Time Magazine Misses Mark on Organics

In this week's issue of Time Magazine, Dr. Sanjay Gupta rebuts the recent push towards buying organic produce to in his article "Rethinking Organics". Thought I do not doubt Dr. Gupta's factual basis for his opinion (Research from the University of California at Davis) I am distraught by the fact that he has completely left out a very important part of the equation- OUR ENVIRONMENT! Just like many selfish Americans, he seems to only be concerned about himself (what is going into his mouth) and fails to see the proven harmful effects of non-organic and factory farming processes on planet earth! If consumers what to make better buying decisions they need to see the bigger picture.

"Rethinking Organics"

Research has shown that organically grown fruits and vegetables contain higher levels of "flavoniods" a type of antioxidant associated with reduced risks of chronic health conditions like heart disease, certain cancers and even some forms of dementia. Dr. Gutpa says that "Impressive as these findings are, they alone may not be enough to advocate shelling out the extra bucks or driving those few miles farther to buy organic." I say "Not enough!?!?!" If better health and reduced risk of dementia aren't enough of a reason for organic what possibly could be? What ever happened to the say "If you haven't gotten your health you haven't gotten anything?" Apparently Dr. Gutpa seems to think we value our money and time more than we value our health.

Dr. Gutpa warns not to be "seduced by organic produce included in processed foods like frozen meals and spaghetti sauce". He says that the when these organic foods are processed they change in chemical composition and that this process may be "possibly erasing the benefits you think you're getting". "Possibly" being the key word here... Dr. Gutpa has given no research to back this point up, however there is research that shows that non-organic foods are harmful; The USDA provided information that non-organic do contain herbicides and pesticides, which are not washed off before processing and freezing. I think I will risk losing a few "flavoniods" over consuming herbicides and pesticides.

The Bigger Picture

While I will admit that Dr. Gupta is right in saying that Americans need to eat more vegetables no matter whether they are organic or not, I think his article totally missed the mark. In my opinion the benefits of buying organic go well beyond the food I am putting into my body. Environmental protection, water conservation, treatment of animals, and humanity all weight into my decision when making my purchases.

While Dr. Gupta is right in saying there isn't much research yet to prove the benefits of eating organic, there an enormous amount of research showing the devastating effects of pesticides, herbicides, mono-cropping, and factory-farming on our world.

I would hope that Americans would see the bigger picture and not be just so concerned with themselves. Until we can see the world as a whole, see land as a limited resource, and ecosystems as fragile, precious pieces of that picture we will never be able to make the changes that our planet so desperately needs.