The Best Choice: Organic or Conventional Produce?
When John goes grocery shopping, he doesn’t think twice about buying organic produce. That is, until his neighbor, Mary, tells him that conventional produce is “unhealthy and toxic”. At John’s grocery store, the organic option is double the price of conventional. Nonetheless, John wants to take care of his health, so he buys only organic produce. After a few trips to the store, John fears he won’t be able to make ends meet. Instead, he avoids buying any produce with the fear of the “toxic affects” Mary warned him about. Keep reading this blog post to help John figure out if he should “take the risk” by buying conventional produce, or if he should avoid all conventional produce entirely!
Some Differences Between Organic and Conventional Produce:
Organic Produce
Grown with organic pesticides
Low carbon footprint
Manufacturing and retail price of organic produce is typically higher than conventional
Conventional Produce
Grown with synthetic pesticides
High carbon footprint
Manufacturing and retail price of organic produce is typically lower than conventional
Pesticides
A pesticide is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as “a substance that is intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest or unwanted organism”. There are two categories of pesticides: synthetic and organic. Synthetic pesticides are human-made, whereas organic pesticides derive from natural sources like plants, minerals, or bacteria. Ultimately, the definition of a pesticide tells us that all pesticides are “toxic” and are a health risk. However, the severity of the health risk depends on the type of pesticide and exposure. Observational studies comparing organic vs conventional produce have shown that long-term ingestion of organic pesticides is associated with reduced incidence of reproductive health issues, developmental problems, and hormonal imbalances. This blog post will provide information on ways to significantly reduce your exposure to pesticides.
Is Conventional Produce Unhealthy?
Nutritionally speaking, organic and conventional produce have the same chemical structure. In other words, there is no nutritional benefit to choosing organic produce; the nutritional components such as vitamin and mineral content is the same as in conventional produce. The most notable differences include the health impact from how the produce is grown and manufactured.
Cleaning Produce
The recommended method to cleaning produce is a baking soda wash, as it has been shown to remove nearly all traces (96-99%) of synthetic and organic pesticides and harmful bacteria from fresh produce. In a clean bowl, mix 1 tsp of baking soda per cup of water and submerge produce. Set a timer for 15 minutes and rinse. It’s as easy as that!
The “Dirty Dozen”
As mentioned, washing fresh produce with baking soda can nearly eliminate synthetic and organic pesticides outside of produce. However, some fruits and vegetables may have more porous skins, leading to higher pesticide penetration inside the produce. Therefore, choosing the organic option for certain produce can limit our exposure to synthetic pesticides even further. According to the USDA, the produce with the highest level of pesticide residues includes the “Dirty Dozen” foods, which are as follows:
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale
Apples
Grapes
Cherries
Peaches
Pears
Nectarines
Tomatoes
The Best Choice
For the majority of the U.S. population (including our friend John), buying organic produce is not financially or physically available. Organic produce does not have any nutritional advantages over conventional; however, we can reduce the health risks, such as hormonal and developmental imbalances, by choosing organic food. By using proper produce-cleaning techniques, eating a nutrient-dense, balanced diet can be a priority. As long as John is cleaning his produce, he can worry less about buying conventional produce, and eat plenty of nutritious fruits and veggies!
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