Food plays a vital role in health. It is important for all living things to consume the right nutrients to develop healthy bodies. But there are some cases where people find it difficult get the appropriate nutrient intake. Today, there are many different ways people can obtain nutrients. And this could be through organic food, processed food or vitamin supplements. This research will compare and contrast organic and processed food.
In what specific situation is one better than the other? And where do vitamin supplements fit in all this? And what methods are the major food industries using to produce food? This issue has been addressed in the past but food is now more modified. There is a correlation between nutrient absorption and the type of food being eaten. Because of that, the issue needs to be addressed. If an individual was not getting enough nutrients from processed food, it may be necessary for them to take vitamin supplements to make up for that.
In the 21st century, organic food typically contains a lot more nutrients than their processed food counterparts. This is because Organic food is made naturally with no preservatives or pesticides to interfere with the natural growth. Processed food on the other hand is made with the use of chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives. Despite this, processed food has kept on improving. According to an article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, processed food has come a long way, contributing a lot to the American population. By following the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, food companies have put various efforts into making sure the nutrition quality meets human needs.
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Food companies have also made it a priority to make sure that there is enough food to go around. Because of preservatives, processed food lasts longer than their organic counterparts. Today, the American food supply has to travel extremely long distances to get to its consumers. To make sure that the standard of nutrition is met and not significantly affected by transportation, food companies are forced to modify food. Without these preservatives, food being transported would decay fast. In fact, may even acquire unwanted pathogens and bacteria.
So what is the point of taking supplements when the food consumed today has been modified to contain various nutrients? Today, there are various articles that question supplements.Who should take vitamin supplements? When should they be taken? And why would they be taken?
Supplements, although they have become a go to for nutrition, were never meant to become the sole source of any vitamin. The actual definition of a supplement is an enhancer. They were meant to be taken along side actual food. For example, if a person were to drink milk, they would take vitamin D supplements or calcium supplements in addition. Today, many people people use vitamins as the sole source for a nutrient they can acquire from eating actual food.
Compared to processed food, vitamin supplements come short. Processed food not only contain nutrients but a lot more calories. It is important for people to eat a specific amount of calories each day. A great example of a processed food that has not only calories but important vitamins is yogurt. Yogurt usually has about 100 calories, but also contains probiotics.Probiotics are living bacteria that are good for the digestive system. They also provide a lot of nutrients that keep the stomach healthy. Typically found in yogurts, once consumed, probiotics inside the yogurt eat away all the harmful substances in the stomach.
Now the question is, shouldn’t our stomach already have bacteria that clean up the digestive tract? Well. they body definitely does have they particular bacteria but the problem is antibiotics. Antibiotics serve a great purpose in our society. They help cure and keep diseases at bay, but that does not mean they come without any flaws. Sometimes antibiotics may mistake “good” bacteria for “bad” bacteria and consume them. Now when a vast number of the “good” bacteria are gone, this leaves the stomach with a limited amount of ways to clean itself, that is why it is extremely important to consume probiotics. Obviously too much of either one won’t result in positive results, so it is also important to keep a balance between the two.
Probiotics were not always socially accepted, this changed when the later Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Metchnikoff set off on a journey to discover correlations of longevity and food consumption. He came across a town in the Caucasus Mountains. To his surprise there were a vast number of villagers living in the 100s. He was intrigued by this and sought out to find the reason for their unusual life spans. It was there where he discovered the probiotic, Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The villagers in the town were drinking a yogurt that was fermented, allowing this probiotic to live in the yogurt. They consumed this on a regular basis. As the years went on food manufactures and health agencies began to adopt them and apply them to food. Supplements were even made. And finally in the year 2002, the UN and World Health Organisation recognised them as beneficial to the host, and that it was ok to take them in reasonable amounts.
Despite yogurt having a caloric advantage there are still many people out there that can’t eat certain foods containing probiotics. For example, there are some lactose intolerant individuals that are unable to consume certain yogurts. Thanks to probiotic supplements, these individuals aren’t missing out on essential nutrients. Probiotic supplements have proven to be just as effective and sometimes even better than consuming actual yogurt. Supplements provide an easy way for individuals to not miss out on the nutrients they need when facing a disability or disadvantage whether it is financially or a condition.
So supplements have proven to fill a role in our society and for many good reasons, but their biggest disadvantage is that they do not provide nearly as much calories as actual food, and not a lot of them can provide a wide range of nutrients. There are many side effects that vitamins give off, and a lot of them are actually pretty bad. Recent studies have shown that taking individual or specialized supplements can harm the consumer when he or she does not back them up with the nutrients that support the nutrient being consumed. For example, if an individual were to consume calcium supplements, it is important that he or she take vitamin D supplements or acquire vitamin D through any means. This is because Vitamin D helps with the absorption of Calcium, and absorbing too much calcium may lead to a manganese depletion. The same problem is in food actually. Eating too much of one thing and not trying to maintain a balance diet leads may lead to health problems.
In today’s market, multivitamins actually cost less are usually recommended over individual vitamins. This is because multivitamins have to have ratios that are approved by the Health Organisation before they can be commercially sold. These correct ratios will help prevent overdoses. If an individual was planning on taking any kind of vitamin without any professional guidance, it is recommended to take multivitamins. Individual vitamins should only be taken unless the individual has received medical guidance and is having a specific condition like iron deficiency or a lack of protein. But this doesn’t rule out natural food.
Probably the biggest disadvantage for natural food when compared to supplements is aging. As people get older it becomes very difficult for them to absorb food. People also get less hungry with age. This is because the older people get, the less active people are. With a slower metabolism and lack of activity, the need for energy isn’t nearly as important as an individual’s younger days. So supplements did have a disadvantage when it came to caloric intake, but it is also their advantage. For people not trying to gain weight or who simply can’t consume a lot whole foods, supplements serve as the substitute for providing the essential nutrients. [4]
In the year 2012, an article was posted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences that argued the validity organic food being that much better than processed food. “Organic Food Conclusions Don’t Tell The Whole Story” was the title. A team of from Stanford University examined and concluded that there was little to no difference in terms of safety between organic food and processed food. For years scientist and experts in the health industries had been criticizing the use of pesticides on food. This team did agree with the experts in the health industries on two point. Eating organic food will prevent anti-resistant bacteria from entering the body and reduced pesticide exposure. However, organic food only had a 30% lower risk of pesticide exposure. However, Charles Benbrook, a researcher from Washington State University pointed out the flaws in the team from Stanford’s data.
The data used by the team was insufficient and lacking. Benbrook used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program. He concluded that Organic food had a 94% lower health risk than processed food. His final result may have its errors but with the amount of sources and tests he had performed it could be concluded that his result was far closer to the truth than that of the Stanford team’s. That right there was a perfect example of the uncertainty society still has on organic food. Even now there are still individuals seeking to discredit organic food. A lot of these are major corporations seeking to keep their customers like McDonald’s and KFC. Not just fast food restaurants but other big food corporations.
In the global debate between processed and organic food, the use of pesticide has become a huge factor. But it is not the sole factor. The ethics on how animals are bread comes into play as well. There is a correlation on breeding ethics and the nutrients. Companies that process food typically have the animals in factories. These animals are clumped up together in with little to no space. They are forced to live the rest of their lives surrounded by harmful fumes and toxins. They are so compact, leaving them susceptible to diseases. Animals that typically face this treatment are the basic farm animals like chicken, cows, and pigs.
Factory workers are usually unskilled and follow a simple guideline given to them by a supervisor. These workers administer antibiotics to the animals but this does little to no effect. As a matter of fact, disease spreads incredibly fast. This is because the animals develop a very weak immune system. With a weak immune system, lack of exposure to sunlight and becoming so easily susceptible to diseases, it becomes nearly impossible to acquire adequate nutrients from factory animals. Now this is where vitamin supplements come in. Even though it may be almost impossible to acquire adequate nutrients from organic or processed food, vitamins help fill in the void.
To some dietitians and doctors seem like the appropriate solution, but what they do not realize is that there is almost nothing they can do. The food coming out of factories may contain harmful bacteria and diseases. The only thing the guys in the medical field can do is counter, or give advice. For example, a doctor may ask an individual to not consume too much protein to prevent kidney damage. Or he may ask people not to eat too much poultry to decrease the risk of acquiring salmonella, which is a disease caused by feces and contaminated water. The correlation on how animals are treated and what they give when consumed is incredibly synonymous. Food companies should simply put more efforts to fortifying process food with nutrients.
The red arrow shows the improvement. By adding fortification and enrichment after production, the gaps closed almost completely. When organic food was introduced, it was actually meant to be a replacement for processed food. However, this did not happen. Organic food simply became an alternative. Producers of organic food claim their products are tastier, healthier, and far more nutritious than their processed counterparts. Substances that are unorthodox or harmful to animals or plants are abandoned. Despite all these benefits and ethical methods, organic food is still not the solution to all the diseases and health problems. Organic food farms are still unable to to completely eradicate food-borne diseases.
So how does the World Health Organization respond to this? Well they simply replied stating that health is defined as, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This basically means no disease can not be completely eradicated. People can only try eat efficiently and healthy. It is the medical professional’s jobs to inform the public and prescribe the appropriate vitamin supplements or drugs to counter the problems.
It is incredibly ironic how factories try to prevent pests and germs from infecting food quality and growth by using pesticides and germicides. What they don’t realize the chemicals found in pesticides and germicides decrease the nutritional quality of the food. Pesticides and germicides are not the only problem. Heat treatment, preservatives, the size reduction and several other changes all contribute to the poor quality of the food. When the nutritional density is altered or changed, the the nutritional quality of the food is affected as well.
The change in food quality doesn’t just stop there. GMOs, genetically modified organism have become a prevalent use when it comes to growing crops and animals. When a plant or animal is genetically engineered, there are obvious changes. These changes are a result of the plant growing unnatural metabolic pathways. Not all changes are bad. In fact the purpose of GMOs is to make growing plants or breeding animals easier. This is done by inserting a gene to combat a bacteria or to enhance its capabilities. However, this comes with side effects. Plants may produce unwanted toxins which may cause allergies when consumed.
The U.S. still seems keen on keeping GMOs but several other countries have banned the practice completely. The European Union has opposed the use of GMOs especially in crops. They prefer food to be made organically and ethically. Since 1990, the use of GMOs have declined in european agriculture. The EU gets most of its corn from Spain. Spain is literally one of the only few EU countries to be in the top 20 for GMO use. There have been efforts to convince the public to switch to GMOs for faster production of agricultural food, however, most europeans prefer the ethical approach. The average european view of GMOs being inserted into processed food, does not seem to be changing anytime soon.
In the U.S., process food does not seem like it will be going anywhere anytime soon. Organic food only makes up 5% of the United State’s food production. In the year 2017 the rate went up to about 7.4%. Organic food consumption is still growing significantly fast in the United States and even now approximately 44% of Americans try to incorporate them into their diet.
To most Americans, vitamins seem to be the best solution for a lack a nutrient intake. However, vitamins are just as deadly as Processed food when used wrong. A test was performed in the Netherlands on 676,141 people. The majority of the volunteers were women. The test had the patients consume the most common types of supplements in large amounts for a lengthy time period. The vitamins were vitamin A, E, multivitamins and C. A similar test was performed in the U.S. The results for the experiments were quite similar. Vitamin supplements may cause colon cancer.
In terms of affordability, there is little to no difference between processed and organic food. According to research performed in Harvard University, the healthiest foods costs just under $2 more than unhealthy food. It was also estimated that on a yearly basis, the estimated cost was about $550 more. This sum does seem significant but in reality, $550 a year is quite affordable for the average American. Despite the cost, it does not change the fact that in the long run, the effects of eating unhealthily compared to healthy may cause long term effects.
The food industry in the U.S. will not be changing anytime soon. In fact it probably will never change. Eating unhealthy is an American lifestyle. Compared to europe the obesity rates in the United States is incredibly significant. It is is no surprise why things are this way. Europeans have a much healthier lifestyle. They tend to have a much better caloric intake and healthier lifestyle. Some may argue it is because Americans have it easier to obtain food, that is why they are capable of eating them in large amounts.
Europe tends to have a lot of food made ethically with no GMOs and a lack of chemical sue. This does seem great at first but the whole point of having food modified is to make it last longer and grow faster. With too much food growing organically, it is no surprise why a lot of food is imported to Europe and why the food portions on an average dinner table is quite small compared to that of an American dinner. Now this information is only comparing the more developed parts of Europe. This is because people living in more developed regions tend to be healthier than their rural counterparts. However, that is not always the case. The villagers that lived in the Caucasus mountains lived very long lives on average. Sure it may have been thanks to probiotics and the benefits it came with, but that does not change the fact that even the best rural areas in the United States don’t even come close to that.
The food industry will continue to produce whatever makes them profit and this won’t change. Processed food can not simply be eradicated. With over 7 billion people living on the planet, processed food is the ideal way of feeding everyone. It is clearly not the more healthier choice but it is definitely the more effective choice when it comes to feeding the masses. With the majority consuming processed food over organic food, no one will be getting the appropriate nutrient intake.
Food that is processed is fiddled with too much by GMOs, pesticides, preservative, and many other methods used to speed growth. The more the density or genes of an animal or plant is played with, the less nutrients it will carry. To combat the problem, vitamin supplements should be used more frequently. Yes, taking too many supplements may lead to certain cancers or side effects. But there are medical professionals everywhere to give the appropriate proportions daily and advice on how to use them effectively.
Do not completely rule out Organic food. To prevent the use of too many vitamin supplements, and the possible chronic diseases caused by process food, the organic food must continue to grow. The production of the organic food industry is growing faster, although it may never completely overtake its counterpart, it is still good know that there is still “good” food out there.
References
- Medical News Today – What are the benefits of organic food?
- National Library of Medicine – Nutritional comparison of organic versus conventional dairy products: a systematic review
- PubMed – Fruit and vegetable intake and mental health in adults: a systematic review
- National Institutes of Health – Fact Sheets on Vitamin Supplements
