Do our bodies care whether we eat organic food or not? No, Our bodies want meat, fat, sugar and salt and as for the question of whether the meat is grass fed, the milk is organic or the eggs are free-range our bodies don't give a s$%#. We are reminded every day is that it is ideal to go organic but organic food represents only 3% of the total American market so it is a sector we should all be supporting. But the prices are higher, and if we can afford to go organic, are the foods of better quality, have more vitamins and are they truly better for the environment?
As for prices, organic fruits and veggies cost 13 to 16 cents per pound more than their conventional counterparts. Milk certified as organic ( hormone and antibiotic-free) costs about $6 per gallon, compared to about $3.50 for the conventional milk (after years of buying organic milk, I still get sticker shock).
As for vitamins? A 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition led to a firestorm in the food world when it found no differences between organic and conventional with regard to all but three of the vitamins.
The environmental issues are also something to seriously consider. Cows that are not grass fed, feed on corn which is of course subsidized by the government. Up to 10 million tons of chemical fertilizer per year are poured onto fields growing corn alone; the toxic run off is poisoning the Gulf of Mexico. Cattle raised in industrial conditions are dosed with antibiotics and growth hormones. Just a few days ago, a study was released that showed American girls as young as 7 are reaching puberty. Part of this may be as a result of obesity but perhaps it is also a result of hormones in the environment-including food.
It's never easy to choose, but for me I typically go for organic milk and eggs and sometimes beef. Here are my reasons: organic eggs because I don't like the way birds are treated in a battery cage. Milk because I don't want to feed the hormones and antibiotics to my family and beef because the omega-3 fatty acids are higher in grass-fed cows. However because the grass-fed cows are leaner and lower in fat the taste is not as fatty as conventional.
Sources: What To Eat by Marion Nestle
and Time magazine (August 30, 2010)
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