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Organic Foods May Not Be Healthier, Report Says
Filed under: Nutrition: Health, In The News, Going Green, Mealtime
Is organic produce worth the investment? Maybe not. Credit: rhett maxwel, Flickr
An independent review of 162 scientific studies, commissioned by England's Food Standards Agency, concludes that there is no nutritional difference between organic and ordinary foods, even when it comes to vitamin C, calcium and iron, according to BBC News. The same goes for meat, eggs and dairy.
"Ensuring people have accurate information is absolutely essential in allowing us all to make informed choices about the food we eat," said Gill Fine, FSA director of consumer choice and dietary health. "What it shows is that there is little, if any, nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced food and that there is no evidence of additional health benefits from eating organic food."
What the report doesn't address are the dangers of pesticides and other chemicals like fertilizers, which some experts say is a significant oversight.
Judy Converse, Denver mom and the author of "Special Kids Eat Right," told ParentDish that even small amounts of agricultural chemicals can be harmful over time. "We all want to minimize our exposures to toxins, which can accumulate in fatty tissues like liver, kidney, nerve and brain," she said via e-mail.
As a licensed, registered dietitian who specializes in children, Converse said she has, "seen some exquisitely sensitive children who do seem to only tolerate organic, nitrate/nitrite-free, or antibiotic-free products."
Everyone wants what's best for their kids, but times are tight and organic food is pricey. The New York Times points out that organic bread can cost as much as $4.50 a loaf, and a gallon of organic milk will run you about $7. Unless you have lots of discretionary income, organic food could fall into the "luxury" column on your balance sheet.
"When it is affordable, I try to buy organic," wrote one ParentDish Twitter follower. "But we are on a tight budget and I have to buy what gets me the most for my $."
So what can parents do? Choose wisely, said Converse. Splurge on organic berries, lettuce, melons and tomatoes, but stick to ordinary bananas and bread.
Also, consider adding more dairy to your family's diet .According to BBC News, Australian researchers observed 1,343 families in England and Scotland over the course of 65 years, and found that children who had a higher daily intake of calcium were healthier as adults. A pint of low-fat milk, a container of low-fat yogurt and a small piece of cheese every day will do the trick.
What parents shouldn't do is feel guilty about not serving organic foods at every meal.
"Whatever works for a family and helps kids be happier, healthier and empowered, that's where it's at," Converse said.
Read more about healthy eating on AOL Food.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 4)
8-13-2009 @ 10:42AM
Ya'akov Uriyah said...Oraganic foods are haelthier...this is just another ploy to get us to buy more of their genectic mutant fruit and vegges. We get sick and the Phamers make money off of us too....American made products are begining to smell foul.....Shalom
Reply
9-03-2009 @ 3:44AM
earth mama said...as if Monsanto (makers of deadly pesticides, seeds that don't reproduce, GMO crops, Gmo altered foods, killer of all things good, owner of the seed bank for the future and... and ... and...)... "better living through chemistr' is better?.... I'll take my chances with what I grow and what I get from my local organic farmers.
9-03-2009 @ 6:52AM
Barbara Johnson said...earth mama says: as if Monsanto (makers of deadly pesticides, seeds that don't reproduce, GMO crops, Gmo altered foods, killer of all things good, owner of the seed bank for the future and... and ... and...)... "better living through chemistr' is better?.... I'll take my chances with what I grow and what I get from my local organic farmers.
==============================================
Absolutely agree with you, Earth Mama!! Monsanto wants to control the world food production and they will do anything to turn us against organic food. Monsanto is EVIL!!!
9-21-2009 @ 11:42AM
lee said...#1 i agree, the FDA is not who i care to listen to. they tell you everything backwards to make you sick; to sell you a drug that doesn't even make you well; but keeps you going; as it harms another part of your body.
#2 i read kevin trudeau's book/started getting interested in nutrition about 2-3 yrs ago....decided to do my "own" investigation.....i would "try" eating organically for one month, and if i didn't like it, i could always go back to "the old way".......well, i never went back. have you eaten an organic apple, banana, lettuce?! i challenge you to try it. the flavor is amazing. i live with a "junk food junkie" who makes fun of his "organic woman".....the thing is he yells at his kids when they eat too much junk/get sick...he feeds his deer minerals/nutrients for "nutrition" for a better rack, and "can" point out to me that he can taste the difference at dinner if the food is organic or not.......yet he is still not "a believer" yet.
we have been programmed to think that eating organically is a joke.
that it's too expensive, a "hippy" thing to do, but it was the way mother nature "intended" us to eat.
my organic milk says "no human growth hormone", no this/no that....question.......who gave anyone the right to put that in my food anyway?!?! all the girls have breasts that we didn't have back in the day....anyone wondering if there's a link?
#3 it is more expensive, but "you are what you eat", and you can pay now......or you can pay later.........and my body is my vehicle in this life. i can try to take care of it, or i can abuse it.
i look at eating organically as my investment.....in my health.
9-03-2009 @ 2:08PM
jannetty said...You have no idea about natural toxins, such as molds and plant viruses. The public doesn't realized how unsafe "natural" toxins are. Organic is a ripoff.
9-06-2009 @ 12:05AM
Anne said...It's not the protein or the vitamin C or the fat content that makes the difference between organic versus non organic food. It's the pesticides, the artificial ingredients and many other carcinogenic chemicals that are added to the non organic food that make them lethal to our health and well being.
9-03-2009 @ 8:58PM
Bob said...Of course it is healthier: there are no pesticides, toxins, chemicals, growth hormones, and all other "improvements" that the modern industry has dumped into our diets. This article is a sad and weak ploy.
8-13-2009 @ 11:53AM
SKL said...First of all, a government review (in a socialist welfare state) of selected scientific studies? Oh yeah, I'm gonna change my behavior based on that.
Since I've read other studies that do prove that at least some organics have more nutritional value, it's one biased group's word against another, so I have to think for myself (how daring!)
I can say that an organic diet makes my kids calmer, stronger, and more clear-headed; and it makes me happier and more comfortable during times that used to be difficult (monthly etc.). It tastes better and makes for more satisfying meals, so I do not find myself buying junk / filler foods (and my food bill is lower than average). My kids and I have never had any illness beyond the common cold/flu in the years while I've been buying mostly organic.
I also know that the place where I shop for organics makes purchase decisions based on other considerations such as the presence of artificial additives and how animals are treated. The "regular" grocery store stocks its shelves based on demand and commercial marketing. So study or no study, I will continue shopping as I have been for the past several years.
Reply
8-13-2009 @ 11:54AM
SKL said...Ya'akov, England is not in the USA. Shalom.
Reply
8-13-2009 @ 2:48PM
PJD said...What a strange review... I've never bought organic food because I thought it would be more nutritious-- I buy organic because it's cleaner (pesticide-free). I wonder why the reviewers chose to disregard that.
Reply
8-13-2009 @ 4:25PM
mike hylton said...read the article, it starts out by saying its not healthier,, read the story all of it before posting a stupid comment
8-13-2009 @ 7:21PM
andrea said...Amen!
8-24-2009 @ 2:43PM
Derp said...mike,
You missed this essential line that renders PJD's comment valid:
"What the report doesn't address are the dangers of pesticides and other chemicals like fertilizers, which some experts say is a significant oversight."
Reading comprehension is awesome!
9-03-2009 @ 2:00PM
Chris Hauck said...I agree 100%. Eating organic will allow us to see the benefits long-term by not getting cancer, other diseases etc. from all the pesticides or preservatives in most non-organic food nowadays. I eat organic because of the sustainability factor and because it's the way food was made to be grown and eaten. Plus, I generally think it tastes better, especially the meat and veggies.
9-03-2009 @ 4:11PM
susan boulanger said...In addition to the pesticides they didn't mention is that all non-organic foods are irradiated to kill bacteria, but what it also does is kill all living enzymes in the fruits and vegetables making them useless.
8-13-2009 @ 3:42PM
Diane said...I have had a liver disease for decades and thank God for my discovery of the the benefits of eating organic. It has helped save my life.
I actually begin becoming ill whenever I'm vacationing somewhere where organic foods are not available. It used to be difficult to find them, but this last fifteen years has been a delight. I feel even younger.
As a bonus, I know that it's better for the environment. My children and grandchild have grown up on organic foods and they are super healthy.
I thank God for the good sense of those who promote organic foods. I don't care how much more money they make, over selling conventional foods, they deserve it! I love being alive.
Reply
8-13-2009 @ 5:22PM
Chris said...What a joke!!! If people think spraying toxic waste on our fruits and veggies are just as good as Organic maybe they should stop watching the magic box (TV) and pick up a book or do a little investigating for them selves. If not for them selves at lest for their families
Did anyone check out this story?
Monsanto’s Pesticide Kills Human Cells - Debate Intensifies Over So-Called ‘Inert’ Ingredients
http://wearechangecoloradosprings.org/blog/2009/06/monsantos-pesticide-kills-human-cells-debate-intensifies-over-so-called-inert-ingredients/
Please pay attention to what your putting in your body!
No one will ever care more about you then yourself!
Reply
8-30-2009 @ 10:15PM
antcmanche said...I just watched a program called "The Future of Food" and was shocked at the practices of Monsanto Corporation. Monsanto is like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. It showed how the top dogs of the US and who knows what other countries all have their hands in Monsanto profits in some way and how they are trying to destroy independent farmers. It really opened my eyes to bio-engineering and I will be ever so much more watchful of the foods I buy. Eating organic and staying away from pesticides being the healthier optiion should be common sense, but its the gene splicing that is the hidden danger. If only more people would actually take the time to learn about what they put into their bodies and stop believing everything the governments and big $ corporations tell them!
8-14-2009 @ 12:46PM
Paul Cyopick said...Unlike a lot of people, I tend to actually believe in science over conspiracy theories and ney sayers with no reasoning.
Here's an article about the amount of pesticides that are actually in your food. I bet it's a lot less than most people would guess.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/Pesticides/ResidueMonitoringReports/ucm169577.htm#table3
Of course, as PT Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute". Fear sells, even unsubstantiated fear.
Reply
8-16-2009 @ 11:21AM
Chris said...Hey Paul, your right you have now made me see the light because the FDA has never ever gotten anything wrong or overlook any data. LOL
I also agree with you about fear and sucker born ever minute because they have suckered the masses into believing that we need (toxic) chemicals to fix what Mother Nature gotten wrong
One last point that makes this really easy:
If I have two apple from the same tree and I inject one of them with gasoline they also have the same nutritional view