"Organic" may not mean healthier

One of the first lifestyle changes that people make when going green is switching to organic foods. They're so much better for you, right? An article that was published yesterday on Your Total Health says that might not be the case.

"According to a British review of studies done over the past 50 years, organic and conventionally produced foods have about the same nutrient content, suggesting that neither is better in terms of health benefits."

Now, because this information was gathered from a variety of sources, there isn't a lot of detail in how these studies were conducted. (And I tend to believe that you can make a study say what you want it to say anyway...) But my thought on this is: they're likely comparing apples to organic oranges.

If you're comparing wheat bread made out of whole wheat flower to organic wheat bread made out of organic whole wheat flower, yes, you're probably likely to have a similar nutritional content...just less pesticide in your bread (ha ha).

If you're comparing PopTarts with high fructose corn syrup and red dye #40 versus Organic toaster pastries made with organic wheat flower and organic cane juice, you're going to have a very different nutritional content. Wouldn't you think? (This is really a question for you, I'm not stating it as fact. It just seems to make sense to me.)

As the percentage of organic food being purchased in both the US and the UK continues to rise, some questions come up:

Do you buy organic food because (you believe) it's better for you?
Do you buy it because you're green and that's what you're supposed to do?
Do you buy it for other reasons?

I've answered these questions for myself over on Living Simple & Green, the board I lead on iVillage. In the process, I learned a little about myself. We're looking for your answers too. And I know you have them, so please share! :)