Eating Organic

Eating organically produced food has always been important to me. The impact of pesticides and artificial fertilisers on the health of our soils and waterways, not to mention valuable insect and bird populations, has always steered me towards chemical free foods.
I actually helped some friends start one of the original organic and bio-dynamic food stores in Sydney in 1973 . . yes, that was a long time ago.
These days, we can identify the nutritional benefits of organic foods. Michael Pollan's great book the Omnivore's Dilemma tells about the assay tests that show higher levels of mineral uptake in organically grown plants. My backyard Gardening book, published by the CSIRO tells of higher levels of phytonutrients in organically grown plants. Phytonutrients are the reason that blueberries and broccoli are so good for us. They are powerful anti-oxidants preventing all sorts of disease making processes from flourishing in our human body. The theory is that the plants produce these chemicals to protect them from bugs and diseases. Organically grown food has higher levels, because organically grown foods are exposed to bugs, not pesticides.

Organic food is readily available, even in supermarkets now. I buy organically produced milk, cottage cheese, some meat, lots of legumes, tomato paste and pasta sauces, tofu and of course chocolate, at the supermarket. I source organic vegetables and eggs from a food co-op and we grow salad greens in my veggie garden.

My new best friend - the Harvard Medical Review Newsletter - is extolling the benefits of locally grown food today. In 1973 conventional medicine was not interested in diet and nutrition, let alone where our food came from. I bet they will be talking organic in the years to come!

The Harvard Medical school recommends massage and meditation!

"A growing body of evidence suggests that psychological factors are — literally — heartfelt, and can contribute to cardiac risk.



Stress-easing strategies
While you can’t change the world around you, the following lifestyle changes can help you minimize your stress level:

• Get enough sleep. Lack of sound sleep can affect your mood, mental alertness, energy level, and physical health.
• Exercise. Physical activity alleviates stress and reduces your risk of becoming depressed — and it is good for your all-around health.
• Learn relaxation techniques. Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, deep breathing exercises, and yoga are mainstays of stress relief. Your local hospital or community center may offer meditation or yoga classes, or you can learn about these techniques from books or videos.
• Learn time-management skills. These skills can help you juggle work and family demands.
• Confront stressful situations head-on. Don’t let stressful situations fester. Hold family problem-solving sessions and use negotiation skills at work.
• Nurture yourself. Treat yourself to a massage. Truly savor an experience: eat slowly, focusing on each bite of that orange, or soak up the warm rays of the sun or the scent of blooming flowers during a walk outdoors. Take a nap. Enjoy the sounds of music you find calming."

HEALTHbeat Extra: Reduce your stress to protect your heart

Harvard Medical School [healthbeat@mail.health.harvard.edu]

Perhaps we are simply more stressed ?

“So while it is true that acceleration is found in some contexts [speed of technological change, climate change] the pace of development is actually falling in others [food production, new oil finds, population growth]. The reason we perceive more change is simply that we are more stressed by the increased global competition, the individualisation demands of culture, and our mobile 24/7 preparedness. The chronological myopia of our culture and our own egocentricity simply encourages us to believe that change we are currently experiencing is much greater and more important than that of our past.”  Anders Bjerre – economist and senior researcher at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

I think Anders is suggesting here, that we need some perspective. As I write this, large world economies are teetering on the edge of collapse. Australia is facing the challenge of moving to a low carbon economy, via a new tax. Is any of this really any worse than what our grandparents lived through?

And yet, I read in a report from Lifeline that 93 % of Australians are suffering so much stress they are at risk of serious illness.

“We cannot solve the more complex societal problems until we have developed better technologies to help people de-stress” Torben Larsen, economist, neuroeconomsit,University of Southern Denmark.

For most of us, technology is a big part of the problem. We are oversupplied with mental stimulation and negative news. As Anders Bjerre says, the changes we are experiencing are not bigger or worse, it’s just that we are more stressed and our coping strategies are poorer!

Luckily, we have the great meditation traditions  of our world to fall back on, re-discover and enjoy. Meditation is now a proven technology to help you manage your stress and improve your health.

Meditation triggers change in the electrical activity of the brain, improving the mind and body in measurable ways, the latest study on work stress, led by Dr Ramesh Manocha at Sydney University, reveals. ( SMH July 12, 2011).

I first taught Meditation for Health back in 2004. My own practice extends back over 30 years. Meditation has become a pleasure. Regular practice has improved my physical health, my emotional health, increased my experience of joy and compassion.

At Kaye Gartner’s Health Centre every practice meeting begins with 10 minutes of meditation. This practice means our meetings are something to look forward to! It supports us in our daily work life. It helps us to remain attentive and focussed on your needs when we leave the meetings. Meditation will do the same for you. Please note, it’s meditation practice, not meditation perfect! Imperfect meditation works really well!

Contrast our experience with these predictions:

Modern life requires work before play. Productivity before relaxation. Ability to afford the time to exercise before one actually gets the time to exercise. Hey, that's life, but take it to the automaton extreme (and add processed food and partially hydrogenated fat), and it rots our brains and ruins our bodies. But we will spend and spend until we have no more credit left. We need to change some of the incentives out there. Chronic, expensive disease is on the back burner, and it will bankrupt us.

Reagan LP, Grillo CA, Piroli GG. The As and Ds of stress: Metabolic, morphological and behavioural consequences. Eur J Pharmacol 2008;585:64-75.

The choice is ours to make. STress can be running and ruining our lives, or we can educate ourselves to wisely manage.

Meditation is available for free on the internet, www.freemeditation.com.au.

Our own Meditation for Health Course is available again in August (Call Linda for details 9960 6339).