A 2012 analysis estimates that today’s children age 0-5 in the US have lost more than 16 million IQ points from exposure to organophosphate pesticides. They’re exposed to these pesticides almost entirely from our food.

Organic foods are grown without the use of toxic synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, artificial hormones, or genetic engineering. They depend on cultivating healthy soil to grow healthy plants to produce healthy animals.

But not long ago, headlines blared that a new study had found that organic food isn’t any healthier. Let’s look behind the headlines, causing many parents to wonder whether organic was really worth it.

The study in question wasn’t new science, but a compilation and analysis of some of the existing studies comparing organic to conventional food. What did this paper find?

1) Pesticides

Conventional produce is more than five times more likely than organic to come with any pesticide residues. (38% of samples versus 7%).  The study didn’t go a step further and consider that when pesticides are found on conventional produce, the pesticides are often more toxic, present at higher levels, and come as mixtures of different chemicals.

The study also didn’t include the large body of literature about the toxic effects of some of these pesticides.

The authors concluded that this five-fold difference in pesticides couldn’t matter because the total amounts are so small. I strongly disagree. Pharmaceutical drugs are powerful, refined chemicals designed to improve health. They can have desired health effects on our brain function, sexual function, and fertility at concentrations in our bodies of only parts per billion. Synthetic pesticides are also powerful, refined chemicals, but designed to destroy or inhibit life. Why couldn’t they have undesirable health effects on our brain function, sexual function, and fertility when present in our bodies at similar concentrations?

If everyone in the country smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, it would be very difficult to tell that cigarettes caused lung cancer in a small, but significant, percentage of those who smoke. Today, almost all of us carry synthetic pesticides in our blood – pesticides that get there from our food. This is true even in babies at the moment of birth. I participated in a study with the Environmental Working Group where we analyzed umbilical cord blood and found pesticides in every baby tested. We found 21 different synthetic pesticides in babies’ blood.

One group of pesticides, the organophosphates, were originally produced as nerve agents during World War II. We still have much to learn about their health effects, but higher levels of exposure (in real world conditions) have been linked to lower IQ, memory problems, developmental problems, and ADHD.

The 16 million IQ points lost in young children from organophosphates carries a price tag of more than $169 billion in lost productivity when they grow up. And we take out a new debt of $28-30 billion every year – about the same amount as the total amount of money spent on organic food each year in the US.

Choosing organic food can drop a child’s organophosphate pesticide exposure almost overnight. In another study, suburban Seattle children had their urine tested multiple times for evidence of organophosphate pesticides and it was present in all samples, suggesting exposure above what the EPA set as a safe level. Then the children were switched to mostly organic food. The pesticides disappeared. They were virtually undetectable in morning and evening urine samples for five days. Then the children were switched back to their typical suburban diet and the levels found in their urine shot back up.

We can decrease pesticide exposure on the very next shopping trip.

The EPA says, “Protecting children from the potential effects of pesticides is one of EPA’s most important responsibilities. Pesticides have widespread uses and may affect children’s health in a variety of settings. We recognize that children are at greater risk from pesticide exposure.”

Choosing organic is a choice for decreasing toxic pesticides in our air, water, and farmers – as well as on our plates and in our children.

2) Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

When you buy conventional food you are three times more likely to bring multidrug resistant bacteria into your home than when buying organic. (48.4% of samples versus 15.9%).

The authors found this difference, but concluded it was unimportant because they thought bacterial resistance is fueled primarily by human antibiotic use.

Resistant bacteria are emerging as a major health threat.

According to the FDA, “Today, almost all important bacterial infections in the United States and throughout the world are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. The smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling the spread of resistance.”

We know what causes resistance. When bacteria are exposed to antibiotics they develop ways to survive, making them more resistant to antibiotics.

We also know that the routine use of antibiotics in our conventional livestock to fatten them up dwarfs the amount of antibiotics used to treat all human diseases. The FDA recognizes the problem and has asked for drug companies to voluntarily remove agricultural production from their antibiotic product labels, but widespread antibiotic use continues in conventional agriculture. Four fifths of all antibiotics used in the US are used in our agricultural animals.

The most highly resistant bacteria discovered so far were found not in hospitals or clinics, but in the soil.

Organic food, which doesn’t allow the use of antibiotics, is part of the solution to resistant bacteria – in our environment and in our own homes.

Behind the Headlines

The headlines trumpeted that organic isn’t worth extra money. The study in question found a five-fold difference in pesticides and a three-fold difference in multidrug resistant bacteria (plus significantly higher healthy omega-3 fats in organic). It didn’t even look at differences related to the use of artificial hormones or genetic engineering – or of artificial colorings, preservatives, and sweeteners in processed foods.

Every bite of food is an investment in our bodies or a debt of some kind we are taking out that we will have to pay back. Good food, organic food, is a delicious investment.

Today’s children are less healthy than they were a generation ago, and science shows that pesticides are contributing to the trend. This is the core finding of a new report from Pesticide Action Network, A Generation in Jeopardy.

As a mom I find this report both profoundly disturbing and deeply motivating. As one of the report co-authors, I’m hoping A Generation in Jeopardy will jumpstart a long overdue national conversation about how pesticides are undermining our children’s health and intelligence — and how we can do better.

It’s Time to Follow the Science

Our team of scientists at PAN reviewed more than 200 recent studies exploring how pesticides are linked to a range of childhood health harms. We also looked at government data tracking the trends in these diseases and disorders.

From learning disabilities, ADHD and autism to childhood cancers, early puberty and more, many childhood diseases are on the rise, and a growing body of evidence points to pesticide exposure as a significant contributor.

Here are just a few of the startling findings we highlight:

• 400,000-600,000 of the 4 million children born in the U.S. each year are affected by some sort of developmental disability. This is up 17% in the past 15 years, and public health experts are raising the alarm about a “silent pandemic” of learning disabilities and disorders undermining the potential of an entire generation of children. The science linking exposure to neurotoxic pesticides to harm of the developing brain and nervous system is especially strong.
• More than 10,000 children are now diagnosed with cancer every year, and incidence of leukemia and childhood brain tumors, the two most common types of childhood cancer, have risen 40% and 50%, respectively since 1975. Studies suggest that exposure to pesticides during pregnancy and early childhood is contributing to this trend.
• Today, more than 7 million U.S. children are affected by asthma, up from an estimated 2 million in 1980. Emerging science points to pesticides as a possible contributing factor.

The list goes on.

To be clear, pesticides are not the only driver of these health harms. Scientists agree there are many factors at play, and that there is often a combination of genetics and environmental contaminants involved.

But pesticide exposure is a piece of the puzzle that we can do something about — if we set our minds to it, roll up our sleeves and work together to make change.

^{Image source: See the report A Generation in Jeopardy for a full list of citations.}

Dr. Greene’s Answer:

Carrots and Nitrates. Really?

Not a problem at 6 months.

Parents are often told that it is not safe to feed your baby carrots, spinach, beets, turnips, or collard greens that you make at home: skip the root vegetables and leafy greens, give them what comes in a jar. I disagree!

It’s time to put this myth to rest. The kind of nitrate poisoning of concern is a rare form of anemia called methemoglobinemia.

The symptoms are obvious: the baby’s skin has a bluish tinge. There has only been one reported case of a baby with nitrate poisoning from homeprepared vegetable foods in the United States. In 1973. It was a young baby boy who drank too much contaminated carrot juice.

Moreover, commercial baby foods in the United States can also contain high levels of nitrates—and it’s not just the roots and greens.

Methemoglobinemia in babies is almost always caused by drinking infant formula, not by eating homemade baby food. This can happen when the formula is made with water (usually well water) contaminated by nitrates from synthetic fertilizer runoff from conventional, chemical farming.

Breastfeeding is safe from nitrates, even if mothers drink this water.

Beyond this, breastfeeding is protective. The predominant beneficial bacteria in the digestive systems of breastfed babies protects against methemoglobinemia even if the baby is exposed to nitrates.

The official AAP guidelines on nitrates say: “Home-prepared infant foods from vegetables (e.g., spinach, beets, green beans, squash, carrots) should be avoided until infants are 3 months or older.” (Emphasis mine).

I wish these guidelines were more widely repeated.

Nitrates are mostly a risk to the lingering fetal blood cells that are gone by around three months of age. By six months, the stomach acidifies, and the risk plummets further.

To avoid any nitrate problems in your baby, I suggest that you do the following:

1. Breastfeed.
2. Don’t mix formula with well water, unless it is known to have low nitrates.
3. Avoid feeding your baby commercial or homemade vegetables before three months.
4. Choose organic vegetables (see “Reap the Benefits of Green,” in Feeding Baby Green).
5. Use or freeze opened or homemade baby food within twenty-four hours. Refrigerator storage can increase nitrates.

For me, the best thing about Thanksgiving is usually the side dishes.  Ever since I was a little girl I have loved mashed potatoes—making a mountain of them on my plate and creating a little lake for the butter.  So yummy.

But did you know that potatoes are on the dirty dozen list of produce that is heavily treated with pesticides. Who knew?  It seems that they have such a nice thick skin this wouldn’t be a problem.  According to the Environmental Working Group, the potato is a vegetable most likely to retain its pesticide residue.  So, buy organic potatoes for your Thanksgiving meal, and always, to reduce your family’s pesticide exposure!

Next up, local breads.  Find and test out several local loafs before the big day.  You’ll be supporting local businesses, and lessening your carbon footprint by buying locally made food.  Use Local Harvest to track down your nearest bakery or farm.  My favorite is a seeded baguette from Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex.  You can simply dip this bread into a dip made from high quality olive oil and diced garlic, or local whipped ricotta with a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

Greens, squash, and beans, oh my!  For your vegetables, think simple, organic, local and fresh.  Everyone loves fresh green beans cooked in a little bit of water and lightly browned, finished with healthy dash of lemon and sea salt. Delicata squash also makes a visually beautiful and healthy addition to a salad, or on its own.  Slice the squash into C shapes, and roast with a little olive oil and salt at 350 until soft and slightly brown.  For a regular salad of greens, use local spinach and add toasted walnuts and a local, specialty cheese to make it unique.

Don’t forget to serve locally made beverages such as cider, wine, or fair trade organic coffees and teas with your meal.

Now you can love those tasty, local, and healthy side dishes, which in my view, are the best part of any Thanksgiving dinner.

People often ask if organic is really that much better. It often costs more – sometimes much more. In today’s economy buying organic and feeling a family on a budget can take a lot of planning and often extra work. Is it worth it? I think so. That’s why I sit on the Board of Directors of The Organic Center. Over the next five days, we will publish the Center’s Top 12 Reasons to Go Organic, complied by my good friend, Dr. Chuck Benbrook.

I’d love to hear your candid thoughts and ideas for how you shop to get the best foods at affordable prices.

Thanks for reading! Dr. Greene

12. Create Healthier Working Environments for Farmworkers and Rural Neighbors. Farming is second only to mining on the list of the most hazardous occupations. Unless great care is exercised, exposures to toxic pesticides, caustic fertilizers, and other chemicals will pose risks for many people working on or living near farms. Organic farmers simply do not use high-risk chemical materials and so workers, and rural neighbors, have one less health risk to worry about.

11. Organic Food Delivers More Intense Flavors. Organic fruits and vegetables more often than not have higher levels of flavor-enhancing nutrients, coupled with lower concentrations of water and sugars. The end result–typically more intense and complex flavors. Plus, no artificial food colors or preservatives are added to any organic foods.

The Washington Post released a report today titled, The Organic Movement. The Post looked at current research, and interviewed organic farmers and other organic leaders for their insights. I was asked, “What are simple changes parents can make to help baby have the healthiest start possible?” Then I was given a 150 word limit. Talk about a challenge!

After much deliberation, here’s my short answer to their question: Babies are built from food.  Human milk is the perfect, complex food to start. If there’s one best time in life to choose organic foods, it’s the window of early development from pregnancy through infancy, when development is fastest and most complex. Their rapidly growing bodies benefit most from excellent building blocks and are most vulnerable to environmental toxins. In the US, the most common solid food for babies is conventional white rice baby cereal – basically refined white flour. This can set the trajectory of their taste preferences and metabolisms.

One high impact simple thing to do? Let every child’s first grain be a whole grain. They won’t mind a bit. And let every baby’s first food be a real food, preferably organic. It can be as simple as mashed avocado or banana that the baby has touched and seen you eat, learning where food comes from at the start.

That was my 150 words, but for in-depth information check out my book, Feeding Baby Green. For simple tips on changing the way babies are fed, join the WhiteOut movement, or go to DrGreene.com/WhiteOut. To find out more about organics you can download the pdf of the full report.

Many of the regulations that allow dairy products to carry the label “certified organic” revolve around farming practices. In general, organic milk should come from cows that eat only organic food and are not enhanced with hormones, antibiotics or other chemicals.

In February 2010, the USDA tightened its definition of organic milk to include stricter regulations about the pasture access. The new guidelines define organic milk as milk from a cow that grazes on pasture at least four months out of each year, with at least 30 percent of the feed coming from grazing. The old rules simply stated that animals had to have “access to pasture.” Ranchers must also have a plan to protect soil and water quality.

When breastfeeding women rely on organic milk vs. regular milk, their babies benefit from up to 36% higher levels of the heart-healthy essential fatty acid CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)¹.

Conventional milk contains an average of 2.5 pesticides, according to a USDA study of 788 milk samples in 2005.

The Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative sponsored an independent study that found that organic milk contained an average of almost 70 percent more heart-healthy Omega 3 essential fatty acids than conventional milk. Other studies have revealed higher levels of other nutrients as well, such as vitamin E and beta-carotene.

Another study showed that the incidence of eczema in young children was reduced by 36 percent when children consumed organic dairy products.

The benefits of buying organic dairy products go beyond nutrition. More than 200 million acres of farmland in the US are dedicated to growing feed for livestock. Choosing organic dairy products creates a market for farms that avoid pesticides and other farm toxins.

If you need or want to avoid dairy products, organic soy milk, yogurt and other soy products are nice alternatives that allow you to reap the benefits of milk’s best nutrients while still choosing organic.

I was heartened to see the results of a survey of people who buy organic and natural foods – they’re hooked! Even in this tough economy, about 80 percent of the 1,000+ respondents said they weren’t dropping natural and organic foods from their shopping lists despite their needs to cut back on spending.  Good for them!

Although organic and natural products can cost a little more than non-organic foods, you might actually get more than you’re paying for when you buy organic. In 2008 I celebrated my 3-year anniversary of eating only organic food (read The New York Times article here). Although eating 100 percent organic is sometimes challenging (ever try to find an organic choice at a convenience store when you’re hungry and pressed for time?), I’ve never felt better.

Choosing organic food can dramatically decrease your family’s exposure to dangerous pesticides. But your choices also reduce the negative effects of antibiotics, synthetic hormones and chemical fertilizers. Together we can work toward a cleaner, healthier planet for our children by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the rate of depletion of non-renewable resources, cutting down on toxic chemicals in our environment and stopping the uncontrolled spread of genetically modified organisms.

If you’re not already hooked on organics, I’ve put together a list to get you started. My Organic RX gives you the top 10 (with one bonus!) best organic choices. My list will help you take baby steps into a more organic lifestyle.

Already buying organic? Click here for 5 ways to buy organic on a budget.

In case you didn’t catch my article in this month’s Glamour magazine, here’s a summary of what I consider to be the most important organic switches every woman should make, if she eats these foods.

1. Yogurt: Most women don’t drink a lot of milk, but perhaps you’re reaching for yogurt in the dairy case when you need a snack on the go. Organic yogurts are made without the use of added hormones or antibiotics have higher levels of omega-3s. Organic dairy products are not only good for our bodies – they can be much less damaging to the environment. Watch more about organic dairy choices….
2. Super Salads: Conventional lettuce has some of the highest levels of toxic synthetic pesticides of any food. Choose fresh organic greens as a salad base, then slice in organic veggies to add color and vitamins. You’ll benefit from almost an extra serving of fruits and vegetables a day when you choose organic greens because organic can average more than 25 percent more antioxidants.
3. An Organic Apple a Day: Apples are second only to bananas on our fruit shopping lists, but most people don’t know they can contain toxic synthetic pesticides including organophosphates, even when they’re washed and peeled. Choose organic apples as well as nectarines, peaches, pears, strawberries, cherries and imported grapes, as all these fruit are more vulnerable to pesticides. Watch more on apples….
4. You Say Tomato, I Say Organic: The average American consumes about 90 pounds of tomatoes a year, mostly in sauces and catsup. Organic tomatoes can have significantly more lycopene, an antioxidant that may lower cancer and heart disease risks and may do other wonderful things. Watch more on catsup….
5. Organic – It’s What’s for Dinner: Besides not making use of the added hormones. grass-fed beef is often leaner than conventional beef and can contain about 5 times the good omega-3 fats. And choosing free-range beef promotes farming practices that help our environment as well. More about beef…
6. Bonus – Red, Red Wine: Scientists were happy to discover the health benefits of drinking a moderate amount of red wine.  Resveratrol, an antioxidant in the skin of red grapes might help slow aging, prevent cancer and do other wonderful things. Organic wines can average about 32 percent more resveratrol and go splendidly with a nice organic marinara and organic salad. More on red wines….

Want more organic recommendations for the whole family? Click here for Dr. Greene’s Organic Prescription.

When the economy hits hard, some families cut back on grocery bills by cutting out the fruits and vegetables and going for cheaper items that are frequently high in sugar and saturated fats. A recent article cited statistics that link income level to obesity, such as a study in California that showed a 10 percent rise in poverty may mean a 6 percent increase in obesity among adults.

We’re all facing tough choices in this challenging economy, but I caution my patients strongly against cutting back on the best nutritional choices. Fruits and vegetables these days don’t contain the same level of nutrients as they did when we were small because of farming techniques and overall degradation of the nutrients in the soil. In my opinion, choosing organic foods is the best way to make sure your children get the maximum amount of nutrition out of their meals.

When I made the decision to begin my Organic Journey, we took a look at our food choices to do what we could to keep the budget under control. Here are five techniques I’ve learned to help keep costs down and nutritive value up.

1. Choose the organic foods that make sense for your family.     I put together Dr. Greene’s Organic Prescription to help you prioritize the organic choices that your family should make. The list is progressive, so once you make the switch to organic milk (the MOST important choice), move on to organic potatoes (choice #2), then organic peanut butter… and so on.
2. Use the Organic Essentials pocket guide for reducing pesticide dietary exposure to make decisions about your fruits and vegetables.     The pocket guide presents lists of conventional fruits and vegetables that the Organic Center has determined pose the most significant pesticide-related risks and, therefore, are the most critical produce items for consumers to purchase as organic.
3. Our family didn’t eat much meat anyway, but I found when we filled our plates with vegetarian dishes with soy and legumes instead of meat and chicken entrees, our grocery bills went down. If you’re used to eating meat at every meal, try a couple of meatless entrees a week. You’ll see a difference.
4. Grow produce at home.     We’re lucky that we live in California and can cultivate a nice-sized garden. We save on our grocery bills by growing our own tomatoes, peppers, squash, watermelon…. All the yummy favorites we love to eat. Even if you are limited to a smaller container garden, growing your own food is a great learning experience for your children and can be a cost-saver for you. And, most importantly, you get to monitor what goes into your food!
5. Make your own organic drinks.     Specialty sodas, gourmet coffees, flavored vitamin waters…. These products are pricey! When you’re looking to cut corners, use organic ingredients to create your own healthy and nutrient-rich drinks. We keep a jar of water infused with anything that catches our fancy – sliced cucumbers from the garden, crushed mint leaves, organic lemons and oranges. The healthy beverage on the counter always reminds us to stay hydrated, and the flavors keep us coming back for more all day long. We also brew our coffee at home, a special blend from Caffe Sonora which uses a special process to keep the antioxidants in the coffee! Put the money you save by creating your own flavorful drinks toward more wonderful organic choices for your family.