Thursday, May 3, 2012

Organic or Not?




As a health professional specializing in the area of nutrition, I often get asked the question, is it better to eat organic? This is usually an easy and difficult question for me to answer. There are several things to consider when thinking about whether or not to eat organic.

What does it mean for a food to be organic?

For a food to be considered organic, it must be free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, artificial flavors and additives. Usually, it is a “whole food” in which nothing has been added or taken away from the food (though not always applicable).

The USDA actually has a National Organic Program where certain food products are approved for labeling “organic.” Products are “certified” organic if they have 95% or more organic content. There are voluntary labels for products like meat, poultry and eggs. Several egg and chicken products are labeled “free-range” or “cage-free.” “Free-range means the flock was provided shelter in a building, room, or area with unlimited access to food, fresh water, and continuous access to the outdoors during their production cycle. The outdoor area may or may not be fenced and/or covered with netting-like material. Cage-free means the flock was able to freely roam a building, room, or enclosed area with unlimited access to food and fresh water during their production cycle. Other meat products may include labeling of “natural.” Meat, poultry, and egg products labeled as “natural” must be minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients. However, the natural label does not include any standards regarding farm practices and only applies to processing of meat and egg products. There are no standards or regulations for the labeling of natural food products if they do not contain meat or eggs (www.ams.usda.gov).”

Though there are many claims that organic is best, there are not many “significant research studies” that support this claim. My personal opinion is that there are not a lot of studies on this because it would take a lot of money to complete these studies, and if organic was shown to be associated with better health outcomes, many manufacturers would be put out of business. Politics always plays a role.

Nonetheless, here are a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to eat organic:

1.       The less processing the better. Though there have not been a lot of “significant studies” that have deemed artificial flavors, and certain processing of foods as terribly unhealthy, I believe the more natural the better. I could say that all your fresh fruits and vegetables are the most natural, but I have read a few stories of how certain artificial vitamins/minerals are pumped into some fruits and vegetables. So we don’t always know what we are getting, even when it is fresh. But if it has an organic label associated with it, it may be better for you. (Now, that is not based on scientific proof, but simply my personal opinion.)

2.       The closer you are to the product, probably the better. So many foods are shipped from other countries and mature on trucks. This is why manufacturers use certain artificial methods to make sure the product looks good when it gets on the shelf in your local grocery store. So it would be great if you could buy from a local farmer’s market, or grow your own fruits and vegetables in your own garden.

3.       Do you have the money to eat organic? Organic food costs more. Though we may know several benefits of eating organic, if you can’t afford it, it will be hard for you to adopt this lifestyle. If you can’t afford it, don’t use this as an excuse as to why you can’t eat healthy. Fruits, vegetables, and lean meats are still in order. Even with a little processing, they still have less fat and calories than most other foods.


Until next time…

 -Jenelle N. Robinson

 Hunter, B. (2006). A Whole Foods Primer: A Comprehensive, Instructive, and Enlightening Guide to the World of Whole Foods. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Stanfield, P., Hui, Y. (2010). Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Approaches, 5th Edition. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

1 comment:

  1. I'm falling under #3. Lol... It's so expensive. I stepped in Whole Foods once and haven't been back. On somethings, I have to just TRUST GOD. Well, with all things, but you know what I'm saying.

    Go Win!

    ReplyDelete