Around 70 % of consumers in the U.S. buy organic food on an occasional basis.
People are now buying more organically grown produce and organically farmed animal products because of the growing awareness that organic is potentially healthier.
Every year, the organic food market grows by about 20% in America. What most people are concerned about is if conventionally-grown food is less healthy than organic food and also whether or not the price of going organic really has a significant effect on health.
Conventionally-grown food is much quicker and far easier to produce compared to organic food farming, which is more time-consuming, not to mention more expensive.
The need to produce quick harvests in large bulks can reduce the quality of farming.
Non-organic food farmers do not take the extra time to manually remove pests and weeds.
They spray chemicals in the form of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides.
All these chemicals are great for eliminating pests and are generally safe for healthy adults.
If you have no medical diseases or health conditions and you always wash food properly before consumption and cook food thoroughly, there is really no need to be alarmed about chemicals used during farming.
However, exposure to pesticides, even in small amounts, can be very harmful to pregnant women, the developing fetuses, and to children.
The National Academy of Sciences reports that food consumed with low levels of pesticides can cause a number of illnesses in these susceptible populations.
Convention foods such as beef and chicken can be produced by giving farm animals antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones.
These can be very dangerous when non-organic meat products are given too much of these substances. When humans ingest meat with a high amount of antibiotics, they can develop resistance to bacteria.
This makes combating infections more challenging than before. This type of farming can possibly promote the development of "superbugs" which are antibiotic-resistant microorganisms that can be quite difficult to treat.
The Environmental Working Group warns that less hardy produce like strawberries and lettuce are more prone to pests therefore need more pesticides to fight against insect problems and plant diseases.
Organic food items in this category should be considered.
Genetically modified organisms or GMOs are NOT prohibited in conventional farming.
Genetic modification has been controversial for many reasons.
There have been advocates who cite the benefits like being able to produce herbicide-tolerant food in mass quantities and opposers who argue against altering nature and disrupting biodiversity. GMOs can be avoided by choosing only organic food that is required by law to be free of genetic modification from the very start of production.
Some may even argue that organic food just generally tastes better than conventionally-grown food. According to a poll done in the UK, consumers chose organic alternatives because they believe organic food has a better aftertaste.
Whether better taste is a major deciding factor or not, choosing organic over conventional can be a better option for consumers who want to choose the healthiest products available.
To learn how to grow better gardens, visit http://www.organicvsconventional.com
Dwayne Cunningham @ http://organicvsconventional.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dwayne_Cunningham
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