Are Organic and Natural Foods Healthier?

While years ago you may have been faced with the choice between a red apple or a green apple, now you have all of these other factors to consider. When trying to navigate the maze of produce aisles, you see organic food labels and claims of a healthier diet that can be confusing. Is organic and natural food really better for your health? Do conventional foods lead to cancer and other diseases? All of these questions have resulted in a dilemma for consumers shopping at the market.

It is important to note that the terms "natural" and "organic" are not interchangeable. While a food labeled as "natural" is free from artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, it does not indicate any specific methods or materials that were used to produce the food ingredients.

The word "organic" describes how farmers grow and process their agricultural products. In the U.S., organic agriculture is required to be cultivated without the use of synthetic pesticides, genetically modified organisms, and fertilizers that are petroleum-based or sewage sludge-based.

Organic livestock is required to have access to the outdoors and be on an organic diet. Livestock is prohibited from receiving antibiotics, growth hormones, and any animal by-products.

One of the most compelling reasons to buy organic food is to avoid exposure to pesticides, which are designed to be toxic. Pesticides are used to protect crops from the potential damage that can be done by insects, rodents, weeds, and fungus. However, many believe that long-term exposure to pesticides in small doses can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.

Here are some fundamental differences between organic and conventional products.

Organic Produce vs. Conventionally Grown Produce

Organic fruits and vegetables are grown with only natural fertilizers such as manure and compost. Additionally, the weeds growing around the crops are controlled naturally through methods like crop rotation, mulching, hand weeding, and tilling. For pest control, natural methods like birds, traps, and insects are used in addition to pesticides that are derived from natural ingredients.

Conventionally grown produce is grown with synthetic or chemical fertilizers, which often causes them to grow much larger than their organic counterparts. Pests and weeds are controlled with synthetic and chemical pesticides and herbicides, causing the toxic residue to remain on the crop.

Organic Meat, Dairy, and Eggs vs. Conventionally Raised Meat, Dairy, and Eggs

When you buy organic meat, dairy, or eggs, you can be sure that the livestock that it came from was given an entirely organic, hormone- and GMO-free diet. The livestock was also free to roam outdoors. To prevent diseases, natural methods were used such as rotations in grazing, sanitary housing, and a healthy diet.

Livestock that is raised for conventional products is given growth hormones to make them grow faster and larger. They also eat a non-organic, GMO-based diet. These animals are often cooped up in very tight spaces together without any freedom to walk around. When it comes to disease prevention, antibiotics and medications are used.

Benefits of Eating Organic Food

How your food is grown has a significant impact not only on your health but also on the environment. Organic foods can provide more beneficial nutrients and antioxidants than their conventionally-grown counterparts while leaving behind fewer chemical residues in the environment. Organic farming practices also help to reduce pollution, reduce soil erosion, conserve water, increase the fertility of soil, and waste less energy.

Organic food is often fresher than conventional food because it lacks the preservatives that conventional foods have that make them last longer. This also means that organic food is richer in nutrients because the vitamins and minerals are not given time to perish before they are on grocery store shelves.

Which Products Are the Most Important to Buy Organic?

Organic food is typically more expensive than food that is conventionally grown. This is because farming organic food is more labor intensive without the use of pesticides, drugs, and chemicals. Getting an organic certification is also expensive and buying organic feed for the livestock can cost double as much as conventional feed. Organic are typically smaller than conventional farms, which means they have to operate without government subsidies.

The cost may prevent you from eating a diet that is completely organic, but if you know which foods are the most important to buy organic, you can set some priorities.

Certain kinds of conventionally-grown produce are higher in pesticides than others and therefore should be avoided. Some others are small enough that it is considered to be relatively safe to buy the conventional option. The fruits and vegetables that are most likely to have high levels of pesticide residue are:

• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Grapes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kale/collard greens
• Summer squash
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Hot peppers

Alternatively, the "Clean 15" are fruits and vegetables that are likely to be very low in pesticides. These include:

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Mushrooms
• Cabbage
• Sweet corn
• Eggplant
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Onion
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Sweet peas
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe

When it comes to meat, eggs, and dairy, buy organic whenever possible.

Organic food is better for your health and the health of the environment. However, because it is not realistic for everyone to eat an entirely organic-based diet, these are some guidelines to follow so you know which foods are the most important to buy organic and which you can buy conventional.

About the Author

Dr. Donna Sergi is a Brooklyn Chiropractor who is also one of the country's leading Nutrition Response Testing Practitioners. Learn more by visiting her website.

Additional References

• Organic 101: What the USDA Organic Label Means