Do I really need to buy organic?
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Anonymous
| Organic is not a regulated label. It really just means they can't use 6 or so specific pesticides which come from certain chemicals. They can use all sorts of other pesticides, manure etc. and you don't actually know what they used and so you still have to wash it. |
Anonymous
Are you a troll, or do you just have no clue what you're talking about? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/recombinant-bovine-growth-hormone.html |
Anonymous
Did you read your own resource? It says, "A United States Department of Agriculture survey conducted in 2007 found that less than 1 in 5 cows (17%) were being injected with rBGH." The regular milk sold at Giant, Target, Harris Teeter, and many other places all say rBGH free. So while it is technically true that some cows do get hormones, the use is relatively small and easily avoided by reading labels. For meats, I don't buy organic but I do look for meats that are hormone and antibiotic free. For fruits and vegetables, I buy organic apples and carrots as I find the flavors better. Smaller farms tend not to use as many pesticides, so I try to buy locally when possible. Fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious when freshly picked (after a few days, frozen is more nutritious), but organic/non-organic does not really make a difference in nutrition. The main concern for organic vs. non-organic produce is the long term health consequences, like cancer, which are not well known. Yes, organic produce does allow for pesticides, just naturally occurring ones. I don't feel like I have enough information about the produce I buy (other than local produce from farms I know) to say that organic is better or not. There's also a debate as to what is more environmentally friendly. Organic farming reduces yields, so requires more land for the same amount of food, displacing more nature. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/06/18/137249264/organic-pesticides-not-an-oxymoron https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-environmental-footprint-of-organic-vs-conventional-food/2012/09/14/40b16582-fb65-11e1-b2af-1f7d12fe907a_story.html?utm_term=.6490243cfb8d |
Anonymous
Reading and writing is not your thing. You said Americans do not put hormones in their cows. The first two sentences in the article prove you wrong: "Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a synthetic (man-made) hormone that is marketed to dairy farmers to increase milk production in cows. It has been used in the United States since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993, but its use is not permitted in the European Union, Canada, and some other countries." |
Anonymous
Let me repeat: EWG is a joke. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135239/ “The methodology used to create the “Dirty Dozen” list does not appear to follow any established scientific procedures.” |
Anonymous
I buy organic for this plus anything that isn't peeled. So oranges and bananas don't need to be organic. Then I also always buy meat and dairy that comes from cows NOT treated with antibiotics or hormones. |
Anonymous
Sourcewarch ain’t so great either, unless you’re a liberal and don’t care about science: https://www.influencewatch.org/organization/sourcewatch/ |
Anonymous
| I buy organic milk, for some reason. However, I have mostly stopped buying organic produce, because these days some of the "organic" pesticides are arguably worse than the old-school kind. For produce, it's better to buy local. For meat, I buy from butchers rather than supermarkets (the meat is better sourced). |
Anonymous
DP. Hormones in cows is not a real issue today. I don't know where you could even find milk with rBGH anymore. |
Anonymous
+1 It might be approved for use in the US, but as a result of consumer pressure, most milk is rBGH-free. |
Anonymous
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My food scientist sibling follows the 'buy organic if you're going to eat the peel' rule. I've followed that rule upon her advice. Leafy greens/lettuce, berries, celery, fruit you don't peel, etc. always buy organic. Never buy organic on things like oranges (unless you're zesting), bananas, pineapple, potatoes (if peeling).
She also encourages organic milk and dairy due to the difference in omega 6 fatty acids found in regular milk. Higher omega 6 fatty acids (in non-organic milk) is linked to cancer, heart disease, and general inflammation. |
Anonymous
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I buy organic milk because we like the taste and how long it lasts.
Other than that, we do a CSA that is local and partially organic. It's certainly not cheap, but we believe that currently it's a good option for healthy food with lower environmental impact. |
Anonymous
| Don't waste your money on organic. It is not federally regulated. |
Anonymous
You'got it backwards---it's the conservatives who don't believe in science. |
Anonymous
| No no no no no |