Organic or Conventional Food is the question
Parents have been moving towards feeding babies organic foods as a means of providing better means of nutrition for greater health prospects. Several medical groups, including the Mayo Clinic deny the significance of organic, in lieu of a balanced diet. So does the focus on organics make sense regarding additional cost and selective access?
A study by Stanford University College of Medicine indicates little difference between organic and conventional foods regarding nutrition or taste. While there was a discussion regarding pesticide residues, the claim is that pesticide levels in conventional foods are “within safety limits.” The study, released over Labor Day weekend, has been massively spread by news media. As a person or parent, does this mean that the use of organic food is no longer necessary for good, nutritive wellness?
Various factors were not accounted for in the study. As the researchers indicated ”in discussing heterogeneity of the studies they reviewed due to differences in testing methods; physical factors affecting the food, such as weather and soil type; and great variation among organic farming methods. With regard to the latter, there may be specific organic practices (for example, the way that manure fertilizer, a risk for bacterial contamination, is used and handled) that could yield a safer product of higher nutritional quality.”
There has been criticism that “organic” has been loosely defined and the FDA and agricultural services have been attempting to hone the definition. There have been some refinements.
Nutrition, however, is often defined in terms of vitamins, fats, and carbohydrates. In the past 20 years, research has explored phytonutrients – phenolic compounds within fruits, nuts and vegetables that provide sterols and antioxidants that were never factored before. A study in Barcelona indicates that there is an advantage in favor of organic foods.
While soft plastic products and baby bottles were presumed to be safe, the FDA recently placed a ban on these products that have a chemical called BPA. J&R Jr. products are free of BPA.
Whether there’s a significant difference between organic and conventional may have a less scientific foundation. It probably bears more association with faith. In choosing products for your child to feel, touch, and feed, you should weigh various elements of responsibility. Study trends shift with time. Healthy, balanced diets seem to reign supreme but choosing foods wisely is necessary. In determining whether feeding an organic or conventional food, consider the sources of that food. If you respect their attitudes toward farming and marketing, go with it. There are plenty of resources available over the Internet. Educate yourself. One good place is WHFoods.org. That the world is populated with billions of people may mean that our ancestors were doing something right.
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