The Truth Behind Organic Foods

I recently saw a facebook post from a friend saying they bought organic and locally grown food for her family and spent $250. This is obviously one of the biggest problems with eating organic foods. But is it necessary to only eat organically grown food?

I think this topic is under much debate currently. Let's look at the science behind organic food first. The truth is, to my knowledge, and what I was able to find there is not much research supporting that organic foods are much better than non organic. I found a few studies that showed some benefit, but not many. And they weren't very solid findings. For example, one study found a correlation between urine pesticides in children and ADHD. This was just a correlation though, not a cause and effect, so this does not mean if you don't eat organic foods as a kid you will develop ADHD. Who knows after more research is done but the study just showed that those who had higher traces of pesticides in there urine were more likely to develop ADHD.

Another study that compared 50 years of research, looked at which was more nutritious. They found that both organic and non organic foods are comparable. So in terms of what nutrients you are getting out of the food they are pretty much the same.

Just like many other issues in the fitness industry, more research is still probably needed to determine a winner here. If cost is an issue for you it is not completely necessary to buy only organic foods, but if you can afford it then you might want to. The body has a harder time dealing with things such as pesticides, hormones, and additives. Many of these items are man made and the body just doesn't know what to do with them. Organic foods will certainly not hurt you.

There is a list of foods called the dirty dozen. If you are really concerned with pesticides these have been shown the to be the worst. Try and buy organic of these. You will probably be ok with consuming non organic of everything else.

The Dirty Dozen:
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler
San Diego Premier Training