Due to popular demand, grocery stores are offering more and more organic options. As you shop for food and make daily decisions about what to feed your family, you’ve probably asked yourself if you should buy organic. From produce, milk, and eggs, to packaged foods and meats, organic foods are obviously more expensive, but are they worth the cost?
What does it mean for a food to be labeled “organic”, why the high cost, and are they really better for you?
You’re about to find out.
Define Organic
For a food to be labeled organic, it must be grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, weed killers, other chemicals, and x-rays. Only natural pest killers and fertilizers are used on the food and soil. Animals raised to provide organic meat are only fed organic food. They’re not given growth hormones and they don’t receive antibiotics.
Packaged organic foods that contain multiple ingredients must be made with 95 to 100 percent organic ingredients.
Organic Costs More
One of the biggest reasons organic isn’t taking over the world is the fact that it’s so expensive. Costing up to twice as much as non-organic foods, organic foods are more expensive because they’re usually grown or raised on smaller farms that normally don’t receive money from the government. Also, since it takes more work to grow or raise organic foods without the aid of pesticides, fertilizers, and drugs, this added work equals increased price.
What’s the Big Deal?
There’s increasing evidence of the potential health risks of exposure to the toxic pesticide residue on your produce and the chemicals and drugs used to raise animals and grains. While there is research that claims the exposure is too low to cause harm, other studies reveal there may be significant risk for human health brought on by non-organic foods.
Though still largely under review, the links between non-organic foods and poor health are various. Some state there’s a link between a chemical found in weed killers and obesity, learning disabilities, metabolic damage, infertility, and birth defects. Other chemicals are thought to mess with your hormones or contribute to diabetes. These chemicals are not only found in your food, but have found their way into the air you breathe and the water you drink.
Since children are still growing and eat a lot for their size, the potential health risks associated with non-organic foods are especially concerning for children. Hence why many parents are buying organic baby food and milk for their little ones.
Alongside the benefit that organic food has on consumers, organic farming is better for the environment and the animals being farmed. The use of many pesticides was approved prior to extensive research, which revealed their dangers to the soil, water, air, food, and our bodies. By not using inorganic pesticides and growth hormones, organic farmers avoid leeching more chemicals into the landscape.
What to Buy?
To be on the safe side, it may be smart to buy organic options of the foods your family eats most, from fruits and vegetables to meats and dairy.
Having a hard time dropping the extra cash to eat organic? Take heart. Eating non-organic produce is better than not eating any produce at all. In fact, the health benefits of these foods should far outweigh any potential risks. You can also cut your risk by buying smartly. Produce with low levels of pesticides and not as important to buy organic include bananas, broccoli, avocado, kiwi, onions, mango, pineapple, corn, and cauliflower. So stock up on these and you’ll be in the safe zone.
Regardless, thoroughly wash your produce with water, scrubbing the food if possible, and peel the skin off fruits such as apples, peaches, and pears for your kids.
Poison!
The 12 most contaminated foods that are better left organic are imported grapes, potatoes, collard greens, cherries, spinach, bell peppers, nectarines, blueberries, apples, strawberries, peaches, and celery.
