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Author: Michelle Swiglo, M.D.
Clinic: Vadnais Heights Clinic

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I started to think about purchasing organic food for my family when my girls were babies. The first time I shopped in the baby food aisle, I decided to buy the organic options—I wasn’t really even sure why—it just felt right. Then when the girls turned one, again I found myself choosing organic whole milk instead of conventional. I didn’t know much about the organic food movement, but it just seemed to make sense to me to try to avoid unnecessary chemical exposure. My husband wasn’t convinced, (no doubt because of the increased cost!) so I spent countless hours researching foods, reading everything I could find about the organic food movement, trying to figure out how to make healthy food choices for my family. And I’m happy to share a little of what I’ve learned!

For those of you who are “new” to organic food, here are some definitions that might help you out while you are navigating the grocery store:

Organic: food that is raised, grown, or processed without the use of any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, genetic engineering, or hormones. The USDA organic seal assures consumers that these products have been certified organic. Organic animals must have been fed organic feed that is free of any animal byproducts.

 

Conventional: a term used to describe foods raised or grown using non-organic practices (foods may have been grown, raised, or processed using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, genetic engineering, and hormones).

 

100% Natural: this term is used on lots of food packages, but really has no specific meaning—there are no regulations about
who can or cannot use this term on their products (this is NOT the same as organic).

 

GMO: a genetically modified organism (for example, a plant which has been genetically modified—by introducing new genes into the plant). Many of the foods grown in the US are genetically modified—up to 70% or more of the soy and corn we eat. Unfortunately the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not regulate GMOs, and there are no laws requiring GMOs to be tested for safety before they enter our food supply.

 

rBGH or rBST: recombinant bovine growth hormone—the growth hormone commonly given to cows to increase their milk production. 

 

Unfortunately this hormone…

1)         increases the level of IGF-1 in cows milk, which some scientists fear could be a cancer risk, and

2)         leads to infections in cows, resulting in treatment with multiple antibiotics. 

Interestingly, Canada, all of Europe, Australia and Japan do not allow use of this drug.

The data on the health benefits of organic food is conflicting—most studies are small, but many have found that organic products are higher in nutrients and antioxidants, and contain very low or no levels
of pesticides and antibiotic residues. But other small studies
have shown no significant difference in organic versus conventionally grown foods.

There are some concerns that conventionally grown food may be more likely to cause cancer, but again, there is no definitive data to say for sure. So given the uncertain data, and the increased cost of organic food, what’s a family to do?

Consider the things you eat the most of—for my family it was milk, some fruits and veggies, and chicken. Think about buying organic versions of these items first, and then add in others over time. Luckily, many stores are now carrying more and more organic options at lower prices than ever before!

Recently, Consumer Reports (consumerreports.org) and the EWG (Environmental Working Group—a research organization with the goal of protecting human health and the environment—check out their website at ewg.org) have reviewed fresh produce to help consumers figure out which fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticide residues. Based on their research, they have come up with
a list of the “Dirty Dozen” (produce with the highest levels of pesticide residue) and “Clean 15” (produce with the lowest levels of pesticides.)

The “Dirty Dozen”
includes fruits and veggies such as:

 

peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, spinach, imported grapes, lettuce, and pears.

Certainly these are more expensive than conventionally grown foods, especially out of season. So during the winter, it probably doesn’t make sense to pay $8.99 for a small container of organic strawberries—look for organic berries in the freezer section instead.

 

The “Clean 15”
includes produce such as:

 

onions, sweet peas, pineapple, broccoli, avocados, bananas, watermelon,
and kiwi. 

Basically these are fruits and veggies that have a thick skin that is peeled away before eating. So spending extra money on organic varieties of these fruits and veggies might not be worth the extra money.

When you’re at the grocery store, it may also be helpful to look at the stickers on the produce:

 

•    A four-digit number means…
     Conventionally Grown ...............(ie 2345) 

•    A five-digit number that starts with 8 means…
     Genetically Modified ...............(ie 8-43752) 

•    And a five-digit number that starts with 9 means… 
     Organic ...............(ie 9-43775)

 

I hope that this has been an interesting introduction to eating organically—good luck, and have fun shopping for organic, healthy foods!  

For more information, check out these resources:

 

1.  www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php —a downloadable pocket guide or an iPhone app for a convenient guide to the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15”.

2.     “In Defense of Food” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, by Michael Pollan.

3.     “Chemical-Free Kids” and “Chemical-Free Kids: the Organic Sequel” by Anthony Zolezzi, Linda Bonvie and Bill Bonvie.

4.     The documentary/movie titled “Food, Inc.”