A $25-million British study in 2007 comparing organic food to traditionally grown food with pesticides determined that organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more nutrients, such as antioxidants, and minerals like iron and zinc. The same study concluded that organic milk contained up to 90% more of the same beneficial nutrients.
Other studies have had similar findings. A 10-year study at the University of California-Davis learned that organic tomatoes had nearly twice the level of two antioxidative compounds, quercetin and kaempferol, than traditionally grown tomatoes. These compounds, part of a group called bioflavonoids, which are just a subclass of antioxidants, have been linked to a reduction in psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, autism, ADHD, and schizophrenia.
A 2005 study in Denmark also discovered that organic vegetables have a higher concentration of flavonoids. The double-blind randomized, crossover study tested 16 participants by giving them either; 1) organic fruit and vegetables, or 2) conventional fruit and vegetables. At the three-week mark, researchers measured both blood and urine samples. The results indicated a significantly higher content of the flavonoid quercitin in the subjects’ who had consumed organic produce.
In another Danish study, rats fed an organic diet experienced various health benefits compared to rats that ate conventional diets. The rats that ate the organic diets had:
- Improved immune system status
- Better sleeping habits
- Less body fat
- Higher vitamin E content in their blood
If you’re going to eat well by choosing whole foods, it doesn’t make sense to put pesticides in your body. Besides, studies have revealed that organic food has substantially more nutritional value than food grown with pesticides.