Week Three: Outrageous Organics?

Hello once again,
Welcome to the third, and quite charming, installment of Mind Your Peas and Carrots. This week I thought I'd mix it up a little. Instead of a recipe, I'm gonna put some knowledge on you guys. We all know organic foods are a pretty hot topic these days, but is everything you hear true? Are organic foods really all they're cracked up to be? And how do they measure up to conventional foods? What are the pros and cons? Well it just so happens that I was poking around the ADA (American Dietetic Associations) website and found some interesting stuff. Before I get started, however, I'd like to lay down a clear definition of what it means for a food to be organic. An organic food is a plant or animal food produced without the use of growth hormones, anti-biotics, or petroleum-based, sewage-based, and sludge-based fertilizers. And now, the following is a summary of my findings:


1. Though some organic fruits, vegetables, and juices may contain more phytochemicals (anti-oxidants and polyphenols) than their conventionally grown counter-parts, the verdict is still out on the topic. Researchers are still debating back and forth about nutritional value from both sides.

2. Organic meats may reduce human anti-biotic resistance and air and water pollution. Lots of animals being raised for the slaughter are given anti-biotics and some make it through processing and into your hamburgers.

3. In an ongoing study (research is still being conducted), researchers found that consuming organic dairy products can help lower the risk of eczema in the first two years of life. Both the young child and the pregnant mother benefit from the effects where the omega-3 fatty acids found in this organic products play a role in prevention.

4. Organic farming offers lots of ways to prevent pesticide exposure in food and water supplies everywhere.

5. Organic farming methods support a more sustainable food system. They can help in reducing soil erosion and rehabilitating poor soils.

6. The organic food market has helped integrate smaller and medium size farms into high-value food sales. Large farm have also been able to come into the same system, perhaps leveling the playing field.

7. Organic pollination relies on insects and other animals, while conventional farming increasingly relies on pesticides that damage and kill these pollination agents.

8. Organic farming offers many opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Organic farming techniques require much less energy and "Humus (the well-decomposed part of soil organic matter) helps mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon and acting as a sink (e.g., by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and fixing it in the soil)".

9. Organic farming environments tend to be more biodiverse, preparing them for erratic weather patterns and pest problems that are predicted to come along with climate change.

So it would seem that springing those few extra bucks at the grocery might be a good idea after all. Though it's hard to ignore the fact that organic foods don't last as long, I think it's still even worth an extra trip to the store every week. Hopefully this information was both stimulating and beneficial. If you have any thoughts or information on organic food, from either side, go ahead and leave a comment! If you'd just like to leave a comment, you're absolutely invited to do that too! And so, with that, I bid you adieu and another happy week in September!