Pests are the most hated creatures by the farmers as they eat or damage produced crops. To stop them from doing so, farmers spray soup of harmful chemicals to kill them known as pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals used to reduce the damage to crops from insects, weeds, and germs. It increases the yield of the crops, vegetables, and fruits and fastens the growth process. Due to different types of potential pests, farmers use different pesticides like insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides.
Why pesticide-free products are good in our life? This question has an answer in how harmful these pesticides are;
Side-effects of using pesticides:
- Pesticides have been linked to certain fatal diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's
- disease, ADHD, damage to the nervous system, kidney defects. It also negatively affects the reproductive system.
- Acute effects of pesticides cause skin and throat irritation, and respiratory issues. Nausea, dizziness, and diarrhoea are also common.
- Pesticides pollute the air, water channels, and soil. Moreover, it is also toxic to birds, animals, and fishes.
- Pesticides are slow poison. One-time consumption of pesticide-contaminated food won’t cause harm but gradually consuming such food will make your body full of deadly chemicals.
- While you are eating contaminated food you are not consuming a single pesticide but many different forms of pesticides together. Even after washing a vegetable or fruit completely, many pesticides are still present.
The best alternative to pesticides contaminated food:
Pesticides are harmful to the entire ecosystem. So, it’s high time that we should avoid chemical-filled methods of farming and adopt natural ways of farming through organic food.
Organic foods are produced using natural fertilizers like manure and avoid the usage of pesticides, antibiotics, and genetically modified organisms. Thus, under organic farming food is produced and processed without the use of chemicals. With rising awareness, people are opting more for organic over non-organic. There are many organic crops available in the market. From organic rice to organic pulses, ketchup, spices, tea, and jaggery, organic products form a big list. These naturally grown products have numerous
health benefits of organic food which are as follows.
Benefits of Organic Food:
1. Pesticides cutback:
When you don’t buy organic, you’re exposing your body to toxic chemicals, even after washing the food. These chemicals are found to be fatal when consumed for a longer duration. Organic food is free from pesticides and consuming it can save you from the cocktail of chemicals.
2. Better overall health:
Good food leads to better overall health. Organic food is free from chemicals which naturally makes it healthier.
- Organic food has greater levels of iron, Vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus than non-organic food. Omega-3 fatty acids content is 50% higher in organic food.
- Organic pulses and dals have been found to have more fibre content.
- Food grown through conventional methods have more nitrate content. Higher nitrate level causes deadly diseases and also harm an infant. Organic foods have shown 30% fewer nitrate levels and thus reducing exposure to fatal diseases.
- Genetically modified organisms(GMOs) are plants whose DNA has been altered in a way that cannot appear in traditional cross-breeding. Organic food is free from any such artificial bodies making it completely safe to consume.
3. Higher antioxidant content:
Antioxidants protect cells from free radicals, which would otherwise have lead to serious diseases. Its content in organic food is as high as 69%, which also strengthens the immune system. A meta-analysis published in 2014, in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that organic crops had significantly higher antioxidants than non-organic crops.
4. Fresh and better taste:
No preservatives are added for making organic food products last long, so they are often fresh in taste. They have better sugar and mineral structure as they require more time to grow. Natural production methods are used instead of artificial flavouring, which gives organic food real shine and a good taste full of flavour. For eg: Organic tomato ketchup has more delicious and real flavour and thick consistency due to its organic ingredients.
5. Gentle on the environment:
Non-organic farming is not only damaging for human health but it deteriorates environmental health too in the following ways:
- Choosing organic products prevents water pollution as no insoluble compounds run from fields to water reservoirs.
- Soil is not exposed to harmful compounds in organic farming as natural fertilizers are used. It makes better soil health which leads to healthy crops. Also, organic farming reduces soil erosion.
- No pesticides are sprayed on plants, which keeps air fresh and healthy to breathe.
- Organic farming protects bees and other pollinators from toxic chemicals.
6. Sewage sludge:
Sewage sludge is a product of wastewater treatment and contains many hazardous materials. Once treated, it can be used as a fertilizer. But organic farming avoids its usage, keeping crops away from toxic chemicals.
7. Healthy future generations:
Unborn babies are more prone to the ill effects of pesticides than any of us. Organic food provides healthy nutrients to them and is also chemically free, thus laying the foundation for healthy future generations.
Summing it up:
When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use and when the diet is correct, medicine is of no need. The food you consume directly affects your and your family’s health and so, it is very crucial to choose wisely. Food contaminated with pesticides is a devil who is making your body storehouse of chemicals and is also being harsh on mother nature. So, it’s healthy to stay away from it.
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