Organic foods: Your natural way to health

The concept of organic food has become popular for various reasons. One reason could be heightened health concerns among people who are keen to include organic foods in their diet. Another could be the fact that celebrity chefs on television shows highlight and promote organic foods. As a result, organic foods have become the latest trend. But, what exactly is organic food?

Organic food does not necessarily mean vegetarian food; this is an urban myth among people. Organic food is simply food that is processed using methods that do not involve the use of pesticides, fertilisers or any other chemicals. Also, they do not contain genetically modified organisms and are not processed through irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.

Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Thus, this can include meat like chicken and fish that are chemical-free.

Organic food does not exclusively consist of soups, salads and tossed vegetables. Everything from burgers to biriyanis with plump, natural chicken, saucy spaghetti with cheese, fish curries and all such healthy meals can be made at home by simply using fresh organic produce of meats and vegetables.

Organic food is healthy and more nutritious than what is otherwise consumed, however, organic chips and sodas are simply not! Whatever scientific or medical literature state, cane sugar is still sugar and fried chips are still fried, no matter what kind of compost was or was not heaped onto the potatoes. Sorry!

Among the major reasons for the shift towards an organic diet are the immense environmental benefits reaped from it. Organic farming practices require the use of organic manure and crop-rotation practices that help soil regain its fertility, unlike the use of chemical fertilisers that deplete the soil of its natural fertility.

Producing organic food does not require a lot of fossil fuel that results in atmospheric pollution. It also takes advantage of the greenhouse effect to salvage the soil's carbon. If the use of synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilisers are avoided, it ensures that the water remains fresh and unpolluted for everyone. Also, organic meat does not have any by-products in its feed, which is a primary contributor to Mad-Cow and other related diseases.

Win-win option

Organic farming practices make farmers rely on biological diversity to naturally reduce the habitat for pest organisms. Weeds are thus controlled by more natural and traditional methods like hand weeding, mulching and tilling. Natural fertilisers like manure and compost are used to ensure chemical-free food.

Traditional cultivation includes deep ploughing to aerate the soil and the addition of cow-dung and excreta of sheep, goat, etc help to improve soil fertility. Selection of seeds and seedlings is done based on physical observation and isolation and then stored for next crop.

Cultivation is based on seasons. Multiple cropping is an important practice. It enables one crop to protect another from pests and other diseases, shares different nutrients from the same soil besides checking the loss of crop productivity.

The increased demand for organic food day by day has encouraged large companies to source organic meat and milk from local farmers. Animals are also given more space in smaller farms to roam around compared to those at larger factories.

Clearly, switching to an organic diet helps the environment, uses the best natural crop from local farmers, makes food more nutritious and makes one more humane through contribution to the environment.

While shopping for organic food, remember to read the labels carefully and choose the right kind of products. Those labelled "organic" must have 95% organically-produced ingredients, because sometimes products that contain only 70% organic ingredients can still use the phrase, "Made with organic ingredients."

Today, shelves at supermarkets are stocked with plenty of organic products to cater to consumers who are health conscious and are keen to make lifestyle changes. Market forces have re-aligned themselves to address the demand from consumers which also benefits the environment to make for a win-win situation and contribute to a sustainable economy.

(The writer is an Associate Professor, Department of Hotel Management, Christ Deemed-to-be University, Bengaluru)