Food...

We know eating organic fruits and vegetables is good for us, but sometimes, with rising food prices and all, it seems a little out of reach, especially when I can’t pinpoint what, exactly makes them so much better. Well, a new book Core Truths: Serving up the Science Behind Organic Agriculture explains just what makes organic foods healthier.

Here are Core Truths’ five main reasons to buy organic foods (from Eat. Drink. Better):

1. A toast to your health: Organic produce 30 percent higher levels of antioxidants compared to produce grown on conventional farms. Antioxidants have been found to help combat age-related diseases, and reduce risk of cancer and heart disease (Functional Foods Fact Sheet: Antioxidants).
2. Avoid pesticides: When you eat a piece of the vast majority of conventional produce—75 to 80 percent—you’re eating one or more pesticides. That percent jumps to 90 percent for apples, pears, peaches, and strawberries.
3. Help kids grow up healthy: Pesticides and chemical exposure can affect kids’ development, especially considering that kids typically receive a higher dose of chemicals in their diets—they weigh less and eat a relatively narrow diet.
4. The Yum factor: Studies are showing that the Organoleptic Quality (the sensory properties of a food) of organics are better—meaning they taste better. Case and point: from the book, “43 percent of consumers choosing organic food do so because of ‘better taste.’”
5. The Green factor: Organic farming uses less energy: “By increasing U.S. organic food consumption to 10 percent by 2010 we will eliminate 2.9 billion barrels of imported oil annually.”

So there you have it, from health to taste to reducing oil use. What’s in your produce bin?

 Photo from The Organic Center.