Is organic food worth it?
Organic fruits and vegetables may seem like a gimmick or cash grab. There has been negative press in recent years showing that farmers at the Farmer’s market may be selling counterfeit organic goods since the industry is not well regulated in Canada. CBC ran a short exposé documentary on fake organic foods at Farmer’s markets. Organic farmers may be farming next to farms that use pesticides and the pesticides from neighboring farms can contaminate the soil or the water table.
The jury is still out on whether or not to buy organic, but many studies have shown that pesticide exposure is harmful and that organic foods have fewer of these harmful chemicals. A new meta-study titled: Intake of fruits and vegetables according to pesticide residue status in relation to all-cause and disease-specific mortality: Results from three prospective cohort studies does shed light on the question. The surprising conclusion was that exposure to pesticide residue in fruits/veggies negated the beneficial effect of fruit/veggie intake on mortality. Growing up it was always drilled into us that we had to eat fruits and vegetables to be healthy, now it seems that might not be good enough to increase our lifespan.
We are constantly bombarded with conflicting information and points of view in this day. We describe our state of being as the “information age” but is it information or opinion?
Consulting my nutritionist, Helena Bianchi, I asked about the pesticides in food and whether or not the issue was overstated. They suggested I look into the “Dirty Dozen'“ vs the “Clean 15” if I wanted to be cautious about pesticides.
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, collard and mustard greens
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Cherries
Peaches
Pears
Bell and hot peppers
Celery
Tomatoes
Sure, not a big deal, just basically all the foods I eat that other people tend to eat and like.
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Onions
Papaya
Sweet peas (frozen)
Eggplant
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kiwi
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Honeydew melon
Cantaloupes
I am definitely going to continue to be eating the “dirty dozen” otherwise I definitely would not be eating enough fruit or vegetable. I remain skeptical organic food is inherently better or more nutrient-dense as some people argue. If people want to avoid pesticide and not break the bank on expensive organic foods, it might still be possible to get rid of the residue by skinning the fruits and vegetables or washing them well.
We can try strive to do better for ourselves, or perhaps everything is just a matter of genetic circumstance with our current lifespan. One thing I do know, quality of life is just as important as length especially near the end. It would seem prudent to take some precautions on pesticide exposure. Ageing is not some theoretical drop of points on a screen, life can get significantly worse before death. Let’s improve our healthspan somehow.
