Organic food products generally contain lesser ingredients than the usual food products. As a result, we may find certain labels and certifications like GMO-free, no artificial colorings, and more in organic foods.
While these labels and certifications indicate their health values, organic foods are like any other foods, beverages, ingredients, and more: They are not for everyone. So, what are the facts about organic foods we should believe in, and what are the myths we should not believe in? Here are the descriptions:
Myth: Organic foods are always healthier than the usual foods
No. Even though organic foods have labels and certifications (GMO-free, for example) that the usual foods don’t have, they are not always healthier than the usual foods.
They are organic because (almost) all of the ingredients are from natural sources. Keep in mind that we add brackets to the word “almost”, which means there are organic foods with unnatural food ingredients, such as preservatives or artificial colors, even though such things are rare in organic food industries.
Then, again, some people are allergic even to the most natural sources. Some people also have customized dietary needs that differentiate them from others. For instance, we can’t give organic foods with any egg-based ingredients to people whose diets eliminate eggs or who are allergic to egg products.
Myth: Organic foods are expensive because of their ingredients
This myth is yet another no-no about organic foods. Some people think that, because organic foods consist of natural ingredients (hence making them resemble natural foods more than other food types), that thing instantly makes organic foods expensive.
While some organic foods consist of hard-to-get or exotic natural ingredients, these factors are not the only factors that make organic foods expensive. Many other factors build up the foods’ prices, such as the prices the company should pay for certain food certifications, the ability to instantly adjust to people’s diet, and more.
Customized dietary requirements are the primary things that make organic foods’ prices high. Egg and gluten-free, sugar-free, and other labels, are labels that we don’t typically find in the usual foods. Hence, they don’t need complicated food combining processes like the usual foods. Those reasons become the answers to why these foods are expensive.
Facts: Food-combining between organic and/or usual foods is acceptable
Food-combining means embracing diversity in foods and acknowledging our unique dietary needs. So, if you wish to combine your organic foods with other organic foods or usual foods – go on, do it. Again, both combinations can be healthy depending on your beverages and consumption trends at least one week from today.
We’ll take veganism as an example since we notice this lifestyle has been booming over the past few years.
You can eat vegan-only chocolate sponge cakes while also enjoying braised tofu and mushrooms or mock meats that are cooked with vegetable oils. Alternatively, you can also eat sweet and sour mock chicken with lotus roots and Japanese rice with sesame garnishes, while also enjoying vegan dark chocolate cakes with dark chocolate ganache.
Many Asian soups are also beneficial for our health, including Bird Nest soup, collagen soups, lotus root soups, and more. We can find the organic and the usual versions of these ready-to-eat soups in supermarkets. Don’t forget to take notes on what ingredients are in the soups when you buy the ready-to-eat versions.
Facts: Organic foods are more transparent in their production and processing steps than the usual foods
All foods can be proud of their histories, particularly when they’ve been sustained for centuries like Oreo cookies and Mariani raisins products. Nonetheless, we find organic foods take more pride in telling their customers where they source, produce, and process the products before they ship them to supermarkets and serve them to their customers.
Indeed, we can find lots of infographics on organic food products. Organic food products from reputable companies with certifications almost always have notes in their ingredients.
Some of the examples include bolding or italicizing ingredients that contain some other ingredients that can cause allergies. Other examples include notes in brackets that the food processing steps are in a manufacturing facility that contains several ingredients that can cause allergies (wheat, gluten, egg, and more).
Facts: Organic foods are generally less sweet
Today, we’ve witnessed many ready-to-eat foods in supermarkets that use artificial sweeteners, flavor enhancers, and other similar chemicals to “improve” the foods’ tastes. We won’t find the same things for organic foods.
Even though there are organic foods that use artificial colors or preservatives, the sweet parts are usually not as sweet as the usual foods. Instead, organic food products use sweeteners that come from corn, cassava, or other natural sources of sweeteners. Even then, the sweetener amounts are not as massive as the usual foods.
While it’s true that organic foods taste more natural, we should be prepared with their less sweet aftertaste. Nonetheless, organic foods can be equally enjoyable to taste like their usual food counterparts if the food combinations meet individual dietary requirements well.
Some final words
Organic foods are enjoyable because they contain more natural ingredients and the companies tend to be more transparent in telling their customers about the product’s origins. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean they are less enjoyable or healthy than their usual food counterparts.
The keys lie in proper food combining processes and knowing the unique dietary needs. Some of the most evident examples include vegan people versus lactose-intolerant people.
The former can’t eat organic chickens or omega-3 eggs (unless the products are mock chickens and fake eggs), while the latter can’t consume any dairy products, even though those products have already got labels and certifications like GMO-free or Fairtrade-certified.
There are times when organic foods are compatible with the usual foods. After all, food processing steps that balance ingredients and dietary needs are crucial to maximizing organic foods’ benefits.
In conclusion, after we consider the facts and myths in this article, we know organic foods are not always better for us. We should be mindful of our food pairs and dietary needs as well.
