Wellness Tips
Your guide for achieving optimal health ... |
Eat
Organic farming is a method of farming where no pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides or chemical fertilizers are sprayed on the soil or plants. The farms
that are "certified organic", have been recognized by an organic certification
body as having been chemical free for at least three years. Organic
farmers work hard to create the soil environment that will provide the pH etc.
necessary for the health of the particular crop through the organic matter and
humus used. Humus, which is not only vital to holding water in the soil,
is also the preferred food for the millions microorganisms, fungi and earthworms
found in organic soil that break down the organic matter into a nutritious form
usable to the plants. Mother Nature's closed organic cycle of dead plants,
animals and animal manure becoming organic matter that feeds the microorganisms,
fungi and bacteria that then feed the growing plants, results in vibrantly
healthy plants that are disease and pest resistant, and having many more
vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in them, and
sans the toxins from
the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and chemical fertilizers.
Therefore organic farming is nonpolluting and environmentally sustainable.
Even though organic food is not toxic, it should be washed thoroughly to remove
any dirt and manure before being consumed.
Conventional farming is a method by which industrial pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are sprayed on the plants and
the soil, killing not only the pests, but also those vital fungi and microorganisms in the soil that are critical to plant nutrition and therefore our nutrition.
Chemical fertilizers are also sprayed in order to try and feed the plants, but
synthetic fertilizers put on dead soil do not duplicate the delicate balance
necessary to create a healthy plant, as the valuable humus, fungi and microorganisms are missing
in the soil. As the plants are less healthy, they attract more pests,
which results in more pesticide use. The lack of humus in the soil results
in more soil erosion and a greater need for watering, which in turn,
contaminates groundwater with pesticide run-off damaging not only drinking water
and but also fisheries. These chemical fertilizers, pesticides,
herbicides and fungicides are poisons that not only coat the plant, but also are
absorbed through the roots of the plant and become a part of the plant tissue.
So when we eat conventional vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds, we are
making a choice that has fewer nutrients, and instead packs a small dose
of poison. Even though our liver is very good at detoxifying us, it can
get rather overwhelmed when it is asked to do this with every meal. And
when the nutrition in the food isn't adequate to replace vitally healthy liver
cells, over time things may break down.
I am hoping that it is becoming obvious that using less nutritious, toxic food to replace our cells each day is not a recipe for health and wellness. To be healthy and vital, we need the best quality raw materials we can find, so shop organic and watch your body detoxify!
Chek, Paul; You Are What You Eat CD Series Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2002.
Chek, Paul; Under the Veil of Deception, A "Down to Earth" Look at Organics San Diego, CA, 2002.
Tompkins, Peter and Bird, Christopher; Secrets of the Soil, New York, NY, Harper & Row, 1998
Tompkins, Peter and Bird, Christopher; The Secret Life of Plants, New York, NY, Harper & Row, 1973.