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Welcome to The Quest, a newsletter intended to inspire and inform those interested in experiencing optimal well being in body, mind and spirit. For archived newsletters and more information, please see my website at www.deborahlow.com.

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July 2004

In this issue of The Quest:
1. The Quest Quote
2. The Quest Question
3. Why go Organic?

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1. Quote:
The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
~Ewan McGregor in “Moulin Rouge”

2. Question:
I have started to eat more organic foods but am confused about the difference between organic chicken and free-range chicken. Are these terms interchangeable? 

Answer:
Not really. Free range chickens can still be given feed containing genetically modified ingredients, which is only one issue here. Strictly speaking, free-range means nothing more than the fact that the birds have daytime access to open-air runs for at least half their lives, and during the final fattening stage, 70 percent of the birds’ diet must be cereal. There are no legal restrictions, which I am aware of, on the inclusion of growth-promoting medication, and the chickens are still kept in huge, industrial sized flocks.

3. 10 Top Reasons to Go Organic

Over the past few years I have been making the shift to eat a more organic diet. I’m certainly not a purist when it comes to eating, yet I believe that taking small steps in the direction towards eating unaltered food can have a tremendous affect, not only on our own health but on the health of the world. Taken from the website organicfood.co.uk, here are ten very persuasive reasons to shift towards a more organic life.

  1. Organic produce is not covered in a potentially poisonous chemicals. The average conventionally-grown apple has 20-30 artificial poisons on its skin, even after rinsing.
  2. Fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively farmed produce.
  3. Going organic is the only practical way to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. And by buying organic food, you are registering your mistrust of GMO's and doing your bit to protest against them.
  4. If you eat dairy or meat products, going organic has never been more essential to safeguard you and your family's health. Intensively-reared dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotics, hormones, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a daily basis, whether they have an illness or not. These drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of their dairy produce or meat.
  5. About 99% of non-organic farm animals (in the UK) are now fed GM soya. And there has never been a reported case of BSE in organic cattle in the UK.
  6. Organic produce tastes better. Fruit and vegetables full of juice and flavour, and so many different varieties to try!
  7. Organic farms support and nurture our beautiful and diverse wildlife. Over the last thirty years, intensive farming has led to dramatic erosion of the soil, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some areas, the destruction of ancient hedgerows, and the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of butterflies, frogs, grass-snakes and wild mammals.
  8. Organic food is not more expensive than intensively farmed foods when we look at the big picture. We spend billion of dollars every year cleaning up the mess that agro-chemicals make on our natural water supply alone. The BSE crisis cost us 4 billion pounds.
  9. Intensive farming can seriously damage farm workers' health. There are much higher instances of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseases in farm workers from non-organic farms. This is particularly true in developing countries, and for agrochemical farms growing cotton. So go organic if you care about other people.
  10. And if you simply like the idea of your children and grandchildren being able to visit the countryside and play in the forests and fields just like we did when we were young, go organic for the sake of all of our futures.

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