Foods produced from biodynamic agriculture claim to have a superior nutritional value. Foods now display a variety of different seals to certify they are produced with sustainable, fair-trade or organic agriculture practices. Biodynamic is another certification that claims to go beyond organic and other green agricultural methods. Although fairly recently introduced in the United States and not widely available, foods produced from biodynamic agriculture offer a promising option to minimize exposure to harmful pesticides and chemicals, optimize your nutrition intake and help the planet. Biodynamic Agriculture Originally developed in Austria in the 1920s, biodynamic agriculture is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, according to the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association. The goal of biodynamic farmers and gardeners is not only to avoid harming the environment, as is the case with organic agriculture, but to create a sustainable, diversified and balanced ecosystem in a holistic manner to promote health and fertility. Chemical-Free Analysis from the Environmental Working Group shows that fruits and vegetables produced by conventional agriculture can contain large amounts of a wide variety of pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals are in especially high amounts in apples, celery, strawberries, peaches and spinach, according to EWGs 2011 Shoppers Guide. These foods can be deleterious to your health by affecting the normal development of children, disrupting your hormonal balance and increasing cancer risk. Some of the long-term effects of many of the chemicals found in our foods have been poorly studied. If you want to stay healthy, both biodynamic and organic foods can help you significantly minimize your exposure to these toxic compounds. Vitamins and Antioxidants Vegetables and fruits offer some of the best sources of vitamins and antioxidants, but their nutrition content has unfortunately decreased in the last century. This is perhaps due to the extensive use of pesticides and herbicides that lessen the necessity for plants to defend themselves by producing their own antioxidants. Biodynamic agriculture restores the normal antioxidant production of plants, increasing the nutritional value of biodynamic fruits and vegetables at the same time. For example, beta-carotene and vitamin C, two antioxidants, are 14 and 48 percent higher, respectively, in foods produced through biodynamic agriculture, according to a study published in 1999 in Biodynamics. Hundreds of different antioxidants have not been tested yet, but it is believed that their concentrations are likely to be higher, too. Minerals Most of the soil used to grow conventional fruits and vegetables is depleted of minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, copper and iron, because of todays intensive agriculture practices, as explained in a report published in April 2011 in Scientific American. Compared to conventional produce, biodynamic fruits and vegetables contain 13 percent more potassium, 7 percent more phosphorus, 20 percent more sodium, 7 percent more calcium and 34 percent more iron, according to a study published in 1999 in Biodynamics. Natural minerals obtained from food instead of artificially added to it are more bioavailable, or more absorbable and usable by your body, in addition to being present in more optimal proportions, which can help your body function better.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 04:30:16 +0000
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