Eat Yourself Well

Scroll down for topics on: Health benefits, Go Organic Challenge, Why Buy Local, Grow your Own, Food Irradiation, Meat-free once a week.

Food & Diet

Our own health and the health of the planet are interelated. Processed food requires more energy to produce and tends to pack on the kilos. To burn them off our butt we burn more fossil fuels by driving to the gym!   As well as being hard on our hips, the modern diet ends up being hard on our hip pockets when we fork out for the nutritional supplements we need to make up for the failings of our diet!

One solution? Organics. As well as countering all the problems above, it's easy! I get them delivered to my door.

• Organic and Quality Foods – www.organicfoods.com.au.
• Or if you prefer to fossick for yourselves get up early for the Northey Street City Farm, Cnr Northey & Victoria Streets, Windsor. Open each Saturday until 10.30am.
• West End or Green markets, Davies Park corner Jane street & Montague Road every Saturday 6am-2pm.

Health benefits of organic

For many people, a more immediate reason to choose organic is for the health of those dear to them, especially their kids.  A myriad of chemicals are used in conventional agriculture, many of which have been linked with neurological, hormonal and fertility disorders, and cancer. 

The fruit and vegies we buy from the supermarket have been sprayed with pesticides, which are not eliminated when we rinse them. Pregnant women, babies and small children are particularly vulnerable.  We give our kids dried fruit without a thought for the sulphites present, which have been linked with asthma.  Bags of grapes are emblazoned with the warning “sprayed with sulphur dioxide” – and they are one of the most common “healthy foods” seen at kid-friendly events or parties. 

Buying organic is the only way of avoiding these ubiquitous chemicals.  A 2006 study showed a shift to an organic diet in children produced “a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to …pesticides”

The "Go Organic Challenge" has been started by a group trying to increase the purchase of organics to 20% of the market share - (increase demand = prices fall).  They encourage you to make 1 in 5 purchases organic, or get 1 in 5 of your friends to take the challenge.

Have a look at the link to the PDF document, because there are 10 reasons to go organic, covers health and environment, plus info on organic certification and more. 

www.goorganicchallenge.com/f/GoOrganicChallengeBooklet.pdf

Buy Local

• Buying locally contributes to the financial viability of nearby farmers and other producers. In the long-run this may ensure access to fresh, seasonal food and greater food awareness among city dwellers.
• Fresh food tastes much better than food that’s been stored and shipped across the country -- or around the world.
• Locally grown produce tends to be fresher and contain higher levels of vitamins than the imported variety. Food that has to be transported long distances is often preserved with waxes, irradiation, gases and synthetic chemicals, such as fungicides and sprout inhibitors. Yuck!

Grow Your Own

Teach your kids about lifecycles, biology and give them some great life skills right in your own back yard.  Check out www.greenharvest.com.au - they seem to have everything to do with organic gardening, and more.

 

Food Irradiation

There are currently 3 commercial irradiation plants in Australia.  All using a nuclear by-product, Cobolt-60, to produce the gamma radiation used to irradiate food and other products. 

There are associated health risks and social and environmental impacts of the irradiation industry.  And, the risks are unnecessary, given that numerous alternatives exist.  Labelling laws are inadequate, making the choice to avoid irradiated food difficult.  For more info visit www.foodirradiationinfo.org.

 

Meat Free - One day a week

By designating one day a week to be meat-free, you’ll be conserving valuable water, energy and land resources.

Extract from the David Suzuki Foundation's "Nature Challenge Newsletter"

Did you know:

1. Roughly one-fifth of the world's land is used for grazing. That’s twice the area used for growing crops. Much of this land once provided habitat for flora and fauna before being cleared for livestock.
2. Feedlots cause water pollution. Nearly 21 per cent of the average Canadian's contribution to common water pollution is caused by meat consumption from high-density farms. By designating just one “meat free” day a week you'll help reduce common water pollutants by as much as 21 kilograms annually.
3. Meat production requires more water than raising crops. For example, 283 grams (10 oz) of beef requires 85 times more water to produce than the same amount of potatoes.
4. What's good for the earth can also be good for you! Reducing meat consumption  lowers the risks of heart disease and stroke. Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes improves your cardiovascular health and reduces the risks of obesity, diabetes and cancer.