The organic food industry has grown bigger and bigger, yet so many people continue to be confused by the industry, the word, and what it does and doesn’t mean. Hopefully I can clear up some of these issues and help you make a more informed decision as to whether organic foods are worth your extra dollars.

Can Processed Food Be Organic?

Let’s get one thing out of the way. There are a lot of heavily processed foods with the “organic” label on the front of their packages. While they may contain between 70-100% organic ingredients, processed food is still processed food. These foods are not optimal for nutrition, so there’s really not much of a difference if the processed food you’re eating is organic or not.

I always advocate for the inclusion of as many whole foods in our diets as possible, so for the purpose of this article, I’m going to be exclusively addressing whole produce and minimally-processed packaged foods.

What Does “USDA Organic” Mean?

According to the USDA website:

Certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives…Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest.

Sounds good right? But who is enforcing these rules and are there any factors that may corrupt the system? 

According to Kip Pastor’s award-winning documentary, In Organic We Trust, the term “certified organic” has become a marketing tool. What was once a grassroots movement has become a thirty billion dollar corporate industry. Because the certified agents responsible for ensuring organic farmers are utilizing proper practices charge farmers additional money to retain their organic label, these agents are essentially incentivized to preserve organic certification even if a farm is cutting corners and not quite meeting standards.

But despite the drawbacks, Pastor comes out in favor of organic foods in his documentary, and I agree with him. Surely there are some significant flaws in the system, but that doesn’t mean that every food labeled organic is bogus. There are plenty of smaller farmers and even larger corporations continuing to adhere to high quality and pesticide-free farming standards.

Does Organic Produce Have Higher Nutrient Content?

It’s hard to make sweeping generalizations about what has become a massive industry, but various studies have suggested that organic produce does tend to have higher micronutrient content than produce sprayed with pesticides.¹

Why might this be the case, aside from the argument of better soil quality, which might not always be true? Scientists suggest that because organic plants are exposed to pests and forced to deal with them, they much build up greater natural defenses to survive, which translates to higher antioxidant and other phytochemical content. 

How Dangerous Are Pesticides Really?

We know pesticides are bad for us. According to the EPA and studies done on farmers who work with pesticides, the majority of pesticides in use are linked with various cancers and Parkinson’s disease.^2,3 But for those of us who aren’t spraying pesticides all over the place and are merely consuming low levels of pesticide residue found on conventionally farmed produce, how much of an effect do these chemicals have on our health? 

The general consensus is that the consumption of large amounts of whole plant foods, organic or not, has a massively powerful effect on lowering cancer and other chronic disease rates, and many scientists argue that the effect of pesticide residue in our diets is minimal, with the exception of a couple populations – pregnant women and children. Recent studies have linked certain pesticide exposure found on produce such as corn, berries, apples, grapes, and peaches with ADHD, low birth rate, and developmental problems in children.^4,5

What Foods Are Most Important to Buy Organic?

Every year, the Environmental Working Group publishes two lists known as the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, the foods that test for the most and least pesticides. The Dirty Dozen are foods that are more important to buy organic and the Clean Fifteen are safer to buy conventional. 

The Organic Take-Home

So, let’s see where we’re at now. We’re not sure if organic produce is always organic. Pesticides might not pose a serious risk to adults. And the benefits of ingesting whole plant material, organic or not, outweigh any risks. So should we forget about the organic thing and just buy whatever we can afford?

Now that you’re armed with this information, the decision is really up to you. Personally, I still buy organic produce whenever I can, especially the fruits and vegetables on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. Organic produce typically tastes better to me, and the evidence that organic produce contains higher nutrient content and the fact that it’s better for the environment are enough for me to be convinced.

What are your thoughts? What foods do you always buy organic and why? Please post to the comments below.

References:

1. Baranski, M., et al. “Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses.” British Journal of Nutrition. September 2014.

2. Brown TP., et al. “Pesticides and Parkinson’s disease–is there a link?” Environmental Health Perspectives. February 2006.

3. Zahm SH, Blair A., “Cancer among migrant and seasonal farmworkers: an epidemiologic review and research agenda.” American Jourmal of Industrial Medicine. December 1993.

4. Rauch SA., Braun JM., Barr DB., et al. “Associations of prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticide metabolites with gestational age and birth weight.” Environmental Health Perspectives. July 2012.

5. Bouchard MF., et al. “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides.” Pediatrics. May 2010.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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When Betty Lou’s products arrived, I did a double take. The return address was from McMinnville, Oregon. My dad’s whole side of his family is from a small town outside McMinnville called Carlton. For folks that live in Carlton, they use McMinnville to describe where they are from the same way that people from Burbank say they are from Los Angeles.

As I shook off the nostalgia of enjoying my grandmother’s treats years ago, not far from Betty Lou’s, Inc. headquarters, I had my first experience with Betty Lou’s products. Betty Lou sent two different types of tasty treats: nut butter balls and powdered peanut butter.

Right off the bat, it’s important to note the components of Betty Lou’s products and what separates them from other brands. Betty Lou’s foundation comes from, you guessed it, a woman named Betty Lou, who took refined sugars out of her family’s home some 32 years ago. Her products today still reflect that crucial point. The products are free of wheat, refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, and genetically modified foods.

Betty Lou’s Nut Butter balls are snack-sized balls that come in various flavors and are perfect for a quick bite or as a convenient emergency meal to store in a gym bag or purse. With that portion size in mind, you can begin to understand the product better, as the ingredients affect the look and texture of each flavor. The nut butter balls come in an assortment of flavors including: peanut butter, almond butter, high protein almond butter, coconut macadamia, cashew pecan, and spirulina ginseng.

My personal favorite was the coconut macadamia flavor. Not only was it incredibly tasty, it was amazingly true to its name. In my opinion, some of the other flavors had ingredients that took unnecessary dominance in the flavor profile. The ingredient list for the different flavors includes a cocktail of fairly benign ingredients like fruit juices, brown rice syrup, and gluten free oats. These ingredients, though important for things like stability and consistency, made for a less that straight forward flavor profile in seemingly simple flavor titles like peanut butter, for example. The coconut macadamia didn’t have that issue.

Betty Lou’s Just Great Stuff Powdered Peanut Butter was my first experience with a “just add water” type of food. This 100% certified organic powdered peanut butter is made of just three ingredients: organic peanuts, sea salt, and sustainably harvested coconut sugar.

If you’re like me, you may be wondering, why is it powdered? Well, the purpose is two-fold. The powdered version of peanut butter allows for a label claim that it has 85% less fat than traditional peanut butter. For example, Just Great Stuff Powdered Peanut Butter has 1.5 grams of fat per two tablespoons, while your traditional Jiffy Peanut Butter has 16 grams in the same two-tablespoon serving. A secondary reason for choosing a powdered format is that it is more ideal for including in shakes. Anyone who has made a shake or smoothie in the past with peanut butter can tell you it’s not the most easily mixed ingredient. This product gives you a great peanut butter ingredient without the stubborn mess of globs of traditional peanut butter. It also comes in both regular and chocolate flavors.

All and all, I see Betty Lou’s as a brand name that bridges the gap from the staunch rigidity of the health food crowd and the Wild West of America’s processed food industry. With valuable, clear distinctions in Betty Lou’s products, like being gluten free and free of refined sugars, they are able to make serious strides in their health claims without excluding the masses who aren’t devoted nutritional purists.

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