Benefits Of Organic Foods
August 9, 2013

Understanding the Benefits Of Organic Food

Rayshell Clapper for - Your Universe Online

In today’s world, we hear about organic versus conventional food all of the time and often wonder just what the benefits of organic foods are? About a year ago, redOrbit published an article explaining that organic foods have no more nutritional value than conventional foods. That is to say, the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals found in organic foods equaled those found in non-organic foods. So an orange grown organically has about the same amount of vitamin C as an orange grown conventionally has. However, there are other benefits of organic foods than just what nutrients we get from them.

First of all, what is the difference between organic and conventional foods? According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the key differences between organic and conventional foods are:

- Chemical fertilizers have been used on most conventional foods to promote plant growth, while organics use only natural fertilizers like manure or compost.

- Conventional foods are sprayed with synthetic insecticides, but organic foods use natural methods including beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps.

- Conventional produce uses herbicides to manage weeds while organics use environmentally-generated plant killing compounds, crop rotation, tilling, hand weeding or mulch to control weeds.

- Conventional livestock receive antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth, but organics receive organic feed and access to the outdoors while using preventable measures to help minimize disease.

Both methods end up with a product to sell and eat, but organics do so using what is in nature as opposed to chemicals and medicines like conventional. As redOrbit showed, the nutritional value—as in what nutrients we gain—of each is about equal, but there are other benefits of organic food., in collaboration with Harvard Health Publications, explains several of these benefits.


- Organic food is often fresher. Fresh food tastes better. Organic food is usually fresher when eaten because it doesn’t contain preservatives that make it last longer. Organic produce is often (but not always) produced on smaller farms near where it is sold.

- Organic farming is better for the environment. Organic farming practices reduce pollution (air, water and soil), conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy. In addition, organic farming is better for birds and small animals as chemical pesticides can make it harder for creatures to reproduce and can even kill them. Farming without pesticides is also safer for the workers who harvest our food.


In closing, when it comes to organic food, it's often more about what they don't have than what they do have. Although the benefits of organic food may or may not include higher amounts of vitamins and minerals, they do provide a food product with less toxins and promote fresher foods.

Each of the benefits discussed above help make a case for eating organic. However, conventional foods have their own set of benefits, the foremost of which is simply that they are more affordable. Whether one chooses conventional foods or organic foods, it is important to know the difference and understand what it is we are eating. If we are going to be healthy eaters, we must also be informed eaters. We should know the benefits of organic foods.