Question Everything: Is 'Organic' Food Really Better For You?

Should you be eating organic food? Our EPIC SCIENCE PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Ftj5E90tY&list=PLvFsG9gYFxY8uSNHPYlruX_w5l6Ir1wyn&index=1 Subscribe: http://bit.ly/asapsci Written by Amanda Edward, Rachel Salt, Greg Brown, and Mitchell Moffit GET THE ASAPSCIENCE BOOK: http://asapscience.com/book/ FOLLOW US! Instagram and Twitter: @whalewatchmeplz and @mitchellmoffit Clickable: http://bit.ly/16F1jeC and http://bit.ly/15J7ube AsapINSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/asapscience/ Snapchat: realasapscience Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsapSCIENCE Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsapSCIENCE Tumblr: http://asapscience.tumblr.com Vine: Search "AsapSCIENCE" on vine!

With all the nutritional and dieting advice out there, it's easy to forget that science doesn't always agree with popular trends. We often take common knowledge for granted, assuming that just because something is repeated constantly, that means it is true. Take for example "organic" food. Some people only eat food labeled as organic because it's believed to be healthier than the alternative. Let's take a look at what science says to see if that is actually true.

What is 'Organic' Food?

Organic food is basically anything food that is made without synthetic pesticides being used during production. This does not mean that NO pesticides are used, just a much more regulated list maintained by the FDA. For something to be labeled and sold as 'organic' it must have 95% organic ingredients. As explained in the ASAPScience video above, there are also other caveats and tricks food sellers use to be able to put the word 'organic' on a label and entice health conscious shoppers.

This requires farmers to put in much more work to grow these crops. It also means that they tend to lose a lot more in production from bugs infestations and other issues. Not too mention it usually costs consumers more. This also means that not all food producers are excited about growing these crops, but the market is there because people like us demand high-quality, healthy food. The presumption with organics is that without the extra chemicals, your food is healthier and safer to consume. But is that actually true?

Is organic food better for you and the environment? People are going bonkers for organic, but what are you really getting when you buy them? Better taste? Fewer toxic chemicals? A cleaner environment? Farmers Mark, Andy, and Brian Reeves, nutritional epidemiologist Dr. Kathryn Bradbury, Ass. Prof. Cynthia Curl, and Prof. Navin Ramankutty help us sort it all out. Sponsors: For 15% off your first purchase at Ministry of Supply, click here. Offer is good through September 10th. Credits: This episode has been produced by Heather Rogers, Lynn Levy, Caitlin Kenney, Austin Mitchell, and Kaitlyn Sawrey. Editing by Annie-Rose Strasser and Alex Blumberg. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Production Assistance by Diane Wu and Shruti Ravindran. Special thanks to Stevie Lane and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Sound design and music production by Matthew Boll, mixing by Martin Peralta, Austin Thompson and Haley Shaw. Music written by Bobby Lord. Selected Resources: Organic vs conventional tomato taste test Johansson et al, “Preference for tomatoes, affected by sensory attributes and information about growth conditions,” Food Quality and Preference, 1999 Nutritional analysis of organic vs organic food Smith-Spangler et al, “Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review,” Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012. 2012 USDA report on pesticide residues in organic produce Largest (620,000 women) long-term (9 year) study of how eating organic food affects human health -- focusing on cancer Bradbury et al, “Organic food consumption and the incidence of cancer in a large prospective study of women in the United Kingdom”, British Journal of Cancer, 2014 Biodiversity is higher on organic farms “Tuck et al, “Land-use intensity and the effects of organic farming on biodiversity: a hierarchical meta-analysis,” The Journal of Applied Ecology, 2014. Nitrogen leaching is higher per unit product on organic farms Tuomisto et al, “Does organic farming reduce environmental impacts? – A meta-analysis of European research” Crop yield on organic farms is on average 75% that of conventional farms Seufert et al, “Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture,” Nature 2012 If we want to feed the world without cutting down more forests, we’re going to need more vegetarians Erb et al, “Exploring the biophysical option space for feeding the world without deforestation,” Nature Communications, 2016 On combining organic and conventional farming techniques Letourneau et al, “Crop protection in organic agriculture,” Chapter 4 of Organic agriculture: a global perspective, 2006.

Is It Really Healthier?

The answer, like so many other things in food science, is that it depends. Just because organics don't have certain pesticides doesn't mean they're good for your. Organic foods, like non-organics have been recalled many times for production issues and causing illness in consumers. Methods vary from farm to farm, which means that all organics are not created equal.

In addition to that, just because pesticides are used in non-organics, doesn't mean they are unsafe to consume or will cause health issues. It really depends on who is producing it. 

The Bottom Line

Chemicals are not inherently bad, especially when they have been studied and tested. HOWEVER, it is reasonable to want what you eat to have as few harmful chemicals and additives as possible when you are building a healthy lifestyle. 

What can you do? Find a balance between eating food from trusted local sources and do your research do see if what you are eating could be harmful to you. Combine those efforts with other healthy lifestyle choices and exercise regularly. Stay away from every food trend until and fad diet until you know what they are all about. Also, make sure to occasionally question your assumptions. Stay woke people.

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