To Buy Organic Or Not

Organic fruits, vegetables and meats. Are they any better for us than their normally grown counterparts? It depends on your perspective and concerns. Recently it has been determined that organically grown fruits and vegetables have no more or less nutritional value than normally grown fruits or vegetables.

While normally grown fruits and veggies had more pesticide residue than the organic ones, all levels were below the government recommended levels. While they offer no extra nutrition, the theory is that the extra pesticides can build up in our bodies and possibly cause health issues. If you are worried about that, simply wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them. You should do this with all fruits and vegetables as being organic does not prevent other health risks like e Coli.

The other thing you can do is if you are buying a fruit or veggie that you are going to peel, then you may be wasting money buying the organic version as you are going to remove and discard the part that contains the residue you are trying to avoid in the first place.

As for meats like beef, chicken, turkey or pork, they may contain extra hormones and antibiotics. In one study they found less antibiotic resistant bacteria in the organic beef than the non organic meat, but they noted that it would be killed during the cooking process anyway. Organic meats will have less of the extra "medications" used in most commercial farming operations. If these bother you, then finding organic versions of your favorite meats are an option.

My suggestion would be find a small local farm and get to know them and their methods.  You will get a better quality meat and know exactly where it came from.

You fruits and vegetables will be fresher too. Since they are also locally grown, they will be healthier and have more nutrients as you get then sooner after picking and not weeks after they have been on a truck or warehouse or store shelf waiting for you to buy them. The longer they sit, the less healthy nutrients they contain.

So to review, buy local and know what you're eating. Wash all your fruits and veggies and don't buy organic if you're going to peel them anyway.