Zoe - organic food
Posted: July 21st, 2023, 8:46 am
Another interesting podcast from the Zoe people this week, the subject was organic food, well worth a listen.
Things I never knew include that non-organic oats have particularly high levels of organophosphates and glyphosates as they are sprayed just before harvesting to help dry them dry out, non-organic strawberries also have higher than average amounts but for different reasons. Organic fruit and veg have about 40% higher levels of polyphenols (good for the gut microbes) than their non-organic equivalents, the polyphenols are produced by the plant to fend off predators, something non-organic plants don't have to do because it's all done for them so they can put their energy into growing bigger. Non-organic fruit and veg is still very good for the fibre but very much reduced in nutrients especially those polyphenols.
If you're going to buy anything organic make it tomatoes because we all eat quite a lot of them and being watery they absorb more of the chemicals. Organic tinned and frozen foods are cheaper to produce/store and therefore to buy. Non-organic things that have a skin that you peel off are probably ok, e.g. avocados, onions etc.
There was something about not being able to trust the labels but I don't think they went into that unless I missed it.
I'm off out to buy some frozen organic berries if I can find some.
Things I never knew include that non-organic oats have particularly high levels of organophosphates and glyphosates as they are sprayed just before harvesting to help dry them dry out, non-organic strawberries also have higher than average amounts but for different reasons. Organic fruit and veg have about 40% higher levels of polyphenols (good for the gut microbes) than their non-organic equivalents, the polyphenols are produced by the plant to fend off predators, something non-organic plants don't have to do because it's all done for them so they can put their energy into growing bigger. Non-organic fruit and veg is still very good for the fibre but very much reduced in nutrients especially those polyphenols.
If you're going to buy anything organic make it tomatoes because we all eat quite a lot of them and being watery they absorb more of the chemicals. Organic tinned and frozen foods are cheaper to produce/store and therefore to buy. Non-organic things that have a skin that you peel off are probably ok, e.g. avocados, onions etc.
There was something about not being able to trust the labels but I don't think they went into that unless I missed it.
I'm off out to buy some frozen organic berries if I can find some.