More important than whether a food is organic is where it comes from and how long it’s been since it was picked.
Oftentimes, fruits and vegetables such as bananas, tomatoes, oranges and peppers are picked while hard and unripe, so as to stop them being bruised during shipping. They are transported hundreds or thousands of kilometers through a network of artificially refrigerated distribution centers before arriving on our shelves. The result? They have by now lost a lot of their nutrient density.
Seasonal broccoli, for example, has twice the Vitamin C as off-season broccoli, and spinach can lose 47% of its folate (iron) after just 8 days of picking.
So instead of expensive organic, try and choose local. Search out your local farmer’s markets or, better yet, start your own backyard vegetable garden.
