I'm a neuroscientist studying degenerative diseases of the brain. I recently read the special report from EatingWell called "Organics: are they worth it?". The article seemed to indicate that one of the advantages of eating organic is that these foods lack pesticides. This is not necessarily true. Many organic farms use "organic" pesticides on their crops. These toxins, such as a neurotoxin called rotenone, are natural. However, they can be extremely harmful. In fact, several studies are currently underway to assess the role that pesticides such as rotenone might have in increasing the incidence of Parkinson's disease. The point of writing this note is just to make sure that others know that we need to look further than the organic label to find healthy foods. In my opinion, the best practice is to find local suppliers of your foods. These are people that you can chat with or visit to learn about their growing practices.

This was originally posted on the Nutrition Board but thought I'd move it to In the Aisles where the other Organic threads are so people will hopefully see both discussions!