- Julia Khnykin,
Master's student at Rush University College of Nursing
NORMAL- A white egg versus a brown egg. For some people, eating organic is a matter of price, not health.
While the cost of eating organic and all-natural products can seem too expensive for the average college student on a budget, eating organic can have both benefits and setbacks for consumers.
“The jury is still out on evaluating organic versus non-organic eating. Part of the problem is regulation of what ‘organic’ means, and the difficulty the consumer has in determining which foods are healthier,” Dr. Jean Swearingen, medical director for ISU Student Health Services, said.
In a 2009 New York Times article, sticking to regular ingredients when making food and staying away from highly processed foods will also help, proving organic can be useful if combined with other means of eating healthy.
That mix of eating healthy is the approach some students take when deciding what to purchase at the store.
“I definitely try to eat healthy and make those conscious decisions to do so, but buying solely organic foods is a little out of the price range for the average college student so I make it work with what I have, organic or not,” Elle Leving, junior communication sciences and disorders major, said.
These prices can be restricting for some shoppers, especially those on a budget. Organic items can prove to be more expensive. According to a New York Times article, some brands of organic milk can cost as much as $7.
Like many items, the price is in the name and title and naming something organic means more work put into the end result, Swearingen said.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the definition of organic means the food is generally free of synthetic substances, it contains no antibiotics and hormones, has not been irradiated or fertilized with sewer sludge, was raised without the use of most conventional pesticides and contains no genetically modified ingredients.
“In general, truly ‘organic’ foods probably are better for us in the long run, and growing our own or buying our own locally from known sources is probably the most beneficial,” Swearingen said.
While eating organic can seem expensive, for some people, like Julia Khnykin, it is a matter of culture and being raised to live an organic lifestyle.
“Growing up in Europe, a lot of people mostly grew their own produce so we did not really know what genetically modified foods even were before coming to America. I do not like the thought of someone going in and modifying what is natural. I don’t support buying something that has been changed for the sole purpose of making [a] profit,” Khnykin, a master’s student at Rush University College of Nursing, said.
Khnykin was raised in Russia and moved to the United States when she was a little girl. Her parents raised her to live organically and Khnykin appreciates the food she is consuming on a day-to-day basis.
“Organic produce contains many more vitamins and minerals so when I buy organic, I know I am getting those vital nutrients. I like the idea of getting what I am paying for. I am not paying for a fruit that's 70 percent fruit and 30 percent chemicals from genetic engineering..I want to pay for 100 percent fruit,” she said.
What Khnykin is referring to is the unknown ingredients that are injected into non-organic fruits, or food in general to make them last longer on the shelves and in consumers’ homes.
These byproducts and unknown substances in non-organic food are a topic of debate, making an organic lifestyle and knowing what the food is made from a safety issue.
“Certainly there are questions about the safety of food products that are raised using hormones, antibiotics, or other hormonal or medicinal supplements or ones that are grown with pesticides and herbicides, but the exact effects on humans are not yet known,” Swearingen said.
While USDA labeled organic foods are guaranteed to be pesticide, antibiotic and hormone free, the USDA does not claim that eating an all organic diet will benefit people stating, “The USDA makes no claim that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food. Consumers will still need to read nutrition labels and make wise selections to maintain an overall healthy diet,” according to the website.
Though full benefits of eating organic have yet to be seen, Swearingen believes it needs more time and study for consumers to make the best choice for them.
For more information on the USDA organic rules and titles, visit www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop.