Natural And Organic Food Reviews

If you plant the food you are eating, you are sure of what you are eating. If you eat the food grown by someone else, you now rely to authorities in telling what you are eating. Organic food can be self-certified by planting it yourself. What you plant, you eat; what you sow, you reap.

It reminds me of the vegetable farmers I visited once. They knew of the health risks of pesticides, yet they continued to spray and use different kinds of these in their crops. When I noticed that they were also eating their produce, I told them they were also eating the harmful chemicals they were applying to their crops. Surprisingly, they just laughed. When they sensed I had no interest in eating with them, they said they spared a portion of the farm for their own consumption. This area was not subject to harmful pesticides and the produce were safe for the entire family.

Produce what is good for your family; better still, produce what is also good for others. In developing your own organic garden, you reap more good things if you also share your harvest to your neighbors. Share the good harvest and recycle the bad ones. In recycling, the plant reunites with the soil and provides the nutrients for the next crops to grow.

Because you know you used everything according to the nature’s way - you planted seeds that are not modified, you used compost to fertilize the soil, you watered the plants with care and happiness - you know that you produced something that nature will give you back.

You have not harmed the environment, therefore you have shown great concern for mother nature. You are totally eliminating harmful chemicals from your system, therefore you are not giving back harmful chemicals to mother nature. Mother nature has no other choice but to provide you the best creation it can do. This is a product that does not need the USDA certification, yet it is the best organic food that only you and the people you have shared with can have.

Enjoy eating your food. It is the one genuinely certified organic food that gives every cell of your body a tremendous glow.

Though almost every American now buys organic food and products, around 70% only buy occasionally. One of the reasons why many people do not consider going straight for organic is its price. While organic foods really command higher price in the market, there are ways to make organic lifestyle affordable and enjoyable.

One of the most exciting and enriching ways to enjoy the benefits of organic food is to plant the mostly used items in the house. Instead of purely growing grass and ornamental plants, convert a portion of the open space into an organic garden.

Organic gardening is defined as the practice of growing vegetables, herbs and fruits using only things found in nature. Everything must be natural and organic, starting from the seeds, the soil, fertilizers, pest control. Harmful pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers are strictly out of the scene.

To start the organic garden, there is a need for a simple planning - what to do, where to go, when to start, how to implement, and of course, how to manage time, how to get everyone cooperate and get involved, and other related tasks.

Before planting, plan what to plant. It is recommended that the items most commonly used and consumed in the house should be given priority. It might be herbs and spices like basil and pepper, then leafy vegetables like lettuce, common root crops like carrot, and other kinds of vegetables like eggplant and tomato. Plant a few of every item that would supply the daily needs of a family. If there are neighbors who are also into gardening, share and exchange seeds because a pack of seeds is more than enough for one planting.

Planting will not be easy for beginners. Read procedures on how to plant the desired plants contained in your list. Plants require specific type of soil, climate and other factors. Select plants that are suited to the site conditions. If the site is an open space with lots of sunlight, choose the plants that need a lot of sunlight. If the site receives sunlight only at particular hours because of shady landscape, then choose plants that suit this condition. Check the type of soil in the area and know if there is a need to buy garden soil or other type of soil to complement the existing soil.

Like human beings, plants grow well if the environment suits them. Love the plants and the plants will bring it back to you.

Mothers should try organic carrot for their babies starting on solids. Carrot is an excellent source of beta-carotene which has been linked to reduced risk of several cancers. The body easily converts beta-carotene to Vitamin A which is then good for the eyes and skin. It helps the eyes to see in dim light and gives the skin a wonderful glow. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is involved in the formation and maintenance of healthy hair and mucous membranes. Vitamin A also strengthens the immune system, keeps the lungs and intestinal tract in order, promotes cell growth, and is necessary for proper bone growth and tooth development.

Organic carrot contains more vitamins and minerals than ordinary carrot. It has Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium. To retain the nutrients, carrot should be eaten fresh. However, since mothers will be feeding babies, it must be steamed and mashed for easy digestion.

Try feeding carrot for one straight week to test your babies for allergies. It is important for mothers to know if babies have allergy to specific food. Food allergies can cause itchiness in the mouth, throat and on the skin. There might also be rashes, vomiting or diarrhea, sneezing, rhinitis, shortness of breath or unusual crying. If some of these symptoms appear, immediately stop feeding that particular food and use any previous food recipe that were proven safe for your baby.

Feeding babies with too much carrot causes the skin to turn yellowish-orange. It is either the baby is unable to process all the carotene properly, or the liver is toxic. In this case, shift again to other food recipes or try a new one.

Vitamin A is offered as supplements and added in certain packed foods. However, it is always best for babies and for everyone, as well, to consume Vitamin A from the diet rather than from supplements. Feeding babies with organic carrot offers the maximum potential and health benefits that no supplement cannot.

Many mothers are finding it really important to strictly feed their babies with organic baby food and milk. With the rising number of children inflicted with unusual diseases such as kidney failure and cancer, organic baby food is not anymore an alternative but the only choice for them.

Eating inorganic or conventional food harms the physical body of any person regardless of age. If the person happens to be pregnant, there is a 100% possibility of passing the toxic substances to the baby inside the womb via the mother’s bloodstream to the baby’s umbilical cord. This was proven by a study which collected samples of blood from the umbilical cord of children and tested for pollutants. It revealed 21 pesticides crossed the placenta and directly entered the babies’ system.

In another study conducted and published by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2005, the result of having organic food diet significantly reduced the levels of pesticide to undetectable levels. The research measured the levels of pesticide in the urine of the children before and after going on organic food diet.

How else are toxic compounds enter the baby’s system? As more mothers are joining the work force, majority of them are feeding their babies with infant formula. Even with the advertisements that say “Breast milk is still best for children,” working mothers make this substitute in feeding their babies. Many mothers also think that a more expensive brand gives their babies near to breast milk quality. While babies on infant formula really grow bigger, size does not determine the true state of any child’s physical health.

Synthetic growth hormones applied to dairy cattle are transferred to their milk and to the infant formula as its end product. These growth hormones are then accumulated by the babies dependent on the infant formula. Several studies have already suggested of the effects of exposure to such growth hormones.

The innocent babies cannot yet decide for themselves. They cannot choose which milk to drink, and if they can even choose and choose mother’s milk, they are not also assured of being free from harmful substances. Therefore, it all depends on the mother. Going for natural and organic food must start with the mother to ensure that the milk she provides to her child is indeed safe and best for the baby.

In 2007, the USDA, upon the petition for inclusion of certain groups using these ingredients in the production of their organic product, proposed 38 ingredients be labeled organic even though they are not grown organically. These are: Celery Powder, Natural Sausage Casings, Chia, several (food) Colors, Dillweed Oil, Fish Oils, Fish Gelatin, Fructo-oligosaccharides, Frozen Galangal, Hops, Inulin enriched with Oligofructose (comes from chicory plant), Konjac Flour, Frozen Lemongrass, Orange Shellac, Chipotle Chile, Rice Starch, Sweet Potato Starch, Turkish Bay Leaves, Wakame Seaweed, and Whey Protein Concentrate.

To elaborate, the whey protein concentrate is taken as example. Petitioner Stonyfield Farm imports whey protein concentrate to avoid rBGH-derived whey protein from US dairies. It further said that the concentrate is unavailable in sufficient quantities in organic form because, as a byproduct of cheese-making, supply depends on sales of organic cheese, rather than sales of organic yogurt. The Organic Consumers Association objected by saying that there is sufficient quantity.

In May 2008, USDA renewed its approval of 46 non-organic ingredients to be used in foods and beverages that are labeled “organic”. Forty-one of these are non-agricultural, non-organic products (examples are calcium carbonate, flavors, sodium carbonate) while only 5 are agricultural non-organic products (corn starch, unbleached lecithin). USDA withdrew its approval for colors derived from non-synthetic sources and for potassium tartrate derived from tartaric acid.

There are two main arguments connected with these developments. On the one side, there are the organic food consumers asserting that an organically-certified product must undergo complete organic process including addition of organic ingredients. On the other side, there are the organic food producers and certifiers allowing non-organic food be included in their organic products. Both, of course, think that their arguments are correct and justifiable. It now depends on how one views life and processes.

In the process of going back to natural organic food, standards and concepts will always be subject to change. People, who for the longest part of their lives have inorganic foods on their table, cannot right away be completely and strictly organic food consumers. They will have to gradually introduce this to their system and lifestyle as most of the foods available in the market are inorganically produced. The fact is, though the organic food market is booming, people are still not completely organic food consumers. As about 70% Americans buy organic food, they only buy occasionally; and though one quarter buy it weekly, there are still a lot of non-organic stuff in their cupboard. This, however, does not mean that the argument of the petitioners are valid. It only means that the choice is with the consumers. If a consumer want purely organic product, they buy the purely organic ones. If a consumer, after knowing that a product contains non-organic ingredients, still decides to buy the product, then, the consumer had made the choice. It may be wrong from another organic consumer’s point of view, but that was another person’s view. Every individual is only responsible for what ever choice he or she makes. Any individual cannot be accountable for the choice of another individual.

Organic food products may be difficult to find for beginners. Because it caters to niche market, it is usually not located at the next corner or nearest convenience store. Searching the internet would save the day as organic products are now searchable and available online.

There are stores that only sell one product line. For example, one store may sell virgin coconut oil products the store company manufactures; the other maybe a combination of virgin coconut oil and all other organic oil products manufactured by different companies and producers; still a third may be a listing of affiliates or directories of all stores selling organic products. Choosing which store to purchase organic products depends on the products the individual is looking.

Of course, all these stores will say their products are organic. Determining this is left to the individual’s discernment. It is recommended that organic food beginners read first information related to natural and organic food before ordering online. Meanwhile, here is one tip to start your online search for organic food products online.

Look at the label and see if there is a USDA seal. USDA stands for US Department of Agriculture. If you live outside US, check if your country has a certification authority. In the US, the National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements and administers national production, handling and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. It also takes care in accrediting foreign and local certifying agents who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.   There are 55 domestic and 40 foreign accredited certifying agents.

The US also came up with the Organic Foods Production Act. Together with NOP, it assures consumers that they are buying organic foods that are produced, processed, and certified to be consistent with national organic standards. If the consumer is buying meat, milk and other dairy products, consumer is assured that the product is free from antibiotics and other inorganic chemical compounds. As for fruits and vegetables, consumer is assured that the product is free from harmful fertilizers and substances that cause cancer and other diseases.

The availability of organic food online frees the consumers from the hassles of going out and searching nowhere. Though it provides convenience, it may also limit the consumers’ capacity to inspect the product. In the long run, consistency and experience will teach consumers in getting the best organic food product online.

One of the aspects considered in organic food is achieving happiness. This may be immediately realized or may take some time to be internally understood. In proper time, all organic food consumers will experience happiness which will manifest in their total well being.

Organic food consumers eat organic food because they value their health and love their body. They are happy with their decision because it greatly reduces their stress and pains. They project a very beautiful personality because their body is free from toxins. A healthy person is always happy and at peace. If they are healthy, they are disease-free and therefore have less worries physically, emotionally and financially.

Consumers of organic food directly and indirectly support organic food producers. They provide these producers with clean living as consumers patronize their products. Families with clean living and producing clean products achieve tremendous amount of peace and prosperity energy in their lives. If producers have these positive energy, their products also receive the positive energy which is then transferred to the end consumers of these products, the organic food consumers. The cycle goes on and on and each cycle reinforces the amount of positive energy being released until it becomes very very powerful.

Compare this with consumers and producers of ordinary and inorganic products. The farmers and laborers apply toxic chemicals to the crops. They then become contaminated and acquire diseases as a result of chemical exposure. Suffering has already become a part of their lives.

From the producer, the toxins are transferred to its consumers. Aside from the toxic contamination, the crops are also contaminated with the negative energy associated with the sufferings of the producers. The consumers get twice negative energy which gives stress and physical diseases of worse kind.

More and more people who choose to end their suffering also choose the organic way of life. When cholesterol or malignant cancer cells gave them heart and cancer disease, their diet significantly change to more fruits and vegetables and then later organic fruits and vegetables. They at the least feel better or experience healing faster.

A person does not have to wait for diseases to affect their lives before choosing the healthy lifestyle. Each moment is an opportunity to choose the better life. It may be difficult at present to leave the sweet cakes and softdrinks, the meaty casseroles, and the fastfood menus; but gradually including organic food in the daily regimen and feeding the mind with more information would help.

In this article, organic food vis-a-vis vegetarianism will be initially elaborated. Organic food has been previously described to be any food - vegetables, fruits, meat, processed food, food by-products - which is free from harmful chemicals and produced using all natural methods, processes and inputs. At some point, it must carry the organic certification seal, but some simple tips to distinguish organic from inorganic food have also been presented. On the other hand, vegetarianism, which has many levels, shall be defined here in broad terms, and that is the edible fruits and vegetables.

For some people, they learned and practiced organic food lifestyle first before becoming vegetarian. For others, they took the vegetarian road first before learning and being organic food consumer. Of course, there are also those who only consider themselves as vegetarian or simply into organic food lifestyle, whichever. They may be conscious of categorizing themselves or simply not aware of it.

Vegetarian consciousness has been more identified with spirituality. This consciousness has been as old as the Eastern Civilization. It is a discipline in attaining Oneness with the Divine or Yoga. Yogis and meditators believe that the physical body, being the temple of the soul, must be clean and therefore has to be purified. Being vegetarian is one way of purifying the body because vegetables eliminate physical wastes and toxins in the physical body. Scientific researches have already presented a lot of healing and cleansing properties of vegetables. An example is the way vegetable fibers do in eliminating wastes.

Organic food awareness, for its part, has been greatly brought about by the harmful effects of artificial and commercial food production. It is actually in advocacy stage as this caters only to a niche market Although it was a natural thing to consume natural food in the pre-historic age until the dawn of commercial production, this awareness was eventually replaced when the need for mass production arose. Therefore, while organic food awareness seems to be much older, the awareness dissipation caused by modernization has made it something new for the present age.

People who are becoming more aware of organic food consumption are indeed in the process of going back, of communing with nature and be at one with it. They would like to be as healthy as the people who once set their feet on earth. With the way cancer and other diseases are shortening the lifespan of people, organic food consumption is becoming a choice.

For vegetarians, this is the same process they are discovering and doing in their life. They also would like to go back, to be home. The Vegans have for thousands of years known the benefits of eating vegetables. These same benefits are the benefits being appreciated by organic food consumers. Both are now learning from each other.

The beauty of living in the countryside offers the experience of eating organic chicken, but it is also available in the cities in small quantities. Organic chickens usually just roam around to find food. People raising these chickens use rice, corn or any food available to feed them. They simply call the chickens in some distinct way and the chickens come racing as if panicking for the food. They then throw the grains or any food and each chicken picks as many as it can. When the regular meal is over, the chickens roam around and search the ground for any available food which may be plants, insects, seeds, and if the area is coastal, small fish and live small shellfish.

Organic chickens have high beneficial fats that lower cholesterol, and higher amount of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin A. Their eggs taste much much better than those from commercially-raised chickens which receive regular dose of antibiotics, vaccines and other medications. Though it takes longer cooking time for the meat of most native chickens, its taste is incomparable with 28-day broiler confined in overcrowded poultry houses where they also release their wastes.

Native organic chickens are much smaller in size and grow much slower. While it only takes 28 days for a broiler to be harvested, native chicken usually needs at least six months. That is why, native chickens cannot be grown on commercial basis. Since the supply cannot meet the demand requirements of the chicken meat eating population, no big poultry raiser is interested in venturing into this kind of poultry raising. Organic chicken vendors usually rely on groups of small farmers for their supply and could not at this point meet the growing demand of organic chicken consumers.

For organic chicken consumers, eating organic chicken does not only provide health benefits but also better ecosystem. Chickens raised in the open catch insects that may be harmful to the plants, scavenge crop residue and help in fertilizing the soil through its organic manure. By the way, farms using chicken dung as fertilizer do not necessarily produce organic crops. Chicken dung are bought from commercial poultry farms that use chemicals and medications which are proven to be harmful to the human body.

Since most suppliers of organic chicken are small farmers, organic chicken consumers also help build the rural economy and the income potential of small farmers. Consumers also indirectly contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment because growing organic chicken does not produce air pollution that is common in poultry farms. There are also no flies to spread germs and organisms that cause diseases to the people.

Nature works in infinite ways. One best example is the organic Virgin Coconut Oil produced from organic coconuts. The amazing characteristics of nature especially in the natural healing field are usually not given attention by the scientific community. The reason sometimes lies in the effects natural healing will make to large multi-national drug companies.

A few years ago, after suffering from the fatal blow of the anti-coconut oil campaign in the West, the coconut oil rose up with a lot of scientific explanations of its very unique properties. Processed in another way, the Virgin Coconut Oil saves the coconut reputation of being the tree of life.

Ordinary coconut oil is processed by drying the coconut meat to produce copra. Copra is then crushed to extract the oil which is further refined, bleached and deodorized in additional processes. On the other hand, virgin coconut oil is produced without heat intervention. After the organic coconut milk is extracted from the freshly grated coconut meat, it is left at normal or controlled temperature until the oil separates.

From the process itself, virgin coconut oil does not pass through several methods and contamination before being produced. Simplicity is what makes nature beautiful and the way virgin coconut oil is produced is indeed wonderful.

The absence of heat in the process gives virgin coconut oil more lauric acid, the most important essential fatty acid in building and maintaining the immune system. Coconut oil has 92% saturated fats and 62% saturated medium chain triglycerides (MCT) that aids in increasing metabolism. This makes the coconut oil the highest source of this kind of fats, the other high source being the mother’s milk. The next closer source is milk and butter but only at about 3%.

Unlike other fats, the saturated fats found in virgin coconut oil aids in the metabolism process. They are directly absorbed and processed by liver which then converts these fats into energy. Because the saturated fats of virgin coconut is easily digested, primary organs involved (liver, pancreas and the entire digestive system) are not overworked

Other powerful benefits and uses of virgin coconut oil include hair and skin care, weight loss and digestion, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and a long list of other advantages.

Virgin coconut oil may be consumed as medicine and/or food ingredient. It can also be applied on skin as anti-allergy, skin softener and massage supplement. When taken orally, consume 2-4 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil a day.

Most coconuts are grown organically but if consumers want to make sure the virgin coconut oil they buy is organic, ask the manufacturer for organic farming certification of their respective supplier.