There has been so much fuss recently about "going organic" and "eating organic." What exactly is "organic" and why is eating organic food highly recommended?

Organic foods are those that, by law, are produced without using pesticides and other synthetic chemicals. While tests conducted by the various government agencies already reveal a reduction in the various toxins in the food we eat, the movement towards eating organic food is gaining steam. Here are seven reasons why we ought to eat organic:

1. Studies from various organizations have consistently shown that organic food is higher in nutrients than traditionally-grown (read: farmed with pesticides and fertilizers) foods. Organic produce has higher levels of vitamin C, antioxidants, and the minerals calcium, iron, chromium, and magnesium. They taste better, too.

2. Organic produce has also been shown to be free of neurotoxins. Did you know that pesticides contain organophosphates which were originally used as toxic nerve agents in the First World War? When the war was over, the leftover organophosphates were adapted to become pesticides. Why are they harmful? Organophosphates are damaging to brain and nerve cells. Many pesticides are still considered neurotoxins. Organic produce, however, do not use these neurotoxins in the growing process. Being toxin-free, organic produce is ideal for children's growing brains and bodies. Organic food feeds and strengthens their bodies without risking exposure to pesticides and genetically-modified organisms. This is one of the biggest pluses in going organic.

3. The use of pesticides pollute our drinking water. Through organic farming practices, pollution in our drinking water is greatly reduced. To support this effort, we ought to buy organic produce as well. Moreover, organic food production has always been used by our forefathers and has been found to be sustainable and earth-friendly as compared to the current agricultural practices that have destroyed the environment in all the parts of the world that it has been used. Herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers have done nothing but destroy our soils.

4. Small-scale organic farms help create a livelihood for local farmers who used to be left out when big corporations started taking over and running the show. Farms that employ organic practices are safe places in which to work in too. A Harvard School of Public Health study found that Parkinson's disease among people exposed to pesticides was 70% higher in those environments were pesticides were used. When we buy organic, we are supporting working environments that are safe and disease-free.

5. Organic food reduces your cancer risk. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides, and 30% of insecticides to be cancer-causing agents. With cancer as one of the leading causes of mortality in the Western world today, there is good evidence to point an accusing finger to the use of these carcinogenic pesticides. Non-organic meat have also been heavily treated with antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and drugs. This is not the case with organic meat.

6. Organic food is real food and have been tried, tested and proven safe. Genetically-modified food, however, currently makes up 80% of the average person's diet but whose long-term effects and safety have not been well-established.

7. Organic farming techniques supports greater biodiversity in our food sources. Biodiversity is natural and basic to life on Earth. On the contrary, genetically-modified and non-organic food is only concerned with producing high yields for one particular group of plants and/or animals.