Is Organic Worth the Cost?

There's a lot of conflicting information about organic and non-organic fresh produce. Some people believe that organic is healthier, while others don't believe there's any difference. Some people claim that organic fruit and vegetables are higher in nutrients as well as being free from chemicals, yet others will say that both contain the same amount of nutrients.

While most people will agree that organic fresh produce is free from harmful chemicals (which is why many people choose organic), being higher in nutrients is a little more complicated. Some studies indicate that organic fresh produce is higher in nutrients because non-organic growing methods use chemicals which deplete the soil of important vitamins and minerals. As a result, the fruits and vegetables grown in this soil have lower amounts of some important nutrients.

There are also claims that the produce grown by non-organic methods absorb some of the chemicals used in the soil and can't be washed off. Whether this is correct or not, there are other reasons organic fresh produce can contain more nutrients.

When you buy organic fresh produce, you are getting seasonal food. Organic methods don’t use chemicals to preserve and lengthen the growth season, so they can’t grow out-of-season produce. You’ll also find that organic fresh produce it is usually sourced from local farms. This mean less travel time, and fresher produce which has often been harvested that day, or at least within the past few days.

Fresher mean more nutrients. Supermarket fruits and vegetables have been sourced from various places; local, interstate and international. This means they can be quite old. As soon as produce is harvested it starts degrading and nutrients begin to deplete. By the time it gets to the supermarket it has lost a massive amount of goodness.

Along with long travel times, supermarkets can store their fresh produce at cold temperatures for extended periods of time. This will deplete the nutrients even more. It could be weeks between the time of harvest to when you purchase the product and get it home.

Many people would like to buy organic, but affording it is another thing; it is more expensive. When you can’t afford to buy organic, you can try to find a good local farmers market and buy seasonal produce which has recently been harvested, organic or not and wash well. This will ensure the highest possible nutrient content and you will be supporting your local farmers.

I find buying a mixture of organic and non-organic produce is the best way to go when you’re on a tight budget. I choose to purchase organic varieties of produce which typically have higher amounts of pesticides when grown in conventional form. This often includes anything which grows from a flower.

Usually fruits and vegetable with thicker skins absorb less chemicals, such as pineapples and avocados. Tomatoes, grapes and berries often contain very high amounts of pesticides, so buying these as organic where possible is a good idea.

There are studies on the amount of pesticides on fruits and vegetables. You may have heard of the dirty dozen and the clean 15. These lists can give you some idea of which fruits and vegetable you should try to buy organic where possible. These lists vary from different areas, but to give you an idea here is one Australian list:

The Dirt Dozen (most pesticides detected):

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale/Collard Greens
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Cherries
8. Peaches
9. Pears
10. Capsicum and Chilli
11. Celery
12. Tomatoes

The Clean 15 (least pesticides detected):

1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Onions
5. Papaya
6. Sweet Peas (Frozen)
7. Eggplants
8. Asparagus
9. Cauliflower
10. Rockmelon
11. Broccoli
12. Mushrooms
13. Cabbage
14. Honeydew
15. Kiwi Fruit

Lastly, a good fruit and vegetable wash can help to wash off the pesticides when you can't buy organic produce. I love Envirocare Enviroclean Fruit and Veg Wash.