The answer appears to be yes. A new study from the University of California-Davis offers more evidence that organically raised vegetables are healthier than those grown under nonorganic practices that rely on chemicals for fertilization and weed, pest and disease control.
Led by professor and food chemist Alyson Mitchell, the study compared levels of two flavonoids - quercetin and kaempferol - in organic and nonorganic tomatoes. Flavonoids are plant compounds thought to have a variety of health-promoting properties, including protection against cancer, dementia and heart disease.
The results were decisive. Averaged over 10 years, levels of quercetin were 79 percent higher in the organically grown fruit, and levels of kaempferol were 97 percent higher. "We sort of went into this expecting higher levels," Mitchell told The New York Times. "We did not expect to find the levels that we found."
The study also found that flavonoid levels increased over time as organic cultivation methods steadily improved soil quality. Average yields in the organic and nonorganic plots were the same.
Efforts are underway to improve flavonoid levels in plant foods through variety selection and genetic manipulations, but this study shows that using organic methods can achieve the same end while also benefiting farmers and our environment.
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Mother Earth News, December 2007
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diana
Nov 18 2007, 02:30 PM
This is bigger than we think! Quercetin is one of the supplements routinely recommended for those with allergies. If we can find it in foods, rather than in questionable-quality Chinese chemicals, we are far better off!
Thanks to urgings from knowledgeable folks on this forum, my family is seeking natural sources of useful supplements, which, mg for mg, are often far more potent -- and in the case of most vitamin C, are the real deal rather than the mirror-image chemical compound that surely must break down differently! --diana
ladycat
Nov 18 2007, 02:56 PM
As far as Quercetin goes, buy pummelos and eat the spongy white stuff under the skin. It's LOADED with Quercetin. In parts of Asia, they feed it to people as a cough remedy.
Grapefruits are also an excellent source of Quercetin.
Grapefruits are also an excellent source of Quercetin.
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diana
Nov 18 2007, 03:02 PM
Grapefruit has too many carbs for me, and my silly kids don't like it. So far I've found apples, tea, red wine, and red onions as good sources. Still looking, although between our two lists, that's probably plenty. Thanks for your info!
Ah, just found this, from http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/ds/dsQuercetin.php :
Wow, there's broccoli, again. I am coming to think of it as my magic food.
And with a cheese sauce with lots of dried red chili peppers in it, it's a major yum! Or raw. Or any way! (BTW, dear ladycat, you and InsideOut are the primary two who got me re-thinking the necessity of supps for diabetes and allergies biz.) --d
Ah, just found this, from http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/ds/dsQuercetin.php :
QUOTE
We do think you should get as much quercetin as you can—from foods. Apples, onions, raspberries, black and green tea, red wine, red grapes, citrus fruit, cherries, broccoli, and leafy greens are the way to go. And they offer lots more than just quercetin.
Wow, there's broccoli, again. I am coming to think of it as my magic food.
And with a cheese sauce with lots of dried red chili peppers in it, it's a major yum! Or raw. Or any way! (BTW, dear ladycat, you and InsideOut are the primary two who got me re-thinking the necessity of supps for diabetes and allergies biz.) --d
InsideOut
Nov 19 2007, 02:42 PM
One thing that almost always makes Organic (domestic organic...) better for you is the fact that it was at least produced under the scrutiny of the Organic Standards... even cheating a little on these is better for the planet than conventional ag.
So indirectly, even mass organic ag is better than the old school conventional.
So indirectly, even mass organic ag is better than the old school conventional.
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House centipedes feed on spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, ants and other household pests. They kill their prey by injecting venom through their fangs.