Explain why "organic" is better?

You can't fully wash chemicals off your food. Alot of these pesticides and chemicals have been shown to cause cancer and other illnesses. I have done alot of research for holistic vs conventional, but it is truly up to you what you want to believe. The way our society has gotten with all these illnesses and disease, I believe alot of it does come from the foods we eat, and though the government will tell you there is nothing wrong with you consuming these things, one has to come to that realization if you believe them or not, which I don't. And some studies show that the foods produced conventionally, have no where near the amount of nutrients that they should, the soil is turned over so much that we have lost alot of the vitamins and minerals the plants need to grow, which makes the plant deficient itself, and the fact that alot of it comes from different countries, and produce starts losing these things once they are picked, so that also adds to less nutrients. Not saying organic is perfect, but the land is not treated in the same way, which I believe organic does hold more vitamins and minerals in the produce that is grown. In regards to meat, there is a big difference between the way organic farmers raise their animals to conventional. If your interested, check out these documentaries, they were very eye opening to me and really what made me research more into the whole organic "holistic" way of living - Food Inc and Food Matters.

Again this is just my viewpoint, not trying to create any kind of debate, like I said, to each his own in what he chooses to believe, I would suggest doing alittle research and seeing what you come up with for yourself. I believe living as clean as you possibly can is the right way, your body survives on vitamins and nutrients and if you are constantly eating processed convenient food, you are most likely lacking in those things that your body needs. Eat what God created in it's whole form, and you can't really go wrong. It is definitely not an easy transfer, but in my opinion it is worth it. I still struggle with it at times, i understand the cost is a big issue, for me also, but even try hitting up your farmer's markets in your area, at least by me, we asked alot of them and they did say they don't use chemicals/pesticides, so just another outlet for getting good fresh produce, especially with it being local.

Hope this helps you, I think the more you find out for yourself, the more effective of a viewpoint you can have on it. Everyone is going to either be pro or against, and it's up to you to decide which side you think you believe more. Bottom line, conventional or organic, just keep eating the fruits and veggies, do the best you can.

Understanding of USDA Organic needs to be branched out a wee bit past bugs and manure ... there is a lot more than that. However, it's already been said, again, and again, and again, and again, and again ... and here we go yet again with another post. If you don't want to buy organic produce, meat, grains, or other products, great ... but I'd recommend more research to increase your understanding as it's obviously much more than you are aware of.

For me there are many factors that push me towards a diet that is organic as much as possible ... and I still have a long way to go but I'm getting there.

and to be clear: the USDA "Organic" label is the minimum organic requirement. It lowered the bar considerably on organic practice.

Yes. Many people don't understand that it's really just a marketing term now.

"With organic farming, farmers tend to rotate crops or just pull weeds to manage them. With conventional produce, they spray more pesticides, and rarely rotate the soil. "


Well, every farmer I know rotates crops. Every.single.year. We rotate between wheat, soybeans,and feed corn. Granted our farmer (we lease our land to the neighbor) only does between 2K and 3K acres a year, so not a huge farming conglomerate. But all the farmers here definitely rotate their crops.

And "pulling weeds" Really? On THOUSANDS of acres? Wow...so not going to sustain the world.

maybe you have too many acres.

Yes, the farming methods are quite different. Many of the chemical pesticides used in conventional farming do stay on the vegetable or fruit, and yes, much research has shown that quite a few of the pesticides used are known carcinogens. Some people like to avoid known carcinogens. I realize that we now live in a world where known carcinogens are everywhere, but I don’t see a problem in making attempt to avoid some of them, if you can.

The way the weeds are eliminated is different. With organic farming, farmers tend to rotate crops or just pull weeds to manage them. With conventional produce, they spray more pesticides, and rarely rotate the soil.

More on pesticides – they get into the soil and grasses that animals eat, and they most certainly get into the groundwater/drinking water. We’ve done tests. And this is not just affecting humans, it’s affecting animals. Many of the crops (soy and corn, usually) are also fed to the animals we eat and they also drink the water.

We can talk organically-fed vs. conventionally-fed animals too. There are huge differences. The main one being the feed and the use of hormones and antibiotics.

There is not enough research out there that shows organic produce is more nutritious than conventionally-grown produce, but there is some initial research out there (though I believe many of the methods used were not very sound). Hopefully more research will come out on this. I’m curious, anyway.

Many people who switch to organic produce think there is a difference in taste. Whether initially they can taste it or as they get used to it, they try conventionally-grown produce and find there is a difference in taste. The things that taste the most different to me are berries, bananas, and apples.

I buy organic when I can, because I can, and because I support the farmers and the farming methods used. I think there is plenty of evidence that it is better for the environment. Most of what I buy is also local. I do this because I want to support my community farmers. They make some damn good stuff. It's again, a taste difference. When I moved from CO to WA, a WA apple tasted different. It hadn't been on a truck for days before it got to the grocery store.

I hope you don’t think I’m being an alarmist or anything. I am just trying to explain the differences. I am not trying to force anyone to eat any differently than they do.

This! I grew up on a non-organic vegetable farm, and I remember having to stay inside for several days at a time, at least three or four times per summer, because my dad was spraying the fields and pesticides aren't exactly something anyone should be consuming! That being said, I generally buy non-organic, mainly because it's cheaper and the stores here don't really sell anything organic. I do love the farmers market, though!

I believe in buying locally not necessarily organic.
Buying locally also helps the environment and it's fresh, it hasn't travelled thousands of miles.

And to those that say organic "tastes better" this has more to do with the quality of food itself not that it's organic or non organic, i've had plenty of awful tasting organic fruits and veg.

I watched "Bullsh*t" 's take on Organic food, and they took a non organic banana and cut it in half, then told people one was organic and the other wasn't and people tasted both (sides of the same banana) and were going on and on that the organic one was so much better tasting and that you could just tell it was healthier for you and the other side was awful and too sugary. It was the same damn banana.

"Organic" doesn't mean no pesticides are used, it means that only certain ones are used.

If you think organic produce is better, it has to be for some other reason than a false "organic vs. pesticide-laden" dichotomy

sighh....

I've taped my hands to my chair and am now typing with my nose. Trying not to go off on this one.

I've taped my hands to my chair and am now typing with my nose. Trying not to go off on this one.

good typing for a nose

I think that organic is more beneficial because in my experience it tastes better and I feel better.

kinda simple for me.

Try a grass-fed sirloin steak and then back to us.

Well, I won't say that pesticides don't have any effect on us (not saying they do either - I don't really know). But, since I live on a farm and they spray at least twice a year, I won't be avoiding it anytime soon LOL.

But I do have issues with the crop yield of organic. It is not sustainable to feed the world population (IMO). I don't see how it could be. There just isn't enough farm land to grow enough food organically for all the people of the world.

^^DING DING DING DING DING!! You've got it! You cannot feed the world with organic crop yields. At present, however, an individual farmer/corporation can make more money selling "organic" than "conventional".

One of the benefits of organic is that it tends to be more local/seasonal because it won't do well travelling long distances or in storage for extended periods, therefore the path from farm to fork is often shorter and the nutrients may be retained better (due to freshness).

Unless something has changed radically in the couple of years since I took horticulture in college, the USDA cannot conclusively prove that organic produce is better for you than non-organic.

Well, I won't say that pesticides don't have any effect on us (not saying they do either - I don't really know). But, since I live on a farm and they spray at least twice a year, I won't be avoiding it anytime soon LOL.

But I do have issues with the crop yield of organic. It is not sustainable to feed the world population (IMO). I don't see how it could be. There just isn't enough farm land to grow enough food organically for all the people of the world.

^^DING DING DING DING DING!! You've got it! You cannot feed the world with organic crop yields. At present, however, an individual farmer/corporation can make more money selling "organic" than "conventional.

One of the benefits of organic is that it tends to be more local/seasonal because it won't do well travelling long distances or in storage for extended periods, therefore the path from farm to fork is often shorter and the nutrients may be retained better (due to freshness).

A reason why often frozen veg are best. Picked and then frozen on the field before shipping. Although I will admit not as tasty but often cheaper and more nutrioius than any thing else ("organically" grown or otherwise) that is eaten after a few days of picking and shipping
(I know you can get frozen "organic" but these items tend to be very pricey)

Well, I won't say that pesticides don't have any effect on us (not saying they do either - I don't really know). But, since I live on a farm and they spray at least twice a year, I won't be avoiding it anytime soon LOL.

But I do have issues with the crop yield of organic. It is not sustainable to feed the world population (IMO). I don't see how it could be. There just isn't enough farm land to grow enough food organically for all the people of the world.

^^DING DING DING DING DING!! You've got it! You cannot feed the world with organic crop yields. At present, however, an individual farmer/corporation can make more money selling "organic" than "conventional".

(I know you can get frozen "organic" but these items tend to be very pricey)

One of the benefits of organic is that it tends to be more local/seasonal because it won't do well travelling long distances or in storage for extended periods, therefore the path from farm to fork is often shorter and the nutrients may be retained better (due to freshness).

A reason why often frozen veg are best. Picked and then frozen on the field before shipping. Although I will admit not as tasty but often cheaper and more nutrioius than any thing else ("organically" grown or otherwise) that is eaten after a few days of picking and shipping

I agree with those points, that frozen vegetables are better/easier and eating locally/organically is hard. I think eating local "saves" more of the environment than just blanket terms of "organic." Read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" for a look at a "localvore" for a year. It's expensive and difficult but rewarding too.