Many people think that “organic food” is synonymous with “health food.” This is not true. Organic candy bars are almost as bad for your health as normal candy bars. Eating a lot of organic sugar still helps people gain weight and obesity is a cause of most of our health concerns, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Basically, organic junk food is still junk food.
But, what is the difference between organic and inorganic produce. Some people can’t afford to shop for organic produce. For them, it is still important to buy healthy conventionally grown food because it is the next best thing. Others can afford to buy some of their family’s groceries from the organic sections of their grocery store.
Here is some information to help you make the best decision.
EWG Shopper
First of all, let me be clear that organic produce is healthier than conventionally grown produce. Research does show that organic produce tends to be more nutrient rich and tastier than conventionally grown produce. Organic produce also tends to have lower amounts of residual toxic pesticides and herbicides. From an ecological perspective, organic foods also tend to be grown with agricultural methods that are healthier for the ecosystem. There are plenty of reasons to buy organic if you can afford it.
The Environmental Working Group has recently updated their list of the most and least heavily pesticided produce. They calculated the amount of pesticides people would be exposed to when normally consuming these foods (oranges and bananas are peeled while apples and pears are washed and eaten with the skin).
If your budget is tight, only buy the organic produce that helps you avoid the greatest amounts of pesticides and herbicides. This information will help you maximize the healthy effects of every dollar of your grocery budget.
Be Well,
Richard