I'll just apologize right now for getting the theme to "The Bionic Man" stuck in your head, but it was for a good reason. A recent article in the New York Times by Tara Parker-Pope tells us about one man's quest to render himself 100% organic:

For the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods, whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road.

He chose three years as a goal because that was the amount of time it took to have a breeding animal certified organic by the Department of Agriculture. While food growers comply with organic regulations every day, Dr. Greene wondered whether a person could meet the same standards.

The article is pithy and carries two main messages. First, that going completely organic is still fairly difficult when traveling and eating out; and second, that -- surprise! -- organic food is healthier! I mean, who woulda thunk it?

The picture is brief but rosy:

Three years later, [Dr. Greene] says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and nutrients.

It's also noted that one of the ways Dr. Greene offset the high cost of organic meats was by eating more of other foods, which probably means more fruits and veggies, which typically would lead to that brighter yellow urine he's talking about, whether the foods are organic or not. (And yes, I'm talking to you about urine color like it matters. Which is creepy. I'm sorry.)

While I'm all for eating healthy and natural, I do wonder if the organic label is the be-all and end-all of healthy food. I mean, obviously organic foods are "good," but are other foods "bad?" For example: This year I went to our local health-food store to order our turkey for Thanksgiving. There were two options available -- a "certified organic" bird, or a "grain-fed, humanely raised" bird from a local farm. The organic bird was 30% more expensive. Was it 30% better? I'll never know -- we got the other one.

Tiptoe at Between Living and Existing seems to be thinking along the same lines:

I think this is an interesting experiment, but certainly not one I would take on. For starters, just the shear cost would be difficult, let alone really "searching" for your food. It almost reminds me of the hunter-gatherer type days with a little more obsession involved. For some foods, I do think organic is the better way to go since I really don't want to ingest x, y, z pesticides and hormones. However, actually adhering to it would be so inconvenient and financially difficult unless money grew on trees. ;-)

This reminded me that there are supposedly seven foods most important to pursue as organics, which certainly at least implies that other foods aren't so big of a concern. And if it's six of one, half-dozen of the other, wouldn't most of us rather save a few bucks?

nakedjen applauds Dr. Greene's mission:

I've been eating this way (not exclusively, because as he learned it is REALLY HARD) but definitely as exclusively as I possibly can for the last 20 years. I can concur with his findings.

Again, how do (or can) we quantify the difference between mostly organic and completely organic, when it comes to the health impact?

Sadie at Jezebel, however, isn't impressed:

While the experiment is a laudable one — and, in fairness, predates a lot of the food-related stunt journalism that's glutted the marketplace in recent years, and certainly the recent economic downturn — the rigid and stunt-like nature of it feels slightly arbitrary. It's certainly Dr. Greene's prerogative, and since he has the time and means to do so, more power to him: it's doubtless good to know the practical limitations of theory. It is always encouraging, too, to see a doctor practicing what he preaches. That said, the application is beyond the reach of most everyone, and as such, experiments such as these are feeling increasingly academic.

I find myself agreeing with Sadie; even if this experiment proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that going completely organic was far superior to any other option, it's simply not an affordable course of action for most of society.

What do you think? Does Dr. Greene's three years of eating organic teach us anything beyond the obvious (which is that organic foods are probably better for you)?

BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs about issues parental and otherwise at Woulda Coulda Shoulda, and about the joys of mindful retail therapy at Want Not.