Organic foods may promote a healthy digestive system. Your digestive system, a key player in immune health, absorbs essential vitamins and nutrients and expels wastes and toxins. Many American diets contain an abundance of non-organic, chemically-filled foods, which may harm the intestines. Consuming organic foods can reduce your intake of pesticides and other dangerous chemicals to help prevent digestive problems.
Certified Organic
United States Department of Agriculture-certified organic foods -- or foods produced according to the national standards in the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 -- must come from a certified organic farm or organic handling operation. Foods displaying the USDA 100-percent organic label have no synthetic chemicals and contain 100-percent organic ingredients.
Conventionally-produced foods use chemical fertilizers, kill pests and diseases by spraying insecticides, use herbicides for weed control and give farm animals antibiotics and growth hormones. Certified organic farmers use natural fertilizers, such as manure, to nourish the soil and insect traps to control pests. In addition, animals on an organic farm consume organic feed and can graze on pastures.
Food Choices
An expensive diet of all certified organic foods may not be necessary. Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends obtaining only organic foods that likely contain high amounts of pesticides when grown conventionally. He suggests purchasing organic thin-skinned fruits, vegetables and leafy vegetables including apples, grapes, strawberries, potatoes, peppers, lettuce and spinach. Dairy products may contain remnants of hormones, pesticides and antibiotics, and Dr. Oz suggests purchasing organic milk, yogurt and cheese. In addition, to further avoid the adverse effects of antibiotics, choose only organic grass-fed meat.
Digestive Health
A healthy gut is vital to immune system function. In fact, most disease-fighting antibodies reside in your digestive system, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon. Your intestines contain friendly bacteria as well as disease-causing bacteria, and a healthy bacterial balance must exist to prevent illness. Harmful bacteria thrive on non-organic-processed foods, according to Rubin. In addition, an overabundance of antibiotics in your system not only kills the bad bacteria, but also may deplete levels of your healthy bacteria. A bacterial imbalance may lead to the proliferation of disease-related substances in your small intestine, which can increase the absorption of toxins and inhibit the absorption of vital nutrients.
Pesticide Effects
Consuming organic foods may limit your intake of dangerous pesticides and decrease your risk of developing an infectious digestive system disease. A report by professor Dr. Robert Repetto, of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, observed the effects of pesticides on children and adults in developing countries.
According to Repetto, 80 percent of otherwise healthy children in Central Moldova exhibited suppressed immune systems and were three times more likely to develop infectious diseases of the digestive tract. Farmers in the same area also had increased rates of digestive diseases. In addition, cotton workers in Uzbekistan were observed to exhibit elevated levels of infectious intestinal disorders when compared to areas with less pesticide usage.
References
- "Patient Heal Thyself"; Jordan Rubin, N.M.D.; 2006
- MayoClinic.com: Organic foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious?; Mayo Clinic Staff; Dec. 2010
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: National Organic Program
- USDA: Organic Foods Production Act of 1990; Nov. 2005
- Dr. Oz: When to Go Organic; Mehmet Oz; Oct. 2009
- Global Healing Center: Pesticides and the Immune System -- Overview; Robert Repetto, et al.; 1998-2011
