By: Danielle Pucillo
It’s not uncommon to hear people bragging about the fact that they only eat organic food. But what benefits does eating organic really have? This is something I ponder every time I step into a Whole Foods Market and see customers piling their carts high with organic brownies, cheese and frozen burritos. When you peel off the “organic” label and look at the nutritional facts, these foods are not any healthier than their conventional counterparts.
Any meat and poultry considered organic does not contain growth hormones and antibiotics. This is all good and plenty, but there seems to be a common misconception about many of these foods: apparently eating anything labeled organic automatically means it’s healthier than conventional foods.
When people go on a health kick, the first instinct is to look towards any food besides the staple junk foods. But it seems that it’s an increasingly common practice to replace the conventional junk food with “organic” junk food, such as organic Oreo cookies, Kraft macaroni and cheese and toaster pastries. Doing minimal research and simply throwing food into your cart that has an organic label is not enough to lose weight or be “healthy.” Everyone has different nutritional needs, and we all have an individual chemistry that affects how our bodies process the food we eat. Organic food may be free of pesticides and antibiotics, but it doesn’t have any less fat, sugar or carbohydrates than conventional food.
It’s been proven by researchers at Stanford that there is little to no evidence that proves organic food has higher nutritional value or fewer health risks. What determines if produce and livestock are healthy is the quality of farming practices involved with their production. For instance, vegetables grown in nutrient-poor soil or in unsanitary conditions are going to have a higher risk of causing health problems. But conventional foods have been proven to pose no more or fewer health risks than organic food.
There’s a difference between a trending fad started by a celebrity – *cough* Gwyneth Paltrow – and the cold hard facts derived from research done by actual scientists. Processed food can still be classified as organic, as long as there are organic ingredients. So sodas, macaroni and cheese, french fries, ice cream, cookies, chips and anything covered in chocolate can be “organic.” You can shovel as much “organic” macaroni and cheese onto your plate as you like; your arteries will likely hold it against you later in life. So do yourself a favor. Before you spend that $15 on an organic bean burrito, think about your options. You might as well pick up some chicken nuggets and call it a day.
