Article: - Loving organic skin care products? Try organic food.
Why eat organic food?
Okay so if you are thinking about using organic skin care products, you may also be thinking about a more organic diet. You can get pretty much anything and everything organic now, from organic cucumbers to organic ice cream! But what does ‘organic’ mean? And why is it such a big deal?
What organic means
The definition of organic food is really pretty simple: it’s what happens when you grow crops and keep animals in the most natural, chemical-free way possible.
Organic meats and milk come from animals that haven’t been given antibiotics and a diet full of chemically-grown ingredients. Whilst it doesn’t sound so bad to be giving animals antibiotics to keep them healthy (we wouldn’t stop you going to the doctors if you needed to!), the problem is that some of these drugs, when we eat their meat or drink their milk, can transfer into our bodies, and then we can start become immune to their effects which could mean problems if we ever need to use antibiotics.
Organically-reared animals can be treated with antibiotics and other medication if they fall ill but there is a much longer period of waiting before their milk can be sold or they can be taken for meat. They are also kept in such a way that they are less likely to need veterinary treatment.
Organic fruit and veg are not treated with pesticides or other chemicals, with the farmers instead using natural alternatives for pest and fungus control. It is worth trying to avoid food containing pesticides as these are very harsh chemicals which have the potential to cause damage to our bodies.
Why eat organic?
There are lots of reasons why it is worth buying organic food:
- It’s so much tastier! The natural ways in which the food is grown or reared means that it is actually tastes better than food full of chemicals, as you’d expect really.
- It’s better for us! Organic food is richer in nutrients, and so contains more of the good stuff our bodies need, meaning you look and feel better, you can’t argue with that!
- It has no nasties in it! As well as being more nutritious, organic food does not have any of the pesticides or other chemicals which aren’t so good for us we just don’t know they’re there. You wouldn’t go into Pizza Express and order a ham, pineapple and pesticide pizza would you?! So it’s obviously good to know what you’re eating.
- It is better for the environment! Organic farming methods mean that the soil is enriched and there is no chance of chemicals polluting streams and rivers, so you’re doing your bit to be eco too (and no, eco doesn’t mean you have to become some sort of long haired hippy who doesn’t wash!)
- It’s much better for the animals! Animals reared under organic standards, both for meat and milk, must have a very high quality of life, so you’ll be eating the happiest cows and sheep around, who had lovely lives out skipping through the fields in the sunshine.
- It doesn’t contain genetically-modified (GM) ingredients (so no worries about mutant carrots!) No-one knows how changing the genetic make-up of crops will impact on the environment and us, and if messing with nature could result in some sort of scene from a horror movie!