Organic Versus Conventional Products

To hear it from the die-hard advocates of organic products, there are many benefits of consuming organic rather than regular produce. Organic food is free from artificial chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, growth-promoters, and fertilizers. It is produced using environmentally friendly methods and has no genetically modified ingredients. The most compelling argument I've heard in favor of organic farming is that it avoids pesticide and chemical runoff and the resulting contamination of drinking water. However, the risks from pesticide residues on "non-organic" produce are negligible if you simply wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them.

More studies than not have failed to reveal that organic produce contains more nutrients or tastes better. Since current organic standards limit fertilizer use, organic fields are likely to deplete the soil of phosphorus and sulfur even when crop rotation techniques are used. Finally, the risks posed by the manure used in organic compost may be more harmful than the health risks from pesticide residues. Manure contains bacteria called E. coli, certain strains of which can cause harmful diseases in you and especially your children.

The jury is still out on organic foods. If you can afford the higher price for organic produce and you believe in the organic philosophy, then by all means buy and eat organic. If you can't afford the higher price and you don't mind washing your fruits and vegetables, which you should do in either case, then you're probably not depriving your children of nutrients by eating non-organic foods.

More on: Healthy Meals for Families

Excerpted from:

From Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, M.D. Copyright © 2004. Used by arrangement with The Perseus Books Group.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.