With all the different advice we hear about food, it can be tricky to know what foods we should be eating, writes Margaret Lambert in the latest instalment of her Health Focus column.
How can I really know what food is good for me, and does it really matter anyway?
Food is one of the basic ingredients that keeps us alive. The food that we consume converts to energy that sustains our other bodily functions such as breathing, circulation and movement.
It makes sense to give our bodies the products in order to function in the best possible way.
Commencing with real food is a great start.
By real food, I mean the food that is grown and not processed with sugars and artificial products, or sprayed by chemicals – the food that has become known as organic food.
I am reminded of a cartoon I saw recently of a grandmother who says to her daughter: “When I was young, organic food was simply called food!”
It is interesting that we have introduced the phrase organic food to describe food that is natural.
The other food – the food that doesn’t wear the label of organic, is likely to contain artificial additives or to have been sprayed by pesticides or herbicides, or both. Aside from containing artificial ingredients, these food products are likely to have absorbed the sprayed chemicals to varying degrees.
As we have developed more sprays for more pests and problem weeds, a question to be asked is: What may be the relationship between the rise of chronic illnesses and chemically infused food products?
One way to ensure better quality in our food source is to choose organic products, but of course you will pay for it.
I have often heard the question asked: “Why is organic food so expensive?” The counter question that was recently pointed out to me as being the real question to be asked is: “Why is non organic food so cheap?” We know that products become cheaper when the quality is compromised.
Many people have turned to organic food to improve their health conditions – some have even cured chronic conditions simply by changing to organic foods.
I am not suggesting that you forget about your current health regime and focus only on consuming organic products as your health treatment, but I do believe there is much to be gained by including organic food into your diet.
Moving to organic products is a positive step towards improving the food quality you offer to your body.
The food we eat does matter.
Food sustains our bodies and builds our level of vitality.
In order to help our bodies to be their best, the first best step is to improve the quality of our food intake.
♦ Margaret Lambert’s professional focus is holistic health and wellbeing, chronic illness, and the impact that our experiences have on our health and wellbeing. Her book, Longing to Live: Journey with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia received an honourable mention in the London Book Festival.
