I am often asked what the deal is with organics such as “What is organic?”, “What’s does the word ‘natural’ on labels mean?”, and “Is organic really worth the money?”.
First, let’s talk about the difference between organic and natural.
What is Organic?
Something to look for on packaging to ensure a more quality product is the label “certified organic” which is regulated by the USDA. To have a product certified as organic, producers need to keep certain standards:
Crops – verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) were not used*.
Animal Products (not that I use any of these but good to know) – verifies producers met with animal health and welfare standards, did not use antibiotics or growth hormones, used 100% organic feed, and provided animals with access to the outdoors.
Multi-ingredient Food Products – verifies that the product contains 95% or more certified organic ingredients.
*This does not exactly mean that you won’t get a GMO vegetable every once in a while because even though there are buffer zones in place between organic and non-organic farms, there may be some unintentional GMO drift which does not eliminate these products from entering the market.
What does “natural” mean?
The wording the word “natural” on products can be very confusing.
I recently had a client tell me how she’s been purchasing healthy products. We discussed some of her food choices and I realized she was buying some things labeled “natural” which she thought that it would be healthier for her. And who wouldn’t think that? The word natural should basically mean that the product is healthy right? Turns out that’s not necessarily true.
The word natural is not regulated in the US so anyone can put that wording on their products. It is usually used as a marketing tool without having anything to do with the quality of the food.
Food marketing is a huge money-making business and those in charge of the marketing of products know that if people see the word “natural”, they’re automatically associating it with “healthy”. Because of this, people are purchasing their products thinking they are doing something good for themselves.
That’s why I recommend eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods for health. BUT is any old food good or do you need to buy organic?
Is organic worth the money?
I understand that buying organic may be costly but it can be worth the money for a number of reasons:
- Conventional crops have higher levels of toxic metals and pesticides: Conventional crops are four times more likely to contain pesticide residues which can put a toll on your detoxification system. They also have higher levels of the toxic metal cadmium and nitrates.
- Organic fruits and vegetables are higher in antioxidants: Organic crops have higher antioxidant activity as well as a higher concentration (up to 69%) of individual antioxidant phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and carotenoids.
- Organic crops contain more nutrients: Organic produce provides greater levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus than non-organic varieties of the same foods.
- Lower risk of health issues: Organic foods may help lower the risk of both metabolic syndrome and cancer prevention.
For those on a tight budget, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen.
The Dirty Dozen lists the produce found to have the most pesticides so those would be the fruits and vegetables that I would definitely recommend buying organic. The Clean Fifteen lists the produce with the least amount of pesticides so those would the fruits and vegetables that do not have to be purchased as organic.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28537748
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23688862
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141693/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/285377
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17297755
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16546628.2017.1287333
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20359265
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28770334
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30422205
I’d love to hear from you:
Do you buy organic? Why or why not?
Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist helping people thrive on a plant-powered diet. Mary Ellen offers a completely holistic and science-based approach to designing a healthy, plant-based life.
When she’s not working with clients or creating new meals for her blog, you can find Mary Ellen doting on her two rescue shih tzus, creating the perfect vegan mac & cheese, or exploring the world with her husband.
Julie Wunder says
So glad you dispelled these myths. Another big one I’ve seen that thinking you can eat as much as you want of it if it IS organic or “natural.” I try to buy organic when it makes sense. But I always try to get eggs and milk from “happy” chickens and cows 🙂
Mary Ellen says
Totally true! Just because cookies are organic doesn’t mean it’s okay to eat 20 of them lol! 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Great information, thanks! The trickery that can be used on food labels is scary and I’ve seen organic labeled foods, like bean soups, that note they have genetically modified ingredients.
Mary Ellen says
Yeah, it’s so tough sometimes for people trying to eat healthy with the marketing tactics companies use. Even organic can have GMOs because of the drift effect – which is just not helpful to consumers.
Miss Polkadot says
Hi Mary Ellen,
Much to my dismay I’ve been having trouble commenting on blogs lately – including yours. It looks like my previous comment on this post didn’t get through. Could you maybe check your spam folder to see if it went there? I’d appreciate it as I’m clueless on how to solve this issue.
Mary Ellen says
Hi Miss Polkadot! I was able to see and approve this comment. It just popped up in my comments today. I hope this helps. I think the first time anyone comments on my blog it has to be approved but after that, any comments should pop right up!
ModVegan says
This is very helpful information- I meet so many people with strange ideas about what these terms mean (weirdest ever: a scientific researcher – her subject is diabetes!!- who told me that organic olive oil contained LESS FAT). I probably looked at her like she was a space alien. I expect that stuff from your average joe, but a PhD w/over 20 years in diabetes research? Yikes. Suffice to say, they really don’t teach doctors much about nutrition
Mary Ellen says
That’s so weird, I never even heard about less fat in olive oil even in shady research. It’s tough because so many people got to doctors for nutrition advice but they doctors usually do not take more than one (if any) nutrition class in medical school. They know so much about the human body and medicine but not nutrition (which is not their specialty anyway so it’s okay) however the public does not know that. Hopefully more doctors will refer their patients out to nutritionists/RDs for that kind of advice.
onesonicbite says
Thanks for posting. It is really important to talk about these things because the general public gets very confused by these terms. Or will take certain terms to big extremes, like my boss who interpreted my use of flavors compounds as meaning artificially flavored. To add to your “natural” definition, if you see “natural flavors” it means that the chemical flavoring is derived from a plant or animal. BUT it is just one chemical compound making just the same as the artificial flavoring. So for ethical vegans, you probably want to stick to the artificial flavorings. There is a nice video by SciShow that explains it: https://youtu.be/LvWdkVgJidY
Mary Ellen says
Yes, the “natural” flavors are confusing for people too. Good for ethical vegans to know that these flavors can come from animals as well.Thanks so much for the video, going to check it out today!
kimmythevegan says
Great post! Very informative – I tend to steer clear of things labelled “natural”. But I remember when I first started trying to eat healthy, it was something I bought regularly until I learned more about it. I really can’t stand seeing things like “natural flavour/spices/etc” in my labels.
I hadn’t heard of the label “Certified Naturally Grown”, so I’m glad you mentioned it and explained it. I know some of the stands at the farmer’s market say they can’t afford the certified organic label, so I will talk to them about looking into this.
Thanks for sharing at HVF Mary Ellen! I’m pinning & sharing.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Kimmy! Labels can be so confusing!