The impact of processed foods vs the benefits of organic farm produce
There is a lot of confusion regarding which food is good for our body, processed or organic. Some people believe that processed food is easier to find than organic food, as it takes extra effort to grow nutritious food. For others, it is the exact opposite, and there are a handful of people who are indifferent as to which they prefer. This article signifies all the nitty-gritty information on both organic foods and processed foods referring to their advantages, inadequacy, and facts that will educate you on what to expect from both food groups.
In a perfect world, we’d shop at the farmers market each day and make our whole meals from scratch. In reality, we live a long way from our food sources and purchase foods we can on store counters. Barely do we spare time for dinner and never consider preparing it.
Processed foods are convenient, and not all of them are so bad for you, but when opposed to organic produce, there is no winning with it. Pre-cut and cooked vegetables or fruit-products canned in juice form are only two examples. However, convenience can mean a lot of concealed sodium, fats, and sugar sometimes.
Let us take a look at the differences between processed and organic food.
Processed Food VS. Organic Food
The first thing to comprehend is the meaning of the word organic. Organic food defines food that is fresh from the farm without any preservatives, chemicals or pesticides added to it. With meat, it can be determined by testing them for antibiotics or growth hormones, which usually should be negative. Organic food needs to be approved by the USDA to be defined as such.
Organic foods are grown without the use of fertilizers, livestock feeds, growth regulators, pesticides, and bio-engineered genes (GMOs). Organic cultivating is constrained by guidelines which vary from nation to nation. The principle idea of natural cultivating is to develop food without the utilization of synthetic materials or genetically modified crops.
Normally processed foods have preservatives, synthetic compounds, fertilizers, and pesticides added to them, while meat can have antioxidants and growth hormones in it. Based on the nature of the food, there will be different levels of these additives. There are a few reasons why this is done to the food. The first is to keep additional bacteria from developing on or in the food. The second is that more food can be produced for the buyer.
If the food is being shipped and transported afar the preservatives help it to last longer in another region. Another technique that is used is biotechnology and radiation. These are turning into a standard procedure in killing pathogens while keeping food fresh than they would have been.
| Organic Food | Processed food |
| It is grown with natural manure and compost (fertilizers). | Produced with artificial or chemical chemicals. |
| Practices like crop rotation, hand weeding and tilling are carried out | Plants and weeds are controlled with artificial herbicides. |
| Pests control is naturally done with the help of birds, insects, and traps | Pests are controlled with synthetic pesticides. |
| Organic livestock and dairy | Processed livestock and dairy |
| Livestock are provided with organic, hormone and GMO-free fodder. | To preserve the red/pink colour of meat artificial colours are added to it. |
| Food is untouched and only cleaned organically | To improve the flavour by meat suppressing fat oxidation is implied on it |
| Are provided with clean houses and access to outdoors. | Are stuck in a slaughterhouse and crowded breeding. |
Conclusion
Humans are progressing towards a healthier world, by improved agricultural practice, taking steps and trying to introduce more organic food. Turning to more organic living can not only aid global wellness but can help each one of us individually.
SHIVAA NGO practices community farming, reassuring that not only the farmers but the people from rural and urban benefit from it largely. Although letting every individual on earth be able to afford food is a noble cause, we believe in implementing it.
To know more about Shivaa NGO and Community family visit us at shivaa.org
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