Shop Organic, Ignore Modified
What makes
us choose to buy organic, or to buy modified food?
The
question is worth a billion. We, as humans, were made to ask questions. When
man first evolved, one of the things that made us an advanced species was that
we asked questions, we worked to figure out the answer. People like Ptolemy,
Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello,
and many other people got their answers because they pressed and worked to find
out the replies to the many questions that now give us privileged minds and the
capability to discover. Questions form part of our everyday lives. Students in
classrooms ask questions, teachers ask questions, chemists, scientists,
astronomers, and many more people ask questions. We, as humans, were given the
gift of curiosity, the gift that was is one of the reasons of why we have such
an advanced civilization. But there are still many questions that have no
answer, and some of us forget to ask questions about daily things that affect
our lives. One of them is our food choices, and why more of us buy modified food
than organic food.
Firstly,
what is organic food? It is when a farmer grows animals or plants naturally,
feeding them food without chemicals, pesticides, hormones, genes, genetic
material, and such, while the animal or plant grows without a single thing that
was not handled by man. As a result, the animal or plant is prone to disease,
because there are no pesticides to kill the bugs, there are no hormones to make
it larger, and there are no genes to change its physical appearance. Therefore,
it is harder to grow organically-raised crops or animals, because often, the
crops or animals are killed by insects, they are weaker, and they are raised
naturally. Part of the cycle of life is death, so if the animals had been wild,
it would not have affected the food chain when they died. However, when the
animals do die in farms, there is less meat or vegetables to be sold, and the
effort is more to have them healthy, so therefore the price is higher. In the
case of fish, however, fisherman are hired to fish from the sea, which is also
a greater task, as the fish are wild and have had no supervision during their
lives.
Secondly,
modified food is when an animal or plant is raised with chemicals, genes,
genetic material, hormones and pesticides. For example, to avoid that insects
eat a crop, it is sprayed with pesticides so the insect dies before it can
feast on the plant. Then if some chicken has been fed chemicals, when it’s in
the fridge, it will stay the same for a longer period of time, because the chemical
compound will not allow bacteria to eat the chicken. Ham could be modified so
it’s fat free and for dieters, and animals can be genetically modified so they
grow larger and look better. Some foods will say organic, and it doesn’t say
the percentage of the organic in it. Some foods are 70% organic, others are 90%
organic, some are less, but the best percentage would be 100%, which means that
absolutely nothing man-made or manipulated by man has even touched the product.
The
question is, those pesticides kill insects, what are the effects on us? When
those hormones are injected into the animals, what does it do to us? When those
chemicals are fed to the animals, what do they do to us? Media (newspapers,
news, etc) revealed that in the U.S. fish companies were growing salmon in
terrible conditions, feeding them hormones and chemicals that made their flesh
white. The company then fed the sickly salmon pills to taint their flesh a
healthy pink. When we eat that, what are the effects on our body? Information from
the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP) reveals that 90 percent or more of
conventionally produced apples, peaches, pears and strawberries have pesticide
residues. People have commented that fruits are unusually shiny, and are
actually coated in wax to make them gleam. On Socyberty, a reputable website,
in the article of Think Before You Bite, it was stated that Azinphos methyl, a
hazardous neurotoxin forbidden in Europe is found on the apples that we feed
our families with. It also informed that “there is growing scientific consensus
that even very small doses of pesticides can adversely affect people,
especially during the vulnerable periods of in utero and early childhood
development when organ systems are maturing most quickly, when toxic defenses
are least established, and when early programming of risks for chronic disease
later in life takes place.” Pesticides have been known to link to cases of chronic
diseases such as neurodevelopment, Parkinson’s disease, and cancers. Although
it is not scientifically proven, I believe that these hormones, genetic
material, pesticides, and chemicals are affecting our genes and DNA, changing
them like radiation does. For example, it was discovered that strawberries have
fish hormones injected into them to make swell and look ripe. If the
strawberries DNA’s and genes’ are changing with these hormones, then it is
likely that our genes and DNA will change. If a cow has been fed pesticides and
its interior is swamped with the pesticides it has eaten, it is possible that
it will affect us as well, for the digestive system can be easily worn out by
substances that are killing other living creatures. Cows and humans are both
mammals, so it is possible that these pesticides are affecting us as well.
Waxes can
be used to make fruits shiny, trap moisture underneath, and keep products fresh
longer, but the pesticide that has been sprayed over the fruit will be trapped
underneath and cannot be washed. When we eat fruits, it is as if we took an
amount of pesticide with the flavour of a fruit and swallowed it. Whenever we
eat pesticide-sprayed products, the pesticide is accumulating in our organisms
and it is toxic to us, making us more vulnerable to diseases as it weakens our
systems. When the DDT began to be used on crops, it fell across the food chain.
The insect ate the crop and died, the mouse ate the dead insect with DDT in it
and grew sick and died, the cat ate the mouse and died, and it went all up the
food chain until finally, the eagle and the peregrine falcon ate the animal
plagued with DDT. Because the peregrine falcon and the eagle have a stronger
organism, or there was something in the chemical, the birds did not die. But
the eggs shells’ were weak, and soon the chicks were hatching with
deformations, simply weak, or the shell broke too early. This chemical almost
wiped out two species. The funny thing is that there are still chemicals just
are harmful as DDT that are still on crops, and they have not been banned by
the government. If DDT was so poisonous, how would it have affected our bodies
when it was still allowed to be used? It could have destroyed our digestive
system, it could have changed our genes, it could have damaged our body
extensively. We are still eating foods that are showered with pesticides that
can be fatal to humans. It is much cheaper to buy modified food, mainly because
it’s easier to grow, it lasts longer, and it looks better. One might say, “the
ham I eat is fat-free, it’s for dieters, it’s modified so it’s healthier for
me. The chicken I have in my fridge has lasted for 3 weeks and it hasn’t gone
bad, it tastes exactly the same. The food I’m buying is so much more economic,
I’ve saved a lot of money now. There’s more food in my packages now. My food
looks so much more delicious. Everyone is eating what I serve now.”
But have
you asked yourself exactly why the
chicken in your fridge has lasted so much without going rotten? Have you asked
yourself why these companies are
selling everything so cheaply? Have you wondered how they make the ham fat-free? Have you asked why the food looks delicious? Have you asked, “what are the effects
on my health?” We are humans, and we were made to inquire, to ask, to discover.
These companies haven’t yet given the replies to answers, because if they tell
us that they are injecting hormones and genes that could be dangerous to our
health, that they are spraying foods with pesticides that could harm us, we
won’t buy their products with the hard-earned money we worked for, they are
trying to find things that we won’t inquire about. These companies don’t care
about your health, they only care about the money in your wallet. If they cared
about your health, firstly, they would tell us the negative things about their
products, they would tell us the positive things, they would tell us that there
are risks. No, they tell us the food you’re buying is healthy, nutritious, and
delicious. They try to fool millions of people with the face of a farmer or
fisherman glued onto the package. They know that their products could be
dangerous. After these accusations by people who have discovered their ways, an
organic company bombed with accusations would let someone select a product and
test it to make sure that it is healthy, and that it won’t harm your health.
But they refuse to have studies done, they ignore the accusations and cover the
stories up quickly.
Studies
need money to buy the utensils to do their studies, the workers, and the things
that are necessary. When a company needs to have a study to prove something,
they donate money so the study will prove that the company is doing something
well. What are the effects of the hormones that made the salmon’s naturally
pink meat turn white, the pesticides that don’t let insects eat the fruits and
vegetables, the wax that makes the food stay fresh and shiny? If they are
linked to diseases, and if they are probably changing our genes negatively,
then we shouldn’t buy modified food as often. If we buy these foods, then it is
likely that our families will have deformations, that there will be decades of
health problems and tears. It isn’t scientifically proved yet, but by using our
common sense, we can see that something strange is going on. Yes, it is all
right to buy modified food once in a while if the organic food is costly, but
if you always eat modified food, then it is very likely that you could have
health problems in the future. There is the saying, “better safe than sorry.”
People have said that during hurricanes, tornadoes, and disasters that have
happened. We have to be prepared if these things can happen. If in the future
we do have health problems, deformations and death plagues us more often than
ever, the treatments, surgeries and appointments would turn out more expensive
than if you bought organic food. It isn’t fatal if you could learn to buy
modified food once in a while. But if you want to cross out a possible problem
in your life, and a problem that could change you and your family, then buy
organic food. We are all human, and we have the power to define ourselves and
to choose our decisions and way of life. Pico of the Mirandole said in his
Oration that man was situated in a privileged position, under the angels, but
over the animals. We can choose our way life, and companies may try to fool us,
but we now know the risks of eating modified food.
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