As you know I’m very particular about what goes into my body, I’m always in the healthy foods aisle or the local farmer’s market. 

Organic products have built quite a lot of reputation over the years, and I’ve indulged many times. However, I was reading up one day and learnt some new things I was previously unaware of, and I’m here to share some of them.

What are Organic Products?

Just in case you’ve never really bothered, organic product is a term used for products that are considered natural because of how they’ve been grown, and thus, healthier. They often cost a little more. After all, health is wealth.

The Myths and Truths

Let’s look into some of the organic driving factors and verify their claims.

Myth 1: Organic Products contain no pesticides.

Truth: Just like in traditional farming, organic products are also grown using pesticides, though “natural”. In fact, some of these pesticides contain toxic substances like pyrethrin, which has even led to its ban in some countries. People also apply them more because of the natural claims, and yet we still don’t know the combined effect of these pesticides on us.

Myth 2: Organic Labels mean the same.

Truth: The “organic” tag is allowed as long as 95% of the product is organic. The “made with organic ingredients” tag is permitted as long as the product is about 70% organic. In both cases, there’s room for unnatural ingredients, which makes it not much different from traditional products.

Myth 3: Organic Products are Eco-friendly.

Truth: This is one of the biggest motivations for buying organic. Yes, pesticide usage is minimal and helpful, but farming using little to no pesticides reduces the eventual yield. 

Thus to grow more food, you’d require a more significant land and end up encroaching on animal habitats. This would mean a shortage of land in no time.

These products also release nutrient pollutants and contribute to acid rains.

Myth 4: Organic Foods have more nutrients.

Truth: A particular study done showed that organic tomatoes had more flavonoids, hence more nutritious, which helped to push the “organic is healthier” theory. 

However, it was later revealed that it was as a result of stress due to lack of nitrogen, so the tomatoes in a defensive bid, made more flavonoids. Even conventional foods could have more nutrients when they undergo some level of dehydration. 

Organically-grown animals are also diseased a lot because they do not undergo routine treatment compared to traditional farming.

What to do?

This post is my way of ensuring you have the necessary information before you decide on what’s best for you and your family to stay healthy.

I still buy organic products because I have all the facts, and know how healthy and nutritious they are when grown correctly. 

A great way to ensure your products are as claimed is building a relationship with your local farmer. This is now my favourite way to source for ingredients used in my many recipes.