What organic items are bad?

I heard that not all organic items are good for you. Can anyone list a couple examples?

Thanks

There aren't foods that are bad for you because they are organic, but it's certainly possible to make organic versions of unhealthy foods.  Organic sugar and organic butter come to mind.

Before wasting money on organic stuff, keep in mind the number 1 organic pesticide is Lead.

Original Post by dm84:

Before wasting money on organic stuff, keep in mind the number 1 organic pesticide is Lead.

Do you have a citation for that?

http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/p000001 5/p0000015.asp

Basically, Lead is retained on the surface of soil, and through farming activities, could be forced even lower down. I would hope organic farms would have less lead contamination, but the fact is it's there, organic or not.

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cps idt=1250620

This study done in France indicated that there wasn't a huge difference in the lead and other heavy metal content in organic and inorganic crops.

That makes a little more sense. (You gotta admit, the way you phrased it first was a little misleading.)  Still, I buy local, organic produce whenever I can.  I don't really spend the money for organic mass-produced foods, but I think it's worth it in produce.  I really like talking to the farmers who grow my food at the farmers markets.  The main producer I buy from doesn't even use organic pesticides.  They use beneficial plants and insects to control their pests.  The main benefit for me is a selfish one: it tastes better!

I did a college research project last year regarding the differences between conventional foods and organic foods. There have been relatively few studies as to the health benefits of eating organic, but those that have been conducted as a whole conclude that organic food is healthier.

One of the studies I came across was sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture. It found that organic chickens had 21% less fat, 30% less saturated fat, 50% more Vitamin A and 400% more omega-3 fatty acids than battery-raised birds. They also had 34% less cholesterol.

There are more things to consider about organic food than nutrition, too. Avoiding industrial fertilizers and pesticides is better for the environment -- fertilizer runoff creates a huge dead zone in the gulf of mexico, for example.  And it's safer for the people who plant and pick the food.

Organic cookies.  The sugar and fat are junk food no matter where they come from.  But that's not the main reason I say this....

When I was in college I bought a pack of organic cookies and put them in the glove compartment of my car.  One hot week later I found them and ate them.  I also shared a few with a friend, who used them as topping for ice cream.

I can remember a few times in my life when I became violently sick from something I ate, and this was one of them.  For the next 8 hours I was either lying down with cramps or in the bathroom.  As I weakly wandered in to breakfast to chew some toast the next morning, I saw my friend who at that point was in a pretty upbeat mood.  It didn't last.  Four hours later I poked my head into his dark hot room to see how he was doing.  In a weak voice he said "I think I'm going to die."

Point is, be careful how you store foods that don't have any preservatives.

Original Post by thhq:

Point is, be careful how you store foods that don't have any preservatives.

oh yea... I didn't even think about the preservatives.. thanks :D

Organic peanut butter. And probably the peanuts too.

http://www.deanesmay.com/archives/007598.html

But the dangers are higher for pets than people, I think.

Well, I do know that it is not necessary to buy all fruits and vegetables organically. The Environmental Working Group recently did a study on 44 commonly consumed fruits and veggies and their pesticide levels. The list can be found here: http://www.foodnews.org/

 

Basically, buy the "dirty dozen" organic. Otherwise, save and buy whichever produce is cheaper. ; )

I work on a salad farm and we produce both organic and conventional products. We have never used lead, the closet thing that is used would be a type of copper. Most organic farmers would not broadcast the fact, but all products both conventional and organic leaves have the same amount of pesticides at the time of harvest. The spray that is put on conventional products, is long gone by the time the product is ready for picking.

The reason Organics cost more, is there is a lower yield in an organic field and more weeds to clean out of the products. whether there is taste difference, I think that is more the mind than the product. I eat both interchangeably and never notice that one is better than the other as far as taste.

As far as worker safety, the only person who is in the area when the spaying is done for conventional products is the sprayer, and he is covered head to toe with protective gear as well as breathing apparatuses. Pickers are never allowed in the fields until about 5 days after the spray wait period which can be for 7 to 20 days.

Most govt are very strict on what you can do, and 99% of the companies follow the letter of the law because if you don't, you can be out of business in a day.