Over the last few years organic produce has grown from its little nook in the corner of a health food store, to being readily available in most grocery stores. With this has come a wide public debate. On one side, you have conventionally grown vegetables and fruits. On the other side, you have organically grown vegetables and fruits. They both look the same, both provide vitamins and fiber. But which should you choose? Conventional foods generally cost less, but is this at the expense of your health?
Many studies have cast doubt on the value of an organic diet. One of these studies was done by Stanford University. If you look beyond the headlines of the meta-analysis itself, which is composed of 240 reports comparing organically and conventionally grown food, they did in fact find that organic food was not only safer to eat but probably healthier than conventional foods. Foods grown in healthy soils can be more nutritious and therefore reduces your toxic load (aka the amount of chemicals taken into your body therefore disturbing normal function). Where is the nutrition found in conventional produce grown in depleted soils with synthetic chemicals?
The point I'm getting at is to look further than the headlines making the 6 o'clock news. Ask yourself who is behind the studies, do the conductors of the research or the companies funding the study have a biased opinion that could affect the true results.
And what about those who are opposed to genetically-modified foods? As well as those wanting genetically-modified foods to be labeled in order to avoid them? To answer all the questions being raised, companies have decided to convince you that eating organic is a waste of money and there is no health benefit. If you hear that there is no health benefit, you would be less likely to support a bill to label genetically-modified foods spear-headed by chemical companies Monsanto and DuPont. They say proper labeling will result in higher food prices, which is a complete lie. Not once has new food labeling resulted in heightened food prices. How convenient that they would come out with a study like this just before the public is about to vote on labeling for genetically-modified foods!
I choose to buy organic produce and products as much as I can. For those who might not be able to afford to buy all organic produce, the following list can help you determine what produce you definitely should consider buying organic and what might be alright to buy conventionally.
DIRTY DOZEN: Apples, Bananas, Bell Peppers, Blueberries, Celery, Corn, Cucumber, Grapes, Peaches, Potatoes, Spinach/ Lettuce and Strawberries + Tomatoes and Kale/ Collard Greens.
CLEAN FIFTEEN: Asparagus, Avocados, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Eggplant, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Mangoes, Mushrooms, Onions, Papayas, Pineapples, Sweet Peas, Sweet Potatoes and Watermelon.
If you want to eat more nutritional foods then make an effort to buy organic produce and products.
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