Is Organic Worth It?
When you head to the grocery store, shopping for products like eggs, meat, fish, milk, and produce can be very tricky. Signs are posted everywhere labeling food as natural, organic, and a number of other things—but what’s the difference, really? Learning what specific names mean can help you decide if you should shell out extra money on a product of it is simply a marketing ploy.
Natural is a turn associated with a number of fruit and
vegetable product. Typically, this is simple a marketing ploy to convince you
to buy the product. After all, all fruits and vegetables are natural, right?
Unless it’s a new kind of food that has been developed and processed, the
product is natural. What you really probably want is organic. Organic foods are
grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There are two main benefits
to organic foods. First, you are helping the environment because those
chemicals are not being introduced into nature. Secondly, you are avoiding
ingesting chemicals and are therefore healthy more healthy foods. However,
organic products are usually more expensive. If you’re on a budget, skip over
organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas.
After all, once you’ve discarded the peel, you’ve also discarded the chemicals.
Instead, opt for organic items like apples, where you eat the peel. No matter
what you buy, however, make sure that you rinse off the food when you get home.
Another tricky label you will see is “no hormones.” This is
usually in regards to milk or meat products and is false, since all animals
naturally produce hormones. Hormones are what helps an animal (even a human)
regulate body organs, have young, and otherwise function. All meat products
have hormones. What the labels really mean is that no hormones were unnaturally
given to the animal, which is sometimes done to increase milk production.
Regardless of hormones, however, the milk and meat is safe for a person and not
a violation of an animal’s rights.
Lastly, a label on eggs and meat can indicate if the animal
was caged or penned. This does not make a difference in the quality or
nutritional value of the meat, but is simply a matter of animal rights. These
products may be a bit more expensive, but if you want to make human decisions,
that is the way to go. Reading the label and making healthy choices can
sometimes be difficult, but learning how to do so can help you make the best
choices for you diet.
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