The Great Organic Debate

A study came out recently stating that organic foods are no better nutritionally than regular foods. While that may be true there are still many reasons to eat organic. Unfortunately at this time organic foods are more expensive than non-organic however with over 2/3 of US consumers buying organic (according to the Organic Trade Association) hopefully the prices will start to come down. The number one reason to eat organic is due to the many toxic effects of the pesticides, herbicides, hormones & other chemicals used in non-organic foods. The large-scale farming that we see today using these methods did not start until WWII. Prior to that time everything was organic. Many of the pesticides used in treating produce or feed for animals need to be processed through our immune system and have been shown to build up in our tissue, weakening the immune system and causing cancer as well as liver, kidney and blood diseases. It may not be possible to avoid these chemicals altogether because they end up in the water supply. This is another reason to eat organic - to protect the environment from further damage. If you're interested in reading more about how this happens click here. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the following list is produce that you should try to always buy organic because they are contaminated with the most pesticide residues (even after you wash them): peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. The produce with the lowest levels of pesticide residue are onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, frozen sweet peas, kiwis, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and papayas.