Organic or Not? By Marissa Lippert, M.S., R.D.

Is organic produce healthier than conventional?

Eating organic berries instead of conventional ones can reduce your exposure to pesticides, and recent research suggests that it also may give you a nutrient boost. Last year, a study out of Newcastle University in the United Kingdom reported that organic produce boasted up to 40 percent higher levels of some nutrients (including vitamin C, zinc and iron) than its conventional counterparts.

Additionally, a 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that organically grown berries and corn contained 58 percent more polyphenols — antioxidants that help prevent cardiovascular disease — and up to 52 percent higher levels of vitamin C than those conventionally grown. Recent research by that study’s lead author, Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., an associate professor of food science and technology at University of California, Davis, pinpoints the mechanism by which organic techniques may sometimes yield superior produce.

It’s a difference in soil fertility, says Mitchell: "With organic methods, the plants glean the nitrogen from composted soil and grow slowly, with their nutrients in balance. Vegetables fertilized with conventional liquid fertilizers grow like crazy and use less energy to develop antioxidants."

Buying conventional produce from local farmers also has benefits. Nutrient values in produce peak at prime ripeness, just after harvest. As a general rule, the less produce has to travel, the fresher and more nutrient-rich it remains.

Bottom line: "Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables in general [not necessarily organic ones] is the point," says Mitchell. If buying all organic isn’t a priority — or a financial reality for you — you might opt for organic specifically when you’re selecting foods that are most heavily contaminated with pesticide and insecticide residues. According to the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org), those include peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes and pears.

Article courtesy EatingWell's March/April 2008 issue.