Organic foods are now more affordable than ever. But are you really getting more nutritional value when you choose organic over conventionally produced foods? It depends on which foods you look at.
Organic sounds more appealing because these fruits and vegetables are grown without any pesticides or chemical fertilizers. But millions of people eat conventionally grown food every day and do not become ill. So how do we know which is better?
Many people suffer from allergies and do become violently ill when they eat food that has been grown using pesticides. These people account for less than ten percent of the population of North America and they definitely do benefit from eating only organically produced foods.
There are now extensive studies surrounding the nutrient content of organic crops and those produced with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These studies look at the individual nutrients in each food being studies to see which has a higher nutrient content. It turns out that organic carrots have a higher content of zinc, and organic broccoli has a higher Vitamin C content. The results seem to show that organic fruits and vegetables have a higher level of nutrients than non-organic about 50 to 80 percent of the time. The rates are slightly higher for Vitamin C and protein. Organic fruits and vegetables also have a significantly lower level of carcinogenic nitrates. This fact alone may be a good reason to choose organic, especially if you already have a history of cancer.
The animals that have been fed organic feed also appear to be in better health. This is an area that will need to be researched further to get more definite results.
