If you include organic foods in your holiday menu, you’ll be in step with the latest food trends, according to industry polls. And you may also be doing your children’s health a favor. Parents who feed their children organically grown food can substantially lower the levels of pesticide residues to which their kids are exposed, according to a new study.

Nearly a quarter of American shoppers now buy organic products once a week. But for food purists, "local" is the new "organic," the new ideal that promises healthier bodies and a healthier planet.