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Title: Natural SelectionPublication: VogueCover Date: 2012-12-01Creator: Jancee DunnPage: 258NATURAL SELECTIONWITH THE VALUE OF ORGANICS CALLED INTO QUESTION, JANCEE DUNN REPORTS ON WHEN AND WHY GOING GREEN MATTERS.The news was enough to make organic devotees hang up their Whole Foods eco-bags: In September, a group of Stanford researchers sparked an uproar when they reviewed 237 studies and concluded that organic food had no nutritional benefit over conventionally grown food. All those years of sifting through barrels of mottled apples (and paying more, to boot) were for naught?Not exactly. Putting nutrition aside (and the inarguable fact that organic food tastes better), the way these two groups of food are produced has the biggest impact on our health. Most significant, organic produce does not contain synthetic pesticides, which are linked to a horde of maladies from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's. Dana Boyd Barr, Ph.D., a research professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, coauthored a study last year with UC Berkeley that found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides—widely used on food crops—is related to lower IQ scores in children. And organic food might even be the ultimate all-natural cleanse: In an Emory study, Barr and a team of researchers found that when children's conventional diets were replaced with organic food, the harmful chemicals in their systems almost disappeared. “An organic diet can actually wash out the pesticides,” she says.Indeed, organic food is notable for what it doesn't contain. Organic dairy must not have bovine growth hormones; organic meat (which, incidentally, has higher levels of omega -3s) must be free of antibiotics, which have given rise to antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” in humans. Organic food cannot include artificial dyes, sweeteners, or preservatives. Nor can it be irradiated (zapped with radiation to kill pathogens) or genetically modified.And let us not forget that organics are better for the planet. Factory farms are among the world's most toxic and prodigious polluters: Recently scientists at UC Berkeley found a direct link from increased synthetic fertilizer use over the past half-century to an alarming rise in atmospheric nitrous oxide, a major contributor to climate change. As Barr says, “Anything that puts fewer harmful chemicals into our environment and in my children's bodies has to be a good thing.”CLEAN EATINGThin-skinned produce retains high levels of pesticides, even after a thorough wash. Opt for organic apples, blueberries, nectarines, strawberries, celery, peaches, and anic beef and dairy products have lower residues of pesticides and chemicals, and are free of antibiotics.Greens retain high levels of chemicals, so it's best to buy organic lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard.—JILLIAN DEMLINGFOR MORE BEAUTY NEWS AND FEATURES, GO TO .FARM TO TABLEAN ORGANIC DIET MAY BE THE ORIGINAL ALL-NATURAL CLEANSE.Copyright ? 2010 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Originally published in Vogue. Reprinted by permission. ................
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