You may be wondering if eating organic will really help your fibromyalgia. I’m sharing some information I’ve gathered over the years about it to help you make your own decision. One of the main reason someone with fibromyalgia might want to buy organic food is because they may be more sensitive to the chemicals in pesticides than the average person. Organic foods aren’t completely pesticide free though, as they may have some residual pesticides (from soil or that has drifted through the air) or an approved organic pesticide.

All produce is not equal when it comes to pesticides. Thin-skinned vegetables and fleshy fruits are more likely to have higher pesticide residues according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) testing. Thick-skinned fruits and vegetables and ones with outer leaves that aren’t eaten (bananas, citrus fruits, onions and pineapples), have very low pesticide residues in their edible parts. The Environmental Protection Agency created a Dietary Risk Index (DRI) to analyze pesticide risk trends. The DRI score gives a measure of the average risks from pesticide residues in a typical serving of the food. The DRI calculation considers a pesticide’s toxicity and the distribution of residue levels found in the food. I found this easy to read list of the DRIs of many common fruits and vegetables. The higher the number listed, the higher the risk and the more you might want to buy that product in organic form.

One thing to note is that according to Dr. Gonzalex in Arthritis Today, “there’s not much evidence that eating organic makes a difference [in the area of autoimmunity, including RA].” The USDA says there is not a nutritional difference between organic and traditional produce, but many disagree. My friend’s dietitian, at a very well known cancer treatment center, is one that disagrees. I tend to lean in that direction as well. There have been studies that have shown there is a nutritional difference.

Personally, I try to buy all of my meat and dairy products (because of antibiotics) organic. If avalible and in good quality I also look to buy these produce organic: bell peppers, cucumbers, apples (and other fruits that I eat the skin of, like berries) and potatoes. It can get pricey, but sales and farmer’s markets make it a little cheaper. If you can’t buy all organic produce, try to buy domestic produce opposed to imported produce. Imported produce tends to have higher levels of pesticides. Also, be sure to wash your produce in water for 30 seconds to wash off pesticide residues, dirt and microbes.

Do you tend to eat organic?

Gotta get those veggies in*

*Image Credit: from www.flickr.com by joannapoe