by Barnaby Meins

Created on: May 14, 2007

Organic food is one of the hot topics nowadays in the field of health and food, with the emergence of many books and articles on it. No doubt, organic food is becoming more ubiquitous in our lives as we read about people who are recovering from illnesses by ingesting organic food. The reasons why we should consume organic food has been well-supported by the following reasons:

==Organic food is more nutritious ==
Physical benefits of organic food can be traced back to nutrients present in organic foods that are not found in non-organic foods. A Journal of Applied Nutrition article stated that organic foods have higher nutrient levels than non-organic food, and this notion was backed by a study where the mineral content of organic apples, pear, potatoes, wheat, and sweet corn were weighed against non-organic varieties. On the whole, the organic foods showed much higher levels of nutrient minerals. The following are some nutrients that were found to be at higher levels in the organic foods:

- Magnesium averaged 138% more in organics, and it responsible for reducing death from heart attacks, and preventing muscles from spasm and easing the post-menstrual symptoms.

- Selenium was found to be an average of 390% higher in organic foods. It is an antioxidant nutrient that protects us from damage by environmental chemicals and generally protects against cancers and heart disease.

- Chromium was found to be higher by an average of 78% in organic foods. Its deficiency is associated with adult diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which results in heart diseases.

- Calcium was found to be an average of 63% higher in organic foods. It is well-known for building strong bones.

- Boron averaged 70% more in organics. It is proven to help prevent osteoporosis (along with calcium).

- Lithium averaged 188% more in organics. It is used to treat some types of depression.

Studies have shown that certain pesticides when applied to crops would significantly lower the vitamin levels in the food plants. As can be seen, chemicals can in fact lower the amount of nutrients in crops after their application. Some of the micronutrients most associated with the drop are vitamin B and C, which are essential for the body to endure the negative impacts of chemical toxins. In particular, Nobel laureate Linus Pauling has found that Vitamin C prevent and treat cancers. This point should be distinguished from the fact that plants grown using chemicals are low in nutrients because the soil

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