By DR. RICHARD BELIVEAU
According to a recent study conducted by British researchers, the nutritional quality of organically farmed fruits and vegetables is similar to the quality of those produced using traditional farming methods.
A survey conducted by the Canadian Cancer Society shows 70% of Canadians are concerned about the presence of pesticide residue found on fruits and vegetables.
While this concern is understandable -- we all want to live in a pesticide and pollution-free world -- you must still keep in mind the vast majority of these foods contain only miniscule quantities of these chemicals.
In fact, 97% of imported and 99% of Canadian agriculture products don't contain pesticide levels in excess of the safety limits imposed on food by Health Canada and are not a risk to a person's health.
But despite this information, the demand for organic foods has continued to rise in recent years. However, organic food products are generally more expensive and therefore more difficult for many people to afford.
But does the added cost really translate into food that is better for you?
Many studies have tried to prove that organically grown foods contain larger quantities of nutrients than food produced using traditional methods.
The results, however, have all been very different: Some have shown a higher content of antioxidants in the organic product, while some found no difference whatsoever.
To try and clear things up, researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in England thoroughly examined all of the studies conducted to determine the differences between conventionally and organically grown food in the last 50 years.
After identifying 55 studies that contained the required scientific properties, the researchers compared each type of food's content of nutrients (including vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds).
This analysis showed unequivocally the differences between the two types of food production are much smaller than predicted.
Therefore, eating organic fruits and vegetables is a personal choice, one based more on social and environmental factors than on our actual health.
