A study comparing organic vs conventional foods recently received a lot of media attention. Most headlines focused on the finding that both types of foods contained similar nutrient levels. While that is an important part of the conversation, the study also yielded several other findings that deserve attention.
When deciding between organic and conventional foods, nutrient levels are only one piece of the bigger picture.
The study also found that organic produce had 30% less pesticide residue than conventional produce. While most media reports either overlooked this information or, if they did mention it, did so only briefly, it is an important finding. Pesticides are poison. While it may not have as potent an impact on you as the insects it was meant for, it will still work the same way in your body. Primarily, this is by inhibiting the neural impulse sent to the muscle to create a contraction. For smaller pests, this pretty much immediately results in the heart stopping or the lungs ceasing to function. For animals the size of humans, the impact is less immediate but still hazardous, and can lead to many health issues, including cancer. Your body, in its wisdom, works to detoxify itself and eliminate the poison. This process takes energy and nutrients, thereby wasting a large majority of the nutrients in the food you just ate, rather than being available to give you more energy.
The study also found that organic chicken and pork were 33% less likely to contain antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. This is an important concept as well, since more and more hospitals are facing patients with these bacterial infections that require more intensive treatment and longer recovery times, usually including an extended hospital stay. Other studies have also found that organic and free-range animal products have better levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for your cholesterol.
I have some other food for thought on this topic: the majority of your conventionally raised foods are either themselves Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or are a part of their diet. A GMO is a life form whose DNA has been changed in a laboratory to become something similar to the original but genetically different. These modifications are typically to be resistant to pesticides or herbicides, but more are being developed to produce either their own pesticides or to cause upset to the insect feeding on it. The primary concern with GMO products is that they were introduced into the market without testing how prolonged consumption would affect someone. So we literally don’t know the consequences of this yet. Primarily, GMOs are plant products, but these grains and soybeans are fed to conventional livestock. To be deemed USDA organic, no GMOs are in the product. However, research is currently being done on GMO fish species.
In addition to the previous concerns about GMOs, you should also know that these organisms are patented and under the direct control of the company holding the patent. Farmers are not allowed to keep the seed from their crops to plant the next year. They have to turn it in to the owning company, only to buy it back from them the next year. Also, farmers are at risk of being sued for patent infringement if their non-GMO crop gets cross-pollinated with a GMO crop. This is yet another reason I support organic foods. It’s the only way to know that I am actually supporting the farmer growing it rather than a big business that owns the patent.
What you support and what you put into your body are your own decisions.