Healthful compounds in tomatoes increase over time in organic fields

If you wanted a good excuse to tell your housemate or spouse why you're starting to buy organic (my husband teases me about this), then this article will give you a little ammunition to tease back with. It seems that flavinoids (the compounds that give flavor and are valued in helping maintain health) increased over time in a field that was farmed organically.

The results of the 10 year study are given here:
www.medicalnewstoday.com...

I don't know what else might have been done differently (organic produce, I believe, is often allowed to ripen longer) but it's one more check mark for buying foods that aren't as heavily processed.

True! Man has been successful in creating a vastly larger yield in every kind of crop from our so called advances in science. Yet, when you read that article it seems clear that those advances do not yield the "healthiness" that we used to get as a species.

I've noticed a vast number of vitamins on the market to replace the foods we should be eating to get the same thing. I'm here to tell you.....nothing that man can make will equate to what nature already provides.

So, knowing that, what's the problem? The problem lies in the how many people you have to feed and where. I hate to bring up an old issue but having an illegal population of over 40 million puts immeasurable pressure on the growers of America.

Organic is indeed better, but to get the yields to feed the U.S. and the neighboring countries, you have to push against mother nature.

Doing that is NEVER a good thing.

I'll take an organic tomato over one of those pinkish styrofoam balls any day.
That, or one of my homegrown tomatoes.
I guess our taste buds are pretty smart in this instance.

The organics are a little more expensive, but because of the taste, I actually use a bit more of the tomato, by cutting off much less of the two ends before slicing.

Originally posted by spacedoubtI guess our taste buds are pretty smart in this instance.

The organics are a little more expensive, but because of the taste, I actually use a bit more of the tomato, by cutting off much less of the two ends before slicing.

Your taste buds actually are smart -- they're detecting the flavinoids.

I *think* that much of the tastelessness of some of the produce has to do with it being picked earlier so it can be shipped to market. A local farmer can allow tomatoes to ripen fully before taking them to market, and if you grow them yourself, you can pick them when they're fully ripe.

But if you have to ship them from California to New York via truck, you have to figure a week between getting them from the fields to getting them to the market...and a shelf life in the grocery store of at least another week... figure 8-10 days. And the consumer might not want a tomato that they have to use that night. They might want to buy ahead for a week's food.

So I think part of it is a difference in the markets and how they're handled -- but I can't be completely sure.

i think its all from....increased organic matter in the soil...like the article days.

but natural & diverse matter that is used for composting,
is largly being diverted to producing syn-fuels, ethanols. and other fuel products,

so expect 'organic' produce to become rarer and more expensive.

& expect pharmaceuticals to absorb (thru M&A) the vitamin & nutrients/minerals markets

~soylent~

One fairly good source to find cheaper organic foods that can last longer is to buy at Farmers Markets or find food through your local CO'OP. I live in the quintessential "bread basket" of America and there are Organic Markets and Farmers CO'OP's in nearly every town, and sometimes more than that. Growing up on a farm my parents had a vegetable garden that consumed a couple acres of ground, and I remember hand ploughing the whole thing (I'm talking a Medieval type plough with no horses...gives the term "manual labor" a whole new meaning to a young kid), but it was well worth the time and effort as the organic vegetables had quite a bit more flavor. My wife and I currently continue to buy fresh produce from these seperate avenues, thus negating the extreme mark-up that you will find in Natural Health Food Stores nationwide.

Typically Flavonoids, in this case found in Tomatos, react with antioxidant activities in the human body, however, it should be noted that their role in this process is pure speculation. Until this study I was only aware of the fact that they were suspected to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and a reduction in the effects of allergens and carcinogens. To this I cannot change my mind until further studies are done to show that an increase and the amount of yield a crop produces will contribute to a reduction in cancer and other diseases over a period of clinical trials. In other words, the flavonoids will enhance taste, but may not be directly related to cancer fighting agents. Rather, it could be the reduction in the amount of pesticides that would lead to a reduction in cancer when people eat organically. This study lends some credence to that, and hopefully there will be further studies done as well.

As previously mentioned you not only get the benefit of enhanced taste, but a reduction in the amount of pesticides you will consume by shopping organically. It will be interesting to see if this study of flavonoids has any effect on the population as a whole, both because America values taste and low cost. As of now, the natural food markets boost their prices for reasons alluded to by TheExaminer, and some people don't realize that Farmers Markets and CO'OP's offer the same thing at a much reduced price.

[edit on 16-7-2007 by Jazzerman]