Organics are healthier, studies confirm

June 1, 2:44 PMSF Organic Food ExaminerStephanie Robbins

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In childhood nutrition classes the statement “you are what you eat” is drilled into our heads. This is not only true for our bodies, but it’s also true for the food we eat. Huh? That’s right. The food we eat was once alive and therefore is influenced by the food it was served. Whether cows in the fields, and hopefully not feedlots, or fruits in the orchard, the air, soil, water and food/fertilizer used to support our food affects the nutritional outcome for us.

In the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Camille Kingsolver describes in one of her sidebars why organically produced food has more antioxidants than the conventionally grown counterparts. In it she outlines that when plants must build their own natural defenses to fend of pests and illness, they build antioxidants as a chemical defense. These chemical defenses created by the plants are valuable nutrients for us.

Now science backs up these findings. There have been numerous studies that find higher levels of nutrients in organically grown produce over conventionally grown foods. Everything from a 16% to a 25% greater value overall, as found in a study jointly produced by The Organic Center, University of Florida Department of Horticulture, and Washington State University. The study “New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods” compared 236 organically and conventionally grown foods. Their findings support that organic foods average about 25% more nutrition between matching crop of organically grown versus conventionally grown.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has documented numerous other studies findingsincliding one that found organic oranges with up to 30% more vitamin C, even when the organic oranges were significantly smaller in size to the conventionally grown fruits. Another study found that organically grown produce contains significantly higher levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus, as well as reduced levels of nitrates.

While all of these findings are certainly good news, it’s important to keep in mind that how you eat your food is also important. Overly processed foods have had much of their nutritional content processed out of them, organic or not. While an organic Twinkie would not have the chemical pesticides included, it’s still a Twinkie.

For more information:
The OTA’s Organic Center