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Eat 'Real' Rather Than Organic

The o-word may not mean it's better for you

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 22, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

(Newser) – It seems to be a widespread assumption, but eating organic doesn’t necessarily equal healthy eating, writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times. Organic food consumption is soaring, but the organic label is part of a “marketing program.” To be healthy and help the planet, people should focus on consuming “real ingredients, increasingly from the plant kingdom,” whether or not they're organic, which often means expensive, Bittman argues.

That means staying away from processed food and reducing animal-product consumption, which is huge in the US. “Organic junk food is still junk food,” says an expert. A “real food” diet will help you and help the planet, cutting land, water, and chemical use; eating more plants means less greenhouse gas from the meat industry. And remember, “organic” doesn’t mean “‘safe,’ ‘healthy,’ ‘fair’ or even necessarily ‘good,’” Bittman writes.

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A shopper checks out organic brown eggs at Costco in Mountain View, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Evan Webb, left, and Erik Yablou harvest organic potatoes, Wednesday, July 23, 2008, at Piedmont Biofarm in Pittsboro, NC. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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A Harris poll in October 2007 found that about 30 percent of Americans buy organic food at least on occasion, and most think it is safer, better for the environment and healthier. - Mark Bittman

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Eat 'Real' Rather Than Organic