Should you choose organic over conventional for your health? Here are three things you should think about when deciding about organic and why in the end, we say yes.
The Evidence Is Still Unclear
The Mayo Clinic says that the evidence that organic is healthier than conventional is weak.1 NPR recently published an article describing a new meta analysis which suggests that evidence in support of organic is mounting2. Why the disagreement? Because the real answer is we don’t know for sure, yet.
Nutrition Is Complicated
The NPR article raises an important point about nutrition, which is that there are always many variables at play. For example, organically raised foods often show higher concentrations of certain nutrients, but it may not be clear if those higher concentrations benefit our health. Simply put, it is not always easy to draw definitive conclusions about nutrition because of the sheer number of intersecting variables.
What About Pesticides?
The USDA does allow organically raised agriculture to use approved pesticides.3 Whether or not the approved substances are better for your health or found in smaller quantities is the subject of debate.
Organic Still Matters!
Here’s why we still recommend organic. The USDA mandates that organic operations:
1. Protect natural resources
2. Conserve biodiversity
3. Only use approved substances4
There is a difference between questioning and evaluating versus not bothering at all. Organic operations are being asked to submit to controlled standards for the benefit of the natural world and human beings. Science is trying to determine if those standards are helping us. When you buy organic food, you vote for that process and those priorities. That is a great reason to go for it!
Related
Why Shipping Organic Is Still Sustainable
References