I'm sure some of you are being put through the grinder by friends and family about your choice to eat organic. I get it all the time, "mate why do you eat organic? It just so expensive" say my friends. Well the reality is actually the opposite, sure it's a bit more pricey, but it isn't "too" expensive, and the benefits to yourself and the environment far out way the extra cost. It's a sad indictment on our society that people's decisions on health and values are determined by the amount of money they have. People would rather pay less for cheaper inferior produce than invest in their long term health and the environment with organic. Next time someone challenges you, give them one of these 10 reasons on why they should go organic. 1. It is better for you
A Newcastle University (UK) study that was funded by the European Union found levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50 % and 80 % higher than non-organic milk. Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20 % and 40 % more nutrients. 2. Reduce Off Farm Pollution
Chemical residue from conventional farming is carried to neighbouring farms and communities by wind and runoff. Runoff is the main cause of diminishing marine life, animals and plants. Approximately 30,000 tonnes of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators are used each year in Australia (OzProspect, 2003).3. Protect Future Generations
According to BFA Nutritionist Shane Heaton. “Children are more vulnerable to food toxins than adults – they have a larger intake of food per kilo of body weight than adults, and immature organs and detoxification and immune systems,” he says. Numerous studies show that pesticides can adversely affect the nervous system, increase the risk of cancer, and decrease fertility. Babies start receiving toxins in utero via the mothers diet.

4. Build Healthy Soil
Conventional cropping leads to soil erosion. Organic farming results in net soil growth.48% of Australian croplands have top soils that are marginally acidic or worse (Land & Water Australia, 2001). Organic farming systems are based on the principle of land and soil regeneration and best environmental practice.

5. It tastes better
Scientists now know what we eaters have known all along: organic food often tastes better. It makes sense that strawberries taste yummier when raised in harmony with nature, but researchers at Washington State University just proved this as fact in lab taste trials where the organic berries were consistently judged as sweeter. Plus, new research verifies that some organic produce is often lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food.

6. Avoid GMO Foods
Independent testing of the long-term health effects of GMO foods on humans has not been carried out. The many exemptions from GE labelling laws in Australia makes it impossible to know which grocery items use GMO-derived ingredients. Certified organic foods are a great way to avoid GMOs.

7. Promote Biodiversity
Visit an organic farm and you’ll notice something: a buzz of animal, bird and insect activity. These organic oases are thriving, diverse habitats. Native plants and animals, usually return after the first season of organic practices; beneficial insects allow for a greater balance, and indigenous animals find these farms a safe haven.

8. It is better for the environment. Agriculture is accused of being responsible for 30% of global warming due to Co2 emissions. A 23-year research project shows that if only 1000 medium sized farms converted to organic production, the carbon stored in the soil would be equivalent to taking 117,440 cars off the road each year (The Rodale Institute®, 2003). 9. Increase the resilience of farms during drought.In the wake of the 2002/2003 drought 100,000 agricultural sector jobs were lost (Australian Government, 2004). Organic farms have a greater resilience in times of drought. A 21-year trial showed that organic crops saw a margin of 38%–196% greater yield than comparable conventional crops (AJAA, 2003) 10. Reduce the risk of cancerOn average organic foods contain about one-third more cancer-fighting antioxidants than comparable conventional produce. (Benbrook, 2005).

 

I’ve been involved in the wellness business for over 16 years. Granted, I’m no ‘herbal gerbil’ or a ‘mega doser’, but I know that there are a lot of vitamins and minerals that are just impossible to get from a regular diet. I tend to agree that we’re...

A recent article interviewing major players in the Australian organic industry states that children are driving the organic sector growth. According to Rick Carmont brand category manager with the world’s leading dairy exporter, Fonterra. “A substantial amount - up to a third – of our organic category is estimated to be consumed by a person under eight,” he says.

Some families are buying organic for their children whilst only eating conventional food themselves. This highlights the growing awareness of the positive health benefits of organic foods.  

BFA spokesperson Shane Heaton stated that “Children are more vulnerable to food toxins than adults – they have a larger intake of food per kilo of body weight and immature organs and detoxification and immune systems,” he says. “And a study released last year found young children exposed to certain preservatives and food colours are more prone to hyperactive tendencies.”

Some organic manufacturers have started up specific children's product lines and you can expect to see more for sale here at Yum Organics in the future, especially now that we have a baby ourselves!

It will be interesting to see if parents are actually switching their children to conventional from organic when they are older or if the children become so used to it that they eventually convince their parents to go organic. It would seem strange that as a parent you would switch your children from something that you believe is good for them to something that you believe is going to be more harmful for them.

Of course the real reason is cost and I can't get on my high horse when the average Australian can't afford to eat organic. However it is just a question of priorities and a little bit here and there can help you long term. Finding an extra $20-$30 for organic is achievable for most families and if you have to cut down on coffee and alcohol to find it, then that can only be a good thing. The more people that eat organic the cheaper it will become and more healthy our country will be, as our slogan goes, "Healthy People. Happy Planet", so spread the word and let's get everyone healthy!

Last week my wife Katrina gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. She had a natural, drug free birth, a 5.5hour labour and said the experience was "beautiful". The midwives at the hospital couldn't believe she didn't take any drugs. And we couldn't believe how rare a natural birth is these days. It is ridiculous. The caesarian rate in Australia is pushing 30% and in some hospitals 90% of women have an epidural. According to a wonderful course we did it can largely be avoided.

I know this is an organic blog, but this entry is very fitting because it is about a natural organic birth, a process that humans have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years and which every other animal on the planet does all the time.

Being a guy I'm not in a position to talk from first hand experience, but I was in the labour ward with my wife and I saw what she did and I can tell you it was amazing. Far from the tear jerker that I thought it was going to be, the birth was so natural and calm that I found myself wondering why I wasn't getting emotional. The reason was quite simple, we had a calm birth, the mother was calm, the baby was calm and it was so natural that it wasn't an emotional roller coaster. When little Maximus arrived it was meant to be, I was expecting him so no tears needed.

12 months ago Katrina was scared sh*tless about giving birth, the thought of it sent shivers down her spine because she did not want to go through such a painful experience. This is what child birth is like for most women these days, a frightening experience that gets placated by drugs. It is what we see on TV, it is what we hear about and it is the conditioning that we are taught to think.

Now I know some of you reading this will say "how ignorant. What would you know? I have given birth and it IS a dreadful experience". I'm not going to get into a full blown debate here but I can honestly say that your experience was largely determined by your knowledge. Obviously everyone is different and complications can arise, but I promise you that if you knew the truth about child birth and how to approach it with the correct mindset, you will understand that a natural birth and a shorter labour are achievable. Friends of ours who gave birth 2 weeks ago had a 2.5 hour labour with a 6 minute 2nd stage!

I'm not talking about a hippy style water birth in the river either (which is also cool), our son was born in a private hospital. Natural birth is achievable, I have seen it first hand and we were taught how to do it. If you are going to be giving birth I would HIGHLY recommend you visit www.calmbirth.com.au  and see why it should be more common. Our instructor, Melanie from Ferntree Gully was fantastic.

 

2 Hours after giving birth, Katrina is alert and happy. An hour before this she was making phone calls.

 

Calm baby Maximus. No screaming on the way out and lay on mums chest for 40 minutes without crying. Calm mother in labour meant baby was calm. Beautiful

I was asked a question this weekend by a lady who lives by soda, Diet Coke more specifically.  "Is Diet Coke really that bad, it is Diet".  I simply started out my reply with "Yes" then followed it with "It is actually worse...

Your body needs sleep to rejuvenate itself, it is why everyone sleeps every night.  To rejuvenate there body.  In today’s world, many people do not get the rest there body needs in order to rejuvenate.  People are too busy trying...

Alot of people do not realize that soda is almost as bad for your body as cigarettes. I am not going to sit here and preach about your body being your temple. You should of realized that by now or you would not be reading my blog. Soda - Coka Cola, Pepsi...

Why another self help site? One reason. Its free. I am tired of going into all of these sites looking for information only to find they either make you sign up or pay them. I believe in the human condition as to where everyone should help one another...

In 2004 a UK study sampled tumors from 20 breast cancer victims and found parabens in all of them.The study was the first to show the effects of accumulation of parabens in human tissue and as expected caused a bit of a stir with the cosmetics industry. Paraben build up occurred after prolonged use of cosmetics and  deodorants.

The study found that parabens also had the ability to mimic the action of oestrogen a female hormone that is also known to drive the growth of breast tumors (more info here)

Parabens are a chemical that is used as a preservative in cosmetics, it's extremely popular because it is the most inexpensive preservative on the market, and can prolong the life of some products by up to 20 years. A quick look through your bathroom will find parabens in most products, probably listed as one of the following: Methylparaben, proplyparaben, isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, sodium butylparaben.

The industry response to the findings was as predicted, the European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association COLIPA stated that the findings were 'irrelevant' as 'Parabens are hydrolysed in the skin and we have data to show that none are entering the blood stream', which makes you wonder how the scientists found them in the 20 samples. They also mentioned that the industry had no plans to follow up the work. Four years later we still no update from anyone.

The above study was too small to be conclusive from a scientific point of view and there still needs to much more research done. It doesn't show that parabens cause breast cancer, as there are many other factors that also play a part. However it does make you wonder about all the crap we put into our bodies.

The accumulation of chemical build up that most of us have in our bodies from years of toxins MUST play SOME role in the large increase in cancer and heart disease that we see in the western world. In fact I'd go so far as to say that it is impossible for you to make me think otherwise. We live in a polluted world, our minds get bomabarded with fear and negativity eg. terrorism, global warming, and then we go and put more chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavours and colourings into our system. And don't think that just because you can't feel the effects or taste and smell the chemicals, that they don't have an impact on you. It can often take years for you to start noticing changes and illness, just like it takes years for a smoker to develop lung cancer.

Another reason we eat organic is to decrease the chance of chemical build up in our systems, if you haven't tried it I would highly recommend it, it's just another small part in the bigger picture of a healthy life.  

 

At first glance I thought that organic cotton was a 'nice to have' and was a bit on the hardcore side, I mean we don't eat it so why should we worry if it is organic? However, the growing use of organic cotton by major manufacturers like Nike, Ikea and Woolworths lead me to do a bit of investigating and the findings have made me think twice.

Did you know that it takes 1.25 kilograms of pesticides to produce a kilogram of cotton? That can't be good for the environment, in fact world wide cotton accounts for 25% of all insecticide and pesticide use. On top of this, fungicides are used to keep disease at bay, chemical fertilisers are applied to the soil to promote growth, herbicides are used for weed control, and also to strip the plants of foliage prior to harvesting the cotton.  

According to Adam Smaith of Clean Food Organic, the USA Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton as 'possible', 'likely', 'probable' or 'known' human carcinogens: acephate, dichloroprpene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin. 

However mother nature is not easily dissuaded and pests are quick to develop resistances to the above, which means more and more quantities are needed. And which also eliminates beneficial insects, which in turn creates room for more bugs and so on. Not a pretty sight and I haven't even talked about the huge water usage.

What about GM crops? I hear you say, aren't they designed to help decrease the need for pesticides? Well apart from the issues mentioned in my previous blog "Whats the big deal with GM Crops?", the fact is that they aren't working. GM crops are generally designed to repel one pest, meaning there is still a need to use pesticides for the others. A study by Cornell University on farmers in China using a Monsanto GM Crop, found that after 4 years they had to use just as much pesticide as "conventional" farmers to keep away other pests. The net effect to the farmers was an 8% drop in income, and I'm pretty sure Monsanto didn't share their burden. (full story)

The way that scientists engineer GM cotton to repel bugs (who invariably build resistance) is by inserting genes that produce toxins. That hardly sounds natural to me, it would be like telling me to insert an antibiotic gene into my DNA so my children could build a resistance to chest infections - ridiculous.

So, what we have is cotton that has either been saturated with chemicals, and bear in mind we've only just talked about pre-production here, or it has also been saturated with chemicals AND has had it's DNA altered to produce more toxins. How uninspiring is that?! And if you think that it is all washed out in the process then try this:

Take a piece of cloth and dip it in turpentine, let it sit over night. Then wash it using very hot water and lot's of soap, rinsing well, dry it and then soak it in water.......now, stick it in your mouth and suck out the water.......would you do that? well that's what you are doing with "conventional" cotton, it's just that the pesticides they use don't smell. 

To have a successful crop you obviously need to eliminate damage from insects and organic farming helps to do this whilst keeping the use of chemicals to a minimum. An inspiring story from India, where farmers now successfully use Non-Pesticide Management, shows that it is definitely possible (as it has been for centuries). (full story). Sometimes it's a bit more expensive to produce, but I'd rather pay for organic now and feel great, than pay a hefty medical bill in the future because of my poor health.

 

The obvious link between the organic industry and the environment is that we are both promoting sustainability. However don't assume that just because someone loves organic food, that they are automatically an environmental activist.

At the risk of sounding very unpopular I'm going to put something out there, which will hopefully get some of you thinking.

There is little doubt that there is global warming. Satellites have shown that during the latter half of the 20th century we have had an average rate of warming of 0.1 to 0. 2 degrees Celsius per decade, you've probably heard this before, especially if you've seen "An Inconvenient Truth". However, did you also know that these rises also fall within known natural rates of warming and cooling over the last 10,000 years?

The earth is 4.6 billion years old and global warming to her is not a new phenomenon, even in the past 10,000 years. Indeed our foot print on the planet is definitely leaving a bigger impact than it has before, however there is surmountable evidence out there that we are not the only reason that global warming is happening. Whilst we definitely have an impact on our planet, it may not be as significant as is popularly believed. In fact some scientists believe that there is a general warming in the solar system, data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions in 2005 may support their claim - it showed that Mars' "ice caps" have been melting  More Info.

 

Ice Caps Melting on Mars 

In the recent Bali summit, over 100 prominent scientists and academics wrote a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations saying "It is not possible to stop climate change, a natural phenomenon that has affected humanity through the ages" Full Article. However you wouldn't hear about this from the mainstream media.

Don't get me wrong I am very Pro-Environment and all for decreasing pollution and environmental sustainability. We use biodegradable packaging, recycled paper etc. and we choose organic because it is better for ourselves as well as the environment. However there is a massive difference between:

1. Respecting nature because it is beautifual and wanting to decrease our toxic emission because we love our planet

And

2.  Being scared that our world is at danger and that if we don't change our behaviour we are going to die.

Is this the new scare tactic by the global elite to create fear in the masses? I don't know, but being scared about global warming is not the answer. Being "anti" something or fearful just creates negative energy. I would rather be pro-earth than anti-pollution or pro-organic than anti-chemical, by giving energy to the positive things in life, the negative things by default disappear.

Who really benefits from the green movement? I know the planet obviously does, which is great, but we can achieve that without the fear tactics. Who really takes home the bacon on this? I'm still looking around for answers but really wanted to post this to get my thoughts out there. If you have any thoughts of your own about the above, then please feel free to leave a reply.

The Victorian and NSW governments of Australia have recently released a statement saying they will lift the GM ban on canola crops. Many people have been a little bit upset by this, especially in Victoria where John Brumby basically decided without consulting his caucus, like some kind of autocratic ruler. That's another concern.

However, there's no doubt that GM crops have some benefit, here's a couple I can think of.

• They can produce plants that need less pesticides, fertilizers and water
• It can lower the cost of food production in 3rd world countries
• Gene modification can boost immunity and develop inbuilt vaccines for livestock and poultry
  
• Crops could be designed to grow in areas of drought or with high salinity
  
• Crops could be designed to grow faster
• It can produce crops for medicine and could even find a cure for cancer (although a lot of people would be without a job if that happened)

Many leading scientists in the world have said they are safe, so why all the noise and fuss?

Some people argue that we don't have a right to genetically alter nature for our profit and that by playing God we enter into dangerous and unknown territory. How can we assume to know everything about the effects of GM? No one knew that asbestos was going to be as bad as it was or that by producing coal fuelled industry that we'd have an impact on global warming. So, whilst things may look fantastic at the outset, we really don't know where the GM path will lead.

The other main argument against GM is how it's distributed. Large companies like Monsanto create GM seeds and license the rights to use them to farmers, which is fine. However, if pollen from the licensed farms is moved by wind or fauna - a natural phenomenon that has been going on for billions of years - and then germinates in other farms, Monsanto will then demand a license fee from the 2nd farm, whether they like it or not (see excerpt below Monsato v Schmeiser). How can you control this? Luckily, courts have ruled against them for the moment, but it does give an insight into how Monsanto's thinks.

Some seeds are designed not to reproduce sowable offspring, called terminator seeds and in 2005, Monsato filed a patent to own a pig. Not just the selection and breeding method, not just the information about the genetic indicators, but, if you pardon the expression, the whole hog.

Ask any farmer and they'll tell you that there's no such thing as containment, seeds always move and cross pollination is a natural occurring part of nature. GM crops are designed with a dominant gene and they inevitably win against any existing resident crop. So if GM seed finds a way to your farm, then good luck trying to get rid of them, I'm not saying it can't be done, but just good luck with trying to get rid of them.

If you are a farmer and go GM with Monsanto, read the contract carefully, you will be asked to waive your rights of ever taking Monsanto to court in a lawsuit or talking to the media about your problem.

So the question I am going to put out there is, do you want a company like this controlling your food source? Forget about the ethical discussion on manipulating nature, we've been doing that to some degree since history began. The big deal for me and my family is do we really want to hand over crop production, by any measure, to a company that is so mercenary in how they handle people? Or would we prefer to stick with mother nature? Well, I own an organic website so I'm a bit biased but please feel free to post your thoughts.

__________________________

 

Monsanto v Schmeiser 

Percy Schmeiser is a farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan Canada whose Canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola. Monsanto's position was that it didn't matter whether Schmeiser knew or not that his canola field was contaminated with the Roundup Ready gene, or whether or not he took advantage of the technology (he didn't); that he must pay Monsanto their Technology Fee of $15./acre. The Supreme Court of Canada agreed with Schmeiser, ruling that he didn't have to pay Monsanto anything.. ....

1.  Full Story

 

Other Sources

http://www.gmfreeireland.org/interviews/schmeiser.php

 

A four year project led by Newcastle University has found that organic produce is better for you than non-organic. The study funded by the European Union, found a general trend showing organic food contained more antioxidants and less fatty acids. The study is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal and the researchers have admitted that there are some variations. However they do question the stance by many that there is no evidence that organic food is better. Personally, I don't need science to tell me that naturally grown food is good for you, but in a world that will only believe something until it has been "approved" by science, it is nice to read about these sorts of findings.

Researchers grew fruit, vegetables and reared cattle on adjacent organic and non-organic sites across Europe, including a 725-acre farm attached to Newcastle University. They found levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50 % and 80 % higher than non-organic milk. Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20 % and 40 % more nutrients.

Project co-ordinator Professor Carlo Leifert said: "We have shown there are more of certain nutritionally desirable compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods. Our research is now trying to find out where the difference between organic and conventional food comes from. What we're really interested in is finding out why there is so much variability with respect to the differences. What in the agricultural system gives a higher nutritional content and less of the baddies in the food?" He said he hoped the findings would help farmers in organic to improve the quality of their produce.

Final results of the project are due to be published over the next 12 months and I am sure it is going to create a stir. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if a major corporation has already started funding research to try and refute the claims.

 What do you think? Is this evidence a good thing? Any other thoughts?

In an effort to clean up our system I accidently deleted the wrong blog file and my previous blog posts were deleted - what an idiot! So disappointing! Anyway, just thought I would post this and let you know. Here's a sample of some of the lost headings.....

 

 

Welcome to Yum Organics! 

I am very excited to be able to launch this website. It all started from an idea that was born in early 2007 when I was browsing an organic catalogue. At the time I was looking for new products to offer our customers after we had successfully launched Pure Samoan Noni Juice into the market in 2006. Noticing the large range of organic products available I realised that organic foods were no longer just a niche sector. In fact I'd noticed more and more organic foods in some of the major retail outlets.

This made sense to us as my wife Katrina and I changed our diet to organic foods about 3 years ago, it's been a gradual process but now our kitchen is 95% organic and we are loving it. To us the food tastes better, more wholesome and natural and we know that the processes used to produce what we eat are also good for the environment.

Australian organic consumption is growing at 25%-40% per annum, so Katrina and I are not alone. Our own lifestyle reflects a growing trend in the community and it is why we decided to broaden our company offering to provide a large range of organic products. 

In researching our expanision we were surprised to find that no one was offering national organic home delivery in Australia. Each state had some great local companies, however no one was offering a national service. We then looked up the major online retailers to see who was doing regional areas and we found that the big guys weren't even doing home delviery for non-organic groceries to major regional hubs like Albury/Wodonga or Coffs Harbour.

So Yum Organics was born to fill the gap, we are proud to be able to offer a large range of products and to be able to deliver them anywhere in Australia. We have also decided to share the delivery costs to make it affordable to you to receive your orders. We currently have over 200 products and this is going to grow to include meat and fresh vegetables and fruit before Christmas.  

We are passionate about helping to create a healthy planet, there's enough negativity and fear in the world and we just want to focus our energy on the good things in life. So, please take time to browse the site, check out the other blogs forums, products, recipes and please feel free to interact with the other good people on this site.

Thanks

Jason