Truth is hard to come by when you are talking business. News today includes a study of conventional crops and organics having no difference in nutrient value. On the face of this it is hard to buy. If you have better soil and you do not trouble the crop with chemicals that linger and you provide microbes needed for plant health and the plants do better in drought conditions and they taste better to amateur foodies, maybe they are better. This study was done by Standford University doctors and it states there was no funding from an outside source of the study. It is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Here is one; we have a study we cite that we like because the author looked at 50 years of literature comparing the nutrient values of conventional and organic crops. It was published in 1998 in Alternative Therapies. That’s right. The quack rag that has actual unsponsored studies to bring to the doctors who seek this kind of info. In this case the author is clinical nutritionist who served on the board of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. There was a trend in the data indicating higher nutrient content in organically grown crops. The author called for further research. She did note “Animal studies showed better growth and reproduction in animals fed organically grown feed compared with those fed conventionally grown feed.”
This attack on organics might come from a relationship with a business interest contrary to good food and organics. Maybe a chemical company. Sounds just like the naysayers who always say your food is enough for your health needs and that you do not need additional vitamins and minerals. You know if you have adequate vitamins and minerals and other important nutrients you do not become ill as readily and it cuts across the sale of drugs and trips to the doctors. Having a strong immune system is better than a vaccination.
I, for one, am a Mom and us moms know something about food and health. In our medical center I hear people commenting about the benefits of avoiding junk food and eating whole, organic foods. They are stronger. After all, people do know their own mind and should rely on their own experience. I have serious concerns about chemical contamination but more seriously the effects of genetically engineered crops throughout our food supply.
International College of Integrative Medicine is holding a conference September 21-23 where these issues will be discussed. Check out Diet and Nutrition: What a Clinician Needs to Know about Nutrient Density, Pesticides and Genetically Engineered Foods- Dr. Andersen was first a soil scientist and agricultural consultant, then a physician. He specializes in nutritional management of crops and advises farmers in “building biology.” His book, Real Medicine, Real Health, draws on his wide-ranging expertise to share a vision of healing based on creating a sound body through solid nutrition and a healthier environment.