There's been an ongoing debate as to whether or not organically-grown foods are healthier than conventional varieties. Some studies have confirmed that organic foods tend to contain higher levels of nutrients like vitamins and minerals, while others found the nutritional difference between them wasn't particularly impressive.

It's important to realize that nutrient content will be largely dictated by the health of the soils in which it is grown. It's unlikely for organic foods grown in depleted soils to see a significant boost in nutrients.

Organic food is typically grown in regenerative agricultural systems that are replete with micronutrients and healthy microbes. As a result, organic produce will tend to be more nutritious than their conventional counterparts.

But another factor that comes into play in this discussion is the presence of pesticides. As you probably know, or should know, conventional agriculture is heavily dependent on synthetic pesticides, whereas organic standards prohibit their use.

It stands to reason, then, that organic foods would expose you to lower amounts of toxic chemicals, which in and of itself can result in improved health. In fact, a key part of a healthy diet and lifestyle in general is the absence of toxic chemicals.

Last December I interviewed André Leu about his book The Myths of Safe Pesticides. If you're of the belief that pesticides are safe, and therefore of no concern when selecting foods, you may want to listen to that interview, provided above for your convenience.

Organic Diet Results in Lower Pesticide Load

Claimed to be the largest of its kind, a new study¹ published in the Environmental Health Perspectives looked at the diets of nearly 4,500 people living in six US cities, assessing exposure levels to organophosphates (OPs), which are among the most commonly used insecticides on American farms.

Participants' organophosphate levels were estimated using USDA data2 on the average levels of pesticide residue found in the fruits and vegetables that each individual reported eating.

To verify the accuracy of their estimates, they compared their calculated pesticide exposures to the actual levels of pesticide metabolites (breakdown products) excreted in the urine of a subset of 720 participants.

Not surprisingly, those who ate conventionally-grown produce were found to have high concentrations of OP metabolites, whereas those who ate organic produce had significantly lower levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY_F_coh9xQ