Quick! Run! Eat more organic food!

Global warming! Health issues! Dodgy ingredients in conventional food courtesy of multinational corporations! Dodgy ingredients in cosmetics from our lovely “self regulating” cosmetics industry! In other words, they do what they want. After all, who DOES guard the guards?? Why DON”T we eat more organic food? I swear, every time I turn around there is yet another issue dominating the news on health scares and production scares from lead in toys to unsafe food colourings. The temptation to chuck it all and move to desert island where I can grow my own food is quite strong. Unfortunately I lack the funds to do so, as I understand that there are plenty of island about the place for sale, it seems one also requires a small army to guard it (at least in Asia pirates are a reality). Can one pay mercenaries with organic fruit and vegetables??

So here I am, doing what I can to eat well and try to counteract all the other things going on.

And I must say that I think I’m doing quite well! As far as lifestyle goes, there are only so many things a girl has control over and others that are forced upon consumers. I spent my Friday night having a fascinating conversation with someone who works for a chemical company.

Me: A chemical company?
Him: Yes
Me: So you work for the dark side, then?
Him: Errr… I guess so.

The conversation did actually improve from this not so scintillating beginning. At least from my perspective it did. Half a bottle of red wine may have assisted in this impression and the bloke in question may keep running shoes in his bag so he can sprint in the opposite direction when next we meet, but it did open my eyes.

So I try to keep chemicals out of my life as much as I can. I buy organic fruit and vegetables. I have my own import and distribution company for these fruit and veg. I buy organic body care, cosmetics, and toothpaste. We use vinegar and hot water to clean our floors, and I’ve stopped buying anti-bacterial products. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The paint on our walls contains all kinds of chemicals. Our floors are treated. When we get our airconditioners cleaned they use a chemical wash. Plastics are everywhere - in our computers, our cars, our phones, even ordinary things like sticky tape, the seals on our jars of herbs… And so the list goes on.

I suppose the trick is balance. Buy organic or at least reduce chemicals where you can and the rest? Well, next time you meet someone who works for a chemical company, give ‘em bit of a hard time *lol*

If you’ve been reading my blog, then you know a little bit about why I want to import and sell fresh organic foods into Singapore. A big part of my motivation is to encourage everyone to buy organic (where they can afford to) - from anyone they can. When you spend money, you vote with your dollars.  So every dollar you spend on organics is one less dollar going to the conventional producers. Which, if enough of us do, will make the conventional producers stop and think. Although do note that when I say ” buy from anyone” I’m talking about purveyors who are reliable and honestly buy organic products that are certified by a recognized certifying body.

Some days it seems as though loads of people think organics are a way to make lots of money really quickly (she says, wistfully, dreaming of a snazzy car that will never happen). From what I’ve seen, some of these people don’t know much about organics, just that it is an up and coming niche. My advice is this; talk to whomever you buy your organics from and see if they know what they’re talking about and even better, if they’re passionate about it.  Because buying organic food is simply better for the planet.  And it’s better for our children whom we hope will inherit this charming joint we like to call “earth.” Mind you, the way things are going, it’s going to be marketed by some pushy real estate agent as a “planet for the do-it-yourselfer.” Or maybe “a handyman’s dream!” Oh that Handyfix (local Singapore hardware store) could help us now! They have enough trouble with some of my simpler, yet apparently bizarre requests I make so I can’t imagine looking for a continental size water purifier.

“Do you mean, industrial strength madam?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” I’d reply. “I need something that can take remove toxins from the Yangtze/Danube (whatever) River.”

Not that I can afford to buy everything organic, but the majority of fruit and veg we consume in our own home is organic, and for my two boys I make sure that everything they eat at home is organic. When we go out, they eat whatever we eat, but at home I won’t compromise.
Why? I hear you ask! What does it matter if children eat non-organic food? Well, studies have shown there is a benefit in feeding only organic food to children under the age of six. It is because their bodies have less fat and more water than adults so they are less able to trap and store water soluble chemical toxins in their fatty tissue. Organs such as their kidneys have less ability to detoxify their bodies as these organs are still maturing. So it only makes sense to limit what they can’t process and eliminate safely. That includes all the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, as well as antibiotics, hormones, and more.

I mean, we’ve all heard stories about how girls are becoming mature earlier and earlier, and when you consider the amount of growth hormones and other nasties that are being fed to cattle, pigs, chickens, and other animals that end up on our table, it isn’t that surprising. Antibiotics are a standard part of farming now, as the conditions the animals are kept in mean they are more prone to falling ill. So all of this … stuff … ends up in our meat, and in our soil, and in our water. Anyway, since no-one knows what the long term effects of consuming chemicals are, I’m not standing in line to make my kids part of this global experiment. If you want to read more about this then visit the Environmental Working Group (see the link on the sidebar or else go to www.ewg.org) which has loads of fantastic information. It is American based, but let’s face it. If it’s happening there, it’s happening (on some level) in pretty much any developed country. And heck, even in Singapore we have loads of American products both fresh and grocery, so it does rather behoove us to pay attention, does it not?

My first exposure (sans dirty raincoat) to organic food was actually in Florida, USA where I was living. It was during the time when they made a complete mess out the presidential election and there was loads in the newspapers about chards and whether Bush or Gore had the most votes. Hardly the most auspicious start to my stay there, but there you go.

While my husband Roland was working at the Ritz Carlton as Executive Chef, I ended up studying and teaching at a university for a year (a story in itself!). There I learned to juggle studying for a master’s degree, teaching, and running a house for the first time in my life. What was great was the discovery of two things 1) an organic shop called Wild Oats and 2) cooking magazines - both the Americans do very well. Wild Oats was like heaven. They had the most amazing food counters where you could lunch pre or post shopping and served fresh salads, soups, and fab hot dishes made with all organic ingredients. And the main shop? Oh my word! Like Jasons Supermarket but all organic/natural products. The fresh fruit and veg section had about a 100 varieties daily, and some were cheaper than conventional!ÂThe meat counter was wonderful too with loads of easy things like sausages (at least 10 different varieties) as well as chicken and beef with a variety of cuts to choose from. Read the rest of this entry »