Is it Better to Eat Organic Legumes?
There are different factors you must examine to determine if it is better to eat organic legumes. First, you have to consider what kind of legumes are being consumed, for different kinds of legumes may be affected by conventional treatments differently. You must then look at benefits of eating organic foods nutritionally. Finally, you should consider if going organic will affect the taste of the legumes.
The Difference Between Whole and Peeled Legumes
Some legumes, such as green beans, wax beans and edamame, are eaten with their skins still on. This means that any toxic pesticides, herbicides or fungicides used on them is likely to remain on the skin at the store... and then in your meal, even if rinsed. In these cases, it is better for your health to eat the organic version of the legume. However, if non-organic legumes are in the form of shelled beans, dried or canned, then they are safer to eat: the sprayed skin has been removed.
Sweet Green Peas Carry Less Pesticide Residue
The Environmental Working Group's evaluation of government data has found that of all vegetable, sweet green peas are among the least likely to carry pesticides, so they are a good choice if you must buy conventional.
The Nutrition Debate
There is debate over whether organic foods, including organic legumes, have more nutritional value than conventionally grown foods. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition's July 2009 study, "Nutritional Quality of Organic Foods: A Systematic Review," found no conclusive evidence that there are more nutrients in organic food, but the Organic Center responded within months with research showing that there were, indeed, more antioxidants and polyphenols in organic foods.
Organic Legumes Are More Sustainable
Like other organic foods, organic legumes are more sustainable than non-organic legumes. Organic foods do not poison the water and soil like conventionally grow foods, and thus the soil will remain productive for longer. Because soy and other dry beans make up such a huge percentage of food produced worldwide, it is especially important to push for legume growers to grow organic beans. Therefore, eating organic beans is better, of not on an individual level, then on an environmental level.
Local, Organic Legumes Taste Best
Organic foods often taste better than conventional foods, but that may be because they are more often locally distributed than conventional foods, and therefore fresher. The best way to guarantee a good flavor in legumes, especially fresh legumes, is to get them from a local farmer's market. Plus, standing face-to-face with the farmer, you can find out if the legumes were grown with or without toxic chemicals, bypassing the need to rely on the sometimes unreliable label "organic."
Tags: organic foods, Better Organic, Better Organic Legumes, conventional foods, eating organic, non-organic legumes