(From Reuters:) Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers paid higher prices for organic food in part because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Peter Melchett, policy director of Britain's Soil Association, which promotes organic farming, said he was disappointed by the conclusions reached by the study's authors.
He criticized the methodology of the study, which he said had led researchers to reject some clear nutritional benefits as "not important."
Melchett also pointed out there was not sufficient research to assess the long-term effects of pesticides on human health.
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And that last statement is kind of huge. And yet, do we really need studies to confirm the fact that autism, cancer, obesity, ADHD, ADD, depression and a myriad of other diseases affects the population? Just ask yourself, who do I know that has one of these ailments?
There is, of course, no "proof" that eating pesticides does harmful things to the body. But then again, there is common sense. If I eat chemicals, I wonder if it is good? Really, do you wonder? Because I don't. I believe that chemicals kill. Slowly. And I believe that articles like this are disastrous (as is their intent) towards relaying the message that not only is organic food better for your body -- it is also better for the planet.
As oil is pumped into our oceans ruining countless ecosystems and entire industries, no one seems to mention that that really isn't good for us. Is it just because we already know it? Or are you going to believe the article that comes out (and believe me, it will) in the future that insists that eating all the fish that has lived in an oil slick is ABSOLUTELY FINE~!
It is interesting -- some people believe that the world will come to an end in 2012 because of the end of the mayan calendar. Now THAT seems believable, but ingesting chemicals is ABSOLUTELY FINE~!
Here's the deal. Studies do not show that organic food has any NUTRITIONAL value over conventional food. I might even believe that, based on the fact that the study is searching for just one thing: nutritional value. It is basically saying that you receive the same NUTRITIONAL value from both foods, but one costs a fortune and the other doesn't. Yeah, great reporting. Yep, that's all it's about. We have an outdated food pyramid, nutritionists don't even know what is nutritious, and yet a simple study bellowing that you can stop paying all that extra money for food is like a free pass to the chemical line.
So yippie, it has the same nutritional value. Fine. I am not going to argue because I am not a scientist. Here is what I do know. A piece of food that is grown in soil that is enriched with natural ingredients, that in turn nourishes the earth right back, tastes better, doesn't fill the body with toxins that our organs need to work over-time to dispel from our bodies and keeps us on the same vibrational level as the earth.
Here is what I do when I go to a food store. I find the organic stuff and I buy it. I don't compare costs because in my world, chemical food will make me sick, it will live in my cells for years and years and accumulate until it bursts out in cancer. Why would I pay any amount of money for that, when I can actually purchase something that won't. There is no choice -- there just is. Good food versus killer food. It is that black and white for me. And the deeper you get into it -- the more you realize how adversely "bad" food affects you. When I eat processed or white sugar food, my entire body goes into revolt. When I eat pure, natural food, everything just gets better. The birds sing louder and the world is in technicolor and energy shoots through me.
Your body has enough to deal with in the toxins it confronts on a daily basis. Don't add more with your food.
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