| There's a new, big meta-study published recently that | | | | the answer.) |
| attempted to evaluate the benefits of organic food. | | | | However, this study chose not to address other |
| Over 160 studies were initially looked at, but the | | | | important issues. For example, there was no attempt |
| researchers narrowed those down to 55 for the final | | | | to evaluate the possible long-term effects from |
| evaluation, attempting to include only the best-designed | | | | residual pesticides. There is also no consideration of |
| work. The review encompassed 50 years of | | | | the environmental harm caused by modern |
| research. It was commissioned by the British Food | | | | non-organic commercial farming. For many people, |
| Standards Agency, and carried out by researchers | | | | reducing the environmental footprint of commercial |
| from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical | | | | farming is enough of a reason on its own to consider |
| Medicine. It was published in the American Journal of | | | | organic food. While there are other systematic |
| Clinical Nutrition. | | | | improvements in cultivation and irrigation that could be |
| The headline conclusion was that organic food offered | | | | made in non-organic farming, choosing organics makes |
| no health benefits. But lets look a little deeper. The | | | | a change now. |
| report's authors came to the "no benefit" conclusion | | | | Besides a well-balanced diet, getting food that is ripe |
| based only on the nutritional value of the foods | | | | and fresh is more important nutritionally than organic vs. |
| examined (produce, meat, dairy and eggs). That is, | | | | non-organic. That means buying more foods that are in |
| they found very little difference in the level of nutrients | | | | season and perhaps grown in your own region. It really |
| in organic vs. non-organic foods. There were some | | | | depends on the type of produce and how efficient the |
| minor variations, such as a tendency for higher nitrogen | | | | transportation system is for that particular food. Local |
| and acid levels in the organic vegetables, but nothing | | | | isn't necessarily better, even from an |
| that was considered significant for health. This is not | | | | economic-environmental point of view: more fuel is |
| particularly surprising, as nutritional analysis (how much | | | | consumed (per pound of food) in driving your four |
| vitamin C, iron, etc.) contained in a food has never | | | | bags of groceries home in your car, than is used |
| really been categorized according to its growing | | | | shipping 30,000 tons of fruit on a ship from South |
| environment. Of course, some heavy metals, for | | | | America. |
| example, can show up in plants when they exist in the | | | | So should you be eating organic? There may be a lot |
| soil, but that is independent of the growing method. | | | | of good reasons to do so, but getting more vitamins |
| Perhaps it is actually something of a relief that the | | | | and minerals from your food really not one of them. |
| non-organic food most Westerners eat can provide | | | | The good news is that, from a purely nutritional point of |
| good nutrition. (If only we were eating a good, balanced | | | | view, you don't have to worry about your non-organic |
| diet in the first place. Organic pork rinds really are not | | | | food leaving you malnutritioned. |