Heads up: the Organic Undertones

Whilst your universe makes a subtle move to an organic debate and hush undertones gain momentum towards reengineering your food basket, its time to take a heads up on the organic food rationale.

Why is Mrs. Nair, Mr. Kumar, Prof. Shah suddenly talking organic food? What is it?

Well, the 'organic' label on food implies that it was produced without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetic engineering or irradiation. Organic foods are those foods that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals.

If you go a little deeper into the organic noise, you would hear of 'Organic Milk' and even 'Organic Meat', what does it imply? It additionally means the animal received no antibiotics or hormones and was fed organic feed containing no animal by-products.

Is the noise for real? What is wrong with the conventional crops?

The conventional crops affect lush growth by swelling produced with more water. It effectively translates to organic food having more “dry matter” (i.e. food) on a pound to pound basis. Partly because of this, there is a higher level of nutrients in organic produce. Based on the current dietary patterns, these differences can be enough to help you achieve the recommended allowances of nutrients that otherwise you may not get.

Conventional crops do not put a restrain on deploying pesticides. Though individual pesticides safety levels are set for crops, rules often do not take into account the "cocktail effect" of combinations of pesticides in and on foods.

Pesticides?? How do they affect my body system?

Israeli researchers have linked symptoms such as headaches, tremor, and lack of energy, depression, anxiety, poor memory, dermatitis, convulsions, nausea, indigestion and diarrhoea with dietary intakes of pesticides.

Belgian research has found that women diagnosed with breast cancer are six to nine times more likely to have the pesticides DDT or hexachlorobenzene in their bloodstreams compared to women who did not have breast cancer.

Hawaiian researchers following 8,000 people for 34 years have found that increasing consumption of conventional fruit and juice (and the pesticide residues they carry) raises the risk of Parkinson's disease.

..and to my kids??

Children's immature and developing organs, brains, and detoxification and immune systems, plus their larger intake of food per kilo of body weight, combine to make them even more susceptible to toxins than adults!!

But is it worth the mark up in my grocery bill?

Yes, after all organic gives you zero exposure to synthetic pesticides. Well, a 25-40% markup currently found in stores might just be a little over the tide to replace your entire food basket. A study by the Environmental Working Group of 43 fruits and vegetables shows that you can reduce your pesticide exposure from produce by up to 90 percent by avoiding the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. As the street sense would deliver, investing into organic lettuce or a carrot makes much more sense over the conventional counterparts. On the other hand you could do just fine with a conventional banana!

Also the much in news, Mad Cow disease would never have seen the light of day had the world been consuming organic meat! The sole reason of the disease was the cattle being fed upon animal by-produce.

As more and more junta wakes up and rally for their right to a better health and the demand soars the costs are bound to go down, on the volumes. And believe you me; it’ll be sooner and faster than you think!!

Is the organic produce always recommended?

No. Not necessarily. Try and go for products that are manufactured locally and organically. An organic tomato that travels a 1000 miles on a lorry to land on your plate might just be puncturing a hole in your organic dream.

..the bottom line

It’s a question of perspective, I strongly believe organic is how food should be..it’s not a luxury..it’s how food has always been..its not an option but an imperative.. Are you comfortable taking that morsel loaded with DDT, phenolic compounds, toxins..well..that’s what your beloved, your kid, your parents are in taking…. your take!