The interns are responsible for hosting one "MUSC Wellness Wednesday" a month to promote healthy living. To parallel the months focus on "Nutrition from the ground up", Karen and I featured "what is organic" as our topic.
Similar to many consumers, I have also been unclear on the meaning of organic. It always seemed like a "healthy" gimmick to double the price of a stalk of celery. Does labeling food as organic mean it contains more nutritional value? Do farmers still use fertilizers to grow organic crop? Why do they cost more? Is it worth it?
In our research we found...
- “Organic” refers to the process of growing a plant from beginning to end. Organic farming uses different methods than traditional farming; natural fertilizers, beneficial insects and birds to reduce pests, organic feed for animals
- Data has not shown a difference in the nutritional value of organic vs conventional foods
- Read the label - don't let it fool you! Look for the USDA Organic logo
In my opinion, buying organic is a matter of priority; price, nutrition, food safety. Due to my lack of income I do not buy organic. I know I am receiving the same nutrition from conventionally grown produce as I would from organic produce. Nutrition and price is my highest priority as this point in my life. I will continue to buy my cheap stalks of celery until I have the proper income to make food safety and becoming environmentally friendly my priority.
If you plan to allocate grocery funds to buying organic, chose produce in which you eat the skin. This makes the most sense, why buy an organic banana if you aren't going to eat the peel.
Here is the list of the "dirty dozen" and the "clean 15"
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