I had lunch with friends recently and we started talking about all the great organic produce and places out there now.
When I first went organic in 2003, there was a very limited range and it was mostly sad, patchy products that spoiled very quickly and cost 100-200% more than non-organic. I regularly experienced maggots in my apples and lettuce while chewing busily, so I quickly learned to carefully inspect food before taking a bite. I remembered the old saying: the only thing worse than finding a worm in your apple is finding half a worm! My friends laughed at my apprehension. They accepted it as a sign of healthy and living food. I like my food without grub.
Fortunately, a lot has changed since then. Now the quality has definitely improved and the prices seem to be only 20% higher than non-organic, especially if you know where to shop. (And I’m very happy to report that I haven’t seen a larva or bug in my products for a long time.) Even traditional supermarkets are rapidly expanding their organic ranges: the health food aisle is getting bigger, there are organic canned tomatoes and lentils, organic breakfast cereals, pasta and tea. Today I was delighted to see that there is now also organic holoumi cheese. Organic chicken, beef, and eggs have also been around for a while. Organic butcher shops are even springing up.
Even the range of organic products other than organic food has expanded tremendously. Now there is:
* organic skin care – keep an eye out for my next article on the creator of Narelle Cheney, Miessence
* organic hair dye, shampoo, etc. – my hairdresser (Bron at Endorphin Hair, Bulimba) says a lot of women with cancer come there especially for their products
* organic personal hygiene products – toothpaste, deodorant, tampons, etc.
* organic cotton – the sheets and towels are so heavenly!
* organic and chemical-free ways of cleaning, including laundry products
* organic candles and essential oils
Now it seems that there is almost nothing that is not available as an organic alternative. The only thing I can think of is toilet paper. Has anyone seen organic toilet paper?
When I first went organic I tried a lot of products, many of them didn’t impress me, particularly the skincare ranges, toothpastes and deodorants. After talking to many wonderful consumers and manufacturers and slowly working through trial and error, I discovered that there are some great products available. So if you’ve tried a few products and were less than impressed, don’t give up – let us know what you’re looking for and we can help you find it.
Once you start looking for organic, you’ll notice that it shows up everywhere. I live in a popular suburb of Brisbane in Australia and within walking distance of my house there are two large organic food stores. One has a fabulous cafe and the other has a great naturopathic range, a gym and regularly hosts very informative health seminars at a very reasonable price.
