While the USDA makes no claims that organic foods are safer, more nutritious or better in any way than conventional foods, some differences do exist. Studies show that some organic foods are higher in antioxidants than their conventional counterparts. “On average, when you look at foods that have been tested, organic foods are about 30 percent higher in antioxidants than conventional foods grown in the same area and picked on the same day,” says Alan Greene, MD, a pediatrician at Stanford University’s Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.
For example, USDA researchers found that the three brands of organic ketchup they tested had 55 percent more of the antioxidant lycopene than the non-organic brands they bought. One had double the amounts. At the University of Washington, ongoing studies show that organic strawberries have more vitamin C and antioxidants—and are sweeter—than conventional.
Another benefit of eating a diet of organic foods is that it may result in lower amounts of pesticides in your body. “Reducing exposure to pesticide and herbicide residues is always a desirable feature when choosing foods,” says Jamie Stang, PhD, MPH, RD, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. According to a University of Washington study, when a group of school kids switched to a diet of organically grown foods, the amount of pesticide residues in their urine dropped to undetectable levels. Then they went back on their regular diets. “The levels of pesticides shot right up above EPA safety levels,” says Greene.
