Speech Outline on Organic Food

Choosing Organic By: Kayla Ray Informative Speech SC105: T Th 3:30 Mrs. Becker March 4, 2013 General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: I want my audience to understand the importance of purchasing and consuming organic food. Thesis: Choosing to purchase and consume organic food is a smart and healthy choice for you and your family. Formal Outline of Speech Introduction I. “The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000. ” Food activist, Michael Pollan, makes this statement as the introduction to a documentary titled Food Inc. which discusses the way food is being produced today in America. A. Now, there are many choices that can be made when trying to eat healthy. 1. Eating the recommended amount of calories, eating many fruits and vegetables, getting a sandwich from subway instead of getting a hamburger from McDonalds, or drinking water instead of soda. 2. These can all be good decisions, but is it beneficial if it is not organic? Of course it can be, but is it as beneficial? II. Eating organic food can do things for your body that non organic food cannot do. A. After watching the documentary, Food Inc. I was shocked to find out how our food is being produced and handled in America. 1. Is the process of how our food is made something we need to recognize? 2. Is it better for our food to be brought up naturally by hard working farmers rather than being abused, pumped up with hormones and filled with many other chemicals? 3. The answer to these questions should potentially be yes. B. Non organic food is not only less beneficial to eat, but has the potential to harm our families. III. [Thesis] Choosing to purchase and consume organic food is a smart and healthy choice for you and your family.

IV. [Preview] I’m now going to inform you of how the importance of purchasing and consuming organic food relates to each and every one of us and can improve our quality of life. (Transition) First, let’s establish exactly what organic means. Body I. Organic food is different than other food in many ways. A. According to the first nationally certified organic grocer in the U. S. , Whole Foods Market, “Organic agriculture is a production method that emphasizes the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality. 1. When growing organic produce food is rotated in such a way to keep soil rich in nutrients and optimal for supporting many years of growth and supplying optimal amounts of micronutrients and minerals. 2. When raising organic livestock the animals eat food that’s free of antibiotics, growth hormones, drugs, chemicals and pesticides. They also tend to be free-range which means all year long, the livestock are allowed outside and have the option of going inside if they wish. This allows animals to get exercise and fresh air, and live a more natural existence

B. In an article titled, What’s So Great About Organic Food, Jeffrey Kluger states, Organic foods of all kinds currently represent only about 3% of the total American market, according to the most recent numbers from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, but it’s a sector we all should be supporting more. 1. And it’s projected that the numbers will just continue to increase simply because people are becoming more aware of the dangers and effects non-organic food can have on you and your family. Transition) Now, we all know how important fruits and veggies are in your diet, but how healthy can they be if they are filled with chemicals? II. Well, Organic food doesn’t contain chemicals. A. Whole Foods Market describes agricultural management practices as farming that promotes healthy eco-systems and prohibits the use of genetically engineered seeds or crops, sewage sludge, long-lasting pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. B. Some of the most popular fruits and vegetables contain the highest amount of pesticides. . There are no seasons in the American supermarket, says Michael Pollan, now there are tomatoes all year round, grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green, and ripened with ethylene gas. Although it looks like a tomato, it’s kind of a notional tomato. I mean, it’s the idea of a tomato. a. For example, we can take a look at these red grapefruit where one is organic and the other is not. b. We can see that the organic fruit is actually red, whereas the non-organic is discolored.

This is the case because the grapefruit on the left was naturally ripened and the grapefruit on the right was most likely gassed with many chemicals in order to ripen. 2. According to Whatsonmyfood. org, 88 million pounds of pesticides are applied each and every year in the U. S. That’s nearly 3 pounds per person! a. Also, they state that an average American child gets five or more servings of pesticide residues in their food and water every day! i. If I could help it I wouldn’t want my kids even being around that and I definitely wouldn’t want them to be ingesting it. Transition) Now, let’s take a look at livestock because another important part of our diet is beef and poultry. III. Organic animals are raised in a way that is natural. A. Whole Foods Market describes livestock management as practices that promote healthy, humanely treated animals by providing organically-grown feed, fresh air and outdoor access while using no antibiotics or added growth hormones. B. There are obvious differences in organic and non-organic chicken. 1. Such as the organic yolks being a much brighter yellow signifying that the chicken is eating greens and bugs instead of being corn fed. . This also leads to significantly higher nutrients that are present in the yolk. 2. To add to that, we can look at the picture of the two whole chickens. Which one would you choose? a. Notice the extreme size of the one on the left due to growth hormones and corn feed. b. Then notice the thick layer of yellowish fat covering the skin…. GROSS! C. But the biggest issue is what we find is in our beef. Many diseases are found in non-organic beef simply because cows are not evolved to digest corn. As Michael Pollan states in an interview on www. pbs. rg, as soon as you introduce corn, the animal is liable to get sick. You start giving them antibiotics, because as soon as you give them corn, you’ve disturbed their digestion, and they’re apt to get sick, so you then have to give them drugs. That’s how you get in this whole cycle of drugs and meat. 1. In the documentary, Food Inc. , they tell a story about a boy named Kevin. a. According to Kevin’s story, published on www. foodborneillness. org, Kevin had eaten three hamburgers in the week prior to his illness and died twelve days later from E. oli O157:H7. He was only 2 years, 8 months and 1 day old. b. Also stated in the article written by Kevin’s mom, Barbara Kowalcyk, each year in the United States, thousands of Americans suffer and die from preventable foodborne illness just like Kevin. 2. If we look to my images, we can easily see how much more lean and healthy the organic meat looks compared to the non-organic. a. Grass fed beef contains less total fat and calories, 2-6 times more heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids, and more antioxidant vitamins. i. All for the betterment of your health! Transition) These differences in organic and non-organic foods are affecting us greatly in every one of our lives and should definitely be considered. Conclusion I. As I have explain to you here today, choosing organic is a smart and healthy way to greatly benefit you and your family. A. Organic produce and livestock naturally have more nutrients and even though it all many cost a little extra it will make you healthier in the long run and prevent you from becoming sick. 1. This will even out the cost and actually possibly save you money! II. The demand for organic food is growing more and more every day.

When you buy organic you are voting for a better food system in America. A. As Troy Roush, Vice President of the American Corn Growers Association, puts it, “People have got to start demanding good, wholesome food of us, and we’ll deliver. ” Bibliography Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Michael Pollan, Troy Roush. Documentary, 2008. Film. “Frontline Modern Meat Interview: Michael Pollan. ” PBS. PBS, n. d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. <http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/interviews/pollan. html>. Kluger, Jeffrey. “What’s So Great About Organic Food?. ” Time 176. 9 (2010): 30-40.

Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. Kowalcyk, Barbara. “Kevin’s Story. ” Kevin’s Story. Center for Foodborne Lllness Research and Prevention, 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. foodborneillness. org/leadership/140- kevins-story. html;. “Organic Food What Does “Organic” Mean? ” Organic Food | Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market, 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. wholefoodsmarket. com/about-our- products/organic-food;. “Pesticides: A Public Problem. ” What’s On My Food? Pesticide Action Network North America, 2010. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. whatsonmyfood. org/index. jsp;.