Renovating Your Mind has read studies on organic produce that conclude any health difference is minimal. Results show that what you’re paying as a premium is not worth the small differences in quality.

I am in total disagreement with all the above conclusions. In fact, they are an insult to our intelligence. And as more and more of us purchase organic the prices have been dropping.

Health differences not only depend on nutrients but contaminants contained in the soil.

Organic produce is worth the cost and the effort.

Nutrition is more than just the nutrient content of produce. The specific genes that control what fruit or vegetable appear on the field require a minimum level of vitamins and minerals to produce a final product. Organic may give you higher levels of some nutrients but that is not the most important issue in this discussion. We have to observe the contamination of non-organic produce with pesticides, insecticides and stress. As far as we know, produce cannot meditate to lower their stress levels. I don’t think farmers play soothing music or whisper sweet words of encouragements to all their plants in the field.

What is happening to plants is the stress of chemical contamination (herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, etc) causing lower levels in the final product of antioxidants. An example of an important antioxidant is phenols. In addition, you are ingesting these chemical contaminates when you consume produce, especially The Dirty Fourteen.

With the top Dirty Fourteen.

Ain’t in the gene.

It is sight unseen.

I say really obscene.

That we are consuming a chemical latrine.

Keep that body clean.

Substitute USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) organic for THE DIRTY FOURTEEN.

It’s usually a sin, to eat that skin if the produce is non-organic.

The more consumers demand and purchase organic produce, the lower the prices will continue to go at the market. Choose wisely. The most contaminated produce is listed below:

1. Apples

2. Celery

3. Sweet Bell Peppers

4. Peaches

5. Strawberries

6. Nectarines (imported)

7. Grapes

8. Spinach

9. Lettuce

10. Cucumbers

11. Blueberries (domestic)

12. Potatoes

13. Green Beans

14. Leafy Greens (Kale and Collards)

Check out the phone app EWG (Environmental Working Group) Dirty Dozen. I added the green beans and leafy greens even though they are not as bad as the top 12. They have been only recently found to be contaminated with some nasty pesticides.

Also, please see the web site, http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#slide-1

Photo credit: Skycladd / Foter / CC BY

Photo credit: NatalieMaynor / Foter / CC BY

Photo credit: USDAgov / Foter / CC BY

Photo credit: Zabowski / Foter / CC BY-ND

Photo credit: NatalieMaynor / Foter / CC BY

Photo credit: wallyg / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Categories: Food, Health, Nutrition, Science-Technology

Tags: healthy food, organic produce, preventative is eating healthy