- Cancer has become so commonplace, and a lot of it has to do with stress and diet. Since I'm no longer a corporate slave, stress is something more manageable (check!). Time to work on my diet.
- I'm approaching my 40s in a few years, and longer am relying on an employer to foot whatever health bills are needed. I want to have my own kids SOON, and I want to be strong healthy when I have my 2 children and be with them as they grow up.
- Healthcare is a burgeoning business predicted to grow at a scary double-digit rate in the next 10-15 years. I don't want to be a victim to astronomical hospital bills, synthetic medicines and doctors' fees. Even if I'm a billionaire by that time, I don't want to leave a legacy of disease and sickness. I guess I also have to thank Steve Jobs for further strengthening the realization that health is a true measure of wealth, not one's achievements nor bank account.
Thus, I choose to live a healthy life, starting with my diet.
I started reading up and talking to people who were already into organic products and the business. There is SO MUCH to learn about what this entire organic business is all about. To state a few:
- It can be more costly to raise produce and make products that are truly organic because raw materials are not commercially or mass-produced (duh)... in other words, no economies of scale.
- "Natural" does not necessarily mean "organic". What you eat can be healthy because they're fruits, nuts and vegetables... but what you don't know is HOW they were grown. I recently bought a trial-sized bottle of chia (read more about the top 10 benefits of eating chia seeds). Upon closer inspection of an organic expert, she concluded that the seeds, albeit are natural, could've probably been sourced from Korea or China. Who can vouch if the sources are certified organic? I realized that there was NOTHING on the label that said it was organic at all.
- Beware of canned 'health drinks'. Case in point: a popular canned pineapple juice supposedly has "phytochemicals" to fight cancer. But I found out that chemical pesticides and other crop boosters are sprayed on the fruit in their giant plantation... and guess what? The ENTIRE pineapple is crushed (sans the stalks) to extract the juice -- meaning the pulpy contents and the skin, which is laden with whatever chemicals were sprayed earlier. Do you actually think they'd bother with scrubbing and hosing down each fruit before juicing? Hmmm....
- Unless a product's label has a stamp that says it is "CERTIFIED ORGANIC", you cannot be absolutely sure that what you're buying is 100% organic. Sadly, the certification process is expensive in the Philippines, so not everyone who claims to be organic can actually say they're certified. So how would we know if what local 'health food markets' are selling are truly organic? My suggestion: Ask the owner/supplier directly.
- Further research told me that food that is organic also means that it was grown using methods that are sustainable, encourages environmental health and avoids any form of harm or destruction to the environment.
Definition of 'Certified Organic'
Certification for organic food producers has been made available in a number of countries and is required before a product can be marketed as organic.
Foods that are certified organic have been grown, handled, and produced according to the guidelines in place and the farm has satisfied all the requirements set by the particular country that certifies them.
Products are labelled with the certifiers logo and code to confirm certification for the consumer. Understand the definition of organic food and make sure that you look for the certification labeling.
