Organic, natural make health sense
IN this article, let’s look at which foods constitute a healthy diet, since there seems to be a lot of confusion around the issue, especially when terms like processed, natural and organic come into the picture.
Processed foods would include crisps, muffins, commercial breads, pastas, biscuits and processed meats. Included in this category would be foods fortified with vitamins and minerals, for example breakfast cereals and bars, commercial breads and juices. These are generally foodstuffs which have been stripped of any naturally occurring nutrients due to the nature of their processing. These vitamins and minerals tend to be added post-processing and are generally lab-synthesised (manmade), which in itself may cause problems.
Natural should indicate foods that are completely undamaged, such as whole grains, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, raw nuts and seeds, legumes, beans, whole (unpasteurised) dairy and animal proteins. Don’t be fooled into believing a product is natural, just because it says so on the label – after all fruit juice is natural when squeezed manually, but when the juice is extracted by means of heat (thus destroying any naturally occurring nutrients), has had synthesised vitamins added to it, and then stored for weeks on end in a plastic-lined carton (releasing problematic pthalates and xenoestrogens into the liquid), you’re not getting quite the same level of nutrition from it. In fact, you’re getting a product, which is probably quite toxic and certainly very "dead”.
Organic refers to food which have had no chemicals added to it through its growth span (this includes the soil in/on which it is grown), for example pesticides, growth hormones, routine vaccinations and antibiotics. It also refers to foods that have not been genetically modified in any way. This doesn’t mean that organic foods are always healthy, since you may find plenty of processed foodstuffs made with organic ingredients. Aargh!
The bulk of your diet should be made up of organic, natural, healthy foods and at least a third to half of what you eat should ideally be raw. You can get this in the form of salads, crudités, fruit, fresh vegetable juice, sprouts, nuts, seeds, lightly-cooked or rare meats.
The bottom line is that you need to feed yourself with foods that the body and brain recognise as food – in other words, those that provide you with the building blocks your body requires for outstanding energy and long-lasting vitality. Never forget – you are what you eat and assimilate…
Here’s where I recommend my clients shop for organic, natural and healthy foods:
Wisteria Trust Farm
(041)955-5528; rvolker@telkomsa.net
Un-medicated and free-range chicken; cheeses; raw honey; organic beef and lamb. Delivery to your door.
Organic Footprints (www.organicfootprints.co.za)
Online shop for locally grown, low-carbon-footprint vegetables and fruit; free-range meats and pantry goods. Delivered to your door, or for collection at your nearest depot.
Natural Jacks, Corner 6th Ave and Villiers Road, 076-785-2218.
Organic veggies, free range eggs, deli goods, coffee shop.
Hanson’s Meat Pantry:
8 Buffelsfontein Road, Mount Pleasant, (041)367-2683.
Unmedicated, free-range lamb and beef; farm butter; deli goods.
Health Matters (Health Shop):
108a Prospect Road, Walmer, (041)581-5342
Organic dry foods; personal care products; household cleaning products; supplements.
Pure & Simple
Ninth Avenue Shopping Centre, Main Rd, Walmer, 083-303-767
Organic baby products; personal care products; household cleaning products.