Although new research shows that it is often cheaper to eat fast food than preparing food at home, it does not mean that fast food yields a healthy meal. On the contrary, new research also indicates that organic food is healthier for you. When weighing the cost of money versus health in the long run, perhaps organic food presents the better savings.

Better Nutrition

If you eat bananas, spinach, and kiwi fruit to raise your potassium levels and fight high blood pressure, you already know how to target foods for their nutritional content. But you may not know that if you chose organic fruits and vegetables, you would reap even more vitamins, as well as more minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. Findings from 41 separate studies indicate that organic food has 27% more vitamin C than foods grown with pesticides. Foods grown with organic practices also contain 21% more iron, 13% more phosphorus, and 21% more magnesium. Future studies may prove that organic produce offers many more nutrients as well.

High Antioxidant Levels

In addition to an increase in nutritional value, organically grown fruits and vegetables offer higher levels of antioxidants, which inhibit the growth of cancer. Foods grown with organic efforts contain higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid. Organic vegetables and fruit may also contain up to 97% more flavonoid compounds. Higher levels of the compounds quercetin, aglycones and kaempferol were also found in organic fruit. Organic tomatoes especially demonstrate this difference.

Lower Fat

Organic vegetables and fruits are not the only foods to demonstrate better health qualities. Organic milk is also better to drink than typical milk. Organic milk contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as alpha-LNA, CLA, MUFA, and cis-9 content. In addition to being of higher nutritional value, organic milk has also been found to have a lower fat content than traditional milk. These findings, however, may be unique to the organic practices in Greece, where the study was conducted. More research is necessary before similar results can be declared for other nations. The diet of the cows is thought to be a key factor in why their milk is superior.

Lack of Harm

From a strictly common sense angle, organic fruits, vegetables, and milk are better for you because they do not contain harmful pesticides, herbicides, or hormones. All of these chemicals have been found to have mild to severe effects on humans, from hormone disruption to inciting behavioral issues. While some harm from these substances is short-term, such as headaches and nausea, there are also reported cases where heavy exposure led to cancer or even death. Some of these chemicals are even banned in countries that are willing to acknowledge their harms. It is logical that organic crops are better for you, but until now people simply used their instincts to make such a claim. Now science has proven that when you choose organic options, you do opt for better nutrition and health overall. Consumers now have the statistics to back up their more expensive grocery decisions. Above Image Source: Flickr/Creative Commons/George M. Groutas