Organic lifestyle gaining hold in Kuwait
Organic lifestyle gaining hold in Kuwait
How much is your body’s well being worth? To an indefinite number of Kuwaiti citizens and expatriates, it seems, their health is worth plenty and double. Therefore, everywhere they go the health conscious can now-a-days find healthier alternatives to almost every conventional product they buy. Many stores and supermarkets around Kuwait have shelves riddled with the slightly overpriced products with the word ‘organic’ labeled on the top. Customers can even notice a large poster as they walk into the fruit and vegetable section of the Sultan Center urging them to invest in their health and go organic.
“Sales of organic and natural products such as fruits, vegetables, eggs as well as sodium-free, oxygenated water have risen the past few years particularly among the Western expatriates, who are more aware of these issues. However, more and more locals are also purchasing these products and we even have organic vegetables coming from Saudi Arabia,” commented a Sultan Center branch manager.
What is organic produce?
The word ‘organic’ refers to fruits and vegetables that are grown in soil that is free from chemical pesticides or fertilizers as well as packaged goods that use natural modestly processed ingredients. Organic dairy products and meat is obtained from animals who are fed their natural supplements — organic grass and grains — and who have had a free-range, sustainable lifestyle without antibiotics and hormonal medications.
In order for consumers to be sure that the product is actually organic, there are independent regulatory institutions that make sure food producers follow a standard production system for organics. They verify the produce by providing certification on the products, labeling them ‘Certified Organic’.
According to the Journal of Applied Nutrition, organic fruits and vegetables contain twice as many nutrients compared to non-organic produce, which suck up pesticides and chemicals from conventional soil. Currently there are 20,000 different pesticides being used in the US. Conventional dairy product and meat farms use 82 different drugs. All of these practices are said to be linked to many diseases and health risks such as cancer.
Sustainable agriculture and organic farming advocate in the US, Jerome Rodale (1898-1971) studied the agricultural and eating habits of the Hunzan people of North Pakistan, who are famous for their health, liveliness and energy. He found that “the health of the people is dependent upon the quality of the food they consume. And the quality of their foods depends on the quality of the soil on which that food is grown.”Renowned father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, also once said: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
Like their ancient counterparts, many modern cultures today emphasis on the importance of good food for the body’s well-being as well as many prominent Western and Eastern doctors and nutritionists.
Organic Kuwait
Kuwait is considered the Middle Eastern country with the highest obesity rate, but there are still plenty of people here who are into the healthy organic lifestyle. Speaking to the Arab Times, Jumana Al-Awadhi, owner of the store ‘We Love Kuwait’ that specializes in children’s books and educational aids related to nutrition, healthy eating habits, environmental awareness and other similar topics says that awareness of organic produce has started a long while ago in Kuwait, however, people are not active in pursuing and supporting local organic farms.
“If more people are aware of the noble message these organic farmers are sending, organic farming would be a great business that will attract more people to turn their farms pesticide-free and organic. Not enough people know of the tremendous difference between organic meals and the meals saturated with pesticides and chemicals and people are still reluctant to spend a little more on organic produce in Kuwait,” Al-Awadhi added.
For her part in helping Kuwait turn to the organic lifestyle Al-Awadhi wrote and illustrated the first Kuwaiti children’s coloring book series, geared towards the Kuwaiti child and rich with developmental activities like reading, coloring, rhymes, puzzles. Most importantly, these books also carry very basic and vital messages about health, the environment and cultural issues. Al-Awadhi also conducts healthy family cooking workshops and is the first to teach online cooking classes in Kuwait.
“Once we educate ourselves on the importance of eating natural we will automatically prefer all things natural such as natural soap and environmentally friendly house cleaners and detergents. We also have to realize that it takes a long time for a farm to be certified organic and it costs a lot of money to get certified as well, so we have to be patient with the farm owners, spread the word about their farms and promote them,” she concluded.
Clinical Dietician, Noura Marafie, who specializes in children’s nutrition also spoke about the importance of living an organic lifestyle. She said that although conventional medical research claims that the amount of pesticides used for growing foods are not harmful due to the minor amounts supposedly in use, consumers should keep in mind that research is always changing and what they may find in the future may be different from the claims made today.
“Today, we are witnessing an increase in diseases of all kinds, especially in children, so we must consider whether those chemicals are playing a role in this matter. Some people wonder why they started using pesticides in the first place. For marketing reasons, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones help the plants to grow faster and last longer, without being destroyed by insects. Have we stopped to think that we’re actually eating those hormone, antibiotic-injected fruits, vegetables, and animal products?” she said.
According to Marafie, even meat, vegetables and fruit radically modified through genetic engineering (GE) are unacceptable because they are not natural and researchers do not know their effects on the human body yet.
Marafie said that she got introduced to the organic lifestyle through her friend Jumana Al-Awadhi. After giving birth to her third child she developed hypothyroidism, a condition in the thyroid gland that inhibits metabolism.
“I went through a depression phase and I gained 30 kilos because of my condition. However, when I started eating healthier and choosing organic foods whenever I can as well as being more active, I managed to lose all that weight in 6 months,” she recalled.
After Marafie’s husband saw the benefits healthy eating had on his wife, he became encouraged since he is a naturalist and loves farming; he decided to grow an organic garden in their home. “He grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables and we are still enjoying the produce. We are planning to garden all year round, as you know fruits and veggies grow by season. My husband bought many organic farming books and created his own organic fertilizer. He bought organic seeds from the US and UK. Even our kids enjoyed the farming experience and our son, Yousef, refuses to eat any cucumbers unless they are organic,” she boasted enthusiastically.Both women are truly hoping that Kuwait’s organic community will grow even though local organic resources may be limited. Nevertheless, according to them, many people are going through the extra effort to maintain an organic lifestyle because they realize its importance.
“My only concern as a dietitian who has seen many patients is that some consumers may find the organic lifestyle more expensive and some may not be able to afford it. This is an issue worldwide, however, if you plan and budget your finances in advance, I feel that it is possible to live a healthy organic lifestyle in Kuwait. Today, I advise all my female patients who are mothers to start weaning their babies on natural foods, it’s never too late to start,” concluded Marafie.
Spend on healthy food now
Even though prominent experts on nutrition and food around the world urge all and sundry to avoid consuming overly processed foods and switch to natural, pesticide—free products, regular purchases of organics can become a heavy burden on the average budget. Few organic products are locally produced and packaged organic goods are usually imported from far away countries, such as the United States and France, thereby justifying high prices. In light of value fluctuations during the financial crises, the Sultan Center branch manager said that regardless of prices, which are quite high when totaled together on the final bill of purchase, people still choose the healthier alternatives. Although prices differ from product to product, the costs can range from merely a few fils on conventional goods to a few Kuwaiti dinars on organic goods. Organic free-range eggs in particular are quite dear compared to their commercialized counterparts. For 12 ‘Organic Valley’ large brown eggs consumers must pay 4.250 KD, while 24 average white Kuwaiti eggs are worth 0.990 KD.
From: ttp://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/148668/t/Organic-lifestyle-gaining-hold-in-Kuwait/Default.aspx
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