Go Organic!

[hexi2]

Seems like the 'organic' lifestyle really fits in with life post Cohens...yeh expensive but worth it just for the taste!

A thread for a bit of a chat on this and maybe some good links

http://www.buyorganic.com.au/

[Faithy]

Elle MacPherson swears by eating organic.. or so I've read.. she says something along the lines of organic foods have more nutrients etc, so therefore we eat less as our bodies feel more satisfied than they would just eating the readily available stuff.. makes a lot of sense & she always looks so gorgeous & healthy.

[garden goddess]

Great thread Hexi ,
I've long been a fan of organic food ,it tastes so much better, just a bit of a problem with supply where I am .Find I have to drive at least 1/2 hour to 40mins to get to nearest supplier and you have to question the carbon footprint there.
But you've got me thinking about a delivery service I used to use. Maybe if people got together with a few friends and bought in quantity direct from the market or supplier , that may well cut down costs and fuel emissions.
Just an idea.....I might look into it myself .....a few friends and I had a veg co-op system like that for regular produce ....but why not for organic ????
LILY

[sundaymorningstaple]

Organic Foods.......
Con's.....
http://www.emaxhealth.com/75/7431.html (2006)
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_.../headline/2334 (2004)
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/cover101006.htm (2006)

Pro's........
Of course here is equal time from the Organic Trade Association who have to protect their own...http://www.ota.com/organic/foodsafety/ecoli.html....but if you read it carefully, specifically the "Are all E. coli equal? There is the problem of growing food in animal crap. To the speed reader they may miss the fact the this is the whole problem with organic foods. Had quite a problem earlier this year with a number of deaths in the US due to organic farming methods.

and other Pro's
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/cover101006.htm (Old from 1999)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php..._organic_foods

Frankly, I will not go out of my way to purchase it for several reasons, one, to me it doesn't taste that much different (to me anyway) and two, at nearly twice the costs coupled with all the other rising costs, I can give it a miss. And three, why subject myself to the possibility of the following:

Have you ever seen organic farms like where they grow spinach and such? Huge fields without a building or hut insight. And when the use itinerant workers to pick the crops? Have you ever wondered where they relieve themselves during the work day? Or do you suppose that have to hold it till they finish the day and go back to their huts?

Enjoy your organic vegetables.......but at least be well informed as well.

[Annabelle Joy]

I saw a demo of an amazing machine the other day. It replaces almost every gadget in the kitchen. However, its biggest advantage is that it can be used to make so many of the things that we usually buy prepared, such as mayonnaise and dips, hence organic foods, no preservatives. It's easy to use, easy to clean and very fast. Below is the paragraph I put into my diary afterward.

I'm so excited about what I saw. It is just so relevant to Cohen style food. It is a machine that does just about everything, and cooks using fresh, natural ingredients. This morning the woman demonstrating made: pear and lemon sorbet (chopped whole pear, peeled lemon, sugar and icecubes) in one minute; fresh hummus, with fresh dukkah; mushroom risotto, with freshly grated parmesan; bread rolls (not as easy as a bread machine and does need the oven, but will grind the wheat); fresh vegetable salad (absolutely delicious) and coconut and almond custard. The whole lot usually takes her about two hours to demonstrate (two hours to cook that meal from scratch). There's a web site here http://thermomix.com.au/index.html. It's horrifically expensive at almost $2000, but replaces almost every device in your kitchen.

They are sold at home demos, sort of party plan. The woman selling this one didn't hard sell. BTW she's a Cohen graduate from 12 months ago, saw the benefits of the machine for her maintenance diet. It's not the sort of thing that most people will buy immediately (almost $2000). There are several payment plans. It really is worth organising a demo to see what it does.

AJ

[louise41]

Just to add to SMSs comment about the lack of toilets, not all non organis food is squeaky clean, In China they fertiliser with "night soil" (human manure) If you buy any food made in china this is a possibility

[moony70]

Hi All,
Just had some great comments re SMS about organic food and got timed out so I will just post a couple of links for great organic meat & coffee at reasonable prices

coffee the best ever grown in OZ FNQ and available via post www.nqgoldcoffee.com.au

Meat only available in some areas very reasonabley priced for organic meat about $16.00 a kilo
www.bonah.com.au


Moony

[CL2026]

There are definately alot of pros and cons with eating organic ( including those mentioned above) I work for a non profit organisation and we support environmental organisations that are teaching us city dwellers exactly how much of a carbon footprint we are using ( which is scary) and how many planets we use up just by doing normal things each day - such as driving to work, having a shower etc etc. I do buy organic when I can ( and have the extra cash available to do so - being on Cohens is a great justification to do so!!!) but maybe equally as good as eating organic is knowing where you food comes from and how many miles it has traveled to get to you. That is an eye opener in itself ( especially for people like me living in cities who just take it all for granted)...
I highly recommend a fantastic dvd called Food Matters. In a nutshell this dvd shows you by eating unprocessed and "super" foods the body can heal itself. www.foodmatters.tv

[lucylou]

I eat just about all organic food but especially meat, being at the end of the food chain it's especially important.
My hubby and I went to a forum a few years agao and found out that chemicals and toxins in regular food causes...obesity! The body holds the offending toxins in fat to keep the body safe from them...interesting theory.

If you're worried about how your food is grown and your carbon footprint then the answer is easy, grow your own. This morning I picked fresh lettuce, baby spinach, silver beet and zuchinni. Also growing cauliflower, capsicum and chillies. I grow my own herbs and am waiting for maintenance to harvest the sweet potato. The hubby is going to build a chicken coop this week and we're going to get a couple of chooks. Oh and we're renting at the moment so you can do all this even in a rental property with a regular back yard.

Growing your own food is the best!

x

Loulou

[Andy46]

I reckon the the more you do yourself the better for you it is and the less processed the better its got to be and with a little planning and creativity - there is very little you need to buy that is processed and then if you look about you get plenty of back yard gardeners who are only two happy to supply you at a reasonable price for their hobby garden produce.

And the savings are huge ...... even as far a s meat goes you only need to eat the better quality cuts and not the rubbish and Australian beef is the best and cheapest in the world !!!

All good links here as well !!


Andy

[Andy46]

This site also so has some very informative fact sheets

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/stumbling.html

and while your at you can also DETOX

http://www.ehow.com/how_2317830_detox-naturally.html

Actually this last site has lots of stuff on it about everything you can think of and how to do it !!!

Andy

[jasmin888]

I suggest you check this organic wine maker in Jerilderie in NSW who make acclaimed fine wine. Check out the makers bio, he’s a pretty switched on guy. www.organic-1.com/

[jasmin888]

I suggest you check this organic wine maker in Jerilderie in NSW who make acclaimed fine wine. Check out the makers bio, he’s a pretty switched on guy. www.organic-1.com/

[mcpsych]

opinion- thre word organic is used in much the same way as the word marine
if you want a bolt it will cost you 50 cents. If you want a 'marine grade 'bolt $1.50

there is little evidence that organic is better for you ( some people use organic interchangeably with fresh, or natural - this of course is misleading)

[Mich]

Interesting thread..

I eat organic meat as much as I can. Mainly becuase of the horemones used for fast growth for non organic.

With the fruit and veg, it depends on the quality and the price... so not fanitcal, but I do think the meat has made a difference. Thats just my 2 cents worth!

[Sapphire]

Great thread - nice to see its revival.

I also eat 'organic' 'bio-dynamic' or 'free range' meats and chicken as much as I can (over 90% of the time) and have done for such a long time. Why? Just because I do and I think as natural as possible is better for me and that's my personal opinion.

I don't eat 'organic' veggies much at all as I don't have access to them, however, I do grow my own when I can which is rewarding and satisfying and I know what is going onto them and into the soil.

As for fruit - rarely eat 'organic' but try to eat seasonal fruit - EXCEPT oranges - am currently eating those imported from California - sorry carbon footprint!

And that dear friends... is my 2 cents worth.

Sapphire