Organic Foods are More Nutritious

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Studies continue to support the fact that the nutrient-richness of most conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables has seen a steady decline in recent years, primarily due to what agronomists call the “dilution effect”—the drastic rise in conventionally grown crop yield due to changes in plant breeding and the use of fertilizer and pesticides. The cost of this increase in produce size and yield has been a significant decrease in nutritional value. This is one of the reasons I encourage you to purchase organically-grown foods whenever possible.

The results of a recent mega-analysis conducted by the Organic Center located in Boulder, CO, provide more good reasons to buy organic.

The Center recently released a report of their review, which identified 97 peer-reviewed studies published since 1980, which compared nutrient levels in organic and non-organic foods. Analyzing these studies, they found 236 “scientifically valid” “matched pairs” of organic/conventionally grown produce, which they then evaluated for nutrient content. Matched pairs were grown nearby one another, had similar soils, climate, plant genetics, irrigation systems, nitrogen levels, and harvest practices.

The results showed organically grown plant foods to be 25% more nutrient-rich than conventionally-grown varieties! This, of course, means they would deliver more nutrition per calorie or serving, an important feature for all of us weight watchers.

Organic fruits, vegetables and grains also contained higher levels of 8 of the 11 nutrients assayed, including higher levels of polyphenols and antioxidants. The researchers concluded that the difference between organically-grown and conventionally-grown foods documented in this study was not only consistent, but sizable enough to conclude that organically-grown foods (on average) are more nutritious.

Finally, Neal Davies, a WSU professor and co-author of the report, noted “there is also evidence that the nutrients in organically grown foods are often in “a more biologically active form.”