What Are We Really Eating?

Bradis McGriff

ENVS10

Dr. Williams

Rough Draft

March 16, 2006

What Are We Really Eating?

Everything that we eat has some form of an unnatural chemical in the product. As of late I have been considering only eating organic foods because not only is it healthier, but it is safer. In this term paper I am going to examine a few aspects of organic food. First I will examine what is organic food and what makes it organic? How does the prices of organic food compare to inorganic foods? And why we should eat organic foods rather than inorganic foods? I just want to be as healthy as I possibly can and I feel that organic food is the best food that we can eat.

Organic Food is the agricultural produce that farmers make on the country's regulation and without agricultural chemicals and fertilizer .Organic Food is very safety for human body, and contains much more vitamins, calcium, and iron than non-organic one. organic food's taste and smell are richer than that one. For these reasons, the popularity of organic food is developing. But when making it, it costs much to protect from harmful insect. Organic food has both a popular meaning, and, in some countries, a legal definition. In everyday conversation, it usually refers to all "naturally produced" foods, or the product of organic farming. As a legal term, it means certified organic. The distinction is important, as the two definitions can represent quite different products.

There are two different types of organic foods. Organic food, like food in general, can be grouped into two categories, fresh and processed. Whether not the food is referred to as fresh or processed depends on production methods, availability, and consumer perception.

Fresh food is seasonal and highly perishable but is one of the more healthier types of organic food that we can consume. Fresh produce which includes fruits and vegetables is the most available type of organic food, and is closely associated with organic farming. ( Organic food and organic farming have different definitions) It is often purchased directly from the growers, at farmers' markets, from on-farm stands, through specialty food stores, and through community-supported agriculture (CSA) projects. Unprocessed animal products -- organic meat, eggs, dairy -- are less common. Prices are significantly higher than for conventional food, and availability is lower. They are still premium priced items.

To qualify as "organic", the standards for fresh food are similar to those of organic farming. The food is produced without synthetic chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones) Free of genetically modified organisms, and are locally grown.

Processed food accounts for most of the items in a supermarket. Little of it is organic, and organic prices are often high, however, organic processed products are now primarily purchased from supermarkets. The majority of processed organics comes from large food conglomerates, as producing and marketing products like frozen entrees and other convenience foods is beyond the scope of the original small organic producers. For processed organic food, the general definition is: Organic food is, in general, food produced without the use of artificial pesticides, herbicides, and in many definitions genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In common usage, the word organic can apply equally to store-bought food products, food from a home garden where no synthetic inputs are used, and even food gathered or hunted in the wild. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food)

There are many reasons that we as human beings should eat organic foods. Organic produce is not covered in a cocktail of poisonous chemicals. The average conventionally-grown apple has 20-30 artificial poisons on its skin, even after rinsing. That amazes me because I always thought an apple was a good apple, but that simply isn't the case. Fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively farmed produce. Science says that it's good for you. Going organic is the only practical way to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. And by buying organic food, you are registering your mistrust of GMO's and doing your bit to protest against them. If you eat dairy or meat products, going organic has never been more essential