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Lufy

Lufy

Ithaca, NY
May 2004

JUL 30, 2009 07:00 AM

I'm a huge fan of eating fresh, organic, locally-grown meat and produce. I have this belief because I read on the intertubes, once, that organic apples are packed with so many nutrients - if I ate enough of them - I'd gain the ability to shoot laser beams out of my eyes. Apparently, though, I no longer have a reason to support that theory:

LONDON (Reuters) - Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.


You mean to tell me I was wrong when I thought I was getting the nutritional equivalent of 10,000 store-bought plums each time I ate one organic plum? That's outrageous! What am I spending all that money on if not more vitamins per pound of food ingested? How can it be that produce raised naturally and with little-to-no human interference offers no discernible nutritional value over produce that's been developed in a lab, with its DNA sequence patented, and selectively bred to resist insects, meteor showers, and lolcats?

A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.

"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.


See that hippies! Nutrient-for-nutrient comparison proves that all the money, time, energy, and animal misery that goes into manipulating cow and kumquat DNA has produced no significant difference between those products and the ones you can just let grow naturally. Take THAT! It's a tie!

"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.


It's good to know that the amount of vitamins crammed into a Monsanto carrot(TM) will be exactly the same as an organically raised carrot. Now I don't have to worry about using an embarrassing position like "nutrition" as a reason to buy organic food any more.

Instead, all I have to do is rely on reports that show how organic farming is more environmentally friendly, has a lower carbon footprint, reduces or eliminates livestock suffering, increases biodiversity, is better for your local economy, doesn't contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, reduces cancer rates, and reduces geo-political tensions over resources as reasons to buy organic food. Apparently the US government feels that way, too, and has created a nice gateway to all that information here.

Silly me. I always thought the debate was just about the vitamin and mineral levels in my avocados and the future promise of laser-vision.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

JUL 30, 2009 07:41 AM

Hey, those non-organic foods have even MOAR nutrients than that organic crap . . . well, if you count pesticides, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, and poisons as nutrients.

Which any RealAmerican (tm) does. On to McDonalds!!!!



puke

SoulRiver

SoulRiver

Columbus, OH
January 2005

JUL 30, 2009 08:50 AM

Coyotemike said:
Hey, those non-organic foods have even MOAR nutrients than that organic crap . . . well, if you count pesticides, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, and poisons as nutrients.

Which any RealAmerican (tm) does. On to McDonalds!!!!



puke



Your forgot hormones...sweet delicious hormones.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

JUL 30, 2009 09:09 AM

SoulRiver said:

Coyotemike said:
Hey, those non-organic foods have even MOAR nutrients than that organic crap . . . well, if you count pesticides, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, and poisons as nutrients.

Which any RealAmerican (tm) does. On to McDonalds!!!!



puke



Your forgot hormones...sweet delicious hormones.



Hey, don't be knocking the hormones . . . isn't there some study that links bovine growth hormones with girls getting boobs earlier?

Otoki

Otoki

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

JUL 30, 2009 09:34 AM

Good to know. I do, however, think that organic eggs taste totally different, but I think animal products have a more dramatic discrepancy because what an animal eats makes a huge difference in how its eggs/milk/meat tastes.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

JUL 30, 2009 09:40 AM

Otoki said:
Good to know. I do, however, think that organic eggs taste totally different, but I think animal products have a more dramatic discrepancy because what an animal eats makes a huge difference in how its eggs/milk/meat tastes.



This is quite true. Lets take cheese for example. The best cow-milk cheeses in the world come from cows (I know, there are more steps) that are strictly grass eaters. But, since feeding a cow a mix of grain and "feed" produces more milk, few dairies go with a grass-only diet.

IDGAS

IDGAS

Jackson Heights, NY
March 2004

JUL 30, 2009 09:47 AM

Coyotemike said:

SoulRiver said:

Coyotemike said:
Hey, those non-organic foods have even MOAR nutrients than that organic crap . . . well, if you count pesticides, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, and poisons as nutrients.

Which any RealAmerican (tm) does. On to McDonalds!!!!



puke



Your forgot hormones...sweet delicious hormones.



Hey, don't be knocking the hormones . . . isn't there some study that links bovine growth hormones with girls getting boobs earlier?


Ignore him he's hormophobic (r) Monsanto

Shal

Shal

Los Angeles, CA
October 2002

JUL 30, 2009 10:11 AM

Otoki said:
Good to know. I do, however, think that organic eggs taste totally different, but I think animal products have a more dramatic discrepancy because what an animal eats makes a huge difference in how its eggs/milk/meat tastes.



Organic eggs do taste different. So do organic fruits and vegetables, most of the time.

This study seems so strange to me. Is it a common belief that organic food is more nutritious?

I don't eat organic food because I think it has "nutritional benefits," I eat it because it tastes better and isn't grown with hormones and pesticides, and for all the reasons Lufy specified at the end of his first post.

Lufy

Lufy

Ithaca, NY
May 2004

JUL 30, 2009 10:12 AM

Otoki said:
[snip] ...what an animal eats makes a huge difference in how its eggs/milk/meat tastes.


Exactly. There's a "concentrating" effect that occurs. As you go up the food chain, everything that's "food" from below gets concentrated in the animal above and then passed on to the next higher animal. I believe we're taught that in middle school.

It's the reason you don't want to eat clams that were raised near a sewer pipe outlet.

The feeding of non-grasses to cows and other ruminants has got to count as animal abuse. Forcing livestock to eat food their body is not designed to digest, just because it's cheaper, is downright cruel. Then there's the whole "recursive cow" phenomenon......don't get me started about how livestock is allowed to be raised in this country. It's disgusting.

I'll stick to organic meat and dairy, thank you.

lil_tuffy

lil_tuffy

MODERATOR

San Francisco, CA

JUL 30, 2009 10:15 AM

I don't recall anyone ever claiming that organically grown plants or meat were somehow more nutritious. The argument is that they are less likely to harm you.

Lufy

Lufy

Ithaca, NY
May 2004

JUL 30, 2009 10:20 AM

lil_tuffy said:
I don't recall anyone ever claiming that organically grown plants or meat were somehow more nutritious. The argument is that they are less likely to harm you.


Which is why that study is so odd. Did anyone respectable ever posit that organic produce was more "vitaminy?" It makes no sense.

Suri

Suri

SUICIDEGIRL

Pennsylvania, USA

JUL 30, 2009 10:29 AM

I eat organic and local food to support small farms, and so that the heirloom vegies and animal varieties that i love to eat don't go extinct.

And I think Otoki is right, the difference between the tastes of organic milk and meat, and standard milk and meat is remarkable.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

JUL 30, 2009 10:30 AM

This is amazing! It's just like the other day when I read a study that said that wearing a seat belt didn't make the car go any faster! My world is changed with this new and unexpected world-changing information!

Suri

Suri

SUICIDEGIRL

Pennsylvania, USA

JUL 30, 2009 10:45 AM

bean said:
This is amazing! It's just like the other day when I read a study that said that wearing a seat belt didn't make the car go any faster! My world is changed with this new and unexpected world-changing information!



haha!!

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JUL 30, 2009 10:45 AM

Shalome said:
This study seems so strange to me. Is it a common belief that organic food is more nutritious?



Unfortunately, in my experience...it is. I think the misconception comes from your average Joe who is not very food conscious

I eat a lot of organic food. I do it mainly to help promote sustainable agriculture...and to keep stuff out of my body that I don't want in there.

I eat two meals a day at work because of my schedule. When the guys I work with see my eating organic food...they makes jokes & ask stupid questions.

Like the time I had organic ice cream.


Them: "What's organic about ice cream?"

Me: "They don't use any artificial chemicals, they use organic milk...stuff like that"

Them: "What's so healthy about Ice cream?"

Me: "Well, it's not that it's a health food BECAUSE it's organic....it's that it's better than regular ice cream because it doesn't have a lot of additives & chemicals"


Otoki

Otoki

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

JUL 30, 2009 10:54 AM

Cash said:

Shalome said:
This study seems so strange to me. Is it a common belief that organic food is more nutritious?



Unfortunately, in my experience...it is. I think the misconception comes from your average Joe who is not very food conscious

I eat a lot of organic food. I do it mainly to help promote sustainable agriculture...and to keep stuff out of my body that I don't want in there.

I eat two meals a day at work because of my schedule. When the guys I work with see my eating organic food...they makes jokes & ask stupid questions.

Like the time I had organic ice cream.


Them: "What's organic about ice cream?"

Me: "They don't use any artificial chemicals, they use organic milk...stuff like that"

Them: "What's so healthy about Ice cream?"

Me: "Well, it's not that it's a health food BECAUSE it's organic....it's that it's better than regular ice cream because it doesn't have a lot of additives & chemicals"




Ah, that makes sense. And by makes sense I mean is amazingly stupid. Organic=health food now?

You know, I just took a swig of non-organic milk (Brendan doesn't care as much about organic as I do) and it just doesn't taste as good as organic milk to me. It has less flavor or something. It reminds me of how I think skim milk tastes in comparison to whole milk. Oh, and the plastic container doesn't help eitherwhatever

*leaves to go buy organic milk*

silversoul7

silversoul7

Portland, OR
January 2008

JUL 30, 2009 11:00 AM

Otoki said:
Good to know. I do, however, think that organic eggs taste totally different, but I think animal products have a more dramatic discrepancy because what an animal eats makes a huge difference in how its eggs/milk/meat tastes.


Yes, there is definitely a taste difference. I find it hard to go back to regular milk after drinking organic milk.

motorfirebox

motorfirebox

Pittsburgh, PA
March 2004

JUL 30, 2009 11:05 AM

i think the organic-food-as-healthier thing is largely a baby boomer deal. my parents totally buy into it. they tell me all the time about how they always feel more filled after eating organic stuff compared to non-organic. i've never even noticed a difference in taste, myself... but then, i have to stop and think to differentiate between skim and whole.

Vestril

Vestril

Coronado, CA
February 2003

JUL 30, 2009 11:07 AM

I remember reading an article about a study that indicated that organically grown food was more nutritious, so I guess this is meant to refute claims along those lines?

silversoul7

silversoul7

Portland, OR
January 2008

JUL 30, 2009 11:08 AM

motorfirebox said:
i think the organic-food-as-healthier thing is largely a baby boomer deal. my parents totally buy into it. they tell me all the time about how they always feel more filled after eating organic stuff compared to non-organic. i've never even noticed a difference in taste, myself... but then, i have to stop and think to differentiate between skim and whole.


It's largely because of the crap they ate growing up. Whenever scientists discovered some new chemical, they'd say, "Hey, let's put this in kids' cereal!" Ever see the footage of the kids chasing after the DDT trucks in their bikes? Yeah. I think that's why that generation is now trying to eat tree bark to compensate.

Otoki

Otoki

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

JUL 30, 2009 11:08 AM

motorfirebox said:
but then, i have to stop and think to differentiate between skim and whole.



BLASPHEMY! I will make DAMNED sure that you're banned from the Cheese Lovers group!

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JUL 30, 2009 11:14 AM

Otoki said:
Ah, that makes sense. And by makes sense I mean is amazingly stupid. Organic=health food now?



Come on now....I've told my grandmother how to program her VCR after the power goes out roughly 7000 times, and I don't think she's amazingly stupid. And yet....I've gone to her house 7000 times to get rid of the blinking turquoise 12s.

It's not a matter of being stupid...it's a matter of being uninformed. It's a matter of growing up in a time when organic food was not well-known...or mainstream...then having it thrust into your world without really understanding what it was.

motorfirebox

motorfirebox

Pittsburgh, PA
March 2004

JUL 30, 2009 11:20 AM

Otoki said:

motorfirebox said:
but then, i have to stop and think to differentiate between skim and whole.



BLASPHEMY! I will make DAMNED sure that you're banned from the Cheese Lovers group!


man, that's a powerful ban--it's prevented me from ever having joined the cheese lovers group!

Otoki

Otoki

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

JUL 30, 2009 11:38 AM

motorfirebox said:

Otoki said:

motorfirebox said:
but then, i have to stop and think to differentiate between skim and whole.



BLASPHEMY! I will make DAMNED sure that you're banned from the Cheese Lovers group!


man, that's a powerful ban--it's prevented me from ever having joined the cheese lovers group!



I have the power to retroactively keep you from joining!

Seriously, your post made me cry a little. Then again, I'm a food freak.

Cash said:

Otoki said:
Ah, that makes sense. And by makes sense I mean is amazingly stupid. Organic=health food now?



Come on now....I've told my grandmother how to program her VCR after the power goes out roughly 7000 times, and I don't think she's amazingly stupid. And yet....I've gone to her house 7000 times to get rid of the blinking turquoise 12s.

It's not a matter of being stupid...it's a matter of being uninformed. It's a matter of growing up in a time when organic food was not well-known...or mainstream...then having it thrust into your world without really understanding what it was.



I think the technological memory of a grandmother is a bit different from remembering that organic just means "without chemicals", not "with more nutrients". But that's just me.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

JUL 30, 2009 11:39 AM

Otoki said:

motorfirebox said:
but then, i have to stop and think to differentiate between skim and whole.



BLASPHEMY! I will make DAMNED sure that you're banned from the Cheese Lovers group!



I didn't know there WAS a cheese group.

*joins*

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