Is Organic Worth It?
I don't think there's a single one of us that doesn't want to buy and consume the healthiest possible product for the buck. And we all see the "Organic" section at the grocery store where a carrot might run 30-50% higher in price than its conventional counterpart. Is it worth it?
A lot of the evidence says: "Probably not".
*Organic* simply means that food is made without using conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers (natural fertilizers are allowed), bio-engineering or radiation. But that said, even foods that have 5% of these things, can still carry the Organic label.
Some experts out there claim that organic foods are healthier. However, there isn't any conclusive proof of this. Even the USDA website says: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) makes no claims that organic food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced foods.
A large study looked at scientific articles from the past 50 years and compared the nutrient content of organic vs. conventional foods. The researchers found that both organic and conventional products were comparable when it comes to nutrition. And just this month, a Stanford study concluded that eating organic foods over conventional products offers little to no health benefits.
Now, all of this said, I still choose to do my own garden organically for a few reasons. 1) I think it tastes better. 2) I'm too lazy to mess around with herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. 3) On a small scale, gardening a small plot organically is cheaper. (not so for large farms.)
So should you go organic? Is it worth the additional cost? Maybe for the "dirty dozen". The foods that usually test high for pesticides. apples, celery, bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, nectarines, grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, blueberries and potatoes.
But in the end, the decision to go organic is a personal one. Either way you decide to go, whether organic or conventional, increasing your intake of fruits and veggies will lead to better health.
For more, go here:
http://www.livestrongfitness.com/blog/organic-food-health-or-hype/
So what do you do when you're faced with the conundrum in the fresh produce section of the grocery store, of choosing between organic or conventional fruits and veggies?
I typically go conventional because of the better price and because I know it's USDA inspected and safe. But there are a few items I will purchase organically because of the flavor (cilantro, carrots, berries). For me, organic is about flavor and not any claims of "better health benefits".
Just thought I'd revist this article. Mindblowing to me that an article about GMO's gets over 100 comments in 8 hours, but one about organics doesn't get a single comment in weeks.
I guess it's proof that chaos gets the ratings and human beings are programmed to flock to the negative.
I live in a rural area and grow my own veggies: tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, green onion, leeks and rhubarb. It's a lot of work but the payback is in the taste whether raw or cooked.
If they are "more healthy" then cool but I agree, it's all about taste. If I want something healthy, I swim laps in my pool.
Couldn't agree more. I envy you for being able to grow radishes, though. You'd think that living in a cooler climate like I do, they would grow well here. But they always look anemic. All I can figure is that it's my soil...which everything else seems to love and tests pretty balanced.
And as far as the laps go? You have a LOT more energy than I do.
As with most things it comes down to the individual. As AeonPax notes, for myself there is a difference in taste (quite a difference to me) but in my case it is not worth the time and effort to me.
Addressing the health aspect, I do not know as we can counteract all the other bad things we suck up in the course of the day, but if it makes one feel better then by all means. This is an area where our rural cousins have an advantage over us as to greater access, but you can grow a garden on a rooftop if you have the were withall.
As to the lack of hits Pat, you should have included a few headless bodies that would have generated more comments.
Here is a cool, space saving idea for herbs and berries that you might like since you have limited space. Free instructions on building it are below the picture. They are calling it a strawberry planter, but it works great for herbs, too:
I did a couple where I left off the bottom two containersand it was very effective at keeping the bunnies at bay.
I have a tendency to choose the organic over the fruits and veggies subjected to the pesticides when shopping. Different pesticides can have many different harmful effects on humans as well as unintended insects such as bees which provide one of the most useful services on the planet.
It's amazing (and heartwarming) to see how freezing and canning are making a comeback. Whodathunkit? In this go-go-go...gotta have it now society we've created for ourselves, people are taking time to get back to the basics of putting some work and effort into their own food, just like their grandparents did. I love it.