ORGANIC FOOD – a Healthy Option for Body & Soul

“What you eat becomes your mind; As is the food, so is your mind.” - Ayurveda

The importance of healthy food is unaltered and is extremely beneficial for people of all ages. Health enthusiasts feel the importance of Satvik Bhojan. Going Satvik, is in a sense, going back in time. A time when the cultivated product you ate came from soil replenished with healthy manure and mulch and an Organic food is an attempt to give to the body a food that is wholesome while pleasing to the senses.

Organic foods are those foods that are grown, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic cultivation uses organic seeds, organic fertilizers, compost, organic root stimulators, and organic pest control methods.

The term Organic differs from commonly used terms like Natural, Local, Sustainable, Green etc. as only organic produce is certified by approved certification agencies.

Every farmer, who wants to be an organic producer, first of all registers his farm and production, with some accredited certification agency. Organic food are inspected and certified by these different accredited certification agencies at every step from production to packaging and hence assuring a safe food to customers. Every Nation implements their own National Standards for Organic Products. On the basis of compliance with their National Standards for Organic Production, a trademark, a logo is granted which is displayed on each and every product thus certifying it to be an Organic Product.

Here are some of the trademarks to look for on the products you wish to purchase: INDIA-NPOP, India Organic, ECOCERT, USDA Organic, APEDA etc.

Organic foods have been accepted due to their apparent health benefits over chemically grown food as studies and researches have shown that chemicals have a lethal impact on farming and life. The residues of some toxic chemicals in food stuff may lead carcinogenic, mutagenic, neuropathy, nephropathy, reproductive disorders etc.

This awareness on healthy food habits is growing in India so as the demand. The benefits of organic farming far outweigh the costs. They are now been made available in all major stores of different cities and people prefer to have it over conventional food no matter if they have to pay 40 to 50 per cent more as compared to conventionally grown foods. The pricing includes the cost of consultancy for cultivation, cultivation practices, organic seeds, manure, packaging, labeling, inspection, certification, branding, marketing etc. However, remember that these can disappear when supply increases, especially in those countries with policies to encourage organic farming.

Compared to conventional foodstuff, Organic food is more perishable as it doesn't use pesticides or preservatives, so for customers it is suggestible to buy in small quantities and replenish stock regularly. Health foods cannot change a family history of diseases related to diabetes, heart and liver. They do not guarantee a disease-free life, but can definitely help combat diseases.

As the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates said, `Let healthy food be your medicine rather than medicine be your food!' That's what healthy eating is all about.

Contributing Author: Ashish Kataria – B.Sc. Agriculture, M.B.A. Agribusiness, Indore (M.P.)
I am an agriculture enthusiast with an educational background from Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (G.B.P.U.A. & T.), Pantnagar. ashishkataria123@gmail.com