Organic Food: Worth the Price?
Organic foods have grown in popularity in recent years. Local grocery stores, and large chains like Wal-Mart, are carrying more organic products than ever, which is evidence of just how mainstream these choices have become.
Most people purchase organic foods because they are grown, harvested, and processed according to national standards that include restrictions on amounts and residues of pesticides (in plant foods), and hormones and antibiotics (in animal products). Organic foods bear the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal.
Organic foods are pricey. For example, organic milk can cost $6.00 or more in some parts of the country; a loaf of organic bread, or a dozen organic eggs, may set you back by as much as $4.00 each; and organic breakfast cereals have suggested retail prices of 20% to 50% more than natural brands, including Mom’s Best Naturals.
Maybe you’d like to serve your family more organic foods, but your budget won’t allow it. Mine doesn’t, either. But don’t feel bad.
According to a recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article, there is no nutritional difference between conventionally-grown foods and organic choices. Organic foods don’t reduce the risk of foodborne illness either, as they are just as prone to germs, including E. Coli and salmonella, as their conventional counterparts. Eating organic foods can minimize pesticide residue intake, but it doesn’t completely eliminate the risk. That’s because small amounts of pesticides are unavoidable on organic produce, as wind and water spread pesticides used on other crops to organic crops. Lastly, questions remain about the impact on the environment of transporting organic foods hundreds or even thousands of miles to market.
What’s a concerned parent to do? Know when to be picky. I’ve found that many experts recommend spending most of your organic food dollars on produce, as it is most likely to contain pesticides. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), children are more prone to the ill effects of pesticide resides because of their developing nervous system.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit consumer protection agency, regularly reviews tests for pesticide residues on produce collected by the United States Department of Agriculture. According to their latest assessment, the following 15 fruits and vegetables are the cleanest, so there’s really no reason to buy organic: onion, avocado, sweet corn (frozen), pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas (frozen), kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato and sweet potato.
Twelve types of produce had the most pesticide residues. The EWG estimates you can cut your pesticide exposure by upwards of 80% by eating the organic versions of: peaches, apples, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes (imported), carrots, and pear.
Whether or not you can afford organic produce, it’s important to keep in mind that getting enough fruits and vegetables every day is central to your good health, and your child’s.
Yours Truly,
Liz Ward
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 5:11 pm and is filed under Moms Best Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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