Organic food healthier...?

Question

I know organic is supposed to be healthier, but on a couple of items, peanut butter for example, I've noticed the fat content is much higher than on regular peanut butter.

What's the better option?

Answer 1

All fruit and vegetables should be bought organic, including potatoes.

Will you answer mine?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 2

Organic Fruits and Vegetables are the best.

But for trivial things like that.. I don't think it really matters; try looking at calories or the nutrition?  

Answer 3

Some organic foods are better, but with peanut better there isn't a huge difference

Answer 4

When it comes to peanut butter, organic is not only free of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and more but it's free of the fillers that are in other peanut butters such as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) which bring the fat content percentage down but make it worse for consuming.

Organic food, everything being equal such as similar travel distance, is indeed healthier (though the corporate/store brands are iffy). It works harder to get the nutrients putting out deeper roots and taking a bit longer to grow so it gets more of the micro nutrients that aren't in modern fertilizers and the dead soils we have these days. For more explaining why organic can be so much better:

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/p...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...

http://organic.insightd.net/science.nutr...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/415395...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Whole-Foo...

http://www.mountvernonfarm.net/benefits....

Peanut oil too is one of the healthy fats and commercial brands often have added hydrogenated (not good) fat added (they sell off the peanut oil for cooking at a premium) which makes it so it doesn't separate but is not natural.

Read the ingredients on the jars. For instance:

"Ground roasted peanuts, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, vegetable monoglycerides, salt, pectin, citric acid, potassium sorbate added as preservattive and sodium citrate."

Check to see what the percentage of peanuts are in the spread. One brand was only 65% peanuts. If you go to a co-op or other store focusing on healthy brands you can often get peanut butter ground while you wait (and in your own jar) and it is nothing but peanuts.

Good peanuts have a lot to recommend them such as Vitamin E, Folate, Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium and Phosphorus as well as Protein, all without cholesterol.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname...

Answer 5

Organic food sometimes tastes better, sometimes tastes worse. As for it being healthier, its usually a 50/50 shot. Sometimes its healthier sometimes in an attempt to maintain "organicness" the food leaves out supplements/ingredients that improve the nutritional rating.

You just have to read the ingredients and %fat/protein etc and make up your mind. But keep in mind just because its organic doesn't mean its always better for you. It is in some degree just a marketing scheme. People are obsessed with whatever latest craze, and right now its healthier foods, so what better way to sell products than call them healthier?

Peanuts in general aren't very good for you. They're a cheap nut, high in protein yes, but also very high in fats. Sure its better than french fries but don't go looking for super-healthy peanut better.

When it comes to deciding whether to buy organic or not, just take it in a case-by-case basis. If the non-organic looks healthier and doesn't contain dietary evils such as High Fructose Corn Syrup, Phosphoric Acid, Collagen, etc. You're ok.