Where to buy Organic | Personal View | Recipe For Good Health |
Organic fresh produce is grown without the use of agricultural chemicals such as fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, growth regulators, colour and flavour enhancers. It is grown naturally whereby the whole agricultural process is monitored to reduce or eliminate harmful chemicals. Genuinely organically grown produce requires organic certification. This certification guarantees the consumer that the produce purchased is grown to an acceptable production standard.
Processed products use organic ingredients with no or minimal additives like stabilizers, emulsifiers, antioxidants, preservatives and colourants, keeping it as natural as possible.
Organic food reduces toxic residues in your diet.
Organic food is definitely more:
- tasty - a tomato really tastes like a tomato!!
- nutritious - higher levels of minerals
- and safer - as mentioned above - no or minimal harmful chemicals such as pesticides, fungicides, herbicides etc.
Certified organic foods are more expensive due to a number of reasons:
- Organic food supply is limited
- Organic food production is more labour intensive
- Foods handled after harvesting spikes the cost due to the fact that organic and conventional produce have to be kept separate especially during the processing and transportation thereof
- Costs are higher as far as marketing and the distribution is concerned due to smaller volumes being handled
Over the last five years the organic market has experienced increased growth. Consumers are becoming more aware of the benefits of organic food not only due to their superior nutritional content, but also as a result of loss of confidence in some aspects of conventional agricultural methods, food scares, and genetic engineering.
As more funding becomes available to the organic industry for research and development, the costs associated with organic production will reduce, which will automatically be passed onto the consumer. As demand for organic food and products increases, the cost of production, processing, distribution and marketing will reduce, and this saving will be passed onto the consumer.
Consider the value of organic food before complaining about the price.
In New Zealand, organic food can be bought from organic and health food shops located throughout the country. Most Supermarkets have an organic section, due to increased demand.
In Auckland there are numerous outlets. Listed below are two of them:
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This quote from an unknown source will surely put a smile on your dial:
If you want to be happy for a few years...get married.
If you want to be happy for the rest of your life...
grow an organic vegetable garden
I don't necessarily endorse the first 2 lines, but laughing is like jogging on the inside, and some of us don't do that enough
In my kitchen I like to eat food as pure as possible and will most likely buy organic packaged goods if I don't find a pure normal brand. For example I use coconut cream a lot. Take a look at the 'ingredients list' on the non-organic tins. Coconut content is anything from 50 - 80%. The rest of the content is filled up with emulsifiers, stabilizers and other ingredients. I would rather buy an organic brand for double the price and thin it out with filtered water if I need to, than buy a tin with full of additives that might be harmful to me. So in reality, I could double the volume and have a pure, healthy product.
As far as fresh produce is concerned, I grow some of my own herbs, lettuce, silverbeet, tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes and whatever I can in my small patch in the bush. I have some friends and contacts that supply me with cabbage, lemons and grapefruit and other fruit and veg when in season. I have planted several of my own fruit trees and am awaiting bountiful crops in the future. I purchase from farm stalls where possible and for the rest I fill up at the green grocer. I have a special vegetable wash that gets rid of all the pesticide, herbicide, fungicide and waxes.
We can only do the best we can
Relationship with God – talk to Him all the time
Pure water
Correct Breathing
Enough Sunshine
Plenty of Exercise
Enough Rest
Enough Sleep
Play often
Laugh often
Cope with Stress
Have a Vision
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