To Eat Organic Or Not

A recurring question people have for me is whether or not they should eat organic or conventional, or non-organic food, food. There are a lot of variables that we need to consider here, so the question isn't as easy as "yes" or "no."

Here are some factors that influence my decision about eating organic:

-Is it available?

Most of the time, organic produce isn't even available. Even though it's growing at a phenomenal rate, at least before the recession, it's not available to a large extent in most grocery stores, and most products don't even come in organic versions. My local grocery store has organic apples, pears, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, and bananas. So everything else you buy is conventional. There's no point eating organic lettuce with conventional carrots, radishes, and bean sprouts. It's either all organic, or it's not.

-Is it organic throughout the production line?

The production line includes the trip from the farm, to the truck, the warehouse, the cooler in the grocery store, the display, and everybody who handles it. There only has to be one leak in the system for conventional food to contaminate organic. Organic foods are poorly labeled, and most stores aren't very meticulous about contamination. At least Whole Foods has color-coded labels to identify organic and conventional foods, and takes extensive measures to make sure that organic produce isn't contaminated. The shelves and displays are sanitized before organic produce is displayed; organic produce must not be placed below conventional food, and workers change gloves after they have handled conventional produce. But that's only Whole Foods.

-Will I consume the pesticides and chemicals?

The Environmental Working Group has a list of items that you should always eat organic: apples, pears, cherries, kale, lettuce, carrots, grapes, nectarines, celery, and peppers. Other foods such as eggplant, avocados, bananas, tropical fruits, broccoli, tomatoes, and onions are relatively low in pesticides. Even so, if you're concerned about environment and the impact of pesticides and herbicides, then you'll want to eat as much organic as possible. The chemicals they use on bananas are nasty from what hear, but I haven't been to Costa Rica to confirm this. If you're eating meat, then please eat grass-fed, organic meat. Don't eat conventional, cheap meat full of pesticides and antibiotics. It's not worth it. Organic seafood doesn't exist.

-Can you afford it?

Most of the markup on organic produce is actually an emotional premium. That is, grocery stores know that people will pay a lot more for organic if they believe it's healthier for their bodies and the environment. It doesn't cost that much more to be organic, so most of the profit goes to the grocery store, not the farmer. It's a matter of how much it's worth to you: is the risk of consuming pesticides that great? Will it harm you? Will it increase your risk for cancer? Possibly. Pesticides might be one reason why cancer is so prevalent in today's society, but there's no definitive proof. Here's what I say: choose organic when you buy the foods I mentioned above, and then be more liberal with other foods with tough skins.

-Does organic food have more ingredients?

It's not clear. A British report last year sponsored by the Food Standards Agency in the UK analyzed 55 studies and concluded that organic and conventional food has equal amounts of eleven nutrients, including calcium zinc, vitamin c, magnesium and potassium. It did not measure flavonoids or antioxidant content. Other studies have shown that organic foods have more antioxidants and flavonoids than conventional produce. Will it make a difference? Oxidation is what makes you age, so if you want to slow down the aging process, then you'll want as many antioxidants as you can. Of course, you can always take a supplement if you can't find organic produce. If you're an athlete, then get as many antioxidants as you can. In 2008 the Organic Center found that organic foods has more nutrients, and a French study last year concluded that organic produce has more minerals and antioxidants and fewer nitrates. Pesticide levels can fall dramatically just after a few days of eating just organic foods.


Take Home Message

Don't go all over the area getting organic food. If you really want it, go to a natural food store where you'll get as much organic food as possible. Buy the 12 foods called the 'Dirty Dozen' by the Environmental Working Group, but don't worry about the other foods. Don't sacrifice your college education to buy organic. I think organic is better for the environment, and it's probably not healthy to chronically ingest pesticides.

Kevin