Specific purpose: To persuade the audience to include organic food in their daily diets
Thesis:
contrary to the popular notion, organic food is inexpensive and consuming it is a smart and healthy choice
INTRODUCTION
I. What items do you buy when you visit the local grocery store? What kind of vegetables do you buy?
II. Food Inc., a documentary of food production in America begins with the statement, “The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000”, by Michael Pollan, a food activist (Kenner, 2008).
III. There is a general misconception about the meaning of organic food
IV. Shopping for organic food is not hard, and neither is it expensive.
V. Today I will persuade you that eating organic food is a smart health choice
(Transition: let us begin by understanding the meaning of organic food)
BODY
I. The Mayo Clinic defines organic food as that which is produced without any chemicals (Mayo Clinic, 2018).
A. The way farmers produce and process agricultural products such as vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meat, and grains determines if they are organic or not.
i. When farmers grow organic food, they avoid using any chemicals whatsoever
ii. They use manure from livestock and unique methods of crop rotation to utilize and enrich the mineral components in the soil (Mayo Clinic, 2018).
B. Organic food production uses natural methods for pest control
C. The United States Department of agriculture has set guidelines on how farmers should produce organic food.
D. For farmers to sell their food as organic, the USDA must approve it.
(Transition: Organic food is often considered expensive. This is not the case)
II. There is a generally accepted notion that organic food is expensive and out of reach. This is false.
A. One way that you can find cheap options is by comparing prices between different stores
i. The best quality and prices of organic foods occur when they are in season.
B. Cost savings can be made by buying directly from farmers if you have any links.
i. Fresh organic produce can be frozen, which can help you save by buying in bulk.
ii. Another way of saving money on organic foods is cooking at home, rather than eating outside
iii. Therefore, always grab something while the grocery store to replenish your organic food stock
(Transition: Now, let us look at the benefits of organic food for your health)
III. Organic foods have numerous health benefits to the body
A. Organic food does not contain chemicals
i. Conventional production of food uses a range of chemicals (pesticides, herbicides and insecticides) and the final products often contain traces of these chemicals (Mie " Wivstad, 2015).
ii. These chemicals are harmful and they put the body at risk of developing health disorders or complications over time.
iii. Consumption of organic food reduces pesticide exposure, which lowers the body’s risk of diseases (Mie " Wivstad, 2015).
B. Organic food production is good for the environment.
i. Did you know that by consuming organic food you promote environmental conservation?
ii. The environment is a critical resource to all of us and it is the duty of everybody to play an active role in its conservation.
iii. Organic food production reduces adverse effects on the environment such as pollution, roil erosion and soil degeneration (Navarro-Aviñó et al., 2016).
iv. It promotes water conservation, increases soil fertility and utilizes less energy.
(Transition: Most organic food is fresh)
IV. Organic food is less exposed to contamination from packaging and storage processes
A. Most organic foods are often fresh from the farms (Barański, et al., 2017).
i. This means that they are not packaged using food preservatives like conventional foods.
ii. This retains their natural and fresh appearance and taste
iii. There is no post-harvest contamination during storage because organic foods are often taken straight to the market
(Transition: organic foods contain important superb ant oxidation agents)
V. Organic food have between 18 to 19 % antioxidant content which is needed to combat chronic diseases such as heart problems, cancers, and neurodegenerative disorder (Barański et al., 2008).
A. Organic foods generate metabolites such as carotenoids that help the body in fighting toxic components.
B. Conventionally-produced foods that use chemicals as fertilizers and pesticides have been linked to diseases such as cancer, which organic food protects the body against.
i. For example, conventionally-grown food contain high levels heavy metals such as Cadmium that are carcinogenic.
(Transition: meat products from organically-reared animals is healthier compared to that which is obtained from normally-reared animals).
VI. Organically-reared animals are not treated using hormones or antibiotics
A. Using antibiotics and other chemicals on animals promotes the breeding of bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics over time (Średnicka-Tober et al., 2016).
i. This directly affects the treatment of the resulting conditions in humans.
B. Organically reared animals are allowed to roam around freely while grazing.
ii. This makes their enhances their growth, which makes their meat healthy for human consumption
CONCLUSION
A. Organic food as that which is produced without any chemicals.
B. Organic food is affordable and readily available
C. Organic foods have numerous health benefits to the body
D. Organic food is less exposed to contamination from packaging and storage processes
References
Barański, M., Rempelos, L., Iversen, P. O., " Leifert, C. (2017). Effects of organic food consumption on human health; the jury is still out!. Food " nutrition research, 61(1), 1287333.
Barański, M., Średnicka-Tober, D., Volakakis, N., Seal, C., Sanderson, R., Stewart, G. B., ... " Gromadzka-Ostrowska, J. (2014). Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses. British Journal of Nutrition, 112(5), 794-811.
Kenner, R. (2008). Food, Inc: An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry. [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/
Mayo Clinic. (2018). Are organic foods worth the price?. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880
Mie, A., " Wivstad, M. (2015). ORGANIC FOOD – food quality and potential health effects [Ebook]. Retrieved from http://orgprints.org/29439/1/Organic_food_quality_and_health_webb.pdf
Navarro-Aviñó, J. P., Navarro, J. F., Castro, V. V., Ripoll, I. I., " Sahuquillo, M. M. (2016). Tackling pollution by organic farming is capable of increasing fortified foods. International journal of phytoremediation, 18(6), 536-546.
Średnicka-Tober, D., Barański, M., Seal, C., Sanderson, R., Benbrook, C., Steinshamn, H., ... " Cozzi, G. (2016). Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 115(6), 994-1011.
