A lot of people have been talking about clean food recently and how that is what we should be eating, all of the time. What is clean food? My take on clean food is that it is simply real food – food free of additives and preservatives and without processing.

Here is a more thorough definition:

In the winter issue of The Trends Journal, Mr. Celente, the director of the Trends Research Institute in Rhinebeck, N.Y., describes the clean-food diet as something beyond organic — "a new standard for health and reliability." The keys are "foods free of artificial preservatives, coloring, irradiation, synthetic pesticides, fungicides, ripening agents, fumigants, drug residues and growth hormones" and those that are "processed, packaged, transported and stored to retain maximum nutritional value."

This is what most of us are looking for when we buy organic produce and why so many people are going out of their way to shop at organic farmers markets where they know the produce is fresh and free of chemicals.

Organisations like Cleanfood Australia focus on organic produce which is grown in clean air, clean soil, and clean water systems.

Cleanfood Australia is proud to supply high quality fresh organic fruit and vegetable produce, pristine Tasmanian spring and sparkling water as well as food produced under our own production label, “Cara’s Organic Produce”. All of our produce is certified organic.

An Australian magazine, Clean Food Organic, discusses clean food and organic food in Australia:

Clean Food organic is a publication unlike anything published around the world. Its readers, contributors and supporters share the belief that consuming conventionally produced products is, by and large, not good for you. The ‘cocktail’ effect of the thousands of synthetic chemicals that our bodies have been exposed to over the years is unhealthy, and THE major positive step toward better health is by consuming organic products.

Clean Food organic is a fresh series of publications for everyone who lives an organic lifestyle. It is a major reference source of information examining how conventional products are produced and what is actually in the stuff non-organic farmers and manufacturers expect us to consume.

What are your thoughts on the clean food diet?

Personally, I find reading the labels on food products pretty scary in itself but after checking out this list of scary food facts at Forensic Science Technician I’m so glad I don’t eat fast food. I don’t eat much processed food either but really, I should cut out processed foods completely and just eat organic, clean food.

Here are some scary food facts:

2. Most fast food chains dip their French fries in sugar to give them that deliciously golden brown hue after frying . – What many of us don’t realize is that some fast food fries aren’t just fatty and starchy. They are also sugary as well. While they don’t taste very sweet, the sugars are added for other incentives. It also helps to develop that nice outer crispiness that can be complicated to imitate when frying at home.

9. About one-third of bottled water contained synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. - In a study of over 900 bottles and 100 store brands that were tested by the National Resources Defense Council. On another note, there are also more than 115,000 human-made chemicals that are finding their way into the public water supply system.

12. The phosphoric acid found in cola is so acidic that it can dissolve a nail in 4 days. – The pH of soda is equivalent to the pH level of vinegar .That’s what makes this the most acidic beverage that is sold. Next time you see a truck toting concentrated Coca-Cola, look for the highly corrosive materials sign.

21. Over 90% of the salmon that is sold to us in stores is farm-raised and can contain as many as 16 more contaminants than wild salmon. – Did you realize even realize that salmon are gray and not supposed to be pink? Since farm raised do not consume their natural foods, they are given coloring agents that give them the salmony pink color.

Check out the full list here.

Some tips and ideas for a successful organic farm:

Organic food, at first thought, might provoke some different ideas from you. Perhaps, to you, organic food is that natural food that costs about twice as much at the shop. Or, to you, organic may mean food that people have to eat if they have allergies to preservatives. Well, it is true that organic food usually costs a little more, and yes, it is true that people eat organic food to avoid preservatives and pesticides, but what is real organic food?

Organic Food in Australia

Well, organic food is food that was grown without the use conventional chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, artificial fertiliser, and things like that. Organic food is food that was grown naturally. So, instead of chemical pesticides being used to keep the bugs away from organic food, natural, eco friendly methods were employed. And instead of growing the plants with sewage sludge or artificial chemicals for fertiliser, real fertiliser was used. Basically, organic food is food that is free from modern, harmful additives. Organic food is a lot safer for you to eat, and it is a lot better for the planet as well. Why? Well, here are a few reasons.

First off, organic food is better for you because it does not contain a lot of harmful byproducts. It is what it is… food, pure and simple. It is food straight from ground that was not burned out by chemicals and it is food that did not absorb a lot of pesticides as it grew. Therefore, none of these things will be going into your body when you eat it, which is why organic food is better for you than regular food.

Secondly, organic food is better for the planet because a lot of harmful substances were not put into the air, ground, and water supply during their growth. With normal food, pesticides seep into the ground, are absorbed by the water supply, and then contaminate it. Also, these vegetable require trucks and planes to spray them down with chemicals, and the fields require artificial fertiliser. All of the fuel used in these procedures goes right into the atmosphere, and helps to destroy our ozone layer.

Organic food is not only going to help you live a longer, healthier life, but it is also going to ensure that our planet is still in good shape for our children and grandchildren.

Jamie Oliver prepares a great parmesan chicken recipe. Use the best organic ingredients you can find and you’ll have yourself a delicious, healthy organic meal in minutes.

Jamie Oliver shows how to humanely kill a chicken.

With your own organic garden, you can pick your veges and have a delicious, fresh salad within minutes.

By eating foods produced using commercial fertilisers which only contain nitrogen, potassium,  and phosphorous, are you missing out on getting certain minerals in your diet?

Organic Road is a certified organic brand supplying all the dried food and staples you could possibly need. The range includes:

• Beans, Peas & Lentils
• Cereals & Muesli
• Nuts & Seeds
• Dried Fruit
• Flour, Grains & Rice
• Spreads & Snacks
• Coffee

Organic Road

You can order online and they deliver anywhere in Australia with postage being free for orders over $175.

If you live in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory or Queensland you can buy from one of many stores where Organic Road is stocked.

Visit Organic Road for more information.

Acai berries are small berries grown in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. These berries are extremely high in antioxidants, amino acids, omega oils, and dietary fibre and are great for your health.

Benefits of Acai Berry

The acai berry has many health benefits:

• reduces your risk of cancer
• reduces your risk of heart disease
• increases your energy levels
• promotes weight loss
• low Glycemic Index (GI)

Organic acai berries contain more antioxidants than pomegranates, blueberries, broccoli, green tea, and red wine making it a great addition to your daily diet. These antioxidants can help reduce the damage caused by free radicals which means acai berry can help prevent certain cancers and heart disease.

The nutrients and fibre in acai provides you with slow and sustained energy which can help you to be more active throughout the day as well as promoting weight loss.

Organic Acai Berry

Riolife acai is NASAA certified organic and naturally organic as is comes from a relatively untouched part of Brazil:

RioLife açaí is far better than organic since it is grown wild as part of the Amazon rainforest. The Rainforest is untouched and the trees have grown naturally for thousands of years on a pesticide free island. There is no mass farming or mass production, everything is grown wild and harvested naturally by the natives, hence it is Naturally organic.  All other products used by RioLife are also organic, such as organic cane sugar, organic guarana powder and organic supplements.

Acai Berry Products

At Riolife you have the choice of a few different organic acai berry products:

• acai berry powder
• dried acai berry
• acai berry capsules
• acai & guarana frozen pulp

For more information and to buy organic acai berry, visit Riolife.