The organic option: Is it worth it?

We all want to keep our families healthy and happy at home. When it comes to snack and meal prep, that goal looms large. The challenge, as many of us I’m sure would agree, is to strike the balance among a series of competing factors: nutrition, taste, convenience, and price. At different stages of family life, one factor or another might take precedence, and I believe there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to grocery decisions. At the same time, for any of us to make the best decision for our households, it’s helpful to be as informed as possible.

Why consider going organic?

One time after a grocery run, I washed a newly bought Honeycrisp apple and bit into it — and it tasted like chemicals. If you’ve ever had this experience before, you might also have wondered whether there’s something to the organic alternative. As I’ve been navigating the world of feeding a hungry and not (yet) picky one-year-old, I’ve grown more curious about the best things to feed him. The easy back-and-forth in my head would sound something like this: People say organic, local, and homemade food products are best, and it would be nice to stick to that…but it also seems more complex and costly, so I’ll just stick to what’s easiest. Don’t get me wrong, that might be the right answer for some families! But before I landed on that decision, I wanted to evaluate my options a bit more. Is the organic option really better than conventional produce, and is it worth the extra expense? Whatever I ended up deciding, doing a bit of my own research would give me confidence in that decision and peace of mind that I was doing the best thing for our family circumstances.

The case for organic

Among those who champion the organic option, many do so because it is “cleaner.” (Others make the argument that organic farming is more ethical. For this blog, I’ll keep my focus to the topic of health and safety.) In modern agriculture, most fruits and vegetables are treated with a host of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and even genetic engineering to make mass production more efficient and cost-effective. Although there are health and safety standards for conventional products (for instance, in the European Union, each pesticide must undergo a risk assessment before it can hit the market), the concern is that with so many chemical treatments put together, the health risks add up.

By contrast, organic farming doesn’t just mean that crops aren’t sprayed with a certain chemical. As this Mayo Clinic article points out, to earn the label “organic,” an item must meet a series of strict requirements regarding how it was grown (or fed, for livestock), fertilized, and protected from pests. Organic livestock also are treated with fewer or no antibiotics, which is attractive because of the concern that overuse of antibiotics could lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The case against organic

Going organic can also be a bit more of a hassle. Depending on where you live, the nearest grocery store might not have organic options (although over the past few years, organic is becoming much more common in places outside of Whole Foods). Also, without the preservative chemicals that cover conventional products, organic items might not look as pretty and have bruises, smudges of dirt, or other blemishes. As a result, preparing them to eat might require more washing, trimming, and slicing.

So we know that the difference between conventional and organic food production is vast. The question is, how much does that difference matter?

Organic vs. conventional: The health difference

For me, the most important thing to find out about organic food is whether it is healthier and safer than conventional food. In other words, does eating conventional produce and meat come with any health risks, and if so, how serious are those risks? Pesticides sound icky, but how dangerous are they?

The most informative resource I could find was this comprehensive review from the National Institutes of Health. The data is mostly drawn from agriculture and studies based in the European Union, but there are also references to the United States, and I find the information still sheds light about the potential health effects of organic vs. conventional.

The document reviews two kinds of studies: direct human comparison of organic vs. conventional diets and indirect, experimental methods (animal and in vitro studies examining the effects of different food types on biology). Neither method is perfect, and the data is limited (there aren’t many long-term studies), but they do shed some light on the difference between organic and conventional food products.

I’ve outlined the key points that struck me and shaped my grocery shopping decisions.

• An organic-rich diet has been linked to reduced obesity and allergies (although these results could also be because of the healthy lifestyle that organic eaters tend to practice anyway)
• Some studies have found a negative impact of certain pesticides on children’s cognitive development (although the pesticides themselves have not been assessed in light of this data).
• As far as health risks go, pesticide residue on produce is the biggest form of exposure for the general consumer. Several studies have found that switching to organic reduced pesticide concentration in urine.
  • How much of a concern is pesticide exposure? In the EU, “a large number of toxicological effects are addressed in animal and other experimental studies.” However, the data isn’t conclusive about the connection between being exposed to a mixture of pesticide residue and long-term health issues (such as cancer, endocrine disruption, and neurotoxicity).
  • Yikes! “At least 100 different pesticides are known to cause adverse neurological effects in adults, and all of these substances must therefore be suspected of being capable of damaging also developing brains.”
• When it comes to pesticide exposure, the most at-risk groups are pregnant women, children in the womb, and young children.
  • An organic diet has been associated with reduced risk of pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication that, if untreated, can be serious or even fatal.
  • Conventional produce has been linked to several serious health conditions.
    • “Exposures related to the production of conventional crops (i.e. occupational or drift exposure from spraying) have been related to an increased risk of some diseases including Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma and childhood leukaemia or lymphomas, e.g. after occupational exposure during pregnancy or residential use of pesticides during pregnancy or childhood. To which extent these findings also relate to exposures from pesticide residues in food is unclear.”
  • Even small amounts of exposure have been linked to developmental problems.
    • Yikes! “However, foetal life and early childhood are especially vulnerable periods for exposure to neurotoxicants and endocrine disruptors. Even brief occupational exposure during the first weeks of pregnancy, before women know they are pregnant, have been related to adverse long-lasting effects on their children’s growth, brain functions and sexual development, in a Danish study on greenhouse worker’s children.”
    • The review goes on to cite several other studies associating exposure to pesticide chemicals with cognitive development problems in children.
• Given all the health problems that have been associated with pesticide exposure, this review actually suggests that that the risk assessment regulations for pesticides might not be sufficient.
  • “Unfortunately, epidemiological evidence linking pesticide exposure and human health effects is rarely regarded as sufficiently reliable to take into account in the risk assessment conducted by regulatory agencies.”
• Antibiotics: Several studies have indicated that switching to organic meat reduces the risk and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant disease (specifically E. coli and Salmonella)
• In the conclusion, the review suggests that bringing organic food production practices into conventional food production could benefit human health overall.

My decision

In an ideal world, I would buy everything organic and make lots of homemade, healthy snacks. But making that switch overnight is too dramatic and costly to be realistic. Although conventional produce carries a variety of health risks and isn’t as good as organic produce, the chances that my son will suffer health problems by eating a conventionally grown banana instead of an organic one are slim. And as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) emphasizes, eating conventional fruits and veggies is still much better than snacking prepackaged, fatty, sugary snacks.

That being said, my plan is to make my menu items as wholesome and healthy as possible within a reasonable budget. Here’s the breakdown:

Keep snacks real

Having a few boxes of granola bars at home doesn’t mean I’ve allowed the black plague into my home. After all, sometimes those quick pre-packaged snacks are a life-saver! Nevertheless, fresh fruits and veggies are always the better option when it comes to snacking. Cut-up grapes and strawberries with nuts and cheese or celery sticks and apples with peanut butter can keep munch time yummy and healthy. And if you have a little time and the right tools on your hands, it’s not hard to make creamy delights like yogurt and hummus (I’ve tried both and was very happy with the results!). This also helps save money, which can go toward organic choices. For on-the-go snacks (i.e., keeping a baby happy in the library or at church), these teether pops are great for a mess-free snack of purée or popsicle.

Opt organic for the Dirty Dozen

I don’t want organic prices to prevent me from stocking my fridge with fresh fruits and veggies, so my plan is to always have a variety of them, even if not all of them are organic. The Environmental Working Group tests major produce items annually and ranks them on a series of factors related to pesticide residue and toxin exposure. Because of the higher pesticide residues, I’ll stick to organic choices for EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. That way, I can rest assured that I’m rooting out the most pesticide-heavy produce items. For other items, if I can get it organic at a comparable price, I will, but for items from EWG’s Clean Fifteen list, since the difference between organic and conventional is smaller, I’ll opt for the best price. And for the items in between those tow lists? At the end of the day, if I need blueberries, and the organic option is way more expensive, I won’t feel guilty about buying the conventional pack.

Wash and dry produce

Buy frozen

In this case, buying in bulk can help save money. If I can buy a big bag of frozen organic berries, the fact that I’ll have delicious and nutritious produce in my freezer for weeks makes the larger upfront expense worth it.

Buy in-season produce

All fresh fruit and veggies are great, but having a healthy diet doesn’t mean my home needs all of them all the time. Although you can get pretty much anything at any of time year nowadays thanks to shipping (and thanks to chemical preservatives…another reason to avoid!), the quality and price of certain produce items are often better when I get them in-season. This list from the U.S Department of Agriculture is a great overview guide, and the Seasonal Food Guide database is an excellent navigation tool for grocery shopping decisions year-round.

Conclusion

So, is going organic worth it? My short answer is yes. At the same time, I believe that having plenty of fresh produce at home — organic or not — is the more important goal. Based on my research, I agree that organic is generally the better option when it comes to grocery shopping, and when I’m pregnant or feeding small children, it matters even more. Buying organic anything whenever possible is great, but when the budget comes into play, prioritizing organic produce makes sense — especially for the items that tend to have more pesticides if non-organic. For me at this point, buying organic meat and dairy is good when possible, but I’m less concerned about my choices there, since our family doesn’t drink a ton of milk or eat lots of red meat (and where we live, meat is already rather pricey). By combining other healthy lifestyle habits (such as getting frequent exercise, filtering water, and making produce-rich snacks and meals) with some money-saving habits (such as making our own snacks and buying in bulk when it’s helpful), I can help keep my family healthy and happy at home.

Bottom line: Choose organic when you can, especially produce, but regardless, make fresh fruits and veggies the star of the grocery shopping show.

More Resources

“Benefits of Organic Food,” Western Washington Medical Group

Environmental Working Group Produce Guide

“Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?” Nutrition and healthy eating (Mayo Clinic)

“Toxins, Toxins, Toxins: Raising Healthy Children in a Poisoned World,” The Vaccine-Friendly Plan: Dr. Paul’s Safe and Effective Approach to Immunity and Health-from Pregnancy Through Your Child’s Teen Years (Paul Thomas M.D.)