Thought I should post here a guest blog I did for the lovely and foodie-rific Florentina (her website www.ciaoflorentina.com is cyber food paradise, follow her on twitter @CiaoFlorentina for more details!) So here in full is the post on healthy eating and organics... (the original post can be found on her amazing website here: http://ciaoflorentina.com/profiles/blogs/organic-eating-and-how-does?xg_source=activity )
Many months ago, I began a personal project to expand my palate and food tastes through healthful eating. However, within the first few days of my endeavor, I was confronted with a dilemma: how can a bourgeoning foodie navigate new culinary conquests while simultaneously maintaining a strong adherence to wholesome, calorie-conscious products? It was a perplexing paradox to be sure, and though I cannot admit to fully solving it to this day, I do know that through the consumption of organic products I continue to be able to not only experience new kinds of food but also to do so with absolutely no consequence to my waistline.
An important side-note: the word “organic” is often misleading, for it connotes a kind of product that is somehow more natural than its non-organic counterpart. Yet, organic simply means “from the earth” and is a label that can be affixed onto a number of products without increasing the intrinsic healthfulness of the given food-item itself. Thus one must be careful not to fall into the trap of “organic” eating without truly examining the nature of this thing that is allegedly marked “organic.” Henceforth, when I refer to organic, I am referring to a style of growing that is free of pesticides and harmful products, so that food is grown and harvested in a non-chemical, natural way.
As a simple example of the dietary benefit organic eating can provide, I urge you to try the following experiment: Place in front of you two chocolate chip cookies and next to them 25 spears of broccoli. Now begin eating, noting which product is easier to consume. As you can guess, the cookies will be the simpler option; perhaps you may even crave another after the first two have been eaten. The broccoli however, will be much more difficult to eat, with 2 to 3 spears at most finished before a feeling of fullness is achieved. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that the calorie content for 2 cookies or 25 spears of broccoli is equal, although the craving for vegetable is filled hundreds of calories before our appetite for sweets is even close to being realized!
Organic fruits and vegetables allow an individual to consume more while concurrently decreasing their daily calorie count. As a diet option, organic foods are completely compatible to suit a lower intake of calories and also afford the nutrients necessary for an active or even semi-active lifestyle. You will feel full eating this way and will have consumed a smaller amount of calories packed with more nutrients than sugary or harmfully fatty products can ever hope to provide. Furthermore, there is just an indescribable, satisfied, fulfilling feeling achieved after the consumption of a healthy meal. This same feeling cannot be duplicated with the consumption of “junk food.” This phenomena may be due in part to the fact that as food becomes more and more processed, taking it away from its original state as it occurs in nature, vital nutrients are lost, sometimes giving way to flavor injected through fats or simple carbohydrates that only serve to add excess calories to your daily diet but do nothing to provide useful energy that will sustain you for long periods of time. So much for the diet benefits of organic eating…
In terms of culinary curiosity, the possibilities and combinations that can be achieved using organic products are endless. As Americans move towards a more natural way of living and eating, with the popularity of organic products growing exponentially in the past decade, it has become just as easy to eat wholesome foods as it is to eat processed and unhealthful products. Gone are the days when organic cuisine limits one’s ability to experience food in exciting and interesting ways, and these limitations have now been replaced with an abundance of opportunities to enrich one’s palate in a natural and beneficial manner (these opportunities are found in the form of easily accessible healthy restaurants, food chains, farmers markets and stores such as Whole Foods, all eager to sell their organic, natural products.)
Ultimately, however, eating this way cannot arise out of a desire to follow the latest food trend, nor can it originate from a short-term goal to lose 10 pounds. Healthy eating cannot be a choice one is forced to make but rather must be a lifestyle change one decides to begin. It is a never-ending journey full of renewal and reward with countless benefits both internal and external. There is no convincing in organic eating, only awareness that hopefully springs a newfound desire to begin this highly personal voyage towards the revolution of your food consumption into something more natural, healthy, and gratifyingly real. So now I ask, with a mind more fully aware of the advantages natural eating can provide, and a body satiated by these very culinary results of organic production, are you ready to begin?
To receive my organic tweets feel free to follow me @OrganicEats on Twitter ☺
An important side-note: the word “organic” is often misleading, for it connotes a kind of product that is somehow more natural than its non-organic counterpart. Yet, organic simply means “from the earth” and is a label that can be affixed onto a number of products without increasing the intrinsic healthfulness of the given food-item itself. Thus one must be careful not to fall into the trap of “organic” eating without truly examining the nature of this thing that is allegedly marked “organic.” Henceforth, when I refer to organic, I am referring to a style of growing that is free of pesticides and harmful products, so that food is grown and harvested in a non-chemical, natural way.
As a simple example of the dietary benefit organic eating can provide, I urge you to try the following experiment: Place in front of you two chocolate chip cookies and next to them 25 spears of broccoli. Now begin eating, noting which product is easier to consume. As you can guess, the cookies will be the simpler option; perhaps you may even crave another after the first two have been eaten. The broccoli however, will be much more difficult to eat, with 2 to 3 spears at most finished before a feeling of fullness is achieved. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that the calorie content for 2 cookies or 25 spears of broccoli is equal, although the craving for vegetable is filled hundreds of calories before our appetite for sweets is even close to being realized!
Organic fruits and vegetables allow an individual to consume more while concurrently decreasing their daily calorie count. As a diet option, organic foods are completely compatible to suit a lower intake of calories and also afford the nutrients necessary for an active or even semi-active lifestyle. You will feel full eating this way and will have consumed a smaller amount of calories packed with more nutrients than sugary or harmfully fatty products can ever hope to provide. Furthermore, there is just an indescribable, satisfied, fulfilling feeling achieved after the consumption of a healthy meal. This same feeling cannot be duplicated with the consumption of “junk food.” This phenomena may be due in part to the fact that as food becomes more and more processed, taking it away from its original state as it occurs in nature, vital nutrients are lost, sometimes giving way to flavor injected through fats or simple carbohydrates that only serve to add excess calories to your daily diet but do nothing to provide useful energy that will sustain you for long periods of time. So much for the diet benefits of organic eating…
In terms of culinary curiosity, the possibilities and combinations that can be achieved using organic products are endless. As Americans move towards a more natural way of living and eating, with the popularity of organic products growing exponentially in the past decade, it has become just as easy to eat wholesome foods as it is to eat processed and unhealthful products. Gone are the days when organic cuisine limits one’s ability to experience food in exciting and interesting ways, and these limitations have now been replaced with an abundance of opportunities to enrich one’s palate in a natural and beneficial manner (these opportunities are found in the form of easily accessible healthy restaurants, food chains, farmers markets and stores such as Whole Foods, all eager to sell their organic, natural products.)
Ultimately, however, eating this way cannot arise out of a desire to follow the latest food trend, nor can it originate from a short-term goal to lose 10 pounds. Healthy eating cannot be a choice one is forced to make but rather must be a lifestyle change one decides to begin. It is a never-ending journey full of renewal and reward with countless benefits both internal and external. There is no convincing in organic eating, only awareness that hopefully springs a newfound desire to begin this highly personal voyage towards the revolution of your food consumption into something more natural, healthy, and gratifyingly real. So now I ask, with a mind more fully aware of the advantages natural eating can provide, and a body satiated by these very culinary results of organic production, are you ready to begin?
To receive my organic tweets feel free to follow me @OrganicEats on Twitter ☺
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