With high gas prices already pinching you in the pocketbook, you might be cringing a bit when you see the cost of organic foods these days. A gallon of organic milk: $6.99. Small container of organic blueberries: $4.99. A single sweet potato: $1.69.
What price health?
But don’t let the dollar amounts deter you. When you eat organic foods, especially fruits and vegetables, you aren’t just doing a good turn for the environment. You are doing your body good, and possibly lowering your risk for health problems in the future, including conditions covered in the Navigenics genetic health service.
Many consumers have long wondered whether organics live up to their hype. More nutritious? Better for the waistline? Less toxic? I’ve looked at the science, and the answers are a resounding yes, yes and yes.
Here’s why.
Research studies have repeatedly found that organic produce is more nutritious than conventionally grown produce. A recent analysis of nearly 100 studies determined that the average levels of close to a dozen nutrients are higher in organics, perhaps by as much as 25 percent. The nutrients that were measured include potassium, phosphorous and the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E.
Organic food may also boost the immune system, help people maintain a lower weight and improve sleep. In a study of laboratory rats, these benefits were observed, and the researchers noted “this indicates a positive effect of organically grown foods as compared to conventionally grown food.”
Some of the most compelling evidence extolling the health benefits of organics, however, has come from toxicity studies, which have gauged the levels of pesticides in organic produce and conventionally grown produce. In one groundbreaking report, Consumers Union determined from federal data that chemical residues on some conventionally grown fruits and vegetables would “frequently expose a young child to a dose greater than the U.S. government’s official estimate of the ‘safe’ daily intake of those pesticides.”
A non-organic apple grown in the United States typically has traces of four pesticides on it, the group found, although some are covered with as many as 10 chemicals. One spinach sample they studied had 14 chemicals on it.
Although organic produce is not required to be 100 percent pesticide-free, the synthetic substances most commonly used by organic farmers are soaps and oils, which have a much safer profile.
Consider a 2006 study. Previous research had suggested children on primarily organic diets have lower levels of pesticides in their bodies than children on conventional diets. But the 2006 study went a step further, looking at the pesticide levels in children’s urine both before and after they went on an organics-only diet. After less than a week of eating organically grown produce, the children had undetectable levels of the chemicals malathion and chlorpyrifos in their urine. Once they resumed eating conventionally grown produce, the chemical levels spiked in their systems.
If you can only afford to splurge on a few organic food items, the toxins research non-profit Environmental Working Group maintains a list of the best options. Conventionally grown peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines and strawberries have the highest pesticide levels, and the consumer advocacy group recommends eating organic versions of those fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
And let the truth be known that this blog post comes from a convert, who until he looked at the scientific evidence, thought organic foods were just Gucci versions of ordinary produce. I already eat little meat and always bought poultry raised without hormones, so I thought all I had to do was wash my veggies more carefully. But the increased nutritional value of organic produce sold me, literally. Look at it this way—if there is 25 percent more nutrition in some items, they in fact cost 25 percent less than priced. It’s like buying concentrated soap that costs more per container, but less per load.
Larry Moses Sep 17, 2008
Hi,
Great post by the way!
I always thought that I was safe buying chicken since I thought that FDA prohibits the use of hormones in any poultry product...Should get concerned about it too and add to my daily stress?
Thank you.
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Hi Larry,
In a quick answer to your question, yes, this issue is an important one for meat consumption as well. I’ll be writing another post on that topic fairly soon.
In the meantime, thanks for your question.
Dr. Michael Nierenberg
Medical Director, Navigenics, Inc.