Organic Foods vs Conventional Foods

By:  Kerri-Lynn LaPointe, ND | June 2, 2008 12:26 pm

As women, the responsibility of healthy and nutritious food choices for our families often falls on us.  We are constantly bombarded with information about healthier choices, and many are choosing organic fruits, vegetables, and grains as a nutritious alternative.  With the fresh fruit and vegetable season approaching, I am receiving many questions about why this has become an increasing trend and what the differences are between organic and conventional farming practices.

FERTILIZERS – promote the growth of plants

Conventional – phosphate fertilizers leach arsenic, cadmium, and uranium into the soil; nitrogen fertilizers are made using fossil fuels; potassium fertilizers come from unsustainable mines or saline lakes

Organic – animal manure, compost, bone meal, peat, and seaweed

INSECTICIDES – kill unwanted pests

Conventional – nitrogen may increase the virulence and birth rates of pests; degrades the ecosystem; increases soil acidity

Organic – use of insect predators, barriers, and symbiotic crop planting does not harm your health or the environment

HERBICIDES – (Pesticides) control weed growth

Conventional – surface run-off contaminates the water supply at distant sites; may cause endocrine (hormone) disruption in human and animals leading to reproductive problems; negatively affects neurological and immune systems; may cause cancer

Organic – crop rotation, manual weeding, and covering crops with mulch cause no side-effects while maintaining soil nutrients

SOIL NUTRIENTS

Conventional – depletes nutrients in soil and food because one type of plant is grown season after season

Organic – crop rotation ensures nutrients that are depleted by one crop are replenished by another; mulch compost replenishes soil nutrients; foods are higher in nutrients (vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium)

When all of the above information is considered, organic food is the obvious choice.  However, it may not be readily available to you, or it may be too expensive.  If this is the case, it is better to eat fresh conventionally grown vegetables than no vegetables.  You can decrease your pesticide exposure by thoroughly washing all produce and removing the skin or outer layers before eating.

Here is a list of foods that have the highest levels of pesticides when grown conventionally.  If you are going to eat these foods, try for organic as often as possible:

• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Spinach
• Nectarines
• Celery
• Pears
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Bell peppers
• Raspberries
• Grapes

Here is a list of foods that have the lowest level of pesticides when grown conventionally and are safest to eat non-organically:

• Papayas
• Kiwis
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Mangoes
• Cauliflower
• Pineapples
• Avocados
• Sweet corn

When eating animal products, it is always best to eat organic to reduce the amount of pesticides you are exposed to (animals eat conventional feed) and also the amount of antibiotics (which cause resistant “super bugs” and may alter the flora in your gut, causing digestive complaints.)