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Sunday, January 18, 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?

What is Organic Health Food?

Organic produce is not grown or processed in the same way as conventional food. It is never exposed to artificial fertilizers, conventional pesticides, industrial waste, human waste, and ionizing radiation or food additives. Conventional chickens are sometimes given tiny quantities of arsenic in their feed to fight parasites. Arsenic has been linked to cancer in humans. Organic animals are not given anything like that and are raised in clean, parasite free environments.

Organic livestock, such as chickens, are reared without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics and they are fed a healthy diet. They are not genetically modified. An organic chicken will have been fed organic grains grown on a farm which has free of chemicals and pesticides for a minimum of three years.

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.

Is Organic Health Food Popular?

Organic food used to be available only in farmer's markets and small stores because the organic farms were small, family run ones. The production of organic food has increased about 20% a year since the early 1990s in both developing and developed nations.

In 2002, $9 billion worth of organic produce was sold in the United States. This was also the year that the National Organic Standards list was issued, which was a list containing guidelines that farmers had to follow in order to be allowed to label their produce as organic. Since April 2008, organic produce has accounted for between 1 and 2% of worldwide food sales. The British love organic health food and they import a lot of it because their farmers cannot keep up with the high level of demand.

How Does Organic Health Food Taste?

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 can roam freely so they have used muscles, not wasted muscles. They have a better life, eat better food, and can grow at a natural rate, meaning they will taste richer and better. Organic food is more expensive because this method of farming is more labor intensive and the feed for the livestock costs more.

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.

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