There are tons of reasons to buy organic–chief among them being that organic fare is free of pesticides, hormones and chemicals that have been strongly linked to cancer and others serious health issues–but it does have a downside: people assume food labeled “organic” is lower calorie than it really is, which can lead to weight gain.
Researchers at the University of Michigan asked 200 students whether it was okay for a woman who was trying to slim down to skip her evening run. Their response? If they were informed that she’d had an organic dessert after dinner, they were more inclined to say it was all right–but if she had a regular dessert, they were more inclined to think she should exercise.
In a second study, another group of students were asked to guess whether regular Oreos or organic Oreo-like cookies had more calories. Guess which one they were more likely to finger as fattening? Yep: the non-organic cookie–even though the two cookies’ calorie content was identical.
The obvious answer to this, I think, is to buy as much organic produce as you can–but as with conventional food, stay away from processed fare whenever possible, as that’s where the higher calories and fat tend to be. And when in doubt, stick to the tried-and-true rule: read the nutrition label to find out what you’re really eating.
–Camille
Facebook
Camille
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds very familiar to the issue that many things “low fat”, means low-calorie and, therefore, healthy. Fresh fruits & vegetables will ALWAYS be healthier than any processed foods – I think that is part of what the local/organic/seasonal/farmers’ market movement is trying to remind folks of.
*sigh* Honestly, people are so stupid. What does “organic” have to do with lower calories? If you have fresh, ripe, delicious organic peaches with a slice buttery, yummy pound cake you made yourself, it’s probably “healthier” than anything bought at the store full of preservatives, but that has nothing to do with the calorie or fat content.
Really good points, both. I guess what’s nice about all of this is that it looks like people are getting more open to the idea that there are a lot of ways to think of “healthy.” Even if there are trips and confusions along the way, there’s an interest.