Fresh and Organic is best!

Have you seen the Disney Pixar film “Ratatouille?” There’s a funny scene in it where the main rat, Remmy (the chef) is talking to his brother (Emile) who is eating some gross looking clump of unknown origin.

By Simon Lovell of www.thelunchboxdiet.com

*** Correction to this article: I misspoke about Russell Crowe's Nana Glen steak being available occasionally on the menu at Kingsley's. It is not currently available at Kingsley's but can be found at Darcy's in Paddington according to Murphsplace http://www.murphsplace.com/crowe/news.html. It was taste-tested at Kingsley's and the restaurant profits went to the Australian Children's Music Foundation http://www.acmf.com.au/get_involved.asp which is a wonderful charity!

Remmy (looking at the clump) What is that?

Emile (pause) I don’t really know.

Remmy You dunno’ and you’re eating it?

Emile (shrugging) You know, once you muscle past the gag reflex, all kinds of possibilities open up.

Yummy, eh? Now, granted, most of us don’t dig through the garbage and eat just anything, but when was the last time you looked at the ingredients of all the pre-packaged food you eat? Chances are, if it came out of a box it has a whole slue of ingredients that twist the tongue and boggle the mind.

Take for instance crackers and cookies. If you were going to guess at what was in them, you’d probably name things like flour, sugar, salt, eggs or chocolate. Sure, those things are in crackers and cookies, but what else? Preservatives and artificial coloring. Most pre-packaged foods whether they come in a bag, box or can contain preservatives and artifical coloring. Try pronouncing these: monosodium glutamate, butylated hydroxytoluene, tartrazine.

Yikes! And you thought you knew what you were eating! For the most part, those things are preservatives and stabilizers. They are what manufacturers put into products to allow for longevity; not your longevity, mind you, the product’s longevity in the factory warehouse, delivery truck, the market storage room and finally the store shelf. That’s an awful long time since that trace amount of wheat was in a field.

Are preservatives safe? They are allowed into our food, so many of us assume they are safe enough. The fact is, many scientists disagree saying that while trace amounts in foods is alright, the fact that we consume so much of these products is the real concern. If you eat a lot of processed, pre-packaged foods, then you can see how suddenly, you’re not consuming “trace” amounts anymore. I suppose there aren’t enough clear studies to say one way or another. I just know that much like Remmy, I’m not in favor of eating things when I don’t know what they are.

Preservatives can’t be avoided completely, but you can do your body a favor and limit what unknown things go into your body. The best way to do this is to eat as many fresh things as you can. Fresh is so much better all around. Not just for the mere fact that preservatives may or may not cause cancer, but because many fresh items have been proven to be effective in reducing your risk of cancer.

And what about organic? Should these fresh items be organic? Organic foods are produced in such a way that eliminates the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides as well as other genetic and chemical enhancers. From the way crops are treated to the way animals are fed, organic farming takes a proactive approach to preventing problems. For instance, natural predators of harmful insects are released into crops to deter pests. Regulated by governments, organic farmers with certified organic products have followed guidelines to achieve this status.

Growth hormones are also a growing concern (no pun intended). A growth hormone called rBGH is sometimes used to increase milk production in dairy cows and is also used in beef cattle for faster growth. The thing is we’re not quite sure what this may be doing to the people who consume the milk and beef. Questions have been raised as to how this affects hormonal balance which in turn can cause all sorts of problems including early-onset puberty, developmental problems, reproductive problems and potentially cancers such as breast cancer.

Why take the risk? By most accounts, organic tastes better as well. If you’re lucky enough to be near Paddington in Australia, check out Russell Crowe’s meat.. er ummm.. I mean beef! Sorry mate! Russell Crowe raises cattle on his ranch in Nana Glen. . As per the above correction, his steaks can be found on the menu at Darcy’s in Paddington (not at Kingsley’s in Woolloomooloo).

In a note to his fans at Murphsplace http://www.murphsplace.com/crowe/news.html , Russell explains the process and a bit about why he decided to farm this way. In every aspect, Russell Crowe’s efforts are just the better way to go: Better for the environment, better for the animals, and in the end, a leaner, healthier more flavorful product! Read for yourself what Russell has to say about this process: http://www.murphsplace.com/crowe/nana-beef.html

Good on ya’ Russell! I’ll tell you what. Next time you’re in Exeter, bring me a box of those steaks and I’ll let you use my fitness club whenever you’re in town! Agreed? I’ll even throw in my Lunchbox Diet plan the next time you need to change your physique for a film role! But sorry, mate: Go Rhinos!

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