At this point, everybody knows that eating organic is the way to go for better health and protection against pesticides. But when it comes to eating organic, there are a lot of extra health benefits that don’t get discussed. Not only is it better for you and your family’s health to buy organic food, it helps support local businesses from small farms and grocery stores to a Caterer Farmingdale NY use for all its weddings and events. Organic food is grown without pesticides or harmful chemicals and GMOs, making it far better for us to ingest on a daily basis. But organic food, especially produce, is also packed with a lot more nutritional benefits than its conventional counterparts. If you’re still on the fence about buying organic, here are some of the top health benefits that you can reap by making the switch.
A Better Immune System
Genetically modifying produce has become a more common practice in recent years in response to the problems of inhospitable climates and famine. However, while GMOs are helpful for creating massive amounts of food without optimal weather conditions, the hormones used to create these plants have been known to decrease our immune system’s effectiveness if ingested regularly. Eating organic food that’s free of hormones and pesticides allows our bodies to ingest plants without risking any unpleasant side effects known or unknown.
Increased Heart Health
More and more, organic farms are going grass-fed when it comes to their cows. In addition to creating better, more humane environments for cows and hormone-free milk production, allowing free range grass-fed cows to roam means an increased amount of CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid, in the meat itself. In addition to being a healthy fat, CLA, which also exists in high quantities in breast milk, has been shown to increase heart health. Organic tomatoes, as opposed to conventional, mass-produced plants, also form the heart-healthy antioxidant quercetin at high levels when grown without any chemical fertilizer.
Healthier Fats
CLA isn’t the only healthy fat an organic diet provides. Organic meats tend to be less processed and allow for no filler hormones or preservatives. Because of this, organic milk and meat feature more unsaturated fats like Omega 3, which is also found in salmon and fish oil. The high omega-3 content of organic meat is also derived from allowing grass-fed cows to roam freely, and the addition of better sources of fat comes without any extra calories or a compromise in taste.
More Antioxidants
Not only are antioxidants healthy across the board, they’ve been known to show up in an increased, healthier capacity in organic fruits and vegetables. Because organic plants aren’t grown in soil that’s not affected by fertilizer, they can reap the benefits of the soil itself, which is packed with nutrients and minerals that contribute to a healthier product. While using fertilizer kills bugs, it also has a tendency to kill everything else living in the soil, including organic compounds and antioxidant-rich components that help fruits and vegetables reach their full health potential.