Gluten wheat free ingredients, Gluten-free bread, organic food

A lot of people ask me, why organic? I’ve been dabbling with organic farming for over 30 years and feel great as I am farming in a way that hasn’t drenched the land in chemicals. In doing so I am passing on completely natural meat and produce to people. I know organic food is not only healthy for the environment it’s healthier for us too. In a nutshell, here are my top 6 reasons for going organic:

1. It’s better for the environment.

Did you know that over 3000 tons of pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides and fungicides are used in New Zealand every year? Intensive use of chemicals and sprays can seriously deplete the health of the soil and affect local waterways. Farming is based around healthy soil. Rich, healthy soil has all the natural nutrients to great strong healthy crops. There are lots of great natural organic fertilizers (like seaweed tea) and a hearty organic compost will make all the difference – you just don’t need the chemical stuff!

2. It’s better for wildlife.

Intensive use of chemicals can also have a negative impact on good bugs and biodiversity on a farm – all essential to create a natural healthy environment. Organic farming encourages biodiversity and wildlife.

3. It’s better for the animals.

If you eat meat, cheese or eggs, or drink milk and that’s most of us. Organic means the animals have been reared and cared for with the strictest animal welfare standards. They’re also fed with organic feed, so if they are organic cows, the farm must also be certified organic and use no sprays on the grass. Organic farmers will often plant a diverse range of nourishing plants on pastures, which keeps the animals super healthy. If the animals eat more than grass, no growth hormones or antibiotics can be used in their food. There’s also strictly no GE in their feed – thank goodness! They also have lots of room to roam around and forage and enjoy a free-range lifestyle.

4. It's better for you

Eat food grown as nature intended. Did you know organic and heirloom tomatoes have been found to have higher levels of antioxidants than tomatoes grown with sprays and fertilisers. This is because organic plants had to build up their own immunity to pests and disease and therefore grew stronger and healthier…a quality that is directly passed on to the people eating them.

5. A GE free diet.

You know if you’re eating organic it’s GE free.

6. Chemical-free diet.

Pesticides and other chemicals may be sprayed on food when they’re being grown, but residues remain in the food we eat. In the NZ Dirty Dozen list of foods containing the highest pesticide residues, compiled by the Safe Food Campaign bread and all products containing wheat have consistently high levels of pesticides. Many of these pesticides are potential carcinogens and suspected endocrine disruptors, and that makes young children and pregnant mothers particularly susceptible. Choosing organic, means you will be significantly reducing the pesticide intake on your body.

So when you choose organic you’re not only caring for the environment, protecting wildlife and improving animal welfare standards - it’s better for you too! The best way to illustrate it is to get yourself along to an organic farm and see for yourself.

Reduce the Pesticide Intake in Your Body Every Single Day