Organic food is increasingly popular, but is it healthier? It’s generally more expensive, and sometimes harder to find. Is it worth the extra cost and effort to eat organics? What are the advantages of organic foods? Are there real benefits? Does eating organic protect against cancer? And what about ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and autism spectrum disorder? Are organics more important for some foods than others? Where can parents find the most up to date information on prioritizing organics? Drs. Lena and Dean discuss these issues and more, including organic shopping tips, in this episode. Plus take a look at the (mostly) organic winter garden of Dr. Dean.
This episode written by Dr. Dean Blumberg and Dr. Lena Rothstein.
The authors thank Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto from the MIND Institute at UC Davis Children's Hospital for reviewing this topic, although Drs. Dean and Lena take responsibility for any errors or misinformation.
Supplemental material:

* EWG website

* EWG Dirty Dozen

* EWG Clean Fifteen

* American Academy of Pediatrics Weighs In For the First Time on Organic Foods for Children

* American Academy of Pediatrics policy Organic Foods: Health and Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages

* Julia Baudry and coauthors: Association of Frequency of Organic Food Consumption With Cancer Risk: Findings From the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study

Photo from The Genetic Literacy Project