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 inequity depending on how fruit and vegetables were grown, but surprisingly to many, they found no principal difference. There was a small inequity but it was not determined 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 important factor in the inherent health benefits of organic, so without this being determined it means that the study cannot give a faultless photograph of the health merits of organic fruit and veg.

Organic Fruit

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

A non-health connected advantage that some may point to is taste, with many believing organic has an advantage 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 whether or not it is worth this extra cost? Well the nutritional value, that some previously believed significant, is approximately redundant. So for those who pick organic for this surmise alone the acknowledge is no, it is not worth the extra cost. There are three more factors that some will take into consideration, three things that people will have to make up their own minds about. Are pesticides and herbicides in non-organic yield potentially harmful? Some say that base sense tells you that chemicals are unlikely to be wholesome 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 wholly down to personal preference. And ultimately 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 result it has is hard to judge, and another thing that people have to make up their own minds about. This is an area that is important to some but not to others.

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

Andrew Marshall (c)

Is Organic Fruit and Vegetables Healthier?

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