Are you going organic for the right reasons?

It is great to see that a large number of people are now opting for organic. But what we also see is a trend in the way organic consumers are perceived by the non-organic consumers (we will now refer to them as non-believers, just for the kicks). Non-believers are probably running out of excuses and so they turn to the age old “grapes are sour” syndrome. And here is what they tell themselves whenever they see a happy believer.

They classify you in to the:

The Do-Gooder

For them the Do-Gooder, buying organic food is like being a tiny, lame super hero with a wallet. They jeer at the idea that your buying organic lends support to the humane treatment of animals, conservation of healthy soil, and sustaining a healthy environment. They are also in denial of the fact that buying "conventional food" means participating in the problems associated with it, like pesticides running into rivers and lakes, or the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains from animals consuming daily antibiotic-infused feed. They do not want to accept that you are right and dismiss you as someone with a “holier than thou” attitude.

The Blessed Rich

They not only associate the consumption of organic with only the rich and famous but are irrevocably convinced that organic is expensive because some companies want to con us out of our monies, just because they have nothing else to do. They honestly believe that occasionally spending a few grand or more on expensive restaurants, expensive clothes & accessories and/or expensive holidays is so much cheaper that going organic. And you are just showing off your wealth. Oh and did I also mention that they believe all organic consumers own a Ferrari or two.

The Health Junkie

According to the non-believers if you do yoga, have treadmills at home, run the marathon (they are generally irritated with marathons because it obstructed them on their way to KFC), then naturally you eat organic! They can’t understand why you like reading health tips or trivia on how even trace elements of chemicals can harm you. They will give you typical excuses like, “I am very happy the way I am”, “It’s hereditary, not my fault” or ‘I’ll look really out of place in the family photo”. They smoke because they think they will give cigarettes cancer. Actually to sum it up, your inner peace makes them feel fat.

The Afraid. The Very Afraid.

Chemicals are generally scary. But the non-believers imagine you picturing a barrel of fertilizer with a "do not ingest" warning, and laugh at your lack of guts to challenge the might of chemicals. But most non-believers don’t want to admit that they are aware of its long term effects. Of course they know that we as a species were never designed to ingest chemicals that do not occur naturally. Their voice booms through the room when they tell their children about their herculean capacity of digestion and smirk at the thought of your chest hair committing suicide at the sight of their gastronomic strength.

So now you know what they are thinking. I am rather convinced that no one really chooses to go organic because they belong to a certain stereotype. They choose it because they want to. It tastes better, it makes you more active and it allows you to indulge when your heart calls for it. So don’t bother what the world thinks and just enjoy what nature has to offer.

Be the coolest Mom on earth

Being a mom is the toughest job on this planet. There's nothing like the love surge of a full-body hug or the amazed pride you feel when your toddler takes its first steps! But all this comes with those inevitable pains of feeling exasperated, unnerved, or just surprised. You're ready and willing to do anything in the world to make your child safe and happy. But you see your charm and control slipping away with the growing years.

Going through your child’s adolescence years can be stressful (I agree that is an understatement). Not only do their escapades give you heart burn, you are also worried about what is giving them acidity. Eating junk and unhealthy food, sadly, is what kids equate with cool. No amount of telling them will drive the point home. And a little more telling will drive them to rebellion and you to the nearest mental hospital. Every time they tell you they are “hanging out with friends” you feel like hanging yourself, right?

Now that we are speaking of ropes, let me suggest a better use for it: The tight-rope walk – a fine act of balancing. Many a wise men and women have raved about the virtue of balance. It sure comes in handy. If you think about it you will not have to worry about your children eating unhealthy junk once in a while if a large part of their diet is healthy.

Feeding them organic food regularly will give them a healthy enough lifestyle to combat the occasional evil of temptation. Organic food lends more nutrition to the body helping it develop a better immunity. Not to mention the fact that it is tastier and will help build your reputation around the kitchen simultaneously.

Now let us imagine a scenario. You are telling your children, “It’s been a while since we ordered pizza. How about we order tonight?” Your children are looking at you with a wave of elation in their eyes before breaking into shrieking excitement. Next day the Facebook status of your kid reads, “I have the coolest Mom on earth!” Isn’t it paradise?

Are You Skipping Breakfast?

So you had a late night yesterday – there was a deadline to be met, there was a friend’s party, you had to study for your exam, the baby did not let you sleep well – the reasons could be endless. Or you just slept in this morning even if yesterday wasn’t a late night. When you woke up, you realized that there was a high risk of you running late for work or college. And what was your first instinct? Let me skip breakfast and grab something to eat later!

It cannot be reiterated enough how important a meal the breakfast is. And yet it is so easy to skip it. It is the one meal that can get our day started on an energetic note and set the pace for the whole day. It also helps maintain blood sugar levels better rather than create spikes due to rather long gaps between dinner and the next meal. And we are sure as a meal it would find more favour among people if it were well known that having breakfast and the right one can greatly help in weight management! Needless to say, skipping breakfast isn’t the best of ideas from the point of view of our bodily wear and tear.

And what better way to have breakfast than to make it healthy and loaded with nature’s goodness. An organic breakfast not only brings you the benefits that come with having breakfast in the first place, but also ensures that you are not loading your body with toxins the first thing in the morning.

And no, it does not have to be the same old fruits and juice every single day for you to enjoy an organic breakfast! Organic products like Poha (Beaten Rice), Daliya (Broken Wheat) and Sooji/Rava (Semolina) let you enjoy your favourite breakfast recipes in the organic form and give you the best of all worlds. If this prospect of a great organic breakfast to kick start your day excites you, ProNature has your favourite breakfast foods available in the organic form for you to enjoy! We invite you to try them out and let us know your thoughts in the comments section…

Bon Apetit and Bon Jour!

Have Your Cake And Eat It Too, With Organic Terrace Gardening

Anyone with a green thumb knows the joy of growing and seeing the fruits of one’s labour blossom abundantly. In fact, in the last post, ProNature talked about some international celebrities who have their own organic garden! So how would you like it if you got to experience the same joy and at the same time, eat food prepared from pesticide-free homegrown healthy vegetables? All of it is possible now with the rise of Organic Terrace Gardening.

If your mind is already racing to see how much area it would require and whether you have the space to even cultivate such a garden, let us tell you that you can start with as little as one or two pots. Once you feel comfortable with growing your own veggies and realize how easy it is, you can always grow your garden as much as you want. The only limitation is your interest and your time.

Image Credit: http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com

If you’re already into gardening and enjoy it, then this is just the next step for you and you will find it very easy. But even if you don’t have too much experience in gardening, workshops are regularly conducted to educate people about Organic Terrace Gardening, it’s ease and benefits. In fact, recently the National Seminar on Organic Terrace Gardening concluded in Bangalore and saw people from all over India come together to share their experience and learn more. For starters, Dr. BN Vishwanath’s book ‘A Handbook Of Organic Terrace Gardening’ is a good guide too.

To start with, you can try plants like mint, coriander etc which are primarily used for garnishing and flavouring. The additional advantage of this is that leafy vegetables grow faster and we’re sure that the feeling you’ll get on seeing the plants thrive and by using then in your kitchen will only encourage you to grow more plants. So you can start with leafy vegetables, chillies etc. and move on to other vegetables in due course of time.

Image Credit: http://smitha-myviewsonlife.blogspot.com

Maintaining such a garden also isn’t too difficult with it being possible to make strong organic anti-pest solutions right in your house, for example by combining Neem, tobacco, onion, garlic and chilli. If you’re using your terrace and not your backyard, only your roof needs to be free from seepages and leakages. And make sure that your plants get enough sunlight. That’s about it.

Once you start, you’ll realize how easy it is to grow your own vegetables that are free from any pesticides and packed with the pure goodness of nature. It will also make your home greener, adding a feel-good factor and also purifying the air around. Not to speak of the fact that you won’t have to run to the market everytime you run out of your favourite veggies but only run to your garden.

So the next time you cook, you can have your cake and eat it too by taking credit for not only the well-cooked recipe but also the well-grown, healthy, pesticide-free vegetables. Sounds like a win-win situation to us!