Non organic vegetables in fruit are grown in soil that is depleted of nutrients due to the pesticides sprayed on the produce. It would be interesting to research if any tests have been done on the level of nutrients in those certain organic strains v.s. the fruit sprayed with pesticides. I'm guessing the organic fruit is still better for you, and nowadays the price difference between organic and nonorganic produce is minimal. I saw an avocado for 1.80 at my local organic market, and at vons, a nonorganic avocado was 1.79...

not everyone can afford organic, and here even if you can there isn't a large range to choose from. Personally, I buy non-organic fruit and vegies from local farmers. I really can't afford the 10$ for a head of lettuce ya know...

But, when it comes to meat choices I like organic best. It tastes better, isn't pumped full of growth hormones or antibiotics. I don't fear pesticides anywhere near as much as the excess of antibiotics in our meats.

naturopath.
you just said naturopath.
and acidophilus
you said that too.

i think i'm having an organic panic attack.

ps, your picture is from www.treehugger.com.

I eat mostly organic fruits and vegetables, as much locally grown as possible. There are many organic farms and farmers here, even a weekly radio show about organic and sustainable farming practices. There are so many reasons to eat organic (if someone can afford it). Kindness toward farmworkers (many who are women of child-bearing age and their children) is a great reason to buy organic produce. Farmworkers are exposed to high levels of nasty chemicals and wind up with life long health problems. Those of us who are in areas where there's an abundance of choices are very lucky. It seems many areas don't have limited produce choices and no opportunity to buy fresh organic food. For the millions of people who live away from fresh food sources, treated and trucked produce is no doubt much better than all of that processed stuff.
Lezbeth

...my grandfather ( a Southern gentleman farmer ) wouldn't eat butter beans because deer wouldn't eat them! Lord, that was random - must be the beer......and the heat!

Nothing but love

Tex

Buying organic supports the farmers who are stewards of the earth. The soil, that the farmers are not polluting.....and the absence of toxic water run- off into our lakes, rivers , oceans and ground water supplies is another added benefit.

Chemicals do not belong in, or on, our food. Natural pest control is being used, successfully, by farmers all over the globe. Unfortunately, U.S. chemical
companies, such as Dupont, are encouraging the use of toxins in food production in developing nations. And, quite ironically, those chemicals, which are illegal to use on food products in this country....... end up on our shelves in the form of fresh produce and canned products, imported into the U.S. from other countries. Countries that are, so often, using the very chemicals that are banned and illegal to use in this country.

Our food sources, as identified by recent deaths and illnesses, is not as "safe" as Washington would like us to believe. Unfortunately, as with so many other "profit driven" issues, the public is rarely able to obtain the knowledge necessary to hold our elected officials accountable. Recent example : Tomatoes.... don't eat them, opps we mean Jalepenos from Mexico.... don't eat them. The Food and Drug Administration, a very expensive demonstration of political incompetence.

Built into the FDA's protocol is the lack of ability to trace tainted food and food by-products, quite by design. So we, as consumers, can only sit back and wait to see what will make us sick, or possibly kill, those who are young,elderly or have a compromised immune system. Not to mention what it does to those of use who are , presumed, healthy.

If we're pro-active, and support organic farmers, we can help to maintain our own quality of life, and perhaps , have an impact on the health of others.

Thanks for the blog Leah........ excellent topic.

:)

At least when I buy organic fuit, veg and yogurt I know what I am getting.Ok organics might loose a few minerals along the way but the contents are natural and no one is harmed in the making of them (not even the bugs who like to have a munch).
I will say one thing tho, it kills me when they are placed next to non organic food and the natural product is almost twice the price..
So for me I try get as much organic as possible but sometimes I use the cheaper substitute.

Ok so starting off as a bit of a know-it-all, but as a biologist this is a pet hate of mine when words and procedures get "lost in translation"... Organic is a term applied to any form of living matter, not how much pesticide it is drenched in!!....that aside, I do agree that to eat foods that are as chemical free as possible is less harmful that not.

However, getting back to the Canadian potato grower Leah described, he was adopting a method of growing crops (and breeding animals for that matter) that has been going on for thousnds of years called selective breeding. Basically the desired features that you want the next generation to have are selected by the farmer and the hope it that this will appear in the next generation and so on down the line, so it could be argued that nothing is "organic" in today's world and everything has been messed with to a certain degree? Just because a bug won't eat a potato does not mean that the potato is bad, it is kinda like saying that just because some people don't burn in the sun, they must be resistant to UV radiation - a big leap to make...

I've always equated smart eating with lesbians. And thus, smart eating with organic. Ergo, ipso facto, lesbians eat organic. Just adds up.

What cons are there to eating organic, other than the cost? The food tastes better, it's better for the environment, and overall it's healthier. Organic food is a part of my health insurance policy.

What's not to love about organic food?