This photo was emailed to me a few months back (Thanks Vi)
and I must admit I had a good giggle then went and stuffed my mouth with a
slice of buttered toast (non organic). While munching away I started thinking, is
organic really better for me? Should I be buying organic more often? Is it
really worth the extra money? Because judging
by this picture; clearly I would rather be following Nigellea’s lead rather
than hippy organic lady over there.
The answer to the above 3 questions turned out to be NO, no
and No.
Before I started researching this topic, I was a firm
believer in organic anything.- food, face cream, any product with the word
organic, I believed was superior. I was your classic brain washed
consumer. At the shops, 90% of the time I would purchase the organic version
(if my wallet permitted it) without comparing nutritional content. The
marketers had me at “organic”.
Since starting my research I have changed my tune, I’m not
saying organic is a bad thing but let me let you in on a little secret that the
marketing people DON’T want you to know....
The word ‘Organic’ does not mean squat in regards to
nutritional value. Organic produce has not been proven to have more nutritional
value than your conventional, plain Jane, farmed produce. Now, I know this is a
hard thing to take in, it’s like finding out Santa Clause is really just a fat
old man playing dress up in December and that your parents are the ones putting
the pressies under the tree.
I wanted to write this article to correct the common
misconception that organic food is more nutritious than farmed food. There has
been no conclusive evidence to show this, yes a study has shown organic
strawberries have a higher level of antioxidants because of the higher quality
of soil it was grown in , other studies have shown conventional fruit and veg
have more nutrients and even more studies have shown absolutely no difference.
What we do know is that the nutrient content of fresh fruit
and vegetables vary depending on the soil it’s grown in. Fruit and veg grown in
soil with higher levels of minerals will contain higher levels of those
minerals; the soil health depends on farming practices (sustainable agriculture
such as crop rotation) and what nutrients already exist in the soil, meaning
the nutritional content of fresh produce could vary from farm to farm and
country to country.
Now I hear you say.... BUT organic fruit and veg taste
better! Studies have shown mixed results and personally it’s been a mixed bag
of beans for me too. I have never had
better tasting organic fruit and veg bought from the supermarket or even Vic
market. The only time I have ever had tastier fruit and veg is from a home
grown garden or a small farmers’ stall (and even this is rare). This is easily
explained by the time of harvest, when you have your own garden or are only
dealing with a small volume of produce you will generally pick the fruit or veg
when it’s ripe. Larger farms which supply to supermarkets do not have this
luxury and will often pick fruit and veg before it’s ripe (this is the reason
why vine-ripened tomatoes taste better irrespective of it being organic or
not).
Buying organic is a life style choice, it gives the consumer
the freedom to purchase products based on their environmental and
sustainability beliefs; beliefs about supporting local farmers or smaller
businesses/hobby farmers, carbon foot printing, affordability and accessibility
of produce.
I buy organic free roaming chicken eggs because I have seen
the conditions battery cage hens live in (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzWUZm3M5Lg&feature=related)
and it’s not an industry I want to support (but that’s another story) so I will
happily pay the extra few dollars. I also try buying organic hormone free meat
whenever I can, but when it comes to fruit and veg I now buy conventional
produce without feeling guilty. I am still nourishing my body with the same
minerals and vitamins organic or not.
Like I mentioned earlier, organic isn’t a bad thing, what I don’t
agree with is how organic has now become synonymous with healthy. Please be
mindful of not falling into the organic trap, just because something is
labelled as organic does not mean it’s healthy for you, eating a non-organic
apple is better for you than drinking organic apple juice. Organic corn chips
are still chips with a tonne of salt and saturated fat in it and an organic
brownie is still a brownie loaded with sugar.
Many people spend the extra money on organic foods in order
to avoid pesticides, and that’s fine but if you’re like me and end up blowing
all your cash on ‘other’ fun things, conventional foods are just as safe. Australia
has one of the highest levels of food safety in the world. The use and level of
chemicals is carefully regulated meaning food sold in Australia is safe to eat
organic or not. If you are worried about
any trace amounts of pesticide residue, just
give your fruit and veg a good scrub under running water (don’t use soap), peel
the skin off or cook it! As long as you’re eating fruit and veg – that’s all
your body cares about.
Marion Nestle said that you may feel better about eating an
organic Oreo but it’s still an Oreo.
