Organic Food Science: What Does Organic Mean and is Organic Food Healthier?

To support our channel and level up your health, check out:Our Fast Weight Loss Course: http://thehealthnerds.com/the-science-of-fast-weight-loss-courseOur Better Health Basics Course: http://thehealthnerds.com/food-health-happinessLike us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thehealthnerds/PRODUCE GUIDE:https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/seasonal-produce-guideOn this video, we will be covering organic food, what does organic mean, and answering the question of is organic food healthier. And at the end we’re going to discuss what foods are the most important to eat organic. Let’s get started by answering the question of what does organic mean?Organic food is food produced with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but they general mean food produced without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.http://www.organic.org/home/faqAnimals products only qualify as organic if they do not take antibiotics or hormones during their development. Now I should clarify, pesticides can be used by organic farmers on crops, just as long as they are derived from natural sources and are not synthetically created. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/organicBecause mass producing crops without ANY pesticides would be a nightmare with wasted food in epic proportions. As my home boys over at ASAP Science so aptly put, just because a bag of chips has the “organic” label on them, does not make them healthy. Cookies, chips, and ice cream are not suddenly good for you because they are organic. But when people ask is organic food healthier, they are usually asking for a comparison of foods like veggies, fruits, and certain animal products.The scientific data we have is actually VERY so split on this issue:The reason: Money money money. MONEY.Monsanto, the famous poster child for evil pesticide producers, makes over 4.5 BILLION dollars in sales yearly and spends an average of 5 million dollars a year in public lobbying. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MonsantoWhen most people say that organic is not healthier for you, they usually cite a Stanford Review done in 2012 that came to conclusion that organic foods are not more nutritious than conventional foods. http://annals.org/aim/article/1355685/organic-foods-safer-healthier-than-conventional-alternatives-systematic-reviewAlthough, the study did concede that organic does limit the exposure or pesticides and antibiotic resistant bacteria. A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition is the latest addition to the debate.It’s the largest meta-analysis that has been published on this topic, covering 343 individual studies looking into organic food.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26878105One of the major conclusions found organic foods could boost a person’s antioxidant intake by up to 40%.One thing in favor of eating organic that these studies can not refute is reducing the amount of pesticides being ingested…On average, pesticides like cadmium had levels 400% lower, respectively, in organic produce than in conventional varieties.Since cadmium is a highly toxic metal that has been linked to an increased risk of everything from Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and hormone disruption, it’s probably a good idea to minimize cadmium in your diet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24557150Other study’s have also linked pesticide exposure in children to ADHD and other development problems like low IQ.http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989564,00.htmlhttps://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/pesticide-exposure-in-womb-affects-i-q/?_r=0So, are organic foods healthier for you? Yes!In some studies, they have slightly more nutrients and do minimize our exposure to synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones added to what we eat. So should everyone eat organic? Not really. Cost is an issue for many people.#1. It seems animal products are more important to be organic than veggies.#2. Frozen organic foods are always a little cheaper#3. Use the clean 15 and dirty dozen list for fruits and veggies The Clean 15 are non-organic foods that have minimal pesticide exposure• Avocados• Sweet Corn• Pineapples• Cabbage• Frozen Sweet Peas• Onions • Asparagus• Mangos• Papayas• Kiwi• Eggplant• Honey Dew• Grapefruit• Cantelope• CauliflowerThe dirty dozen on the other hand are the foods that have a lot of pesticide load if consumed non-organic. These foods are:• Strawberries• Apples• Nectarines• Peaches• Celery• Grapes• Cherries• Spinach• Tomatoes• Sweet bell peppers• Cherry tomatoes• CucumbersCheers!