Is Organic Fruit and Vegetables Healthier?

A study last year (2009) claimed that organic fruit and vegetables are no great for you than when grown conventionally. The study looked at a range of nutrients to see if there was any great divergence depending on how fruit and vegetables were grown, but surprisingly to many, they found no valuable difference. There was a small divergence but it was not carefully adequate to lead to health benefits.

The study led to headlines stating that organic fruit and vegetables have no health benefits, but this is something of a flawed conclusion. A crucial point that the study pointed out, but many news stories did not, is that the effects of pesticides and herbicides on non-organic fruit and veg were not taken into consideration. Many believe that this is the most prominent factor in the potential health benefits of organic, so without this being carefully it means that the study cannot give a faultless photograph of the health merits of organic fruit and veg.

Organic Fruit

This brings into inquire how prominent the study unquestionably is. It does tell us that there is no nutritional value is eating organic but does not tell us either there is any damage caused by the chemicals used to grow fruit and vegetables conventionally.

Is Organic Fruit and Vegetables Healthier?

A non-health associated benefit that some may point to is taste, with many believing organic has an benefit taste wise. This comes down to personal preference; some believe it does taste great while others see no difference.

Organic fruit and veg, as well as other foods, does in the main cost more than non-organic. But from last year's study, can we say either or not it is worth this extra cost? Well the nutritional value, that some previously believed significant, is practically redundant. So for those who pick organic for this conjecture alone the retort is no, it is not worth the extra cost. There are three more factors that some will take into consideration, three things that population will have to make up their own minds about. Are pesticides and herbicides in non-organic yield potentially harmful? Some say that coarse sense tells you that chemicals are unlikely to be healthy and could be a health risk. Others though, would point to the fact that there doesn't appear to have been any damage from them in food in the past. Then there is taste, something that comes fully down to personal preference. And finally there is the environmental effect, and there is some evidence that chemical used to grown fruit and vegetables are harmful to the environment. How harmful and what follow it has is hard to judge, and other thing that population have to make up their own minds about. This is an area that is prominent to some but not to others.

So unabridged this study has told us about one area (nutrition) that is not affected by either or not fruit and veg are produced organically, but it doesn't give us an unabridged picture. Make up your own minds...

Andrew Marshall (c)

Is Organic Fruit and Vegetables Healthier?

cuisinart chef's classic 17 piece cookware set calphalon unison nonstick 12 omelette pan anolon advanced 10 piece set