When you really need to go organic . . and when plain "conventional" will do. Use this guide to make the best picks for your health
At first, all you could find was the cardboard-like granola hidden in the back corner of the supermarket. Then came the little stickers on apples and pears. Now, you can't cruise down any grocery store aisle without seeing "100% Organic!" stamped on everything--pasta, frozen dinners, even cookies. Buying organic is one of the largest food trends to hit the United States since, well, sliced whole-grain bread. This year alone, U.S. consumers spent $15 billion on organic products--up from $1 billion just six years ago. The reason for this drastic rise: "People assume that organics are better for the environment and their bodies," says Luddene Perry, author of A Field Guide to Buying Organic (Bantam, 2005). But actually, many of us aren't clear what we're spending our money on. For instance, three out of four shoppers don't know the difference between organic and all-natural foods, according to a survey done for Walnut Acres, an organic food company.
The confusion is understandable. It wasn't until 2002 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) spelled out exactly what organic means. To use the term on their packaging, food manufacturers must be able to prove that their product wasn't made with ingredients grown with chemical pesticides or fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones. They also can't include artificial ingredients, colors or flavorings.
Though it sounds like buying only organic foods is an easy road to healthy eating, doing so can send your grocery bill soaring. These products can cost up to twice as much as regular brands. "And the truth is, not all organic-labeled products offer additional nutritional value," says Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., associate professor of food science and technology at the University of California, Davis. With so many factors to consider, it's not easy to be a savvy consumer, which is why we went grocery shopping with the top nutrition and food-safety experts from around the country. Read on to get their advice on when it's best to go organic--and when it's better to save your cash.
In the produce aisle
A basic truth of modern farming: Pesticides, used to keep crop-eating bugs under control, get into fruits and vegetables and, say advocates of organic farming, the soil and water supply through farm runoff. While there's no definitive research proving that these small pesticide residues in foods can harm our health, experts say buying organic makes sense--especially for children and pregnant women. In fact, kids who ate a conventional diet had six times the levels of a pesticide linked to leukemia and neurological damage than those who ate mainly organic foods, according to a University of Washington study. Preliminary research also suggests that pesticides can pass through a mother's placenta and affect the growth of an unborn child.
In some cases, organic produce has higher nutrient levels. Food science professor Mitchell led a study that found that organic berries contain 50 percent more antioxidants than those grown with pesticides.
* Go organic when you're buying apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and strawberries. These 12 items are most likely to be contaminated with pesticides because their thin peels allow the chemicals to migrate inside the fruit or vegetable, experts say. Going organic with these items can slash your pesticide exposure by 90 percent, reports a study by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research group in Washington, D.C.
* Save on fruits and vegetables with thick skins or husks that you remove, such as avocados, bananas, corn, mangoes and oranges. Another inexpensive option is your local farmers market. Small farms generally don't use pesticides in the same way as conventional producers, but many don't go through the process of getting USDA-certified organic because it can be an expensive undertaking, Perry explains.
In the cereal, snack and bread aisles
Like fruits and vegetables, grain crops are also sprayed with chemicals. One commonly used insecticide, organos-phosphate, has been linked to certain cancers, Parkinson's disease and birth defects among people who come in direct contact with it; experts aren't sure if consuming the pesticide through food has the same risks.
* Go organic when purchasing whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers, cereals, bread and flour. Buying organic reduces your exposure. But check labels for the best nutritional bet, says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., author of What to Eat (North Point Press, 2006): they may still be high in calories and sugar; evaporated cane juice, malt and molasses are all natural refined sugars.
* Save on products made with refined grains, like semolina pasta, cookies and white bread. During processing, the grain's outer husk, where pesticides collect, is removed. You should still examine nutrition labels: In many cases, buying organic may be the best choice because they're free of added heart-harming trans fats (organic products aren't allowed to contain them).
