You are what you eat – Just eat real food.

You are what you eat. Do you agree? Without food we cannot be. Food is essential for our precious human bodies and minds. The functions of these depend on what they receive through the senses and digestive and chemical processes that occur throughout us.

A phrase that I stumbled across many years ago and stuck with me is JERF. Just Eat Real Food. Simple isn’t it? Obvious too don’t you think? Unfortunately though, many people out there do not actually know what real food is. This is due largely to the evolution of our society – think supermarkets –typically arranged with a thin perimeter consisting of the fresh, Real Food which surrounds the majority of the space housing rows and rows of packaged ‘food’.

So to be clear about what Real Food is, here is a list of examples:

·       Vegetables – unprocessed

·       Fruit - unprocessed

·       Plants (seeds, nuts, herbs) – unprocessed

·       Animal organs and meat – unprocessed

Now for the next part of the discussion: You Are What You Eat – Eat Organic food.

So why eat organic food? Organic food is real food.

The Ministry of Primary Industries defines “organic” as avoiding or excluding the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, growth modification and irradiation.

This is important for the health of the population as well as the environment. The use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, added hormones and irradiation disrupts the balance of the ecosystem as well as the ‘ecosystem’ of the human body and mind. Bluntly put, pesticides and herbicides are poisons.

In New Zealand, BioGro is the largest certifier of organic produce and products who explain that organic food also encompasses the following:

·       Traceability - Always know what's in your food and where it's derived from. Organic certification is the world's most widely-used, secure and impermeable traceability system. Every single certified product can be traced back to its origin.

·       Animal Welfare - Organic maintains the highest levels of animal welfare, this means happier and healthier animals. With plenty of space that reduces stress and disease, and fed a diet that is as natural as possible and free from genetically modified organisms.

·       Climate Change - Organic works towards maintaining a clean green New Zealand by working with nature. Organic farming does not rely on synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, significantly reducing water and soil contamination.

·       Biodiversity - Wildlife is crucial to a healthy planet. Organic farms create havens for wildlife including homes for the birds and the bees and has been proven to have more biodiversity.

·       Packaging - Packaging for certified organic products must be chosen with the aim of minimizing environmental impact. This is met where the packaging can be used as many times as possible, or recycled.

·       Care for Workers - Organic standards will not allow certification that involves or is based on the violation of human rights.

·       Health & Wellbeing - Organic food is real food. It is not genetically engineered or altered in any way. It is made without synthetic colourings, preservatives or additive. Eating organic food is one way to reduce your pesticide intake.

·       Advertising - 'Greenwashing' is a common tactic used to confuse consumers into thinking a product is more environmentally friendly than it actually is. Certified organic producers must get all packaging, labels and marketing materials approved before it is used. There are fair and strict guidelines surrounding what you are allowed to say as an organic producer to allow as much transparency as possible.

So there are plenty beneficial reasons to eat certified organic produce to ensure you are eating real food. Supporting this industry is important however it is also important to acknowledge that non organic food is still currently more easily accessible and more affordable for many of us. Knowing what foods are more likely to reach the consumer having encountered any or a combination of pesticides is helpful. In the United States, the Environmental Working Group publishes annually, the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Clean Fifteen’ list of produce. This is helpful to know so you can manage your food budget accordingly, ie by focusing on buying organic produce that are listed on the Dirty Dozen and feeling more comfortable perhaps buying standard food on the Clean Fifteen list.

You can find the official Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists from here and here respectively. However remember that these are based on the way things are in the United States, ie not necessarily applicable to produce that is grown in or imported to New Zealand.

Produce that have thick skins (like avocados) provide a barrier to the contents inside, making the part we eat less exposed to pesticides. Green leaves on the other hand are an example of where higher levels of pesticides can still be present in the consumers’ hands.

In order to know exactly what the produce you are buying contains in terms of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, added hormones and irradiation, you can grow your own or speak to the sellers at farmers markets where the grower is the seller and you can simply ask! The other options already mentioned including buying certified organic produce with priority on the Dirty Dozen.