Article: Return to What Is Real: The Why and How of Eating Organic
Return to What Is Real: The Why and How of Eating Organic
You are what you eat
My five year old son, Taavi, has latched onto a simple idea: you are what you eat. Ever since he learnt it, it's stuck with him. And why wouldn't it? Whatever goes into your body becomes a part of you. It's intuitive. It's known.
Yet for the better part of the last hundred years, we've been pushing the boundaries of forgetting this principle, experimenting with becoming poison. Literally.
Plastics, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, preservatives, fake additives and "forever chemicals" from all over the industrial world have made their way into our food, our homes and our bodies. And we're now truly feeling the repercussions.
When choosing clean becomes strange
The other day, the leader of Taavi's Little Kickers soccer group asked if I'd like to order him the team jersey with his name on it. I replied, graciously, "No thank you, I'm trying to preserve his fertility." (The jersey, shorts and socks were all made of plastic, of course.)
It has become so normal to poison ourselves at every step that it's almost shocking to people when you'd prefer not to.
The one thing I'd ask you to focus on
If I could get one important point across to anyone looking to better their health and lifestyle, while also contributing to more sustainable systems in the world, it would be this: eat as local and as organic as you possibly can.
For people with different capacities, this will look different. Here's where to start.
Get a produce box. If you're working intensely, simply linking up with an organic food delivery service might be all you can do, and it's a great step. These services are becoming more competitive as demand grows, and their produce boxes are incredible.
Grow your own. If you have the desire, a garden is ultimately the best option. It's very time consuming, and it can easily become a lifestyle choice to tend your own garden, which would probably make you a lot happier than being a rat on a wheel. But each to their own (tongue firmly in cheek).
Rethink eating out. This is one of the hardest, for us too. Unless there's an organic option near you (and there probably isn't, because organic produce is simply too expensive for most cafes and restaurants), it means stepping away from eating out.
Buy in bulk. Think like a business. Wholefood suppliers like Terra Madre in Melbourne and Honest to Goodness in Sydney, and many more all around Australia, let you buy in bulk online, or you can set up an arrangement with your local bulk food distributor. Save up some money, organise your pantry, and start buying one to three months of food at a time. You'll save tonnes.
We found we could eat a completely organic diet for less than conventional food by doing this strategically. And we do. Getting that first order together can be hard, but trust me, it's in the best interests of your health and your family's.
Support your body to clear what it's carrying
Given everything we're exposed to, it's worth regularly supporting your body's natural cleansing. Herbal blends traditionally used for the blood and liver, such as Herbaline and red clover, make a beautiful daily ritual. And wholefoods like chlorella, coriander and wild blueberries are well loved for their role in supporting the body to clear heavy metals.
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." (Often attributed to Hippocrates)
Healing yourself and healing the earth
These go hand in hand. To be part of the solution, we need to clean up our own bodies and add to the growing demand for sustainably produced organic food. We already have the knowledge, with farming principles like biodynamics. We only need to shift our attention away from mega processed, patented products from mega corporations, and back towards what is real.
Return to what is real.
