“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”
– Francois De La Rochefoucauld
Every person has the opportunity to decide what lifestyle they want to have, whether they want to eat nutritious meals and be active and energetic or they choose not to put much effort and determination, so they eat whatever they are craving even if it affects their health negatively. These decisions we make as individuals decide our future health. According to data collected from United States Department of Agriculture, 85 percent of foods tested have pesticide residues which means that only 15 percent of the food tested on thousands of samples were free from any harmful pesticide residues and were actually clean (Gillam, 2016). With this information in mind, we need to know what the healthier alternative is to avoid genetically modified food and the answer is Organic Food. Organic food is the production of food that is chemical-free, which includes man-made fertilizers and pesticides. Even though organic food is clearly the healthier choice since it is pure and 100% natural giving you all the nutrients your body needs like all the minerals, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E the product contains, there are some downsides to organic food consumption, but they are definitely worth it compared to the benefits of it. Therefore, consumers should switch their diets to 100% organic foods due to its benefits on our health, supporting local farming, and the environmental safety. The following essay will start by showing the benefits of organic food on our health, then it will move on to the economy, and lastly it will discuss the effects of growing organic food on the environment.
One of the major reasons or benefits people would want to switch to an organic diet is to care for their health. Preventing harmful and unwanted chemicals from entering your body is a big step towards strengthening your immune system and preventing chronic diseases in the future. The production of Organic Food prohibits the use of any synthetic or chemical fertilizers like antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal by-products (Robinson and Segal, 2018). However, the fact that organic farms do not use pesticides and growth hormones at all are not always the case, most times the organic product is not 100% and it shows that in the labelling. Even though we all agree that organic food affects our bodies positively, but it also affects your mental and emotional health too, so choosing the right and healthy options does not only benefit your body but it also benefits your mind (Charles, 2014).
Agriculture is the second largest industry after manufacturing jobs, and according to Dr. Kami Pothukuchi, as manufacturing jobs decrease, food jobs are increasing (Bonfiglio, 2009). In the past few years people became more aware of the importance of Organic Food which resulted in an increase in the Organic market. People’s increased demand on Organic Food definatly increased its production but it is actually not they easy for farmers to switch to growing Organic Food since growing Genetically Modified Foods are easier and faster. Some of the obstacles farmers have to face when starting Organic Food production is the strict production and labelling requirements and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certification and they don’t become eligible before 3 years of waiting. Furthermore, buying Organic food supports the farmers, especially local farmers, buying Organic food from your local grocery shop is always easier and faster to get and its fresh all that while you are supporting your local economy. Money spent on Organic food products you buy goes to local farmers and it is great for strengthening local economies and communities.
The production of Genetically modified foods does not only harm us, but it also harms our environment causing soil destruction and erosion which is the movement of particles when certain natural processes occur. Genetically modified foods also causes chemical run-off into water systems which causes water contamination resulting in water pollution, and lastly it causes the development of weeds and bugs resistant to herbicides and pesticides. Rather than the Organic farming which prohibits the use of these synthetic or petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers which results in less water and soil contamination. Moreover, buying local organic food decreases the carbon footprint because of the distance it took the food to get to the grocery store. A static show that it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a 5 calorie strawberry from California to New York (Logosh, 2016) and that is one of the reasons why Organic Food is more expensive that Genetically Modified Foods because they take more effort and time in growing and transporting them, and also when Organic food are grown they don’t grow as big as the fruits and vegetables we are used to which are GMOs because they are not sprayed with any growth pesticides so some people don’t prefer buying organic food for its price and the shape and color and this might be one of the few disadvantages but it is worth it compared to the advantages it has. Therefore, buying local saves fuel and decreases carbon footprint because it does not have to travel a long distance which saves time, money, and the environment.
In conclusion, the production and the consumption of Organic Food has increased and is increasing dramatically because of people’s increased awareness of their health and what benefits them now and in the future. This increased demand of people for Organic Food has increased the jobs for farmers having a bigger and better economy especially local farmers and supporting them results in strengthening the community and reducing carbon foot print which reduces pollution. Moreover, avoiding and limiting the unwanted chemicals and pesticides from the food your eat is a big step towards avoiding chronic diseases in the future and starting with Organic Food is a great choice since you will stop eating chemicals and eat grown vegetables and fruits that are actually chemical-free and gives you 100% full nutrients like minerals, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E that our bodies actually need because they strengthen the immune system, strengthens the bones, and heal wounds. As a result, people should change their diet and lifestyle and eat 100% natural organic food which actually benefits us, our present and future health, the society, the economy, and the environment.