Tag Archives: Food

Tips for Buying Organic Food on a Bargain

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Do a quick search online and you’ll find several farmer’s markets and organizations near your location that sell organic food. You’d get excited once you find out that there are already a lot of small shops and markets selling organic food.

First Choice: The Farmer’s Market

The farmer’s market is one of the best sources of organic food items anywhere the world. They always supply fresh, local products for the local in their area. Once you get there, don’t hesitate to ask around and find good food deals because you’ll surely come around tasty items at the cheap. It would be better if the farmer/store was recommended by a friend. Eating Food samples are always a reliable source of quality and taste.

There are food items called “seconds” which are misshaped version of the produce they sell but are still delicious and they sell it cheap. You can also get bulk-buying information and where you can find their food items if the farmer’s market isn’t open.

Invest in the Agricultural Program of your community

There are certain areas with Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSA) that invite shareholders for funding. Usually, investments go to cover for the overhead costs that the farmers incur when growing their produce. As a return of investment, shareholders get boxes of fresh produce each week to use in their homes. You are able to help the farmers and yourself with this investment which is a win-win situation for the community and local farming.

Bulk-buying your Organic Food Supply

For people who have the money, it is always good to purchase food items by bulk whether its organic or not. You’d be better off buying large containers of grains, nuts, beans, and lentils because you’ll be able to save more money in the long run. You won’t need to make additional trips to the store if you have an adequate storage area for these food items to last you several months. Some items are more perishable than others. Choose wisely on the food that you’re going to store in bulk.

Winter Time purchases should be Frozen and/or Preserved

It’s easy to concede to expensive in-store food items during winter. But, you’d be better served by buying your favorite organic foods in preserved form. Organically-grown berries, peaches, corn, and peas are commonly preserved in a jar for winter. They are still organic and they come at the cheap come winter time.

Organic Food should be Stored in a Freezer

Organic food storage needs a good freezer to be successfully done. Don’t use your freezer to store take-out dinners and leftover pizza, always allocate storage space for your organic fruits and veggies especially when you do bulk-buying often. You’ll find this very useful once winter season arrives.

Of course, there are tons of other ways to get good deals on your favorite organic foods. This is just meant to get you started. You can always start growing your own, or even exploring your online shopping options. There are tons of ways to score great deals while still getting the fresh and unmistakable taste of organic produce.

A little more research would help you find more ways to buy organic food on a bargain. Use the information you got here as a starter. It is also a good idea to grow food of your own or shop for food items online. Organic produce can be acquired in several different ways. You just have to find the ones that give you the best deal and the freshest produce.

Answers to Some Important Questions Asked About Organic Foods

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Many people are growing more interested in searching for different ways to keep themselves healthy. They are willing to change their current lifestyle to a healthier one, which for some people can mean trying organic foods.

Organic foods are not for everybody. Unfortunately, they are dearer and for anyone on a fixed budget this can be a problem.

Below are FAQs about organic foods that may help you to decide whether to start eating organic foods or not:

1. What is the meaning of organic, relating to food?
Organic food means they do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and are grown without artificial pesticides, fertilisers or any chemicals. There is some variation to the standards of organic rules in different countries, because they have the freedom to set their own regulations and guidelines. Generally to be sanctioned as organic, the land must be tested free from and all banned chemicals every year for 3 consecutive years or more before use.

2. What are genetically modified organisms?
Many people believe that GMOs have harmful effects mainly because it alters the natural genetic composition of the food source. Thus, there are many countries that have already banned the use of this on their farms.

3. Are pesticides used by organic food farmers?
Not artificial pesticides. They are not permitted. Organic farmers tend to make use of other means of keeping insects off their crops instead.

4. How will you know if it is organic?
Organic products are tagged or labelled with an organic seal. This seal means that the product is certified as 95% organic; the other 5% is not confirmed because of the logistics of testing 100% of everything at that time. There are other options to take into account like packaging, which may have an effect on the food.

Other products can have a lesser percentage of organic ingredients, especially products like toiletries which cannot be presented as organic because of some ingredients which cannot be classed as organic even though they are not chemical based. Such products can still have a notice on the product stating the percentage of organic ingredients. All the other non-organic ingredients must be declared on the product.

5. What sort of organic products are there on the market today?

Here are a few examples:

• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Baby food
• pet food
• Bread, pasta, and rice
• Canned soups
• Cheese
• Chocolate
• Clothes
• Juices, soda, milk, and wine
• Meat
• Potato chips
• Sanitary napkins/tampons
• Skin care products, make-up, shampoo
• Spices
• Vitamins/food supplements

6. Why are organic meats and chicken beneficial?
They are beneficial because they are not injected with hormones or other synthetic products. Animals on an organic farm only eat organic foods and graze in pastures without any harmful chemicals. Free range chickens are allowed to freely roam and peck in their field without being caged up. This ensures that the animals are living healthily and happily, and a healthy bird will contain fewer toxins.

7. Why do some people go organic?
Organic foods are attractive to many because they are perceived to be healthier options than regular foods. They have greater levels of nutrients thus making them healthier to eat. Also they leave no side effects in the body from toxins because they are not grown using chemicals.

8. How can honey be organic?
To be certified as organic, all of the land in a 5 mile radius from the hive must be passed as organic for 3 consecutive years. This is the average maximum distance a honey bee will fly from the hive. This is an area of over 78.5 square miles, all of which must have no chemicals used on it for over 3 years.

The decision as to whether to eat organic foods or to stay with standard foods can be a dilemma. You have to weigh up all the pros and cons and determine what is right for you. However, because we don’t have a label on non-organic food that says “This food contains chemicals”, sadly it doesn’t mean it doesn’t, and it doesn’t mean that over time the chemicals in your food will not cause you ill health. The choice is yours, but in years to come would you not prefer to be sure of being free of illness, rather than possibly being sick and wish you’d eaten organic instead?

Eat Fat Burning Food Items To Be Healthier

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Almost any food item that we consume contributes fats and calories to our bodies but this begs the question: Is there such a thing as a fat-burning food product? Many people usually pass off healthy food items as food that can actually burn fat in our bodies hence helping us lose weight. However, that is not how fat-burning food items work. Basically, you need to understand that these food products are not capable of breaking down fats in the body. They do, however, contain significantly less calories when compared to many types of foods that we are accustomed to eating and as such, eating them (without eating fat-rich or calorie-rich food) will lead to fat loss since you aren’t taking as much fatty foods as before. This must be coupled with exercise, of course.

Some Misconceptions

Many are still under the impression that these so-called fat-burning food as actual fat burners as they do feel lighter after switching to a diet which mainly consists of these food products. However, as explained earlier, this weight loss is merely a result of our lower calorie intake coupled with the daily energy consuming activities that we do.

Also some of us think of food items such as bell peppers and green tea as fat-burning food because of their ability to burn fat directly. However, for green tea, one has to drink it almost as frequently as water and yet one can expect only to burn 80 calories per day. Bell peppers contain capsaicin (a substance that causes their spicy taste) which can burn calories, but pepper containing even the strongest capsaicin could only afford you a maximum 21 calories burned, and might feel quite sick afterwards considering the fact that too much spicy food can be bad for the stomach (along with other fat-burning food). Therefore, it is smarter to look for an alternative instead.

The Facts

So if you want to lose weight by eating fat-burning food, what should you keep in mind? Of course you need to make sure that the food that you’re eating only contains enough amounts of fat and calories but is packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein. Take foods like vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. Aside from their small fat content, all of them count as fat-burning food, because they help the body burn fat by: (1) providing vitamins and minerals that stabilize metabolism needed for exercise, (2) providing protein that enables the body to exercise more by strengthening it and repairing it, thus readying it for intense activity, and (3) taking the place of fatty and high-calorie foods that you usually eat.

Therefore, the next time you want fat-burning food, you don’t have to think of anything fancy, such as tea or pepper; you only have to switch some of your unhealthy snacks for healthier ones – such as celery to replace potato chips, or carrots to replace cookies.