Food Analysis

Research on Nutrition of Organic and Non-Organic Foods

The following information was taken from parts of an article from Men's Health, Home Grown by Peter Frost.

“Nutritionist Dr Virginia Worthington compared the nutritional value of organic fruit, vegetables and grains with conventional ones and found that organic crops contain 29 percent more magnesium, 27 percent more vitamin C, 21 percent more iron and 14 percent more phosphorus than conventional crops. Worthington thinks the synthetic fertilizers used on conventional crops may cause them to soak up excess nitrate, which lowers the production of vitamin C and other compounds that are good for you.”

“Organic plants also contain more antioxidants compared to their sprayed cousins. Plants synthesise phenolic compounds to protect themselves from disease and pests and may not waste the energy to produce the compounds if they don't need them to survive. Those antioxidants are useful in fighting a variety of cancers.”

“There's also the environment to consider. Poisoning the land is as bad as poisoning your body. Fewer chemicals mean more productive land. Simple.”

“On average, organic veggies are 30 percent higher in antioxidants, says Dr Charles Benbrook, chief scientist of the Organic Center , a non profit research company in the US.

Mielies Order them organic if you know what's good for you. Researchers found that organic mielies contain up to 50 percent more antioxidants than conventional cobs. Again, the “why” is simple: when a plant doesn't have pesticides and chemicals to help fight off disease, it develops stronger natural compounds to protect itself. And you gain those same benefits when you eat the plant.

Tomatoes Researchers at the University of California have found that organic tomatoes have more vitamin C and heart-protective flavonoids. And don't forget to ask if the tomato sauce is made of organic tomatoes. If it is, it's got up to three times more prostate protective lycopene than ordinary kinds”

“According to a study by the Environmental Working Group in the US , the fruit and veg in the left-hand column show negligible pesticide invasion. Order them with confidence, organic or not.

“Certain fruits are easily penetrated by pesticides, while others are hardier. Check out the list above to see which is which. If your choice is on the toxic list, asking for organic will effectively reduce your exposure by up to 90 percent”

“Dinner's over. You ask for a cheeseboard and coffee. Think organic here. Organic dairy has up to five times the levels of conjugated linoleic acid, a compound that has been shown to help weight loss, and organic milk has the same fat content but tastes far fuller and richer. Experts say the difference is due to the varied diet of most organically raised cows: eating grass in addition to standard feed boosts the flavour of their milk.”