What is this ORGANIC only mania

On a different note, I am thinking of starting an online shop for affordable organic skincare (everything under 100 dhs). Do you think it is something we need here in Dubai?

Local organic from Greenheart is the best. If it's not local it's flown in from gulf countries. That's your best option. Second is local non organic then gulf countries non organic, last is imported Organic if you have to!

I see two problems with eating "Organic" food here and would love your views: The first is that there is no clear worldwide accepted definition of "organic". As an example, vegetables which are not treated with pesticides and are fertilised with animal manure. The animal manure could have come from a cow that was fed non-organic, geneticaly modified feed. So are the vegetables still organic? The second is that vegetables are treated in order to prolong their lives so that they can be flown to Dubai and still look good after 2-3 days. Is that treatment organic?

@skyfall, pls where do you buy your cosmetics and household products? I have high estrogen so have to watch the products I use in the home.. I buy almost all of my personal care products from Neal's Yard at Marina Mall or in Dubai Mall. I get the large bottle shampoos and conditioners and they last me so long, not cheap but natural products never are. The key is to make them last by using less I guess. Carrefour also sells Organics shampoo and conditioner (I think from Australia), it's very good and cheaper than Neal's Yard. Household products I get are Ecover mostly (Carrefour/Waitrose/almaya) but I alternate it with home made cleaning products as well. For example I use [i'>white vinegar[/i'> diluted in water to clean the inside of the fridge, does a great job and is kind to food. [i'>Lemon juice[/i'> and vinegar are great natural cleaning detergents, they won't leave a nasty smell either. With Ecover, not cheap but I make it last once again. Google can recommend a ton of natural home made cleaning products that are easy to make with ingredients available in every supermarket. [i'>Bicarbonate soda[/i'> is another example. Harsher items that I have swapped were: a very strong chemical spray to get rid of spiders, they hate peppermint oil so I just diluted that in a spray bottle with water, works a treat! I think it's all about researching what suits your time, budget and health concerns. :cool: P.S. My grandmother is still alive, aged 84! Her diet is superb with everything from her garden only or from trusted sources (fish and chicken included). My great grandmother lived to 90, again, only ate home grown food and exercised every single day by climbing a hill. No joke, she climbed a tiny hill [u'>every single day[/u'>, all this while wearing her long skirt! hahaha Good old days! The men on the other hand, passed away much earlier, in their 60's because they refused to adhere to healthier eating habits, they drank and ate way too much sugar. I remember my grandmother arguing with my grandfather about him putting sugar in everything, literally, on top of pasta, in tea, on potatoes, it was ridiculous...he died from complications of diabetes. The other from stomach ulcer caused by alcoholism, internal bleeding eventually. :(

But didn't our great grandparents die young ?? As FairyDust said, her folks lived till a grand old age. I think folks in those times were petite. Diet plays a part although there were those who smoked as well apart from some healthy ones. Fewer cars, no supermarkets, more walking to the local shops, very little food (no packaging) that had to be consumed within a few days. I think lard was probably very common in those days. No gym needed so out in the sunshine to the local shops. No television before the 1950s so to spend their time, people tend to read books, I guess. So libraries were very popular. Correct me if I am wrong - after all, I didn't even know my grandparents, they all die before I was born!

But didn't our great grandparents die young ?? Nope. All mine lived to late 80's early 90's. All were fit and active all their lives, they were 'doers' and very much lived off the land, growing their own fruit and veg. Getting milk from the local dairy farm, before it had all the chemicals and pasturisation done. Even though two of them were heavy smokers for much of their lives, as many were 'during the war' but because of their healthy living in other ways it helped a lot.

But didn't our great grandparents die young ??

@skyfall, pls where do you buy your cosmetics and household products? I have high estrogen so have to watch the products I use in the home..

Organic or clean eating is not a fad, it has been around for donkey's years, it's only that sadly with all the genetically modified foods, use of pesticides etc we have become so accustomed to not using the word and accepting that its only a fancy term to hike prices up. It is basically what my grandparents had in their garden, the fruit and vegetables that weren't treated with chemicals, the free-range chicken that was left to run around as she pleased and ate the corn that was grown on their bigger plot. It's that full circle of life that is no longer, the foods nowadays simply don't give back in terms of their purity and nutrients as well as foods back in the days. Having said this, caution has to be exercised when it comes to labelling, look out for the Soil Association, USDA Organic sign, etc...shoes, well, I am guessing, but surely if you buy toxic sulphur smelling shoes made in China you can only imagine what seeps into your feet through your skin in this heat. Toothpaste fluoride is a no-no, the colouring at the end of each tube will tell you whether it is natural or chemical... Household products such as shampoo, cleaning items etc do contain chemicals that are not exactly kind to the skin, it is upto a person whether they feel the need to eliminate those too or not. I am personally allergic to sodium laureth sulfate that is literally in every cosmetic product that foams, so I buy natural and in bulk and I negotiate a price at the small shop :cool: It doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg to live healthier just like with everything else in Dubai: research research and research where to buy stuff from. We don't buy everything organic, but try to get fruit and veg that smells and looks like fruit and veg as opposed to some rubbery tomatoes that smell and taste of cardboard :angry: Meat we buy free-range or a trusted source.

Hi smartee Organic food is not full of pesticides and hormones. It is the food that our great grandparents would have eaten. I don’t think it’s necessary to buy all food organic. For me, I will buy non-organic food that has a thick skin whereby I have to cut a large chunk off eg. celeriac, avocado or sweet potato. Unless there is a special offer on. Basically for me, organic food tastes better.

The other day was meeting couple of new women over a coffee event and hear many women bragging about it. The way they were explaining how bad the "normal" stuff in the super market it, the Bon grass fed meat or Bon organic chicken, or the chemicals from non organic shampoos or tooth paste or even shoes can kill you.....I am left speechless , lol I understand processed food is not good, but prices of greens vs organic greens, meat verses organic meat, more likely people who can't afford to pay these prices should die quickly :thinking: Shoes? :) that's a new one. I have to look that up. I wouldn't brush that off as ridiculous though. Maybe the lady knows something that we do not. I am definitely for Organic products and I do agree with the fluoride in tooth paste being toxic. There is nothing like good old salt water, bicarb or organic coconut oil pulling. Even the FDA now is demanding that every tube of tooth paste has a poison warning on it. http://fluoridealert.org/issues/dental-products/toothpastes/ Dangers of Fluoride: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/11/dr-bill-osmunson-on-fluoride.aspx http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/how-safe-is-fluoride/