Part 2 of Going Organic

After having moved over to organic dairy products, we felt it was time we changed the fruits, vegetables and spices we consumed.

Link to my first post: Going Organic Part 1

Why organic fruit and veg you may ask?  Well non-organic produce is sprayed with pesticides and other toxins.   When you see these people spray stuff on our food whilst covered head to toe in protective suits, makes you wonder, is that even safe to consume?

Consume Organic, and you eat life: vitamins, minerals, water, and more.

Consume pesticide residue and you allow poison into your body.

We all know how cancer has impacted someone close to us.  It was unheard of the amount of people being diagnosed 30 odd years ago.  If we look back at our parent’s generations, cancer was unheard of.

Your choices make a huge difference in the quality of your life.  Also, supporting organics supports a healthy planet.  You help to improve the quality of water, soil, air, animals, plants, birds and other living beings also benefit when you choose organic foods.

Where to begin and what to look out for:

In our community its known that you can get 4 bunches of spinach for £1.  Alarm bells should start to ring, how can they sell it that cheap? 

We do not use our local corner veg shop anymore.  Below is the label on the fruit and veg that you need to look out for from your local supermarket as they source from farms which are Soil Associated (see here about who they are: http://www.soilassociation.org/aboutus/whoweare ) most supermarkets, such as Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsburys have their own organic range that has soil association certified.

The quickest and easiest way to begin your journey is to replace your supermarket non organic produce with their own brand organic produce! Simples!

Waitrose Organic Range

 Sainsbury's Organic Range

Tesco Organic Range 

On a final note:

One can take this step to whatever extreme they wish.  We, however, still occasionally eat at the Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) when attending functions etc and sometimes still have the odd eat out day.  We hope, that one day we will be 100% organic, but at the moment we are more focused on making the change at home to ensure we consume the most nutritious and good foods, so that the majority of our food consumption is from organic and ethical food sources.  We do not start questioning people whose houses we visit and turn our noses up at someone’s hospitality.  Everyone has different priorities, but we do try our best to encourage ourselves and others to be conscious about food and lifestyles choices.

If you have any questions or queries, please message in the comment section below.

Going Organic

Introduction

This post will be your simplified guide in going Organic and how to make that change in small steps. 

We have been doing this slow transition for the last 18 months and still making this lifestyle change.

You make ask why we decided to go down this avenue?   Well, for the sake of our children, so they do not get the illnesses and allergy we are all suffering with.

One of the main reasons why we decided to make the switch to organic was the steadily decline in the nutritional content in the everyday foods we eat.  Think about it, if you can get 2lts of supermarket milk for 89p, how is it possible for a farmer to make any profit from it? The only logical conclusion is that such little care and compassion has gone into milk production that my family was completely put off from drinking it.

When it came to fruit and vegetables we have seen an increase in the spraying of chemicals and pesticides on our crops by men wearing white suits because of the hazardous chemicals may come into contact with their skin? Alarm bells started ringing in our heads with one thought, so how it is safe to spray this stuff on the food we eat?’ GMOS, MSG’s plastic ingredients are all contributing factors to why our food choices need careful consideration.

Over the last decade we are seeing an overall decline in our community’s health. Cancer, diabetes, blood pressure, heart problems, thyroid conditions are just a few. These kinds of illnesses were very rare back in the days now deaths linked to cancer especially is increasing.

We would ask that you do some research via YouTube on the above topics, don’t just take our word for it, research what is in the foods you are eating and you will be shocked and hopefully awakened into thinking more ethically with regards to where and what you are eating.

If you are vegetarian like me, you think that you are not causing any harm to animals? Well think again…!  Watch this horrific 60 second video of where your dairy comes from: https://youtu.be/wZcUrWAK-8Q  

Where to start?

We made the change with our dairy products we consume.   So that’s Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, Butter and Margarine.  At first we started with buying Yeo Valley products which you can buy from your local supermarket.  Have a look at their website for more information: https://www.yeovalley.co.uk/faqs

 

Though we now consume Organic Raw milk, straight from the udder which is not pasteurised or homogenised…  I’ll further go into this in my future posts.

Whenever talking about going organic is discussed with our circle of friends, one of the main factors that put’s people off, is the price.  Again, we’ve been making these small changes over the last 18 months, it hasn’t been an overnight change.  Decide which product you would like to change to and continue until you feel you are ready to move onto the next product.

Read Part 2 of going organic here

Why your grandparents didn't have food allergies, But You Do...?

Did your grandparents have food allergies? Mine sure didn’t. A stark comparison to the growing epidemic of food allergies, worsening with every generation.

1) THEY ATE SEASONAL REAL FOOD.

Food came from farms and small markets in the early 1900’s, and because food preservatives were not widely used yet, food was fresh. Because of the lack of processed food, their diets were nutrient dense allowing them to get the nutrition they needed from their food.

For babies, breast milk was valued and it was always in season.

2) THEY DIDN’T DIET, AND PLAY RESTRICTIVE GAMES WITH THEIR BODY AND METABOLISM. THEY ATE FOOD WHEN FOOD WAS AVAILABLE.

Our grandparents did not fall victim to fad diets, food marketing, calorie counting, and other detrimental dieting habits that are popular today (in part because the marketing infrastructure didn’t exist yet). Because of this they had a healthy metabolism, and ate according to their body’s needs and cravings.

3) THEY COOKED FOOD AT HOME, USING TRADITIONAL PREPARATION METHODS FROM SCRATCH.

Buying processed food was not an option, and eating out was a rare luxury. Lucky for our grandparents these habits actually increased their health.

4) THEY DIDN’T EAT GMOS, FOOD ADDITIVES, STABILIZERS AND THICKENERS.

Food was not yet treated with additives, antibiotics and hormones to help preserve shelf life and pad the pockets of food producers in the early 1900’s at the expense of the consumer’s health.

5) THEY ATE THE WHOLE ANIMAL THAT INCLUDED MINERAL RICH BONE BROTHSAND ORGAN MEATS.

Animal bones were saved or bought to make broths and soups, and organ meats always had a special place at the dinner table. These foods were valued for their medicinal properties, and never went to waste.

6) THEY DIDN’T GO TO THE DOCTOR WHEN THEY FELT SICK OR TAKE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS. DOCTOR VISITS WERE SAVED FOR ACCIDENTAL INJURIES AND LIFE THREATENING ILLNESS.

When they got a fever, they waited it out. When they felt sick, they ate soups, broths and got lots of rest. They did not have their doctor or nurse on speed dial, and trusted the body’s natural healing process a whole lot more than we do today. Their food was medicine, whether they realized it or not.

7) THEY SPENT LOTS OF TIME OUTSIDE.

Our grandparents didn’t have the choice to stay inside and play on their phones, computers and gaming systems. They played on the original playstation:  bikes, swing-sets and good ol’ mother nature!

AND WHAT DO THESE THINGS HAVE TO DO WITH FOOD ALLERGIES?

Nutrition affects EVERY cell in our body. The health of our cells is dependent on diet and lifestyle. Cells create tissues, tissues create organs,  and we are made up of a system of organs. If your nutrition is inadequate, the integrity of each cell, tissue and organ in your body will suffer, thus you may be MORE sensitive to certain foods.

Build YOUR nutritional wealth!