In today’s super markets, there are a lot of decisions to make when selecting your food: White bread or wheat bread? name brand or store brand? sugar free or regular?, but the biggest one lately has been organic or conventional. Organic brands market themselves as fresh, wholesome, and natural. Many assume that means healthier. but does it?
Researchers at Stanford University have conducted a survey comparing the health benefits of consuming conventional foods versus organic foods. After analyzing the results they found that there was no significant difference between the health of people who ate organic foods and people who ate conventional foods. They did find that children eating organic produce had lower levels of pesticide residue in their urine, but it was such a small amount that it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Here are nutrition fact labels for both regular plain greek yogurt, and organic plain greek yogurt sold by Oikos. The one shown below in blue is the conventional yogurt nutrition label, and the one to the left is the organic nutrition label. Notice that neither of them contain any saturated fats or trans fats. Both of them have the same amount of calories, protein and sugar, and both of them are made from nonfat milk. If you look closely, you will notice a few minor differences however. For example there is a 5% increase in calcium in the organic yogurt, and the amount of sodium in the conventional yogurt is 10mg lower. These differences are so small though, that they would not make a significant impact on your general health or well being.
If there is no significant difference between eating organic and conventional then why do people splurge for the “good stuff”? Not only is it better for the environment, but also more natural and humane for the animals. Conventional farmers may use chemical fertilizers and synthetic insecticides to promote plant growth and prevent pests and disease while organic farmers apply natural fertilizers like manure or compost to promote growth and use natural sources, such as beneficial insects or birds, to reduce pests. Organic farmers also rotate their crops to promote sustainability and biodiversity.
Here are nutrition fact labels for both regular plain greek yogurt, and organic plain greek yogurt sold by Oikos. The one shown below in blue is the conventional yogurt nutrition label, and the one to the left is the organic nutrition label. Notice that neither of them contain any saturated fats or trans fats. Both of them have the same amount of calories, protein and sugar, and both of them are made from nonfat milk. If you look closely, you will notice a few minor differences however. For example there is a 5% increase in calcium in the organic yogurt, and the amount of sodium in the conventional yogurt is 10mg lower. These differences are so small though, that they would not make a significant impact on your general health or well being.
"You can't use organic as your sole criteria for judging nutritional quality," says Smith-Spangler.
If there is no significant difference between eating organic and conventional then why do people splurge for the “good stuff”? Not only is it better for the environment, but also more natural and humane for the animals. Conventional farmers may use chemical fertilizers and synthetic insecticides to promote plant growth and prevent pests and disease while organic farmers apply natural fertilizers like manure or compost to promote growth and use natural sources, such as beneficial insects or birds, to reduce pests. Organic farmers also rotate their crops to promote sustainability and biodiversity.
According to Michelle Dent of Oxon Hill, Md., organic foods or other fresh foods are worth the extra effort because of the flavor. “It's fresh; you can really taste it.” she says. She recommends buying most of your groceries at the grocery store but buying produce from local organic markets. This video (http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/04/is-organic-food-more-nutritious-and-healthier-than-conventional-varieties/ ) from time magazine states otherwise. A reporter gathered local chefs to do a taste test on organic foods vs. conventional foods. While some found that the organic food had a better taste, others did not.
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This is very interesting to hear, as most of the families I babysit have decided to "go organic". I never knew if it was worth it or if it was simply a waste of money. I saw a similar study on the news a little while back that addressed the differences between organic and nonorganic apples. There were very few. However, I have heard that if one is going to buy anything organic it should be meat because food miles can really affect the quality (which you said in your post can involve pesticides and hormones). Yuck. This makes sense because organic stores like Whole Foods purchase their poultry from fairly local farmers, so they're better for you.
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ReplyDeleteYes, in some cases organic means less food miles, but according to Rod Braga, a vegetable farmer in Soledad California that grows both organic and conventional vegetables, this is not true. Conventional produce takes hundreds of pounds of fertilizer per acre to grow, while organic plants require tons per acre. Even if the food doesn't travel as far between plough and plate, the tons of fertilizer travels a long way to the feild.
ReplyDeleteSee for yourself at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbLYL-9tYtw
Wow, that is even more interesting. Thanks for the insight, Sarah.
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