Choosing organic food and beauty products used to be seen as a lifestyle thing; a preference for something that isn't essential, more of a status symbol, like a swish car or designer boots.
However, with the latest round of scientific reports out at the end of 2007, it's become even clearer that organic can offer real health benefits: with up to 40% more antioxidants in organic fruit and veg; higher levels of iron and zinc; 90% more antioxidants in organic milk compared to conventional herds....all of this against continued studies into the effects of chemicals (the announcement that 74% of apples sold by retailers contained pesticide residues caused many families to think again).
In 2008 it seems very likely that as the organic movement becomes mainstream and the obvious choice, so will a more holistic approach to health in general. Having become so disassociated with where our food comes from and how our bodies work, it's now dawning on us that a number of these factors are related.
The first step is realising that what we eat and put on our skin immediately affects our health, and also that of our families. Then it becomes obvious that the way in which our food is produced also affects us, and we're asking more questions: whether any pesticides used run off into water sources; whether wildlife is depleted and therefore makes natural pest control harder – a vicious circle; and whether intensive production leads to more pollution in our wider world.
So going organic becomes less of a choice, and more of a necessity. It improves your overall health and can help combat disease (those extra antioxidants are especially famous for helping to fight tumours); decreases the overall level of pollution produced, so helps maintain the health of your loved ones too; and the movement is also linked to looking after the world as a whole too. The penny is dropping for hundreds of people every week; so organic sales will continue to soar which will also hopefully make prices more accessible for all. That's the kind of vicious circle we like; and so simple to start.
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