelligence" — where "homeostasis" is that state where every vital biological process within a living organism is functioning to create a state of perfectly balanced wellness.
Simply put, organic foods work more efficiently toward restoring and maintaining balance and homeostasis in people who consume them rather than foods that are fed chemicals and harvested from the resulting barren soil.
Only plants cultivated without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides may carry the designation "organic". That, with other criteria, is the backbone of the present USDA organic certification requirement. Herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides are intrinsically toxic by virtue of their designed function and inevitably end up as contaminants in the soil and, ultimately, in the ground water.
It’s hard to believe that the consequences of fertilizing with chemicals are far more devastating than simply introducing toxins into human food. These chemical soups indirectly reduce the quality of the resultant food crops grown on them because they destroy the very soils that plants need in order to grow strong in healthy nutrients.
What is Organic Soil?
Soil nourished organically is a living thing — and, unfortunately, time consuming to create and requiring detailed attention to maintain. Plants eat too, and organic soil teems with billions of microbes, earth worms, and other creatures that till and transform plain dirt and water into a feast of plants’ favorite meals.
Conversely, inorganic fertilizers assassinate the soil and cause the death of myriad life forms that inhabit healthy soil, leaving minerals but "binding" them into forms that plants can no longer easily absorb and utilize.
Food crops grown in such soil become weak and unhealthy because they are starving. Just like humans would be. Because their immune systems have been compromised, they cannot ward off the attack of harmful fungi and insects. It is at this point that farmers resort to poison to save their crops. But this, too, further degrades plant health and adds further damage to the soil. Such plants may grow big and look great, but they are not capable of producing top-quality nourishment. The basic components for shape, color and texture are there, but the product going to market lacks nutrient-density.
1 Comment for "Why Eat Organic Food?"
Share your thoughts:
Comments from first-time posters will be held for moderation (but are appreciated). We value your privacy (you must be 18 or over to post). If your name is just keywords, your comment will be deleted.
To make a long dash (—), type three hyphens and our software will convert it.
You can use these HTML tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 06/16/07 @ 10:05 am
Lynn, this was a terrific article, as it points out the effects beyond consuming toxins that are caused by using pesticides and the like on soil.