Making the switch to an organic diet can be very beneficial for both your body and mind, as you’ll be consuming food in its most natural form without the risk of pesticides, preservatives and other artificial chemicals that can negatively impact upon your health. Learning how to change your eating habits to consume more organic food needn’t be as difficult as you might expect, as there are several simple tips and tricks that you can make the most of to master the art of natural food in no time at all!
Visit Farmers Markets
One of the easiest ways to convert to a more organic diet involves doing your weekly grocery shop at a farmer’s market. Many local farmers who run small farmsteads utilize traditional, organic methods to grow and harvest their crop, and have either an on site farm store which sells their produce or a stall at a farmer’s market. You can ask the farmer directly about which methods of fertilization they use when growing their crop, as well as which (if any) pesticides have been utilized to prevent pests. You can usually tell when produce is organic, as it will look smaller than the usual juiced up GMO alternatives that you can source in a chain supermarket. It may also have signs of insects such as holes in leaves, but this is completely natural and suggests that the food you’re about to eat is safe and healthy! You can often barter at a market to get a good deal when buying produce in bulk, so build a relationship with your local farmer to see whether you can get a friend’s discount on your delicious organic groceries.
Learn To Love Game
Most meat that you find in grocery stores is raised indoors on a regulated diet, which is unnatural and unnecessary to say the very least. Animals rely on the wonders of the outside world to thrive, but the sheer volume of battery farms and other in house operations make organic meat a rarity. In order to work around this issue, one of the best options you can explore is game. Game describes meat that comes from animals who have spent their life in nature without any farming intervention, which are then hunted and killed in the most humane way possible. Game meat has a much stronger flavor than farmed meat like chicken or pork, as the animals have had a much more natural, varied diet, and they’ve had unlimited chance to use their muscles compared with those who have been trapped indoors for their whole life. Game is almost always organic, and you can find wild boar, duck, pheasant, dove and so much more. If you’re unsure how to cook game meat then do not fret, as you can follow an easy 10 minute dove recipe or wild boar recipe online to introduce yourself to the world of natural food in a tantalizingly tasty way!
Go Foraging
Unless you live in a built up city center that lacks green space, you’ll likely have access to a vast variety of foraging opportunities that allow you to get natural food, free of charge! Depending on the climate where you live, you’ll probably be able to find an array of edible options that have grown on their own. Those who are living on coastal areas are blessed with an array of sea based goodies, from clams and oysters to seaweed, moss and kelp. If you’re in a particularly hot area, you’ll likely be able to source lots of tasty fruit that you can pick for free! Take a walk around your local area and visit a few spots that generally get a lot of sunshine, and search for bushes like blackberries, cherries and strawberries. Don’t worry if you like in a cold, landlocked environment as every location boasts foraging opportunities no matter how extreme. You can probably find things like wild garlic and mushrooms to start off with, but a little investigation will surely produce many more fresh and free options for you to make the most of. Always refer back to a certified guide when foraging for food, as you don’t want to end up eating something that isn’t safe for human consumption. Some spots require you to have a proper license for certain foods, such as mushroom certifications required to forage the mountains of Italy, but this is for your safety to ensure you know those which are edible and those that are poisonous.
Grow Your Own
What better way to produce organic fruit and vegetables than growing it yourself? Growing your own produce gives you full control over what materials are being used, so you can make a conscious effort to keep things organic and free from unnatural chemicals. Start off by sourcing some organic soil that you can use to fill up a variety of large planting pots, and seek out a safe fertilizer that you can add to the soil to encourage healthy growth. Making homemade fertilizer is a brilliant way to use up your waste whilst monitoring what goes into your plants growth cycle, and you need nothing more than a small compost bin to store your future fertilizer. You can use banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, seaweed and even grass clippings to create a quality fertilizer. Make sure you use a water filter to remove any toxins if you plan on using tap water, as the fluoride and other chemicals can stunt their growth. Collecting rainwater is a much better option, but it can take a long time to gather enough if you live in a hot environment. Always source organic seeds to grow your fruit and vegetables, making sure you avoid big brands whilst opting for independent alternative seed providers instead.
Making the switch to an organic diet needn’t be as difficult as you might expect when you can take the time to make the most of the brilliant ideas detailed above.
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