Several months back, a major study comparing the nutritional value of organic food to conventional food made the rounds. Organic food, it found, was “no healthier†than ordinary food. There were no significant “differences in nutrient content,†and the study’s authors found “no evidence to support the selection of organic over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority.†Hmm, so there were “differences,†but they were “unlikely to be of any public health relevance.†Okay – even if I accept that the differences were unimportant, there was a major, glaring qualifier: “nutritional superiority.†Going organic, then, doesn’t suddenly change the essential composition of a plant. A grape remains a grape (small differences aside), whether you use artificial pesticides or “natural†pesticides. I buy that, and I don’t think many people who support organic are arguing that industrial organic farms produce purer, more “appley†apples than conventional farms. They’re […]
Original post by Mark Sisson
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