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Conventional Produce: Produce is Skin Deep

Shiny red apples and monster-sized melons may look appealing, but the truth is, conventionally grown produce – especially the super-sized variety – holds far less nutritional value than organically grown fruits and vegetables.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, found that, over the past 50 years, the nutrient levels in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables had dropped considerably. But most of the nutrient loss – the result of large-scale farming and synthetic fertilizers that rob plants of nutrients absorbed naturally through the soil – can be made up by eating organic.

The study found six of 13 nutrients had substantially declined, some by as much as 38 percent. In other words, the fruits and veggies our parents ate growing up packed far more phosphorous, iron, calcium, protein, riboflavin and vitamin C than those that we feed our children.

It’s no mystery why nutrient levels are dropping. Modern farming methods spoon-feed nutrients to fruits and veggies and focus on growing them bigger and faster than ever. But that means they spend less time absorbing nutrients from the soil, and the soil they’re in holds fewer nutrients to begin with. Organic farming methods grow foods “the old fashioned way,” building rich soil using composts, cover crops, manure and other organic matter. Previous research found organic produce contained an average of 27 percent more vitamin C, 21.1 percent more iron, 29.3 percent more magnesium and 13.6 percent more phosphorous than produce grown using modern conventional methods.

Organic produce also contains more antioxidants, which improve cardiovascular health, help to prevent cancer and slow the aging process.

And then there’s that other reason you might want to feed your family organic food – it’s free of pesticides and other toxins. No matter how you slice them, organic fruits and vegetables are tops when it comes to healthy nutrition.

To see a copy of this study, click here.

To read more about this story, click here.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org