We often talk about organic food in terms of what it doesn’t contain. It’s free of pesticides and other chemicals that we don’t necessarily want in our bodies. It doesn’t damage the environment like large-scale industrial farming. It treats animals better. But what exactly does it add to our diet?
If the early research is any indicator, it may have higher levels of the essential vitamins we need to survive. In 2014, a British journal tried to review all the evidence gathered on organic food so far (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263432810_Higher_antioxidant_and_lower_cadmium_concentrations_and_lower_incidence_of_pesticide_residues_in_organically_grown_crops_A_systematic_literature_review_and_meta-analyses).
It’s not an absolute conclusion. There are other studies that suggest no discernible difference between the nutrient content of organic and non-organic food. It’s hard to measure when so many factors (such as weather, soil, and insects) can affect how crops grow. And some of the things that are higher in organic food, like antioxidants, are important to our bodies, but that still causes arguments among scientists who can’t agree on how important they are to our diet.
If organic food can improve our vitamin intake, that’s important. A lot of Americans don’t get all the vitamins and minerals they need. Sailors who went to sea without enough fruit would develop a horrible disease called scurvy because of their vitamin C deficiency. They’d grow tired and weak, with aching limbs. As it progressed, they might develop gum disease and start bleeding very easily. In its worst cases, it could be deadly.
That’s because vitamin C plays an essential role in skin health (both in the production of collagen and in healing wounds), in the immune system, and in the operation of certain enzymes in the body. Traditionally, humans get the vitamin C they need from fruits, particularly citrus (like oranges and lemons), but also kiwis and strawberries. If they’re overcooked or stored for too long, they might lose some of their vitamin content. Obviously, we want the vitamin C levels to be high enough for us to benefit.
There may be debate over the health benefits of organic food and just how much it can improve our vitamin intake, but eating organic isn’t going to harm you and may just help. With the popularity of organic continuing to grow, it’s likely there will be more investigation into whether claims of higher vitamin levels can stand up to scrutiny.
