Question from ep
I am a mother of a toddler and an infant. I buy mostly organic produce but am having a harder time affording to do this lately. I have noticed that instead of buying produce that is not organic, I’m just buying less. I feel torn because I know the importance of feeding fresh fruits and vegetables to my family but I can’t bring myself to feed them food with pesticides. I am familiar with the “dirty dozen” but even those are expensive to buy organic. Can you comment on this dilema? Do I reduce the amount of produce we eat or start serving some fruits and veggies that are not organic?
Debra’s Answer
That is a dilemma I think a lot of people are facing today.
The way I look at it is, produce has benefits from the nutrients and fiber, and hazards from the pesticides. Organic is obviously best because you get the benefits without the hazards.
The question is this: is the benefit of the nutrients greater than the harm from the pesticides? That might be difficult to asses because we don’t know the nutrient value of any given sample of produce, nor the pesticides used.
If you buy the freshest, locally grown produce, it will have more nutrients, even if it is not organic.
You can reduce the cost of organic produce by purchasing fruits and vegetables in season, shopping at farmer’s markets, or joining a Community Supported Agriculture program.
And growing your own, if you can is most nutritious and affordable of all.
