'Organic' Obsession

by Chandroo D.

 

Heard of the magical word, “Organic”? This word has hypnotized majority of the housewives by a storm. All kind of Organic foodstuff are exploding in popularity and super markets are storing them up rapidly to meet the overwhelming demands.  My family is now totally obsessed with this popular word ‘Organic’ on all types of products besides foodstuff.  ‘Organic’ household cleaning products, ‘Organic’ toiletries and so forth.  Help! Very slowly they are converting me into an “Organic” person.

 

What’s happening? What happened to the good old delicious foodstuff I have eaten for years in restaurants and sometimes at street vendor’s stalls and am still ticking away well? Will changing my diet to eating strictly ‘Organic’ give me more years? Or will it be harmful to my health? Used to eating non-organic food for so many years, will my tummy now be comfortable with Organic food?  So far there is no evidence that changing diets to all-organic makes anyone healthier, except for being self-satisfied.

 

I understand the biggest benefit of an organic diet is the avoidance of a lot of pesticides and there is some association between pesticides and cancer. But if someone has had cancer and gone into remission, surely you can't say the organic food will get rid of it. It doesn't actually fix anything. It probably just prevents problems arising and decreases your risk of further illness.

 

I believe people who refuse to eat anything except Organic think that they are getting valuable nutrients.  It is proven, nutritionally there's very little difference between organic and non-organic produce from a vitamin/mineral perspective.  Our health is not just about our diet but it's also about physical activity and mental health besides eating for social and emotional reasons.

 

‘Organic’ eaters do have a tough time in many restaurants though - if they have to socialize.  Not many restaurants cater to their choices and I personally see many just gobbling away the non-organic mouth-watering dishes when presented to them.  Sure - they miss the good old version of the foodstuff!

 

These days when out to a super market, all we shop for is Organic vegetables, fruits, milk, cheese etc, Organic oils, Organic cosmetics and toiletries, Organic household cleaning solutions and so forth. The word ‘Organic’ has been overhyped up for mass marketing and bumped up prices compared to the normal commercial versions and I am sure it is hitting hard on some buyers.

 

Some people develop a form of disordered eating called “orthorexia,” in which they are constantly trying to eat perfectly. They live in fear of eating something “impure” or bad for them, to the point that meal planning and preparation consume a major part of their lives. Because of fears of eating the “wrong things,” they withdraw from social occasions and relationships, therefore isolating themselves. Unhealthy weight loss follows, not because they are trying to lose weight, but because their eating becomes too restrictive especially to 'Organic' food.

 

I personally consider excessive sticking to an organic food diet as an obsessive sort of behaviour. There are a lot of mental disorders out here and there...I would say that if obsessing over something is a mental disorder, shouldn't obsessing over organic stuff be also considered as a mental disorder?

 

Time to close this article and take a shower.  “Honey where is my regular rich lather shower gel?”  “Here take this new ‘Organic soap’ I bought for you” answers my spouse.  Phew! Now I can totally ‘Organically’ be clean.  Wonder if my shower water is also organic!