many people prefer organic food because they want to avoid conventional pesticides and colouringflavouring agents along with the idea of propagating environmentalfriendly practices this has created a popular belief that organic foods are healthier than nonorganic foods recently however experts have questioned organic foods claim of being a healthier option some research suggests that organic foods healthier status is more perceived than real today with expert inputs from sheela krishnaswamy bangalorebased registered dietitian and wellness consultant and neelanjana singh chief nutritionist heinz nutrition foundation india hnfi we tell you whether organic food is indeed healthy superior greener or more beneficial than nonorganic foods first of all lets understand the answer to this question what are organic foods as per perception organic food is food produced without the use of chemicals pesticides and other synthetic formulae to maintain natural goodness in reality the term organic refers to a broader scope of the way agricultural products are grown and processed for a food item to be organic it has to grow on safe soil devoid of modification and must remain separate from conventional chemicals if the food item is 100 authentically organic it is grown without the use of bioengineered genes petroleumbased fertilizers synthetic pesticides and sewage sludgebased fertilizers people may think that organic food is healthier when compared to conventional foods because of the following reasons pure organic food is grown without the use of synthetic chemicals if chemicals are used they are supposed to be the natural kind organic food is supposed to go through fewer stages of processing it is believed that only the food items which are 100 organic taste better because they are grown in a natural manner organic foods are grown through the process of organic farming where the norms of wildlife are respected and the focus is on water soil and resource management organic food and environmental factors this is one area that organic food seems to trump sheela krishnaswamy says this can be seen through an environmental perspective organic foods certainly benefit the environment also any chemical going into the human body through nonorganic foods is bound to have a reaction the kind of reaction intensity duration and time lapse between ingestion and reaction will depend entirely on the individual and his health status singh says that one cannot deny the fact that organic foods do not contain residues of harmful pesticides she says environment safety is a concern with the use of pesticides and fertilizers as these pollute the soil water and air a safer environment is an asset for future generations in organic farms the animals are treated better and are kept in a more natural environment they are given natural feeds without being injected with growth hormones antibiotics etc unlike in the production of nonorganic foods now that we know the health factors linked with organic foods let us find out if it is actually healthier than nonorganic food over the last decade health studies have evaluated the nutritional