Unfortunately, we're living in a world where so few people actually pay attention to what they put in their bodies.
But even those who do sometimes end up eating products that are deceivingly unhealthy, and end up causing their bodies harm, including illnesses such as cancer.
Just this past month, a Consumers Report found a variety of packaged children's foods containing "measurable levels" of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, or inorganic arsenic.
More recently, the same scientists have found banned drugs in meats like beef, pork, and poultry. They claim to have contacted the US Food and Drug Administration, but no big steps have been taken to fix the problem.
For some people, cutting back on the amount of meat they consume is the simplest solution, but for others, buying organic is the best decision to make in this type of situation.
The term "organic" may seem like just another trendy word that is used to market certain foods, but it actually goes beyond that.
When a product is labeled as "organic" it means that it has been grown free of genetic modifications and chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. Farms that produce organic fruits, vegetables, and meats are also more closely monitored than the rest.
Doctors and nutritionists recommend that people switch to organic-friendly diets, but not everyone has a wallet big enough to be able to afford that lifestyle.
However, it's important to understand that the extra money spent on organic products is worth it for the sake of your health. Buying organic also supports small-scale farms and manufacturers who have been overpowered by big-box corporations.
One family in Sweden decided to go through with an experiment where they were instructed by scientists to switch up their diet and eat organic food for two weeks.
They were tested before the study as well as after and the results were quite surprising. Initial urine tests found insecticides, plant growth regulators and fungicides in each family member's body, but after analyzing their urine samples at the end of the two weeks, the pesticides were almost non-existent.
"The results of the survey clearly show that some pesticides are absorbed into the body through diet," according to the report. "By choosing organic products, it is possible by and large to avoid the consumption of these chemicals through food. Compared with the period when the family consumed conventionally grown food, the concentrations of pesticide residues decreased on average by a factor of 6.7 when the family ate organic food."
But that's not all, eating organic products will also change your body in many other ways. Here are some of them:
Your body will absorb nutrients better
Having high levels of toxins, like pesticides, in your body will hinder its ability to perform at its best.
Your body will be working overtime to get rid of these toxins instead of carrying out normal functions like absorbing nutrients from the food you eat.
When you eat organic, that order becomes reversed. Your body won't have difficulties absorbing the nutrients that help you stay healthy, and it will still be able to undergo detoxification.
You will lose weight
While weight loss isn't the most important benefit of eating organic, it is still welcomed.
When you rid your body of toxins, your metabolism also works better at converting the food you eat into energy instead of storing it as fat cells. This will enable you to lose weight naturally.
Also, you could find yourself dropping anywhere between five to 10 pounds of "waste weight," which is weight caused by the build up of toxins.
Your energy levels will improve
This is probably the perk you will notice first when you switch to consuming organic produce. Your energy levels will be substantially improved as your body gets healthier.
This increase in energy can be attributed to lowered toxin levels which lead to a faster metabolism, weight loss, improved digestion, balanced hormone levels and better sleep.
You risk of cancer may be lowered
As mentioned above, there are so many harmful substances that find their way into our food supply through agriculture and food processing.
While some of these products, like growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticides aren't directly linked to causing cancer, they "may influence cancer risk in other ways "“ for example, by acting as hormone-like substances in the body," according to the American Cancer Society.
When you ingest food contaminated with these chemicals, there is an increased risk of developing serious illnesses such as cancer.
Organic foods, which are produced free of such chemicals are considered safer alternatives. Whether or not they are less likely to cause cancer is something researchers are still studying, but there is no denying that putting fewer foreign substances in your body has better benefits in the long run.
