Is organic food healthier than regular foods?

In the past two decades, food production and food habit have undergone a lot of changes worldwide. If food produced with pesticides and chemically treated was consumed in the past, now more and more people are switching, food produced without any artificial flavors or treated with synthetic chemicals. More and more consumers are saying to no to genetically modified (GM) food.

Also, there is a visible change in diet, a large number of consumers are opting for organic food. The switch could be due to embracing a healthy lifestyle, going close to nature or to counter lifestyle diseases.

This trend is very much visible in India as well. More and more consumers are filling their plates with organic, and naturally grown rice, pulses, and cereals.

Earlier one could only find organic food in health and medicine stores. Now it’s not just brick and mortar stores selling organic products but many online companies like Bigbasket, Biomart.in, are selling online organic food. These are natural and 100 percent certified by health agencies, including USDA. The selling of organic food is now almost reached a peak in India. Trends suggest that organic food is likely to grow at 25 percent in the next three years.

With such a trend towards organic food, has led to a debate – Are organic food healthier than regular food?

To many of us, an extra gloss coat on apple, or carrots, might have been more appealing. Or shiny dals (lentils) might look healthier. Likewise, there are polished sugar, grains in the market, which might be attractive to the buyer. But what we often do not realize is that such food has been treated with synthetic chemicals and artificial agents to add that extra –shiny coat.

Organic products follow a specific type of production and process. Organic food is free from pesticides, which makes organic food healthier, as artificial chemicals have not been used to keep pests away. Neither are the products treated with chemicals for longer preservation. The seeds are not genetically modified (GMO).

Organic food, when grown in the right way, is said to improve soil and water quality, reduce undersoil pollution level and help livestock grown in a natural way.

According to some research, organically grown food have higher nutritional value than conventionally grown food. So organic food might add some extra nutrition to your plate when consumed.

However, it may be noted that just by consuming organically labeled food, it might not lead to weight loss. A healthy diet has to be complemented with healthy and regular exercise.

It is also advisable, when you are buying organic food to check certain essential facts – like if has it been certified or not? The nutritional content chart and compare it with conventional food. If the organic food grower has used some, biodegradable pesticide?

Also, there is less awareness about the benefits of organic food in India. Efforts should be made to make people aware of how it is grown and explain why organic food is slightly expensive than conventional food. But for long term goodness, one should switch to organic staples.