One of the main points of eating healthy is enriching your diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. But a question that many people are asking these days is whether you should buy these foods organically or not.
In 2002, the U.S. Department of Agriculture set the standards for organic food as follows: “Organic crops must be produced without conventional pesticides (including herbicides), synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. Organically raised animals must be given organic feed and kept free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Organic farm animals must have access to the outdoors, including pastureland for grazing.”
Pesticides: When it comes to pesticides, the answer is very obvious. Organic food is less likely to contain pesticide residue than conventionally grown food. However, the quantity of pesticide residues found in conventional food is well below the levels required to be classified as unsafe. The long-term effects of consuming small pesticide residues are still a topic of debate among clinical dietitians and nutrition consultants in Dubai. One issue remains unsolved: Will these small doses of pesticide add up to an increased health risk over the years?Natural Toxins: Besides pesticides being a threat to food safety, there is also the issue of natural toxins that are produced by the plant itself. In this area, conventional foods have the upper hand over organic ones because organic plants produce more natural toxins to grow and protect themselves; these toxins are potentially more harmful than synthetic pesticides. For example, ingesting too much solanine, which is produced by potatoes as they turn green, can make you ill.
What should you do? As your trusted dietitian in Dubai, I always emphasize the importance of washing your fruits and vegetables. Rinsing all fruits and vegetables, whether organic or not, is a safety measure everyone must take to get rid of bad bacteria or pesticide residues. Make sure to also wash items with inedible skin, like citrus fruits and lemons, because the knife can bring contaminants to the inside when you cut it.
Up until today, there is still no definitive proof that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food. Some studies have shown that the levels of vitamin C, antioxidants, and some minerals are higher in organic produce, but the difference is so small and has no significant impact on your overall nutrition.
One thing is for sure, though: if you want to get the most out of your food, it’s better to eat it fresh because the nutrients will oxidize over time and you will lose their benefits. Plus, fresh food simply tastes better; and since most organic farms have smaller operations and sell their products near the point of harvest, people tend to feel that organic food has more flavor compared to the larger quantities of conventional produce from mass production companies.
Whether or not organic food is safer or more nutritious, there is still one more compelling reason to go organic: the health of the environment and society as a whole. Pesticides accumulate in the soil, in the water, and in our bodies; so by reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers in organic produce, we are helping reduce the overall pollution. In such scenarios, we need effective nutrition education programs among the citizens of Dubai and the UAE to buy more organic foods whenever they can.
Until the verdict is out, I advise you to make the decision that makes the most sense to you. If you can afford to buy organic and want to contribute to a more environmentally friendly production system, then organic is the way to go. You can also mix and match between organic and conventional foods based on what matters most to you.
If reducing the amount of pesticides is your concern, focus on buying these items organic: spinach, green beans, apples, berries, peaches, pears, and squash. If you are more concerned about the natural conditions in which an animal is raised, buy products from organically raised livestock and poultry such as milk, eggs, cheese, meat, and chicken.
