Health & Beauty

Every so often, there is a popular wave of interest in foods containing natural compounds believed to slow down or reverse the effects of ageing. In many cases such information reaching the public is distorted through the individual or combined effects of dubious research, inaccurate reporting, and advertising hype. Because the desire to prolong youthfulness is generally strong, many of us become vulnerable to a whole range of suggestions and recommendations that are both impractical and unlikely to be effective. To protect ourselves, it must be remembered that no food (or nutritional supplement) is particularly valuable on its own. Effective nutrition is a complex science since it necessarily involves combinations of many different foods and...

There are thirteen essential vitamins required to maintain optimal body function. It’s certainly possible – and indeed preferable – to obtain your required vitamin intake from organic food sources. The key to doing this is, like most things, balance. Eating a balanced selection of leafy green organic vegetables, fresh fruits, grains, legumes, organic poultry, dairy, meat, seafood and cold-pressed oils will ensure most people’s vitamin needs are fulfilled. By choosing organic food sources to deliver your vitamin requirements, you’ll significantly reduce your exposure to pesticides and the various agricultural chemical contaminants routinely used in large-scale industrial agriculture. Let’s take a closer look at each of the...

Extended storage and heating of many plant based foods results frequently in the destruction of natural enzymes that are integral to optimum health. Such enzymes are required to support the ongoing biochemical and physiological processes of the healthy individual. Ordinary physical activity, for example, requires these natural enzymes which enable cells to efficiently release their stored energy. Enzymes help the body absorb essential nutrients and also assume an important role in reproduction and the healing and prevention of illness and disease. Drinking a variety of freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices is one of the easiest ways to obtain a daily supply of natural plant enzymes. Many of the degenerative illnesses prevalent in today’s...

Since the arrival of widespread food testing in the late seventies, there has been an accumulation of evidence to support claims that many varieties of fresh produce are now deficient in essential nutrients. Mineral depletion in agricultural soils can be evaluated by primary industry research bodies such as the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. For example, testing conducted across the NSW wheat belt in 2004 revealed significant decreases in calcium levels compared to measurements taken twenty years earlier. As a consequence of these and similar reports, there is growing pressure upon producers to supply information about the nutrient profiles of their soils and food items. Once in place, this standard of labelling will enable the consumer...

Organic growers dedicate themselves to a philosophy of maintaining healthy soils without addition of chemical sprays or growth agents. Natural soil additives such as organic manures, seaweed, and worm compost are provided to ensure the availability of all minerals and trace elements, including magnesium, iron, calcium, iodine, chromium and selenium. Despite any similarities in appearance, nutritional analysis of organic produce will reveal higher concentrations of these mineral elements compared with samples raised in poor soils using chemical fertiliser and other synthetic additives. Mineral content Minerals play a key role in the growth and regeneration of bone and soft tissue. They are integral to many aspects of metabolic function including...