Food for thought

By Stacey Lolacher

I read an interesting study the other day, and then watched news services light up their opinions on it. The study wanted to know whether there was a nutritional difference between organic and non-organic produce. This study was carried out over almost fifty years, and included numerous doctors, scientists, and researchers from around the world. One of their most widely discussed results was the following – in 7 of the 10 nutritional factors that were examined, there was almost no difference in nutrition between organic and non-organic produce.

I don’t doubt for a moment that there are people that buy organic food because they think it’s more nutritious. However, the reason that I purchase organic produce some of the time was not examined by this study. When it looks good, I buy organic produce because I really don’t like the idea of eating fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed down with pesticides and other chemicals. I don’t like the potential damage to the soil and aquifers, nor to the people who breathe it in over time. I don’t think that the base mineral and vitamin content are changed or increased somehow, simply because a vegetable has been grown organically – but I am glad that there are farms (locally and around the world) who put a value on growing their produce without a dousing of chemicals.

Great examples of local farm produce, including organic products, can be found in the heart of downtown Regina (on the 1900 block of Scarth Street) every Wednesday and Saturday until 1pm. Now that you know that it’s all equally nutritious, indulge and check it out!