A ten year study has shown that organic tomatoes (as well as other organic produce) has higher levels of flavonoids and several other nutrients. What does this mean to you, the tomato eater? It means getting more antioxidants, having a healthier heart and lower blood pressure. The side benefit, not that I have anything other than anecdotal proof, is that organic produce tasted about a million times better too. :)
Research is still on-going concerning how exactly flavonoids function in the body to produce the health benefits seen, but they do produce positive health benefits, so yippee for organic foods being higher in flavonoids!
You can read more about this here:
Organic fruit and vegetables really are better for your heart – Times Online
Organic tomatoes contain higher nutrients than conventional tomatoes
Organic food ‘better’ for heart – BBC News
Also, since one commentor in one of the linked stories sort of poo-pooed the idea that organics are better by stating if you wanted to consume a lot of lycopene (a flavonoid found in tomatoes), you should just eat lots of ketchup, because it’s high in it. Why yes, it is! But yet again … organic is better. The article also states that to get the most lycopene, buy the darkest red ketchup. I would add a caveat to that: Buy the darkest red ketchup after reading the label to be certain it doesn’t contain any additional colorings.
I had organic beer last night. It was surprisingly “hoppy”… fresh and full of flavor. The name of the beer is “Wild Hops” from the Green Valley Bottling Co. It is a smaller division of Anheuser-Busch. Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I don’t like many beers but this is one I would drink again