Why It’s So Important to Choose Organic Tea.

“Organic” what does it mean? There is certified organic, organic, food grade organic and natural.

What do they all mean? What should you know about them to ensure you’re on the right track to a healthier lifestyle?

Most people, when it comes to the word organic are a bit perplexed – confused by it. However, you may be surprised to learn that the premise behind organic is very easy to comprehend.

Most people, regardless of whether they’re talking about organic or natural, often stick to the term organic. Organic-based product means it’s just the way Mother Nature grew it.

Organic growing is growing fruit, vegetables, animals, poultry and herbs as nature intended – the natural way without chemicals or pesticides added to them.

There are so many products claiming to be organic – not just produce but actual packaging boxes. Many stores have created special sections to get people to check out the area and try the products.

Of course, you may be like everyone else and not sure what it means by organic. What has it gotten so much attention from the media? You may feel intimidated by the term organic, but with a little bit of knowledge and understanding, you’ll be wondering why you ever felt that way.

What Does The Word Organic Mean?

Simply put, it’s any food that’s grown naturally – no GMOs, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, sewage sludge, etc. Meat-producing animals (chicken, pigs, cows, etc.) are not given any growth hormones or antibiotics.

The USDA National Organic Program has come up with a very wordy definition as well as guidelines for organic producers and farmers to follow to attain and keep their organic license. What are these guidelines?

• They are not permitted to use any materials for three years before being granted their certification and all during it.

• They must allow their livestock a way to get outside. They cannot feed them food with hormones or give them antibiotics. Animals must be fed with 100 percent organic feed.

• Processed products must not have been contaminated, and operation records must be kept.

These are just the basics of the term organic. When you’re grocery shopping, you’ll find three distinct categories the USDA has allowed manufacturers to label their products with.

• 100% Organic – This means all ingredients are 100 percent organic.

• Organic – This means at least 95 percent of the ingredients are organic.

• Made with Organic Ingredients – This means that 70 percent of a product is made up of organic ingredients with stringent restrictions on the other 30 percent.

• Products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients cannot claim to be organic but can list them in the ingredients panel.

You can learn more about this by visiting Organic.org.

Why It’s So Important to Choose Organic Tea

Organic tea has steadily been rising in popularity over the last few years. This trend grows because the entire organic push is increasing. Many brands specialize in the production of organic tea – Choice Organic Teas, Numi Teas, Organic India and Rishi Tea, to name a few.

You may have even seen that mainstream tea manufacturers have started offering organic lines to their supermarket products.

 Purchasing Organic Tea

When it comes to organic tea, you may be wondering why it’s so important to choose organic over non-organic tea. There are two primary advantages of making this kind of purchase, and they are:

• No Toxic Chemicals

Most people don’t realize it, but tea is often sprayed with toxic chemicals. Tea is grown in countries such as India and China where the environmental laws are not a rigorous in standards and monitoring before, during and after harvest.

When carelessly applied, these chemicals can pollute the teas and can lead to health problems for people drinking it. It’s been suggested that tea, green tea especially, can help prevent cancer, but the chemicals used on tea have carcinogens in them.

Even if tea is considered safe for humans to consume, using these chemicals can lead to health problems for people who live near the area where the chemicals had been sprayed.

So, if you buy this non-organic tea, it means the environment and your body is contaminated with toxins.

• No Pollution Of Nutrients

Any fertilizers used in the growing stage can cause environmental damage. Tea must have some type of fertilizer applied to it because the organic matter is continuously being eliminated as the leaves are being harvested. The plant needs extra to continue growing to produce the tea leaves.

Synthetic fertilizers growth promoting fertilizers run off into rivers, streams and other local water sources. This can also have a negative impact on the fishing industry and other vegetable grown for local consumption.

• Health Benefits

The Journal of Cancer Biology and Medicine reports that gastrointestinal cancers were more commonly seen in China than in the USA. Even though there are many causes of cancer one does wonder whether the different use of chemicals could be a contributor.

While organic fertilizer doesn’t necessarily solve the issue, it does decrease the chances of something bad happening.

At AllYearGardening.com we have researched into the health benefits, you can read the evidence here, Organic or Not?

What Is An Organic Certification For Tea?

Organic certification is dependent upon the certifying organization, but it demands that any tea produced is done so without the use of synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.

No genetically-modified organisms must have been used, and the land needs to have been synthetic free for several years before getting the certification. Certification also requires that non-organic and organic materials are not stored in the same location.

 

Potential Health Benefits Of Eating Organic Foods Or Using Organic Products

There are not many long-term studies looking at the health benefits that come from eating or using organic products. According to some people, organic food also tastes much better. Only you can determine that for yourself though.