Baby Talk: Why Choose Organic Food for Your Child?
Question:
I have many friends who are feeding their infants organic foods. I nurse my six-month-old baby, and also feed her organic foods, but my husband thinks this is a waste of money. What do you think?
Answer:
There are several excellent reasons to feed organic food to your children. Some of these reasons were cited in a report published by The National Academy of Science entitled "Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children." The report concluded that current government pesticide standards do not protect the health of children.
- Babies' bodies are much more vulnerable to pesticides because their brains, immune and detoxification systems are immature and in a state of development
- pound for pound babies eat two to four times more vegetables and fruits than adults and so are exposed to a higher proportion of possible contaminants.
- The health effects of chronic low level exposure to pesticide residues are still unknown.
A subsequent report released by the Environmental Working Group, "Pesticides in Children's Food" concluded that the largest contribution to a person's lifetime risk of cancer from pesticide residues occurs during childhood.
Some important, more indirect reasons to feed your children organic food are the fact that it supports the growth of organic farming. This in turn helps protect the health of the environment. It will help to keep pesticides out of the earth and water supply and will help preserve the planet for them and their children.
Organic meat is meat derived from animals that have been raised on organic feed and have not been treated with hormones or antibiotics, the residues of which may end up in the meat.
Unfortunately, the cost of organic food is not yet competitive with conventionally grown foods. However, the long term savings found in good health and a clean environment can more than offset this cost in the long run.
