Why eat organically grown food over conventionally grown?

Eating organic fruits and vegetables is healthier, tastes better and helps preserve the environment. But don’t take my word for it, lets take a look at what the most recent research says.

Organic fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients

Organic produce contains more health-benefiting antioxidants. A large meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition included data  from more than 300 studies found that organic crops have substantially higher concentrations of a range of antioxidants, including more than 50% higher amounts of anthocyanins and flavanone compared with conventional crops. The authors of the study comment “These compounds have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers, in dietary intervention and epidemiological studies”.

In 2017, researchers published the results of a 6 year study comparing organic and conventionally grown onions and found flavonoid levels and antioxidant activity in organic onions were significantly higher. 

In another review of 41 published studies, researchers found that organic fruits and vegetables contain on average 27% more vitamin C, 21.1% more iron, 29.3% more magnesium, and 13.6% more phosphorus.

Avoid chemicals

Pesticide residues are commonly found on conventionally grown fruit and vegetables. They also contain higher levels of toxic metals such as cadmium according to a recent research review.

The good news is that consuming an organic diet significantly reduces pesticide exposure. A study in children demonstrated that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production.

Tastes better

You’ll have to do your own research and try organic!

Organically grown foods taste better because nourished, well balanced soil produces healthy, strong plants. This is especially true with heirloom  varieties, which are cultivated for taste over appearance. In a study to understand why modern varieties of tomatoes in the supermarket taste like cardboard, they tested flavour-associated chemicals in 398 modern, heirloom, and wild accessions. They found that modern commercial varieties contain significantly lower amounts of many of these important flavour chemicals than older varieties, sacrificed in the quest for improved size, yields and disease resistance.

Preserve our environment

Organic farming methods work in harmony with nature, nourishing the soil and preserving biodiversity. Without agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and fertilisers contaminating our environment and precious water supplies, organic farmers respect the role that insects, frogs, birds, and soil organisms play in our ecosystem.

Article by Heidi Andrews

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