news buzz. organic foods not sig. different nutritionally

I don't think it's exactly a revelation. But I wouldn't have expected organic foods to be any different from non-organic foods nutritionally anyway. I mean, why would you expect that? The more compelling question is the level of pesticides and trace chemicals found on foods. I didn't read the article yet, but did see a brief report on it on the news this morning, and from what I understand, they found that there ARE more chemicals on non-organic foods but that the levels are so low as to be simply trace elements and are considered to be harmless to people in those amounts.

But that's what the FDA has ALWAYS been saying about pesticides, so it's more a question of how much you trust the FDA. :?

Personally, I think it would be nice if all foods were grown organically anyway, and if people could / would either grow some of their own produce (saves money!) and / or buy locally grown produce. It would also be nice if all cows, chickens, and pigs were raised free range, frolicking on happy, green farms, never in cages, and were always slaughtered humanely. But we all know that's not how it works, and just because something is labeled "organic" you can't always know how closely that vendor has adhered to the standards.

I buy some organic, some not, and that's what I'll continue to do. I love our local farmer's market and try to shop there as much as possible, including for meat, as one of the vendors will deliver even into the winter months. It's actually kind of more important to me to shop local as opposed to organic, but that's just me. Anything that I'm going to eat the "skin" of - strawberries, apples, etc., I try to get organic as much as possible.

If you're interested in a great memoir - and not particularly a food treatise but more of family story, check out The Orchard by Theresa Weir. Wonderful, short, moving book,and like I said, not really ABOUT farming or organic / pesticide questions per se, but once you read about what happened (and it is a true story) to her husband and his family over decades of farming an apple orchard, might make you think a little differently about how much of even those minimal "trace" chemical elements you want to be consuming over the course of your life. No one is going to eliminate all chemicals from their lifestyle, and really, you wouldn't want to because some can be helpful! But that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile to try to cut down on some of the exposure. JM2C.

I have never chosen organic foods because I thought they were nutritionally better. I have chosen certain organic foods because I wanted less exposure to pesticides. I have been dealing with a hormonal disorder and certain foods I prefer organic. Something like a grapefruit I would eat traditionally grown. Strawberries I prefer organic. It's all about preferences of individuals.

^^ THIS ^^

I've read many times by many sources that organic is neither here nor there on foods that have thick skins like citrus, bananas, melons but it's better to go for organic if you can on thin skinned foods like berries and peaches just because thinner skin absorbs more pesticide.