He says, “According to a 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, organic fruits and vegetables have significantly higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants, while a 2001 report by Britain’s Soil Association looked at 400 nutritional research studies and came to similar conclusions: foods grown organically had more minerals and vitamins.”

While organic foods might or might not be more nutritious than conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, or dairy products, they can reduce your chances of consuming the pesticides and other chemicals widely used in large-scale commercial farming. In studies by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), for example, many of the most common fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets were found to have high levels of pesticide residues. Most of those residues can’t be removed simply by washing, and peeling robs away nutrients.

‘Dirty Dozen’
The “Dirty Dozen,” as the EWG calls them, include peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. “Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 15 pesticides per day, on average,” the EWG states in its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce  (www.ewg.org). “The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful  chemicals.”

Debate over pesticide exposure
What does this mean in terms of your health? There’s a lot of arguing over the long-term effects of consuming such chemicals. Some say the levels of pesticide exposure are so low, there’s no real health risk.

Others point to research that indicates some pesticides act as endocrine disruptors, meaning they alter our  bodies’ normal hormone signals.

“According to (the) EPA’s Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment,  children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life,” Tyler says.

As for normal, healthy adults? Advocates of organic foods point out that, while it’s hard to link specific pesticides to specific illnesses or conditions, there’s no proof these chemicals aren’t potentially harmful. As EWG puts it, “Absence of knowledge is not proof of safety.”

“Because organic food has no preservatives, chemicals, irradiation, antibiotics, added hormones or genetically modified ingredients, it’s naturally going to be good for all of us, but will be even more beneficial to people with weakened immune systems,” says Diane Hatz, senior program director for Sustainable Table, which advocates for a more sustainable form of agriculture.

Environmentally friendly
Beyond reducing your potential exposure to pesticides, though, there’s another reason many people are choosing organic: it’s kinder to the environment.

“The more consumers choose organic, the fewer pesticides and synthetic  fertilizers will be applied to farm fields, and the fewer antibiotics will be fed to livestock,” says Stillerman of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “That means less air and water pollution and a healthier environment for us all. Organic farming also improves soil quality, ensuring a solid foundation for producing high-quality food for future generations.”

Organic alone, though, doesn’t guarantee that produce hasn’t been shipped cross-country or farther to make it to your supermarket. So organic grapes from Chile or organic clementines from South Africa aren’t necessarily fresh or less wasteful of fossil fuels.

Locally grown
“I tend to encourage people not to look specifically for organic food but to look for locally grown sustainable food,” says Sustainable Table’s Hatz. “Many small farmers gave up their organic certification when it became a federal program, yet they still farm using organic, or what we call ‘beyond organic,’ methods.”

What’s the ideal choice then? Your best bet will probably be your local farmer’s market: the produce won’t have traveled far, and—even if the fruits and vegetables aren’t labeled organic—many small growers are finding it’s good business to adopt environmentally sustainable practices.

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