Organic Food Lover

Organic dog food is made with certified organic chicken and amaranth as well as other natural ingredients such as rice, fruit, vegetables, and oils. This is ideal if you are looking for a way to provide natural, healthy meals for your pet, without having to go to the trouble of preparing the food yourself.

Holistic Select is a small, family owned company who has been making pet food since the 1980s. They add various natural supplements to their products such probiotics, kelp, and yucca.

Organic Ingredients

• organic chicken
• organic amaranth

The free range, certified organic chicken used in this dog food is raised without the use of hormones, antibiotics or growth stimulants. It also contains certified organic amaranth which provides a good source of amino acids, linoleic acid, and protein.

Fruit and Vegetables

• peas
• carrots
• apples
• alfalfa
• dandelion
• kelp

Other Ingredients

• brown rice
• barley
• fish meal
• pork meal
• oatmeal
• dried eggs
• flaxseed
• canola oil
• cheese meal
• yucca
• chicory root extract
• beta carotene
• garlic

Organic parrot food can help you pet lead a healthier life. Just like with you and me, the long term consumption of non organic food can lead to a build up of toxic chemicals in the body. This can be especially dangerous for a small pet like a parrot.

A varied diet is important for a healthy parrot. Their diet should consist of fresh organic vegetables, fruits and whole grains as well as organic seeds and nuts. A healthy organic diet can add years to your bird's life.

Organic Parrot Food

Try to incorporate the following organic foods into your parrot's diet:

• carrots
• corn
• beans
• peas
• broccoli
• zucchini
• sunflower sprouts
• pea shoots
• sprouted seeds
• sprouted beans
• quinoa
• grapes
• seeds
• pellets

Organic fruit and vegetables have many benefits over conventional varieties but it is not always possible to buy organic. Availability can be a problem and high prices can be a deterrent. If you do decide to purchase conventional produce then you may wish to avoid certain items which are more likely to contain harmful pesticide residues. The worst offenders are generally those with thin skins or those which get sprayed a number of times during the growing period.

Foods that are Important to Buy Organic

The Environmental Working Group has identified 12 fruits and vegetables which are particularly susceptible to pesticide contamination. If you can, try to avoid the following conventionally grown fruit and vegetables:

• apples
• capsicum
• celery
• cherries
• grapes
• nectarines
• peaches
• pears
• potatoes
• raspberries
• spinach
• strawberries

These are especially dangerous for pregnant women and young children. Pesticides can be passed on to an unborn child via the placenta and children under 2 years of age are less able to eliminate pesticides from their bodies.

A safer option is to buy fruit and vegetables which have thick skins which you can peel off before eating such as bananas, corn, mangos, onions, oranges, and pineapples

Organic food is any food product grown or containing ingredients that have been produced without the use of antibiotics, chemicals, fertilisers, and pesticides. he U.S. Department of Agriculture defines organic food as that which is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic certification prohibits the use of most conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, and irradiation. Organic meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy come from animals not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. Certified organic food is, by definition, free from genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). Also, any handling or processing of organic food must be done by certified companies.

Cons of Organic Food

The cons of organic food include:

• Cost. Organic food is generally more expensive than non-organic food.
• Lower output. New organic farms may experience lower production than other farms due to the organic farming practices used. However, this is generally short lived and farms which use high levels of fertilisers and other chemicals are not believed to be sustainable.
• Shelf life. Organic food may have a shorter shelf life due to a lack of preservatives in the food. This means organic food should be eaten fresh, which is obviously a good thing, but may be difficult for distributors.

What do you believe are the cons of organic food?

We recommend eating natural and organic food wherever possible to reduce your exposure to pesticides as well as reducing the damage to the environment caused by the many chemicals used in conventional farming.

Organic products are produced without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, growth hormones or routine antibiotics. Organic farming relies on crop rotation, improving soils by adding animal and plant manures, hand weeding, and organic pest control. Organic food is grown slowly, as nature intended, resulting in more vitamins and minerals and more flavour.

Although the quantity of pesticides absorbed from eating non-organic food is very small, they do accumulate over time. Pesticides absorbed from food are linked to many health problems including cancer, birth defects, genetic mutation, asthma, and nerve damage.

Organic farming also keeps animals healthy as the use of drugs is restricted. Salmonella, cryptosporidium, E.coli, and listeria are rare in organic foods.

Organic fruit and vegetables are fresh, "unprocessed" organic food, such as those purchased directly from growers, at farmers' markets, from on-farm stands, supermarkets, through speciality food stores, and through community-supported agriculture (CSA) projects. Unprocessed animal products like organic meat, eggs, dairy, are less commonly available in "fresh" form.

In Australia, organic eggs must be from free-range hens, rather than from battery chickens. Animals for the organic market may not be fed growth hormones or drugs such as steroids or antibiotics.

At first, organic food comprised mainly fresh vegetables. Early consumers interested in organic food would look for chemical-free, fresh or minimally processed food. They mostly had to buy directly from growers: "Know your farmer, know your food" was the motto. Personal definitions of what constituted "organic" were developed through firsthand experience: by talking to farmers, seeing farm conditions, and farming activities. Small farms grew vegetables (and raised livestock) using organic farming practices, with or without certification, and the individual consumer monitored.

Consumer demand for organic foods continues to increase, and high volume sales through mass outlets, like supermarkets, is rapidly replacing the direct farmer connection. For supermarket consumers, food production is not easily observable, and product labelling, like "certified organic", is relied on. Government regulations and third-party inspectors are looked to for assurance.

A "certified organic" label is usually the only way for consumers to know that a processed product is "organic".

Organic vinegar is a liquid produced from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. The acetic acid concentration ranges typically from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar (typically 5%) and higher concentrations for pickling (up to 18%) although in some countries the minimum strength may be less. Natural vinegars also contain smaller amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. It has been used since ancient times, and is an important element in Western and European, Asian, and other traditional cuisines of the world.

The word "vinegar" derives from the Old French vin aigre, meaning "sour wine." Louis Pasteur showed in 1864 that vinegar results from a natural fermentation process.

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Organic apple cider vinegar, otherwise known simply as cider vinegar, is made from cider or apple must, and is often sold unfiltered, with a brownish-yellow color; it often contains mother of vinegar. It is currently very popular, partly due to its alleged beneficial health and beauty properties (see below). Due to its acidity, apple cider vinegar can be very caustic, even burning the throat. If taken straight (as opposed to usage in cooking), it should be diluted before drinking. Others dilute it with warm water and add some honey. There have been reports of acid chemical burns of the throat in using the pill form of organic apple cider vinegar.

Organic maple syrup is a sweetener made from the sap of maple trees. It is most often eaten with pancakes, waffles, or french toast. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in baking, or in preparing desserts.

Organic maple syrup and its artificial imitations are the preferred toppings for crêpes, pancakes, waffles, and French toast in North America. Maple syrup can also be used for a variety of uses, including: biscuits, fresh donuts, fried dough, fritters, ice cream, hot cereal, and fresh fruit (especially grapefruit). It is also used as sweetener for applesauce, baked beans, candied sweet potatoes, winter squash, cakes, pies, breads, fudge and other candy, milkshakes, tea, coffee, and hot toddies.

Organic maple syrup and maple sugar were used during the American Civil War and by abolitionists in the years prior to the war, because most cane sugar and molasses was produced by Southern slaves. During food rationing in World War II, people in the northeastern United States were encouraged to stretch their sugar rations by sweetening foods with maple syrup and maple sugar, and recipe books were printed to help housewives employ this alternate source.

In New England, Quebec and eastern Ontario, the process has become part of the culture. One tradition is going to sugar houses (cabanes à sucre) in early spring for meals served with maple syrup-based products, especially the dish known variously as maple taffee (in English Canada), Tire sur la neige (in Quebec), and sugar on snow (in the United States). This is thickened hot syrup poured onto fresh snow and then eaten off sticks as it quickly cools. This thick organic maple syrup-based candy is served with yeast-risen doughnuts, sour dill pickles, and coffee. Owing to the sugar maple tree's predominance in southeastern Canada (where European settlement of what would become Canada began), its leaf has come to symbolize the country, and is depicted on its flag.

Organic foods can be found at most supermarkets as well as your local organic food store. Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For animals, it means they were reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.

Increasingly, organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.

Historically, organic farms have been relatively small family-run farms — which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. Now, organic foods are becoming much more widely available — organic food sales within the United States have grown by 17 to 20 percent a year for the past few years while sales of conventional food have grown at only about 2 to 3 percent a year. This large growth is predicted to continue, and many companies are jumping into the market.

Organic Food Store

Visit you local organic food store to get fresh fruit and vegetables which are 100% organic as well all kinds of other organic foods.

Grub Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen is a highly rated book on organic living. The book suggests people spend more time in the kitchen, preparing healthy, organic meals as a way to improve their general health and reduce the serious problem of obesity in the US.

Grub Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen

The book not only has many recipes but also explains how to find and use the best ingredients from local sources, such as farmers markets and co-ops.

Grub Ideas also goes into detail as to why we should be buying organic food. In particular, it goes into detail about the dangers of pesticides, both to our bodies and to the environment.

If you check reviews of this book, you'll see most of them are very positive. I think Grub Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen is a good book for those who are new to organic living and would like information about the benefits of buying organic produce and the best way to find and use this produce. It's probably not for those who have been eating organically for some time and are already 'converted' to the organic lifestyle.