Lucies Organic Store - UK

Organic Food, Shops, Farms & Restaurants

Organic Food

Does organic food contain more nutrients?

Yes, it does, it contains less water and more nutrients - Using artificial fertilisers increases the amount of water in fruit and vegetables. This method produces much bigger yields but it waters down the amount of nutrients in the fruit and vegetables.

More vitamin C & Minerals - Looking at the research that compares the nutrient contents of non-organic and organic fruit and vegetables shows a strong trend towards organic produce having higher levels. Of 27 comparisons of the vitamin C and mineral content in non-organic and organic crops, significantly higher levels were shown in 14 organic samples compared with just 1 favouring non-organic.

More antioxidants - Naturally, plants have a compound that help them to fight against diseases and pests. They are called phytonutrients, and there are about 5000 - 10000 of them found. Because organic farming doesnt allow the use of artificial pesticides, the crops develop more naturally occurring phytonutrients. Cancer is one of todays societies big killers, and in this fight antioxidants have been proven to help. Lots of the phytonutrients have antioxidant properties.

Is organic food better for you?

When we look at health we need to define what we mean, it is not just about not having any diseases. It is the overall well-being and vitality of our mind and our body. There are serious concerns about our overall health due to the increase in infertility, allergies and lots of diseases such as cancer. I know that as a society we are making incredible advances in medicine such as disease treatment, but there is little emphasis on preventative medicine.

With preventative medicine in mind, can organic food make a difference to our health?

There have been clinical tests and observational evidence to suggest that it can. It is difficult to carry out controlled studies with people because of complicating factors such as lifestyle and genes. There has been however controlled animal feeding trials which has evidence that is very clear, animals that are fed organically produced feed are healthier in terms of reproductive health, growth and recovery from illness. Compared with animals fed with non-organic feed, even over successive generations.

Are there fewer additives in organic food?

Organic food processors are prohibited from using a host of ingredients that researches say might be harmful to our health. However, other non-organic food processors can use more than 500 additives. Some of the additives that are suggested to be harmful include phosphoric acid, monosodium glutamate, aspartame, sulphur dioxide, artificial colourings and flavourings and hydrogenated fat.

Is organic food safer?

Pesticide residues are found more frequently in non-organic food compared with being rarely found in organic food. Non-organic food samples have concluded that pesticides are found in 1 in 3 samples each year, also multiple debris of up to 7 different compounds are not unusual. Pesticides are tested for safety but they are tested individually, which means we do not know very much about the effects of a mixture of multiple residues and there effect on our health. Some research has suggested that the 'cocktail' can be hundreds of times more toxic that the same compounds on their own.