You may have heard that ‘going organic’ is a healthy choice for the farmers, the environment, and your own health. But do you really understand why it’s such a positive choice?
This article series explores the benefits of choosing organic.
Reason: Organic food offers superior health benefits
Some of my previous articles have highlighted health benefits that can be obtained from choosing organic. These range from helping to protect the body from cancer1Â to explaining the profound benefits of nurturing healthy soil2Â to sharing some of the potentially toxic processes3Â and chemicals4 that conventional food can be subjected to.
In some ways I was reluctant to straight out claim that organic food is more nutritious because this is not always true. There are organic food products on the market that have been highly processed into something that is quite far removed from the crop they started from. Throughout this process valuable nutrients are lost and the end result becomes less nutritious for our bodies.
It is also worth mentioning that nutrient levels in the soil can vary a lot within both conventional and organic crops depending on how the farmer or grower approaches soil health.
Additionally, it is important to compare nutrient levels between the same types of crops because nutrient levels vary between types of plants and specific varieties in both conventional and organic growing.
As I mentioned in an earlier article5 soil health is of the utmost importance in organic farming. This is a crucial factor in successful organic growing because quick fix solutions such as synthetic chemical fertilizers are not allowed to be used. Nurturing the soil creates a healthy soil microbiome, which grows healthy plants, which in turn help people to be healthy.
Plants need to use their own inbuilt protection mechanisms to ward off pests because these same protection mechanisms are what provide us with antioxidants for our bodies. If plants are routinely being sprayed with synthetic pesticides the plant loses the requirement to use these amazing natural protection mechanisms. Along with that, the antioxidants that have been linked to optimal health in humans are severely depleted.
There are always going to be studies that show no difference in antioxidant levels between conventional and organic crops. Some studies are repeated over again until beneficial results are found to support whatever corporate giant is funding the study. However there certainly is evidence out there that organically grown crops have higher nutritional content.
A large study carried out meta-analyses based on 343 peerreviewed publications that indicate statistically significant and meaningful differences in composition between organic and non-organic crops/crop-based foods. The concentrations of a range of antioxidants such as polyphenolics were found to be substantially higher in organic crops/crop-based foods.6
The ‘look’ of some organic produce can sometimes put people off eating it because it doesn’t seem as appealing. In my experience, I have often found that our customers are pleasantly surprised by how wonderful their ‘ugly’ looking fruit tastes, and there is also evidence to suggest that it could contain superior nutritional qualities.
Studies have found that apples with ‘scabs’ on the skin or leaves contained higher antioxidants (phenolic compounds) than scab-free apples and apple leaves.7,8Â Similarly, higher concentrations of resveratrol (an antioxidant) have been found in grape leaves following fungal infection or exposure to ultraviolet light.9
These results all connect back to the plant needing to work hard to fight for its survival. The inbuilt protective mechanisms kick in and these same protection mechanisms are what provide us with antioxidants. To remind you once more, a plant that has been sprayed with synthetic pesticides does not require these mechanisms for protection from pests, and therefore is unlikely to have antioxidants in the same concentrations that a plant which has not been subjected to synthetic pesticides will have.
With this in mind, give that ‘ugly’ looking fruit a bit of a chance—you might be pleasantly surprised by the taste and it’s highly likely that it’s better for you too.
References:
- https://www.justorganic.co.nz/why-go-organic-reason-7-help-protect-againstcancer/
- https://www.justorganic.co.nz/why-go-organic-reason-2-healthy-soil-healthybody/
- https://www.justorganic.co.nz/why-choose-organic-reason-4-irradiation/
- https://www.justorganic.co.nz/why-go-organic-reason-1-glyphosate/
- https://www.justorganic.co.nz/why-go-organic-reason-2-healthy-soil-healthybody/
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/higher-antioxidant-and-lower-cadmium-concentrations-and-lower-incidenceof-pesticide-residues-in-organically-grown-crops-a-systematic-literature-review-and-meta-analyses/33F09637EAE6C4ED119E0C4BFFE2D5B1/corereader#
- http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_194363.pdf
- http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10535-011-0176-6#/page-1
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0048405976900771
