When to Go Organic

You’ll find the word “organic” just about everywhere these days.  From candy to ice cream, the word “organic” has quickly become more of a marketing term than a statement about how the food is produced.  Administered by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Organic Program is responsible for defining what “organic” means and how the term is used.  However, like any government program, there are plenty of loop-holes and vague definitions that leave the door open to all sorts of claims by food processors and manufacturers, some of them pretty far fetched, of their products being “organic.”

Yet, the concept of “organic” food production – that is growing and/or processing food without artificial chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, or additives – makes a lot of sense.

It’s estimated that every day, the average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides and/or residual chemicals from pesticides simply through the foods we eat and the the beverages we drink.  That’s every, single, day.

And that’s just the chemicals from pesticides.  Add in the chemicals from fertilizers, the preservatives, the growth hormones and antibiotics given to cattle, pigs, and chickens, the artificial sweeteners and colors, and the list goes on and on.

Ongoing medical research is showing that these chemicals can be linked to all sorts of adverse health effects including cancer, organ damage, thyroid problems, and nerve disorders, to name just a few.  And as if these health effects weren’t enough, many of these chemicals are now thought to affect our body’s hormones – especially the ones that help regulate body weight.

Reducing your exposure to chemicals, especially pesticides since those tend to be some of the worst, makes perfect sense.  But is going “organic” the best way to do that?  I found the answer to be both yes and no.

When Going Organic Doesn’t Help Much

Some foods are just naturally pest-resistant (or have been genetically engineered to be pest-resistant).  These types of crops just don’t need to be sprayed with tons of chemical pesticides in order to produce high yields.  Therefore, they’re going to have very low amounts of pesticide residues anyway.  For these types of foods, going “organic” doesn’t really mean much since they’re pretty organic to begin with.

Commercial foods that are typically grown without a lot of pesticides include:

• Onions
• Avocados
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Mangoes
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Kiwis
• Cabbages
• Eggplants
• Papayas
• Watermelons
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Potatoes

So for these foods, you can save some money by going non-organic and not loose any of the benefits you’re looking for.

Foods Where the Organic is Best

At the other end of the food production spectrum, there are some commercial food crops that just seem to attract pests and plant diseases like sugar attracts flies.  In order to increase crop yields, farmers spray a variety of pesticides and fungicides to keep away pests and prevent diseases.  These chemicals get absorbed by the plant and some residues can end up in the parts we eat.  These foods, therefore, tend to have the highest levels of pesticides and pesticide-related byproducts.

For these crops, going organic can reduce, sometimes significantly, the amount of pesticides and related chemicals that you’re exposed to.  However, keep in mind that growing these foods without the use of chemical pesticides is more expensive (because of lower crop yields) so be prepared for a sizeable price difference between organic and non-organic versions of these foods.

The foods where going organic makes the most difference include:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Imported Grapes
• Carrots
• Pears

Reducing the amount of pesticides and chemicals in your food is always a good idea.  And even though the term “organic” is used pretty broadly (and sometimes inappropriately), it’s still a good rule-of-thumb to go by.  Knowing the types of foods where it means the most will not only provide the benefits you’re looking for, it will help save you money in the process.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

PERSONAL NOTE: yes, I am aware of a number of well-researched articles (like this one at QuackWatch – a site I highly respect) stating that residual pesticide levels are too low to worry about and that there’s no discernible difference between organic and non-organic foods.  However, I tend to remain skeptical since most of the cited research is pretty dated.  Newer research has the benefit of technology that is much more accurate and we’re finding that even extremely low concentrations of chemicals can create adverse health affects in our bodies.  Unfortunately, to this day, there are still no definitive studies that put the issue completely to rest. As a result, my personal opinion is to “err on the side of caution” and eliminate or reduce your exposure to as many chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, and growth hormones in foods and beverages as you can, regardless of whether the concentrations are “below recommended FDA levels” or not.  However, this does NOT suggest that you should reduce consumption of fruits and vegetables.  Just try to make better choices.

Technorati Tags: pesticides, growth hormones, food processing, farming, food production, organic, health, nutrition, diet, healthy eating

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