Is Organic Worth the Cost?
The dirty dozen to avoid
If you ask the average person if you should buy organic food, they would immediately tell you yes. That's because there’s been a plethora of marketing to push the concept of organic food
Is Organic Worth the Cost?
The dirty dozen to avoid
If you ask the average person if you should buy organic food, they would immediately tell you yes. That's because there’s been a plethora of marketing to push the concept of organic food. It’s supposed to be better for you, the environment, and necessary for a healthy diet.
This isn’t exactly wrong information, but it’s a generalization that doesn’t always hold true. One way to buy healthy fruits and vegetables is to shop your local farmer’s market. Even if a farm isn’t Certified Organic by the USDA, it might still very well avoid the use of dangerous pesticides. And keep in mind that even organic farms still use some pesticides, just the ones that the organization has deemed safe for consumption, as per this article in Scientific American.
What organic really means
Whether or not to buy organic is a hot topic that has seen much debate. According to Sadie Dahlk, RD, LDN, CNSC, CSO, nutrition manager and registered dietician at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, when it comes to the health benefits of eating organic versus conventionally grown foods, studies do not show any direct outcome that eating organic prevents disease and/or cancer. Instead, it is more important to focus on eating fruits and vegetables and have a well-balanced diet.
But what exactly is organic? Nutritionist Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, said, “Organic foods have been produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or synthetic fertilizers, and cannot be genetically modified or radiated. Organic poultry, dairy, meat, and eggs are produced without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics, and are humanely raised and slaughtered. This definition does not, however, reflect the nutritional value of the food.”
“Pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, analyzed more than 51,000 USDA and FDA tests for pesticides on 44 popular produce items and created a list referred to as the “Dirty Dozen Plus” to help identify the types of fruits and vegetables that were most likely to contain higher amounts of pesticides. They also crafted a list called, the “Clean Fifteen,” representing produce that may be conventional, more affordable, and may carry less pesticide residues.
Fruits and vegetables
Almost every fr