Health Basics with Diana Bomford of Action Nutrition

When I first heard people raving about organic foods, I assumed the benefits were based around spray-free produce (fruit and vegetables) and that this was the limit of their health giving properties. Thinking that I could thoroughly wash non-organically grown produce and they would be as good as the organic ones. How wrong I was!

Generally speaking, for produce to qualify for the tag ‘organic', it needs to be grown, processed and/or stored without the use of synthetic fertiliser, chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or genetic modification.

By eliminating these synthetic compounds, plants are able to grow as they should. The result is a slower growing, hardier plant, and it is this that causes an increase in the nutrient content of the fruits and vegetables. When growth rates are slowed, there is in an increase in fibre content, both soluble and insoluble fibre, both health giving benefits. Insoluble fibre is linked with helping fight the development of digestive cancers, in particular bowl cancer; and the soluble fibre can help lower cholesterol.

The slower plant growth, along with the organic plant's need to develop its defence against insects, funguses, and bacteria, that stimulates the plant's immune systems and it is this that increases the nutrient content of the produce. The increased nutrients include more antioxidants, chlorophyll and polyphenols, which are all health-giving compounds. It is the increase of these goodies that makes the organic produce so good for us. Some organic fruits and vegetables can have up to 30 per cent more antioxidants than non-organically grown produce.

Antioxidants combat the harmful free radicles that cause so much damage to our immune systems and have been linked to cancer, heart disease and aging. It makes so much sense to consume more antioxidants and for those trying to limit their calorie intake, eating produce that has higher levels of nutrients is advantageous.

But, I hear the cry…organic fruit and vegetables are so expensive. Not so if you are prepared to shop around at the local farmers markets or organic speciality shops for their specials. Another way to have a continuous supply of organic produce is to grow it yourself. Not only will you have a great supply of fruit and vegetables, but will also gain the benefits of exercise whilst developing your garden.