Green is the New Black. What was once for the “tree-huggers” has now entered the main stream nutrition and even fashion industry. Phrases like “Think green” have become a part of our vocabulary and “green” businesses seem to be sprouting up like spring flowers all around us. Many grocery stores now carry organic versions of most staple foods, eco-friendly clothing lines are hitting the runways, and today’s average consumer is much more aware of the damage that synthetic substances have on our bodies. This move towards an overall wellness is on the rise whether in the foods we consume, the clothes we wear or the substances that we are exposed to. A vision of the near future is a woman sitting at a coffee shop reading a recycled paper magazine on natural health, wearing eco-friendly jeans, eating an organic apple and sipping on a Froid coffee. Over the years, the focus on health has taken the back seat to the need of producing “bigger”, “better” and “more” products. Synthetic substances, toxic chemicals and genetic engineering have been introduced to the numerous processes that our foods and products go through before we consume them. This new innovative way of life has cost us our health. Foods processed in this way lose their nutritional value, forcing us to rely on supplements to fulfill our dietary needs and have exposed us to numerous cancer causing agents. The wellness revolution is on the fight to bring things back to the basics. Organic foods are grown and processed without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, irradiation (use of sewage sludge) or genetic engineering. Foods that are certified organic, including meat, contain significantly more nutrients. For example, a regular potato today has lost 100% of it’s vitamin A because of unnatural farming. The sound of a naturally grown piece of fruit ripened by the sun, clean water and pure soil is much more appealing than the same fruit chemically grown through enhanced soil substances, sewer sludge, protected by toxic chemicals, and pumped with preservatives. No wonder we are going green. Not only do organic products help to keep our bodies healthy, but they also help keep the environment clean as well. Green companies work to produce products in a way that won’t damage our environment, and many support charitable causes to help clean up the mess we have already made. So how can you jump on this bandwagon of wellness and enjoy the rejuvenating ride? Start by introducing your new diet and lifestyle habits slowly. Always know that the closer a food is to the way it’s found in nature the healthier it is for your body or the more processed a food is from it’s natural form, the more unhealthy it is for you. Start by shopping at a local farmer’s market or whole foods stores. Choose the certified organic foods over other brands in porous fruits such as strawberries and raspberries, which are more vulnerable to contamination. Switch to natural beauty products like lotions, shampoos and conditioners, which seep into your skin and affect your health. Start throwing your free-throw paper wads into the recycling bin instead of the can, sip on organic Froid chai tea, and who knows maybe even pick up a pair of those eco-friendly jeans. However you decide to add a little green to your life, enjoy the healthy benefits you will receive in just knowing that you are making a difference.
In Health and Pure Joy, Lauren Showers
