Nutrition

Mineral levels in fresh produce have been falling for over 50 years.[71], [72] Even though the typical western diet is more varied now than ever before, many people fail to achieve the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for a variety of nutrients, and health is declining as a result.[73], [74]

Forty-six percent of British shoppers believe organic foods contain more vitamins and minerals than conventional foods.[2] And although the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) vigorously denies there is any nutritional difference, many studies have shown organic products to have greater levels of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fatty acids and other substances beneficial to health.

Vitamins and minerals

A study of fresh potatoes, wheat and sweet corn bought in supermarkets found that the average level of minerals in organic foods was about twice that of non-organic foods. The study also found decreased levels of the dangerous heavy metals mercury, lead, aluminium and cadmium in organic products.[76]

In 2001, a comprehensive review was published of 41 scientific studies like the one above. The studies, from countries around the world, covered more than 27 different crops and 37 different vitamins and minerals. The review found that, on average, organic crops contained 29 percent more magnesium, 27 percent more vitamin C, 21 percent more iron, 13 percent more phosphorus, 26 percent more calcium, 11 percent more copper, 42 percent more manganese and 9 percent more potassium than conventional crops.[71] In the most commonly studied crops - spinach, lettuce, cabbage, potato and carrot - organic crops showed even higher nutritional superiority. Organic foods also appeared to have less of the toxic heavy metals lead, cadmium, mercury and aluminium than conventional crops. Values for the most commonly studied minerals are shown in the graph below.

Phytonutrients and anti-oxidants

Phytonutrients with known beneficial (often antioxidant) effects on human health are higher in organic produce for various reasons, including varietal choice, crop maturity and crop protection methods. Organic foods have increased levels of lycopene in tomatoes[78], polyphenols in potatoes[79], flavonols in apples[80] and resveratol in red wine.[81] It has been tentatively estimated that organic produce tends to contain between 10-50 percent more phytonutrients than non-organic produce.[82]


A study at the National Institute of Food & Nutrition Research (Inran) in Italy found that organic pears, peaches and oranges are richer in anti-oxidants than conventional fruits.[83] Without giving figures, the researchers told a news agency that organic William's pears contain less fiber, but more sugar, more vitamin C and more anti-oxidants compared to their conventional counterparts. They also found organic Regina Bianca peaches to contain more anti-oxidants and a greater concentration of iron and calcium compared to conventional ones.

Salicylic acid

Organic vegetable soups contain almost six times as much salicylic acid as non-organic soups.[84] This acid is responsible for the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin, helps fight hardening of the arteries and reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes and bowel cancer.


The average level of salicylic acid in 11 brands of organic vegetable soup on sale in Britain is 117 nanograms per gram, compared with 20 ng/g in 24 types of non-organic soup. The highest concentration of the acid, 1040 ng/g, was found in carrot and coriander soup made by Simply Organic in Scotland, while it was not detectable in four traditional soups made by Scottish company Baxters.

Protein

Organic grains have less protein than conventional grains, but this protein is of a higher quality, i.e. it has more pure protein and essential amino acids, and lower free amino acids.[71], [85], [86]

Good fats, bad fats


Red meat has a bad image. Not only do most beef cuts have a high fat content, ranging from 35-75 percent, but more than half of total fat is saturated. A diet high in saturated fats can increase cholesterol levels and the risk of obesity, cancer and heart disease.[87] Chicken and fish, especially oily fish such as tuna and salmon, are often chosen as the healthy alternatives.

But beef isn't necessarily bad. The level and types of fat it contains depend on what the cow ate before it was slaughtered.

Fifty years ago, almost all cattle ate their natural diet of fresh grass and clover. Nowadays, most non-organic beef comes from cows fed on a diet high in corn and supplemented with anything from maize silage and legumes to processed animal remains, tropical fruits, chocolate, potato chips and pretzels. These unnatural diets not only cause health problems for the cows (nosebleeds, pulmonary embolic aneurysm, abscesses, pneumonia and death), but result in beef high in saturated fat.

Whereas 'factory' cows may never get to eat fresh grass, all organic beef (and some non-organic beef) comes from cattle pastured on fresh grass and clover, sometimes supplemented with hay or silage (fermented grass). As a result, 'grass fed beef' is low in saturated fat and high in omega fatty acids, CLA and vitamin E.

Omega fatty acids

Omega-3 stimulates: Omega-3 stimulates: Brain, nerve and eye development Growth Omega-3 helps prevent: Allergies Alzheimer's Disease and dementia Arthritis and Psoriasis Attention deficit disorder Cancer Coronary artery disease Depression Diabetes Dyslexia Eczema Heart disease High blood pressure Inflammatory and autoimmune disorders Schizophrenia Violence Weight gain

Omega-3 and omega-6 are essential fatty acids commonly associated with oily fish, but are found in a wide range of foods, including beef.[88] The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in the human diet is 3:1, about the same level found in fish. Eating a balanced ratio of essential fatty acids is linked with a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and mental disorders, to name a few. However, if the ratio rises above 4:1, health problems begin to emerge. Grain fed beef has an estimated omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 20:1 or 25:1, well above the risky 4:1 level. However, grass fed beef has a ratio of 3:1, ideal for human health. Similar ratios are also found in grain fed and grass fed livestock products, such as milk and butter.

The different ratios in grain fed and grass fed cows also occur in other types of livestock. A study at North Dakota State University found that grain fed bison had an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 21:1, whereas grass fed bison had a ratio of 4:1.

When chickens are housed indoors and deprived of grass, their meat and eggs also become artificially low in omega-3s, and the ratio increases to 20:1.[90] Free-range eggs have as much as 20 times more omega-3 than eggs from factory hens.



CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)

Meat and dairy products from grass fed cattle are the richest known sources of CLA.[95] Cows that are allowed to graze on fresh grass produce five times more CLA in their milk than those fed silage or hay.[93] The fat that animals use to produce CLA is oxidized during the wilting, drying process, so for maximum CLA, animals need to be grazing living pasture.

Cheese from grass fed cows is more than four times richer in CLA than cheese from grain fed cows. [94]

The level of CLA can be boosted even further by changing the type of grass and clover cows eat.[95] When dairy cows graze pasture that contains 20 percent red clover, they produced 50 percent more CLA than cows that graze on grasses alone.[96] And when cattle graze on organic pasture, the levels of CLA double.[97]

Vitamin E

Standard poultry feed is supplemented with small amounts of vitamin E, but is still well below the levels of vitamin E that chickens get from fresh pasture. This vitamin E gets passed on to the consumer. An egg from a pastured hen has 30 percent more vitamin E than a factory egg.[101]

Pigs raised on pasture have 300 percent more vitamin E and 74 percent more selenium (a vital antioxidant) in their milk than pigs raised indoors. This bounty of nutrients promotes healthier litters, shorter farrowing times, and good milk let down. The pigs' meat is enriched with vitamins as well. Fortifying the pigs' diet with synthetic vitamins, the standard practice in factory farming, does not achieve the same results, because the artificial vitamins are more poorly absorbed. [102]