Posts Tagged ‘Vegetables’

Very interesting article in the Science Daily.

Fruit Is Even Better For You Than Previously Thought

Dr Sara Arranz from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Madrid. (Credit: Image courtesy of Institute of Food Research)

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2009) — An international team of scientists has found that the polyphenol content of fruits has been underestimated.

Polyphenol content in fruits usually refers to extractable polyphenols, but a Spanish scientist working at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich analysed apple, peach and nectarine. She found that nonextractable polyphenol content is up to five times higher than extractable compounds. This work has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Read more here

Even so, you have to actually eat fruit to get the benefit! The FDA recommends 9 – 14 servings of fresh fruits and veggies daily. Like everyone else I have difficulty getting that amount so I take Juice Plus. It’s a whole food concentrate of 17 fruits, veggies and two grains. You can learn more here

CBS Channel 2 in New York did a piece on organic food being less contaminated than “conventionally grown” commercial produce. The thrust of the piece was positive and makes the the case that organic fruits and veggies have very little contamination but they question if the extra expense is worth the reduced exposure.

What the article doesn’t mention is that “conventionally grown” produce is less nutritious than organic. The way I see it, the extra expense is worth it because not only are you getting less exposure to pesticides but you are also getting a much denser level of nutrition. In addition buying organic supports local growers (typically) and is much more environmentally sustainable.  See the whole CBS article here.

There are numerous studies showing that organic has higher levels of nutrition and minerals. Read here and here. While more expensive initially, I think the cost of organic in the long run will prove to be the better buy.