Written by Bhavani Swaminathan @aakanksha_dfw
Most of the food items we buy are natural foods, as these are grown in our garden, or on a tee or produced on a farm. Almost all foods are organic as they contain compounds having carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Most of the foods we eat provide the nutrients needed. Hence these can be called as heath foods. But when these terms are used to describe some foods, the intended meaning is different. Thus when food is called “natural food”, it contains no added chemical, such as preservative, emulsifier or antioxidant.
Foods grown on soils fertilized with manure, compost or vermiculture, without addition of any chemical as fertilizer, pesticide or herbicide are called “organic foods”. These are generally more expensive than those produced otherwise. But scientific study to evaluate the difference in major nutrient content has shown none. A few variations occur indicating that the use of chemical fertilizers can help introduce trace elements as needed but organic fertilizers cannot. Thus there is no advantage due to the use of organic fertilizers.
A food labeled as “Health Food” implies that it must have some health giving attributes, which other foods do not have. This is not the case. Hence the use of the term “Health Foods” is inaccurate.
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