Ashley’s answer: Well, are you a chimpanzee and only eat bananas all day? If so, I would say it’s a very big deal. If you have bananas once a week or less, then I think you can feel a little better than if bananas were a staple in your diet. But here’s a question for you: why do you buy your other fruits organic? Are you trying to reduce pesticide exposure or GMOs, or are you hoping to support more sustainable farming practices globally? If you answered yes to any or all of these, I think my answer would be to try to find organic bananas as often as possible. Some people say that bananas aren’t as much of an issue because we don’t eat their skin, so we’re protected from sprays. But the impact of chemicals—as you know since you are buying organic already—isn’t limited to what we eat on the fruit. It extends to what is in the soil, on the soil, and depleted in the soil (nutrients) and therefore in the food. So in the scheme of big deals, I would not consider your conventional banana habit a big one. But at the same time, I hope you’re able to find a way to get organic bananas more often. Chewing over a food quandary? Send it to AskAshley@Prevention.com Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian, Qualitarian, nutrition expert, and
