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Are Organic Foods Healthier?

Should you or shouldn’t you...go organic? Is there really a huge health difference between eating organic food grown pesticide and GMO-free and consuming the commonly available non-organic variety?
Organic foods do demand more from the wallet but perhaps the higher price points may pan out to be money well spent in the long run. To answer these questions, let us discuss what organic food really is.

The “Organic” Label

Foods qualified for the label “organic” are those that have been grown and processed following specific procedures. Organic vegetables and fruits are grown in soil uncontaminated by chemical, petroleum-based, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers and pesticides. These are not genetically modified produce and are naturally grown just as they were before chemicals and bio-engineering served agricultural purposes.
Organic meat come from livestock and poultry that have been given free range in the outdoors to graze or root for their food. Although they may be given organic feed, these animals are not given commercially manufactured feeds. Not a drop of antibiotics, growth hormones, or animal by-products touch their feeding troughs. In other words, nothing chemical or synthetic may be used to raise organic meat or produce.

Organic vs. Conventional Produce

Because organic farming advocates natural procedures and a total shift away from the unnatural...genetic modifications, synthetic additives, and the like…organic food is, healthwise, significantly superior to conventional foods

Higher Antioxidant Content in Organic Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains

A Standard University analysis of 240 studies on organically and conventionally grown food released that both food categories did not differ significantly when it came nutritional values. For instance, lettuce grown conventionally had about the same nutritional content as those that were grown naturally. There were however some exceptions such as organic milk and chicken showing higher Omega-3 fatty acid content than their conventionally produced counterparts.
The findings created a media controversy questioning the more expensive, less convenient production processes of organic farming which ultimately reflected in the higher price tags of organic produce. An international team however, led by Professor Carlo Leifert of Newcastle University collated more data to shed better light on these controversial findings. They analysed a total number of 343 studies done over the last several decades and discovered that organic fruits, vegetables, and cereals contain significantly higher antioxidant properties, some containing as much as 69% more than their conventionally grown equivalents.
Antioxidants are vital for optimal health. These molecules fight free radicals that speed up our aging, compromise our cardiovascular health, immune system, and other areas of the body with cell damage. When we are encouraged to eat more servings of fruit, vegetable, and whole grain, the idea behind this exhortation is to get a lot of antioxidants flowing in your system. Since organic produce provides notably more antioxidants, these are then a much wiser choice over regularly grown grain, fruit, and vegetables.
If antioxidant content in organic food are at much elevated levels, why not other nutritional values as well? Although some studies have revealed no difference in nutritional value between organic and modern commercial grown plant produce, there are also a number that refute this finding…

Higher Nutritional Values in Organic Produce

There are studies discovering that organic fruits or vegetables do contain much more nutrients than the non-organic variety. One such study was published in 2010 by PLOS ONE, a peer reviewed scientific journal, which revealed than organic strawberries had meaningfully higher nutritional content than non-organic strawberries. In 2007, a Newcastle University in the U.K. released findings that reported organically farmed fruits and vegetables had shown as much as 40% more content with certain nutrients, especially Vitamin C, iron, and zinc. A 2003 study published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry likewise revealed that organic corn and berries contained 58% more polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that prevents cardiovascular disease, and 52% more Vitamin C than its non-organic equivalents.
Why should organic produce contain more nutrients and antioxidants? Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., the lead author of the aforementioned 2003 study believes that organic farming methods renders the soil more fertile than conventional farming methods. Mitchell says, “With organic methods, the nitrogen present in composted soil is released slowly and therefore plants grow at a normal rate, with their nutrients in balance. Vegetables fertilized with conventional fertilizers grow very rapidly and allocate less energy to develop nutrients.” His findings are supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science which in 2009 made a presentation on soil health and its relation to food quality. The presentation argues that healthy soil does indeed produce crops with high nutrient density. Healthy soil relies on good organic farming methods that do away with chemical herbicides, fertilizers, and other additives that simply kill vital microbial inhabitants of the soil, thereby
depleting it of its nutrients.
Hence on the average, organic plant-based foods are definitely more nutritious than the non-organics.

Significant Reduction of Exposure to Pesticides, GMOs, and Other Chemical Additives

Since organic farming does not the permit the use of pesticides, antibiotics in treating animals, genetic modification, and the like, eating organic food lowers anyone’s exposure to these unhealthy modern practices.
Glyphosate is one example of a pesticide used in conventional farming. Unfortunately, this chemical destroys soil fertility and promotes antibiotic resistance in humans.
GMO, “genetically modified organisms” or GE “genetically engineered foods” refer to produce or livestock that have had their genes manipulated or modified in order to breed plants resistant to certain pests, animals that are bigger in size, or other favoured unnatural improvisations to “improve” current stock of food sources. Corn, potatoes, and soybeans have been modified to synthesise their own insecticide called Bt toxin. Bio-engineers of crops producing Bt toxin claim that the toxin is broken down by the human digestive system. This claim however proved to be false when in 2011, Sherbrooke University Hospital in Canada found that 93% of pregnant women and 63% of non-pregnant women tested positive for Bt toxin presence. What’s more 80% of umbilical blood in babies had Bt toxin as well. Bt toxin has been the cause
of many immune system anomalies such as increased levels of antibodies associated with allergies and infections; high levels of cytokines usually found in people suffering from arthritis, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other inflammatory disorders; and elevated levels of T cells associated with asthma and connective tissue disease.

We Are What We Farm

All these findings corroborate the fact that the way we farm definitely affects the quality of the food we eat. Organic farming emphasizes natural agriculture in which no artificial or synthetic means are employed to touch the food being raised.
Organic food is more expensive than regular, commercially grown food; but, in the long run, it will be worth its weight in your health. Spend a little more each time you shop; but, you up your chances of avoiding the large, hefty sums of hospital bills, medications, and invalid care in the next several years or decades. This makes organic food a wise investment especially if you take more care of your health with a good diet, regular exercise, and ample rest. Organic food should form part of that good diet.
So to answer our very first question: Should you or shouldn’t you? Yes, go organic. Definitely. It’s one of the wisest health investments you can make.

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What You Need To Know About Biotin

Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7 and Vitamin H (it’s a hair vitamin), is an important component in cell growth, fatty acid production, and the metabolism of fats, amino acids, and various other processes that involve carbon dioxide transfer. Biotin however is better known commercially as a supplement to strengthen nails and hair.

Sources of Biotin

As part of the B group of vitamins, biotin may be found in food rich in Vitamin B. Peanuts and tomatoes rank as excellent sources of biotin. Almonds, eggs, alfalfa, carrots, and onions also make good sources.

When food is cooked, the biotin content in them remains relatively stable. For instance, only 10% of this vitamin will be lost compared to others in the vitamin B roster.

It is interesting to note that although whole eggs are good biotin sources, consuming a lot of raw egg whites daily can cause a biotin deficiency. Egg whites contain avidin, a natural protein that binds so strongly to biotin that it restricts its availability in enzymatic reactions. Cooking the eggs however denatures avidin and considerably weakens its binding tendency. Cooked eggs do not restrict the body’s absorption of biotin.

What Biotin Does for You

Balances Blood Sugar

Biotin is important in the production of insulin, a hormone that plays a major metabolic role particularly in the regulation of blood sugar levels. Studies have also shown that biotin is vital for the proper reaction of insulin on the cells. A biotin deficiency can compromise one’s metabolism and cause diabetes and weight gain.

The good news is a lot of high fibre foods contain biotin. A research group from Spain reported that the addition of just an ounce of mixed nuts into a diet taken for three months significantly improved blood sugar regulation in a test group of people at high risk of developing diabetes.

People suffering from diabetes or metabolic problems may be prescribed a biotin supplement to help get the body’s metabolic processes back on track.

Improves Skin, Hair, and Nails

Although many say that more research needs to be done to conclusively say that biotin improves hair, skin, and nails, some medical professionals believe that biotin does increase the health of these parts. Lauren Graf, a dietician for the Montefiore-Einstein Cardiac Wellness Program says, "Low levels of biotin can lead to brittle nails and thinning hair. There is some evidence that biotin supplements can help prevent hair thinning, especially if you are deficient. Taking a biotin supplement is not likely to be harmful and may improve hair quality."

The Ablon Skin Institute Research Centre and University of California did a double-blind study that discovered that biotin supplementation promoted significant hair growth in women with temporary thinning hair.

Biotin can also be helpful in treating infant skin rashes or seborrheic dermatitis, also known as cradle cap.

What Biotin Deficiency Is Like

Biotin deficiency is a rare condition because the dietary requirements for this vitamin B7 is low and available in a wide variety of food. Our intestinal bacteria also produce small amounts of biotin.

In cases however where there is clearly a biotin deficiency, the symptoms manifest as:

• Alopecia or loss of hair
• Severe malnutrition
• Thin and brittle fingernails
• Neurological signs such as lethargy, depression, tingling of extremities, and numbness
• Dermatitis or rashes around the genital areas, eyes, nose, and mouth
• Confusion
• Nausea
• Muscle pain
• Swollen, magenta coloured tongue
• Cracking at the mouth corners
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia

Some people inherit a biotin deficiency disorder which impairs their immune system function and consequently makes them more susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections.

Pregnant women stand at a higher risk of biotin deficiency. Such a deficiency during pregnancy can cause the unborn child to develop congenital defects such as a cleft palate.

To correct deficiencies, biotin supplementation is usually the standard treatment.

Dietary Requirements

The adequate intake (AI) for adults 18 years old and above is 30 micrograms per day.

While one can be deficient in biotin, there is no known levels of having too much of the vitamin. In other words, one cannot overdose on biotin. The B vitamins are all water soluble so excesses are flushed out of the body, not stored.