Organic Versus Natural Foods

With a diet fad now in full upswing in America, it's important to consider what is actually in your daily diet. What goes along with this is the fact that more and more people are turning to organic foods to eat instead of the "regular stuff." What is the difference, though? Some people may eat organic foods simply because they believe that it may be more healthy than other options but are not really sure. But how is organic food defined and how is it so different from the foods we decide to eat on a daily basis?

Before we dive into the health food terms, there are a couple words that one has to know beforehand. The words "natural" and "organic" seem to be plaguing the food aisles as well as the health food stores, so we'll focus on those.

"Natural"

The Food and Drug Administration defines any food as natural if a couple conditions exist for the particular product or food. First, the product cannot contain any additives or subtances that are man-made or manufactured. Secondly, the food or supplement you are wondering about cannot have color additives. This rules out a lot of food altogether.

You may be wondering why artificial additives or sweeteners, such as aspartame, however, sometimes are labeled as being natural. This is one of the problems with the Food and Drug Administration's definition of natural, because aspartame can actually be considered legally.

What is aspartame composed of, though? Aspartame is basically composed of 2 amino acids that are made separately in nature. However, the combination of those two amino acids do not occur together in nature, but aspartame can still be considered "natural" because nothing else is added to it; only 2 things from nature are combined.

"Organic"

The Food and Drug Administration actually sets forth rules and regulations that tell what organic means by how that certain product is raised and grown. The National Organic Program is what governs how organic products, foods, fruits, and vegetables are grown and is very strict about the definition of organic. Although in recent history of the United States organic farms have only been produced on family farms, they are more readily available because of the trend of organic food in America.

Organic food has a better nutritional value than other foods. Because these types of foods are not processed unlike others, they contain more nutrients. Processing foods through manufacturers and placing additives into them foods actually lose nutritional value; this is why organic foods are considered to be healthier.

Are you ready to embrace the new trend of organic foods? Although each person's diet and health is left up to the own particular individual, he or she needs to be certain that they are making the right choice and is confident and satisfied with that decision!