Those of us living in the developed world are lucky enough to have a huge variety of organic fruits, vegetables, and meat products available to us. But why is eating organic food so important?

Organic foods are by definition free of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, ionizing radiation, growth hormones, and antibiotics. Organic produce is also non-GMO. In the United States, most pesticide contamination is introduced to humans via dietary sources. Though the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) tests pesticides prior to approving them for use on food products, the National Academy of Sciences reports that 90% of the chemicals applied to food have not been tested for long term impact on humans and animals. And the FDA only tests 1% of all food produced for chemical pesticide residue!

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine recently conducted a review of more than 41 published studies and found that on average, organic foods contain 21% more iron, 27% more vitamin C, 29% more magnesium and 13% more phosphorus than their conventionally grown counterparts. Just 5 servings of organic fruits and vegetables will meet your daily requirement for Vitamin C – a statistic that is not true of conventionally grown produce.

Pesticide residue and Genetically Modified Foods have been linked to rising occurrences of chronic illness, auto-immune diseases, and mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.

Organic farming is equally important when it comes to meat consumption: The EPA reports that the majority of pesticides found in humans comes from the consumption of meat products like beef, pork, poultry, and even eggs and dairy.

The only downside to organic and non-GMO farming is the increase in pests and reduction in a number of plants that reach maturity, resulting in lower overall yields. This means that organic farms actually use more water than conventional farms, and prices for organic food products are typically slightly higher than conventionally grown foods.

Luckily, the Vertical Organic Garden addresses both of these concerns: hydroponic gardening uses just 5% of the water required by soil gardens, and nutrient degradation is mitigated by eating your produce the same day it is picked! The VOG allows you to eat fully organic, at a fraction of grocery store prices, all the while reducing your environmental footprint!