Is organic produce really better?

Some people religiously choose organic produce.  Others see it as a celebrity trend or “luxury” purchase (read: waste of money).

For most of us, I suspect there’s a degree of ambivalence.  So, I’m going to start with a quote taken from “Anti cancer: a new way of life” (Dr David Servan-Schreiber, full publishing details below).

“Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.”

This is a simple yet potent message, and one that’s a useful guiding principle when contemplating organic fruits and vegetables.   Without getting into the nature and extent of contamination that can affect mass-produced produce in the modern world, it’s possible to classify fruits and vegetables into two groups.

More susceptible to contamination – you should choose produce from organic sources where possible

Fruits: apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, grapes

Vegetables: peppers, celery, green beans, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin

Less susceptible to contamination – the benefit of organic produce over non-organic is barely discernable

Fruits: bananas, oranges, tangerines, pineapple, grapefruit, melons, watermelons, plums, kiwi, blueberries, mangoes, papaya

Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, onions, aubergines, peas, radishes, avocadoes

Before we all panic, any contaminants (such as pesticide) should only be present at trace levels in mass-produced fruit and vegetables – levels that the Food Standards Agency have deemed acceptable.

Regardless, it’s much more important you eat fresh fruit and vegetables for their nutrient, antioxidant and phytochemical anticancer properties, even though they could contain trace levels of contaminants.   Just bear the above lists in mind next time you’re at the supermarket!

All the best.

“Anti cancer: a new way of life”
Servan-Schreiber, Dr. David (2008), Penguin Books