Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Real Facts about Organic Health Food

By KC Kudra

You might have seen organic produce in the supermarket and noticed that it was more expensive than regular produce. What exactly is organic health food though and does it have a different taste? Would organic boneless chicken be worth paying more for than conventional boneless chicken?

A Guide to Organic Health Food

Organic foods are grown and processed in a different way. Neither artificial fertilizers nor conventional pesticides are used, the foods are free from food additives, they have not been exposed to ionizing radiation and they are free from industrial and human waste products.

Organic livestock is reared without growth hormones or antibiotics. It is not genetically modified. Organic animals are raised on a healthy diet and are fed organic grains, which were grown in a pesticide and chemical free soil.

An organic chicken will have been raised humanely in an environment without stress. It will have had daily exercise in the fresh air and sun with plenty of room to move about. Free-range chickens can also wander about but they might be exposed to dirty conditions, be fed poor quality food and they might be given drugs or antibiotics.

The Popularity of Organic Health Food

You used to only be able to get organic produce in small stores and farmer's markets because organic farms were small and family run. Organic food production has increased about 20% a year since the early 1990s and this applies to both developed and developing nations.

$9 billion worth of organic health food was sold in 2002 in the United States and in the same year, the Department of Agriculture released the National Organic Standards. This was a list of guidelines to follow in order for farmers to be able to put the "organic" label on their produce. Organic foods have accounted for between 1 and 2% of worldwide food sales since April 2008. The British are great lovers of organic health food and lots of their organic produce has to be imported because British farmers cannot keep up with the high demand.

Does Organic Food Taste Different?

The difference in flavor between meat from an organic chicken and a battery chicken is clear. There is less difference in flavor between organic chicken and free-range chicken but there is still a difference nonetheless.

Organic chickens have healthy muscles because they can roam. A battery chicken will have wasted muscles. Organic chickens grow at a natural rate, have a healthy life, and eat high quality food. Organic farming is more labor intensive and the livestock feed costs more. This is why organic food is more expensive.

Just imagine creating a delicious boneless chicken recipe using rich and flavorful organic chicken pieces and healthy organic vegetables in an organic tomato based sauce. If you have never sampled organic vegetables, you really should because they are richer in flavor and they smell divine. A recipe like this one would be ideal for the whole family, especially if you have their good health in mind. - 16003

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