The Nature’s Choice Super-Food Phenomenon

Category: Health News

¤ Please tell me more about organic foods.¤ Please tell me more about bio-friendly foods.

¤ Please tell me more about “functional” foods.

¤ Please tell me more about “junk” foods.

¤ Please tell me more about genetically modified foods.

¤ What are the benefits of Nature’s Choice foods?.

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At Nature’s Choice we generally classify foods into the following categories:

¤ Foods Certified as Organic : These are foods that are grown and distributed in strict compliance with globally recognized standards of organic food cultivation and production. These foods, wherever available, would usually be the first choice of the enlightened consumer. At Nature’s Choice we carry a wide and ever-growing range of Organic foods, most of which are specially imported and all of which we would also classify as bio-friendly (see below). Nature’s Choice is certified with BCS in Germany and, as such, all of our organic foods are Certified Organic. Organic foods are discussed in more detail below. (Go back to feature menu)

¤ Bio-Friendly Foods : These foods may not be strictly organic but, unlike “junk foods,” they adequately support the needs of life and they do not burden the life processes in any way. Typically, bio-friendly foods are preservative-free, sucrose-free, and hydrogenated fat-free. They are unrefined and unadulterated. They have not been irradiated, or over-processed or ultra heat-treated. Bio-friendly foods do not contain harmful chemical additives (which might include texturizers, emulsifiers, colorants etcetera). While bio-friendly foods are not always on a par with organic foods, as a rule they are infinitely superior to junk foods. All foods in the Nature’s Choice range are either Organic or Bio-Friendly. All of our organic foods are also bio-friendly – (this is why we refuse to sell “organic” sugar, for example.)
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¤ Functional Foods : Usually, these are junk foods that have been “enriched” with a few vitamins and minerals etcetera. We believe that when a food needs enrichment, it is a poor food indeed and, as such, it is hardly worthy of being classified as “functional.”

¤ Junk Foods : According to our definition, junk foods are neither Organic or Bio-Friendly. For one reason or another, they do not adequately support the needs of life and they burden the life processes in some way. They may contain preservatives, sugar, hydrogenated fat, refined flour and/or any number of chemical additives. They may be adulterated, irradiated, ultra-heat treated and/or highly processed. In most cases, they will cause constipation and/or unbalance body chemistry and/or cause hormone imbalance and/or upset homeostasis and/or contribute significantly to the body’s toxic load. As a matter of policy, and out of respect to our loyal supporters, we do not stock junk foods of whatsoever nature. (Go back to feature menu)

¤ Genetically Modified Foods : We choose not to use genetically modified foods and we do not recommend their use. Because of poor (almost non-existent) governmental controls over the production of genetically modified (GMO) foods, however, certain GMO foods have made significant inroads into our country’s food supply – the two main culprits being Soya and Maize. Our company policy dictates that wherever we suspect that a food may be genetically modified, we will make every effort to supply the organic alternative (which will always be GMO free). Until such time as there is a quick and easy way of identifying a GMO food – enabling us to label food accordingly – we would urge you to opt for the organic alternative in the case of soya and maize. (Go back to feature menu)

Click here to discover how Nature’s Choice products can benefit you. For a discussion of Organic Foods, please see the article below:

More About
Organic Foods

Summary

What is Organic Food?

The Hazards of Conventional Agricultural Methods

Some Cautions about Commercial Labels

Ten Environmental, Social and Other Benefits
of Growing Organic Food

Six Benefits of Organic Food for Personal Health

A Word about Personal Food Preparation
and Purchasing Sources Consulted

Summary

The term ‘organic’ refers to environmentally friendly and health supportive methods of farming and processing both animal and plant foods. Chemical pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers are generally not used except in cases where they pose no environmental danger or a health risk for the consumer.

Conventional methods of growing, processing, packaging and otherwise handling food not only destroys much of its nutritional value but also exposes the consumer to toxins and harmful chemicals. It is now generally acknowledged that the methods and materials of conventional farming are responsible for many human ailments.

Organic methods, on the other hand, provide numerous benefits, not only in terms of the quality of the product itself but also for the environment, the economy, employment, social well-being and personal health.

What is Organic Food?

Instead of chemicals, the organic farmer will use crop rotation to control pest build-up and improve soil fertility, plant selected bushes and flowers to attract insects that ward off unwanted pests, and so on. It’s very much a question of blending old methods and new research and technology.

The Hazards of Conventional
Agricultural Methods

Many conventional agricultural methods expose the consumer to various kinds of toxins. These include pesticides, heavy metals and solvents. Many pesticides are now recognized as cancer-causing agents. Heavy metals (e.g. lead and mercury) damage nerve function, contribute to diseases such as multiple sclerosis and block hemoglobin production, which causes anemia. They are also believed to lower IQ. Solvents damage white blood cells, thereby weakening the body’s immune system so that it cannot resist infections and illnesses effectively.

Besides exposing consumers to toxins, these environmentally hostile methods of agriculture also substantially reduce the levels of nutrients naturally found in the foods we eat.

Thus far, studies have never been able to prove conclusively that there is a direct correlation between chemical residues in non-organic foods and the decline of human health. This, however, unfortunately doesn’t prove there is no cause for alarm. One of the biggest difficulties in conducting such a study is to find a control group – a population that is free from chemical residues – to which one can compare those who have been contaminated. No such population exists. What studies have been able to show is that we are all contaminated with chemical residues and toxins from conventionally grown and processed foods. This in itself is enough reason for anyone who wants to be healthy to avoid non-organically grown food and change to organic.

Some Cautions about Commercial Labels

Generally when you see the term ‘organic’ on food labels you can be sure that the product had to meet certain standards laid down by the law. These standards may include prohibitions on the use of harmful synthetic substances, genetic engineering, growth hormones, irradiation, antibiotics and artificial ingredients and the application of environmentally friendly farming methods. In the case of farming for meat, poultry, eggs and dairy, the standards will cover the health and welfare of livestock. In other words, they have to be adequately fed, and they must be housed in adequate, sanitary conditions allowing for exercise, freedom of movement, and minimum stress. The standards will even cover the handling of the product – processing, preservation, packaging and even transportation methods must be environmentally friendly and supportive of health standards.

Note, however, that such descriptions on products as ‘natural’, ‘traditional’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ do not necessarily mean the product was grown or processed organically. Also, the description ‘organic’ doesn’t mean the entire product was produced organically. Read the labels carefully.

Ten Environmental, Social and Other Benefits of Growing Organic Food

Soil conditions improved

Soil erosion minimized

Contamination of crops, soil and water prevented – and water supply therefore protected

Sustainable agriculture and food production

Less risk to biodiversity and ecosystems

Greater safety and health of farm workers

Better chances of survival for small farms

Better taste and quality of food

More labour opportunities, especially for hard-to-place categories of workers, such as welfare families, the homeless, the disabled and the injured

Easy and inexpensive to cultivate one’s own garden and produce one’s own fresh fruits and vegetables

Six Benefits of Organic Food
for Personal Health

Reduced exposure to toxins used in conventional agricultural practices

Substantially higher levels of nutrients available for consumption

Better health, stronger immune systems, less obesity

Better blood function – oxygen-carrying ability improved

Better sleep

In children, less harm to developing brain and nervous systems

A Word about Personal Food Preparation and Purchasing

Lead has long been recognized as posing a serious threat to health, yet lead solder is still used to seal tin cans, which then deposit this poison into the food.

Babies, because of their developing organs, are probably more susceptible to toxins in foods than adults are. Some therefore believe that organic foods would be a safer, more suitable diet for them.

Consumers also need to be careful about the implements they use for cooking. Metal cookware is best avoided. Use glass cookware where available. In other words, don’t undo in the kitchen all the hard work you put into hunting for organic food in the supermarket!

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Sources Consulted

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=17#Health

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/61/71449.htm

http://www.nutiva.com/nutrition/organic.php

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/expert/9151.html

http://lookwayup.com/free/organic.htm

http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/Body/organic.htm

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