3rd News Article

What are the Environmental Benefits from Organic Foods?

The environment is one of the many reasons why people buy organic foods. They want to do their part so that they can cut down on environmental pollution. Conventional foods allow the use of herbicides, pesticides, and other synthetic materials that aren’t good for our water supplies or the air we breathe. It isn’t just humans that are affected either because animals that live in the bodies of water out there can be harmed.

The soil can be depleted of valuable nutrients when too many chemicals are used. This is a problem because that is going to affect the ability for other elements to properly grow there later on. When the soil is used to grow organic foods though it is actually ending up richer in nutrients afterwards than before. This is due to the use of materials including compost for the fertilizer instead of any chemicals.

Experts have proven that organic foods consume less energy to get them processed. They also don’t contribute to waste as much in the form of packaging either. Many believe that conventional products have the entire residue removed from them when they are delivered to the stores. However, there is still plenty of it that will remain even after you wash them. So you are buying fresh fruits and vegetables to be healthy and then taking such toxins into your body
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With the process of organic food growth, less petroleum is used for it. This is a type of fossil fuel that once it is gone we can’t replace it. Saving such resources is something we need to do. When we can get great food to grow without it then we are moving in the right direction. Less water is used for it as well and the water supplies won’t be polluted by a variety of toxins.

With conventional farming many insects and animals are killed due to the consumption of pesticides. Even though they are bothering the crops those animals do have their place out there. Some of them end up developing a high tolerance for it as well. That means more extreme types of pesticides have to be used in the future in order to kill them. Organic foods give us a way to get a break from such a problem that only continues to compound itself.

When it comes to the organic raising of animals for meat and for eggs, there are positive impacts as well. These animals are raised in environments that are clean, stress free, and they have plenty of fresh air as well as room to roam. They aren’t given hormones or steroids to help them grow or to get leaner meat from them. As a result they taste better and those types of hormones and chemicals aren’t passed on to the humans that consume those types of organic products.

Many people do like the taste of organic cream, milk, and yogurt. This is all due to the way in which the cows are raised. They are fed organic foods themselves which further adds to their overall level of health.

Showing respect for the Earth is something that everyone on it needs to do. However, most of us have to admit that we don’t do all we can. The modern conveniences in life that we have sometimes take a harsh toll on the world. Leaving it a better place for our children and future generations should be a priority though. Perhaps growing and consuming organic foods is one what that we can start to see some positive movements in this direction.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/what-are-the-environmental-benefits-from-organic-foods-1016004.html#ixzz0sFwq6bt3
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2nd News Article

NEW YORK - CONSUMERS who opt for organic foods often believe they are improving their health but there is currently no strong evidence that organics bring nutrition-related health benefits, a new research review finds.

A 'disappointingly small' number of well-designed studies have looked at whether organic foods may have health benefits beyond their conventional counterparts, according to the review by researchers with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health in Britain. Moreover, they found, what studies have been done have largely focused on short-term effects of organic eating - mainly antioxidant activity in the body - rather than longer-term health outcomes.

Most of the antioxidant studies failed to find differences between organic and conventional diets. The review, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adds to findings reported last year by the same research team.

In that study, the researchers combed through 162 articles published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, and found no evidence that organic and conventional foods differ significantly in their nutrient content. For the current review, the researchers were able to find only 12 published studies that met their criteria for evaluating the health effects of organic foods.

'A surprising and important finding of this review is the extremely limited nature of the evidence base on this subject, both in terms of the number and quality of studies,' wrote Dr Alan Dangour and his colleagues. Of the 12 studies the researchers identified, 6 were short-term clinical trials that looked at whether specific organic foods changed markers of antioxidant activity in participants' blood.

While questions remain as to whether organic foods have any extra nutritional value, people buy organic for a number of other reasons as well. Organic foods are made without the use of conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, antibiotics or hormones - which could potentially reap benefits for people's health and the environment. The current review, Dr Dangour and his colleagues point out, did not look for studies on the possible health benefits of reduced exposure to those substances nor did it address the environmental impact of organic food production.

Views:
As pointed out by the article, there have not been clear views on the specific health benefits of organic food. However, actually there are some research data that can be found out there, even from farmers' interviews. What our group would like to do is provide a clear view and resource for people to learn more about what specific health benefits each type of organic food can provide.

Since there are very few well-designed studies on organic food, we hope our resource would be of great help to promoting organic food and make a better living for all! Thank you.

1st News Article!!

Official: organic really is better

THE biggest study into organic food has found that it is more nutritious than ordinary produce and may help to lengthen people's lives.

The evidence from the £12m four-year project will end years of debate and is likely to overturn government advice that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice.

The study found that organic fruit and vegetables contained as much as 40% more antioxidants, which scientists believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease, Britain’s biggest killers. They also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.

Professor Carlo Leifert, the co-ordinator of the European Union-funded project, said the differences were so marked that organic produce would help to increase the nutrient intake of people not eating the recommended five portions a day of fruit and vegetables. “If you have just 20% more antioxidants and you can’t get your kids to do five a day, then you might just be okay with four a day,” he said.

This weekend the Food Standards Agency confirmed that it was reviewing the evidence before deciding whether to change its advice. Ministers and the agency have said there are no significant differences between organic and ordinary produce.

Researchers grew fruit and vegetables and reared cattle on adjacent organic and nonorganic sites on a 725-acre farm attached to Newcastle University, and at other sites in Europe. They found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic herds were up to 90% higher than in milk from conventional herds.

As well as finding up to 40% more antioxidants in organic vegetables, they also found that organic tomatoes from Greece had significantly higher levels of antioxidants, including flavo-noids thought to reduce coronary heart disease.

Leifert said the government was wrong about there being no difference between organic and conventional produce. “There is enough evidence now that the level of good things is higher in organics,” he said.

Adapted from the Strait Times

Our Views

The news article have proved that organic food is indeed healthier than the conventional food we usually eat. This is thoroughly based on scientific research. It is said that organic food contain more antioxidants which are very beneficial to health such as prolonging one's life and reducing cancer rate.

In previous years, increasing the amount of antioxidants in the diet was not necessary because people ate more fruits and vegetables, which contain these nutrients. They ate less processed foods and what processed foods were consumed were not jam packed with unhealthy preservatives and additives. Most people received everything their bodies needed from the foods they ate.

Modern society has moved away from eating unprocessed, gene enhancement free food and have in turn moved more towards convenience and getting everything as fast as they can. As a result may, people are lacking the necessary nutrients to stay healthy and keep their bodies fueled with the energy they need to handle the daily stress that faces many people in every day life. People need to have the proper nutrients in order to think on their feet and have the energy they need to battle the hustle of modern day society.

Another great thing is that antioxidants form a cascade affect. Each one builds on the other and each one builds up in the body making it more effective for your bodies defense as time goes on. The more you put into your body the greater the effects and the faster your body can fight off harmful substances. Purple is one of the antioxidant drinks that can help provide you with that you need for a better and healthier life. In fact, it has seven high antioxidant fruits that help each other to create an amazing cascade affect. It is one antioxidant packed drink you do not want to miss.

Hence, go for organic food!

Project Introduction

Hi there, We are a group of students from Hwa Chong Institution doing a project on organic food. We aim to educate people on organic food and encourage more people to try out our organic food by designing a resource package. Through this blog, we hope to raise awareness of organic food by providing readers with insights on organic food and collected news articles. For this project to succeed, we need YOUR support! Thank you!