Do you need to go organic to improve your diet? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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If you’re trying to maximize the benefits of a plant based diet, should you also choose organic foods? Dietician Jaqueline Rose at Johns Hopkins says that ‘organic’ means something very specific.

Rose: Organic is a pretty regulated term. We can’t just slap on organic to anything. It requires a series of processes and certain chemical byproducts that they cannot use in order to label something as organic. So if it says organic it is likely organic. Now in terms of whether someone purchases organic, as a dietician my role is to teach overall health and nutrition. When we get into organic versus nonorganic I also really have to think about the cost for the majority of populations as well.  :29

Recent data indicate that organic foods cost anywhere from 7 to 82% more than conventional foods, so the cost can add up. Some of the most expensive organic items are meats, yet another reason to transition to a more plant-based approach. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.