MORE of us turn to organic food believing it is better for us.
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Four out of five households in the UK choose organic fruit, vegetables, poultry and dairy, says Soil Association.
The organic food industry was worth a staggering £ 1.79 billion last year, with half of the parents opting to buy organic baby food.
But what is all the fuss about? Are Organic Foods Really Better For Us? If you don’t want to eat nasty chemicals, the answer is YES.
The pesticides used to grow our food include nerve poisons, carcinogens, and “gender changers,” which can disrupt our reproductive health and cause problems like infertility.
The Government assures us that at low levels they do not harm us. But we are all swallowing additives, meat from genetically modified farm animals or foods that have been highly industrially processed.
In today’s cash-strapped society, it can be difficult to buy totally organic products.
Here, gastronomic journalist and author. JOANNA BLYTHMAN reveals the organic essentials, and what is not so vital.
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MILK
Organic WHOLE cow’s milk has more health-enhancing omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E than non-organic milk, according to scientific studies.
One found that omega-3 levels were 68 percent higher.
Other research, funded by the Dutch government, showed that children who consumed organic dairy products had a 36 percent lower risk of eczema by the age of two.
MUSHROOMS
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CONVENTIONAL mushrooms are treated with fungicides and insecticides.
Chemical disinfectants, such as chlorine, are also routinely used to sterilize mushroom sheds between growth cycles.
Organic growers cannot use these chemicals and must steam clean their sheds.
Organically grown mushrooms cost only slightly more than conventional ones.
COOKING OIL
NON-ORGANIC oil is extracted at high temperatures, destroying its natural goodness, in a process that uses a chemical solvent.
The oil is then chemically bleached and deodorized, and two controversial preservatives, BHA and BHT, are added as a preservative. Some research links them to cancer.
Organic oils are not extracted at high temperatures and are mostly cold pressed. They cannot be bleached, and any deodorization must be done with steam. Solvents and preservatives are not allowed.
PORK
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NON-ORGANIC pork generally comes from pigs that have been fed genetically modified soy, but feeding studies on laboratory animals show that GM foods can be toxic.
For example, rats fed transgenic tomatoes developed stomach lesions.
No trials have been done to show whether eating meat from GMO-fed animals can affect human health, but if you’d rather not be a guinea pig, choose organic.
Organic standards prohibit feeding GM rations to livestock.
PEPPERS
CONVENTIONAL farmers can legally use up to 320 pesticides.
About a third of all the conventionally grown food we consume contains residues, while almost half of our fruits and vegetables are contaminated.
Bell peppers are one of the worst vegetables for pesticide contamination.
Organic farmers can use only six pesticides and in a very restricted way, so organic food almost never contains traces. In recent years no residues have been found in organic peppers.
YOGHURT
LIKE many processed foods, yogurt often contains chemical additives to give it the wrong color, flavor, and consistency.
There are 329 chemical additives, some of them highly controversial for health reasons, allowed in non-organic foods.
These include the sweetener aspartame, the MSG flavoring, and the artificial yellow tartrazine.
Organic food processors can use only 32 additives.
They must come from natural sources, such as vitamin C from lemon juice.
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EGGS
ORGANIC eggs must come from grass-fed chickens, so they likely have higher levels of the cancer-fighting fatty acid CLA than eggs from cage chickens fed grain and soy.
But since free-range chickens have access to the outdoors, their eggs can also be a good source of CLA, and they are slightly cheaper than organic ones.
WHITE BREAD
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WHITE breads are less nutritious than whole wheat bread, because they do not contain bran and wheat germ, which provide vitamins and minerals.
But if this is the type of bread you eat, there are fewer reasons to buy organic.
Most of the pesticide residues left on wheat are removed when flour is ground or destroyed during baking.
But organic bread, white or not, will not contain the additives found in most non-organic breads.
SALMON
MOST of the salmon for sale, organic or non-organic, comes from caged fish.
Organic salmon scores positive for animal welfare because the fish are less crowded and have more room to swim.
But there is no nutritional difference between the more expensive organic salmon and its non-organic equivalent.
WATERCRESS
THIS is a super healthy food packed with disease-fighting vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, but there’s no strong health reason to go organic.
All watercress is grown naturally in shallow beds in a gentle stream of clean spring water.
However, for most other salad leaves, pesticide residue is a very real concern, which is why organics can be worth the extra pennies.
PASTA
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DRY pasta is made only from durum wheat flour and water.
Since the wheat used is ground to remove the outer layer, it is highly unlikely that the pasta contains pesticide residues.
So organic dry pasta may not be the first on your list if you’re on a budget.
But if you buy fresh egg pasta, the organic versions likely contain fewer undesirable additives, such as artificial flavors and preservatives.
MUTTON
MOST UK and New Zealand lamb, organic or not, comes from sheep that graze outside on rough pastures, so all lamb is a rich source of heart disease and cancer-fighting fatty acids.
Since lamb can be expensive, opting for the non-organic option makes the cost much more manageable.
To save a little money, buy the tasty but cheaper “side” cuts like scrag, shank, brisket, and ground beef.