The truth is, organic food may be just as, more, or less nutritious than their non-organic counterparts. There are many factors which can affect a food’s nutrient content, including how it is grown, stored, processed, and cooked.
To elaborate: growing conditions, especially the nutrient content of the soil, are going to impact the nutrient content of the food. The lack of chemical fertilizers or pesticides is no guarantee of the quality of the soil in which the food is being grown.
Storing temperature, humidity, and length of time will all affect the degradation of nutrients in food.
As for processing, the more that is done, the more degradation that will occur. Even the process of cutting food into smaller pieces can destroy some nutrients. For example, Vitamin E is very susceptible to degradation by light, so a food that has been cut into many smaller pieces has more surface area exposed to light & air…hence, more degradation.
Finally, some nutrients, like Vitamin C are destroyed by heat, or will leach out of foods when cooked in water (water-soluble vitamins).
The one thing that can be said for organic is that there will not be any chemical pesticide residues on them; natural pesticides may be in use, however, so they still should be washed carefully.
For a little more info on organic vs non-organic food, check out this site on eatrightontario.ca.
The moral of the story is, for maximum nutrient retention, get your produce in season and grown as close to home as possible. Failing that, for off-season foods, buy frozen…frozen foods are picked at peak ripeness and flash frozen immediately, thereby preserving more of the vitamins and the fullest flavour. Whether you buy organic or not is entirely up to you.
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