Conscious Eating. It's more than choosing 'Organic' or saving the animals!

When you go to buy your food for the week, what is it that makes you choose to shop there? 

Convenience? Possibly. 

Affordability? Yes, for some. 

What about freshness, whether it is in season, Organic, unblemished, locally sourced?

I think it's great that there is a big shift in what people want, and therefore, where they choose to buy it, but there is certainly a long way to go when it comes to the small business farmers selling at the local markets competing with huge companies such as Wesfarmers (AKA Coles, Liquorland & Bunnings) and Woolworths. 

To put it in perspective, Wesfarmers had a net profit of $57,685 MILLION dollars for 2012 alone. I need not talk about how much they have managed to monopolize the grocery sector, and therefore made the potential for farmers to sell their produce at a profitable and fair price seem out of reach for some.

What does this mean? 'We don't have a choice but to shop there', some people would say. 

Actually, you do. It might mean getting out of bed early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but you can find almost everything you need at a local farmer's market. There is nearly one in every suburb here on the coast. When you buy from the local farmers, they have often picked their produce the day before you have it in your basket, ready to eat. 

This is of stark contrast to some of the produce you'll find in a major supermarket that may have been gas ripened, or freshly come out of hibernation after being in cold storage for months on end.

Foods that have been artificially ripened (supermarket bananas) have a different taste, texture and lack nutrients compared the organic version you might buy some where else. 
Tomatoes are grown/bred a certain way for supermarkets, so they're about as hard as an apple (no risk of blemishes), and are nearly tasteless. 
Have you ever grown your own tomatoes or tried an organic one? They should be soft, red, smell and taste as sweet as lollies. It is normal to have a few blemishes on your food too. 

Snow white was poisoned when she ate an apple that was ruby red, blemish free and shiny. Pretty sure it was a supermarket apple, with it's fertilisers, sprays, pesticides and waxes to make it look irresistible. 

Ok, a little far-fetched, however, chemical residues are very difficult for our body to excrete. They are often stored in fat cells, as the body knows they are toxic, but does not know what to do with them. Chemicals are toxic for every organ and cell in your body. They can wreak havoc on your immune system, hormones, and brain. Just to name a few. If you're a person who finds it impossible to lose weight, you might find you have a lot of these chemicals stored in the various fat cells in your body.

What is the result of eating a lifetime of chemicals and pesticides? Morbidity. Slowly. Declining. Health. So yes, it's not likely that one bite of an apple that has been treated with pesticides will mean instant death, but it means that by the time you're past your parents age, you won't be feeling so healthy or 'quite right' anymore. People blame it on their genetic make-up, or 'old age', but there are so many small changes you can make now, so you can still be a healthy you in the future. Being older in age, does not mean you have to accept being crippled with pain, or have horrible menopause. It's merely a number if you ask me.

For those who are vegetarian or vegan, the need to eat organic is super important too, as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes are what make up your daily diet. You may be on a constant detox diet, but that doesn't mean your body can deal with chemicals hidden in and on our food.

At a risk of sounding contradictory, I need to stress the importance of freshness and vitality of fruit and vegetables. It is better to eat fruit and veggies that are fresh and non-organic than old, rotten, wilted organic ones. The main point I am trying to make here, is if you can find fresh, organic produce, then perfect. Second choice is to keep eating fruit and vegetables (non-organic), but make sure they are super fresh. Give them a good rinse with filtered water and apple cider vinegar when you get home, to try and neutralise some of the residue on the skin before you eat it.

My beliefs on meat...

Whether it is a health choice, or a 'save the animals' choice, I really don't mind if you eat meat or not. I eat meat because I need the protein for energy. Without it, I feel deficient. I have found what works for my constitution (with years of trial and error) so I urge you to do the same. 

What I also urge you to do is to find a local butcher who sells only free-range, pasture fed animals in their store. 

Supermarket/commercial meat is almost all grain-fed. Animals are not able to live normal lives i.e. walk on grass, eat grass, socialize with the herd etc. They are confined to feed lots/cages and fed unnatural foods such as soy and grains to fatten them up. They become fat for similar reasons that humans become fat. They can't digest grains effectively, the soy messes with their hormones, they over eat & store the extra toxins in their fat cells. Not only is the meat of poor eating quality, but it is of poor nutritional quality. 

A story comes to mind here that my future father-in-law told me. He is a worm farmer. When he was beginning to source some manure for his worms to feed on, he went to a local cattle farm thinking it would be an easy choice.

The cattle farmer informed him, if he were to feed his worms the manure from their farm, the worms would almost certainly die. He was puzzled as to why! The farmer said for the cattle to digest the grain, they are soaked in acid-based chemicals before they feed it to the cattle. The manure was therefore too toxic & acidic to feed to the worms. And what about the poor cows?? Apparently it makes the meat more tender. No wonder! The cattle are rotting from the inside out before they make it to the abattoir. 

Ultimately, the health of the food and the health of the animal has a direct effect upon you and your health. Unhealthy meat = unhealthy you.

Ask questions at your butcher before you buy it and feed it to your family.
Eat Organic, free range where & whenever you can.
When choosing where to shop, think fresh, local, in season.

The choice is yours. You can make a difference. Start making conscious choices today.