Many people have been jumping on the organic bandwagon due to the tons of benefits that can be reaped from living an organic lifestyle.
For one, organic food does not contain harmful hormones, chemicals, and contaminants that are dangerously present in non-organic food. It is safer, healthier, and more nutritious, too, since an organic diet provides more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids for the body. It also offers fresher and better tasting products, minus the synthetic flavors that non-organic products contain. Equally important are the significant benefits that organic production provides for the environment, such as the substantial reduction of its exposure to toxic chemicals, resulting in healthy soil, clean water, and increased biodiversity. Organic production also reduces carbon dioxide levels, helps slow climate change, and promotes sustainable living.
In spite of all these great benefits, people are still hesitant to take the organic route, believing that it may prove to be financially burdensome for them.
So here are some tips on how your family can embrace the organic diet, without breaking the bank! Indeed, it is possible to live organically and frugally.
1. Buy directly from organic farms. By doing so, you don’t just support your local farmers, but you also get the freshest produce at a cheaper price. Going to the farm and having a chat with the farmers and harvesters can also be an enriching experience.
2. Buy fruits and veggies that are in season. They are fresher, cheaper, and more readily available. (Check this out for the list of fruits that are currently in season in the Philippines.)
3. Maintain your own organic garden. Herbs, which can be expensive to buy but take up little room when planted, grow well indoors on a sunny windowsill.
4. Constantly visit the organic section of your local grocery store and supermarket for new products. Also, make a habit of reading the labels. “Natural” and “free-range” are not synonymous to “organic.”
5. Buy only what you need. Remember to avoid wastage resulting from overbuying, poor storage, and mismanagement of your food stock in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.
6. Buy your necessities in bulk, particularly produce with long shelf lives. It will save you money in the long run since you can get great deals when buying in bulk.
7. Opt for home-cooked meals instead of eating out or ordering delivery food. You can also make your own version of processed food products like cereals and baby food. In fact, you can turn almost any recipe into a culinary masterpiece simply by using organic ingredients!
8. Instead of junk foods, offer the kiddos with healthy and nutritious snack options such as fresh juices and sandwiches with homemade spread.
9. Familiarize yourself with what is called in the US as “The Dirty Dozen” (a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the highest concentrations of pesticides) and “The Clean Fifteen” (a list of the 15 fruits and vegetables that contain the fewest concentrations of pesticides). If you can’t find fresh organic products (there are products that cannot be maintained fresh due to the distance and/or their needs for longer shelf life), make sure that you pick those that are Organic certified. Those products have been rigorously tested and have complied to higher standards of production.
Making the shift to organic products
In any family, it is our kids who deserve to receive the most nutritional and healthy food available. That’s why many Filipino moms are becoming more cautious with their choices for their little ones, and are now making the shift to organic milk–like Arla.
Arla is one of the largest organic dairy producers in the world. Every pack of Arla Organic Powdered Milk undergoes a thorough process of organic production based on four principles – ecology, health, fairness, and care. This is why the cows in Arla farms are raised in free-range conditions, and are fed 100 percent organic food that come from their own pastures!
The end product?
Arla Organic Powdered Milk that is made with organic ingredients, with no GMOs and pesticides – making it 100% European certified. Because it has so few ingredients, Arla Organic Powdered Milk tastes natural and fresh. It also dissolves easily, making preparing milk for your family quick and convenient. What’s more, it doesn’t come with a hefty price tag!
Being organic is more than just a label or descriptor. There is a lot of patience involved in organic production as there are no shortcuts to truly natural produce. It takes years of painstaking research and hard work, and it entails taking care of the environment, biodiversity, and animal welfare. Conventionally grown foods often have “hidden” costs – the costs of environmental harm and long-term health risks. These “hidden” costs do not show up on the grocery store shopping receipt, but they exist nonetheless.
For more information, visit Arla’s website to discover their other Arla brands or shop at any leading supermarket nationwide for your Arla Organic Powdered Milk today!
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