A mix of a healthy diet, fresh air, exercise, the body's self-healing ability and physical and emotional balance were the pillars of Hippocrates (c. 460 – c. 370 BCE), the Greek philosopher and founder of Western medicine. With the increasingly scientific approach to nutrition nowadays, we seem to have forgotten the natural logic; for example, the logic that fruit and vegetables sprayed with toxic pesticides cannot be healthy by definition—while they are naturally full of healthy nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fibre. Whether food is healthy depends both on its actual nutritional value and its energetic value or life force. That is why we are listing six common and three forgotten reasons why organic food is indeed preferable to non-organic food.

6 common reasons to eat organic

  1. Pure: organic farmers use the natural environment as much as possible. They use only natural manure or compost in cultivation and only natural additives in processed organic products.

  2. Healthy organic cycle: The entire organic cycle is geared towards strong health. From healthy, living soil for plants to healthy, strong animals in livestock farming.

  3. Respect for the environment is central to organic production. This starts with living soil that remains fertile and resilient through crop rotation and animal manure or compost

  4. Organic livestock are well cared for with organic feed and enough space in the stables and outside, allowing them to behave naturally and interact with their species.

  5. Focus on 100% sustainable future: Organic farming takes into account the earth's carrying capacity.

  6. Organic practices comply with the precautionary principle by limiting the use of chemicals, antibiotics and hormones as much as possible given their unknown long-term effects on humans, animals and nature. And, no GMOs.

Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. – Hippocrates

Organic farming versus high-tech farming

There are currently two movements emerging. On the one hand, there is land-based organic and biodynamic agriculture that seeks to establish connections and cohesion—from a living soil to a vital product. On the other hand, we see a continuous development of high-tech cultivation on substrate as well as LED lighting. This form of agriculture is based on farming specific products for particular nutritional components. Does the food harvested actually nourish us? What do you think? Do wild-picked, sun-ripened, raw and lightly cooked or steamed vegetables contain more life force OR grandma's overcooked broccoli, processed food, microwave or frozen meals?

3 forgotten reasons why organic food is preferable

  1.  Organic food contains more life force. Health is not merely the absence of illness but is linked to vitality and life force. Food derives its main value from solar energy, air and water with which it was nourished. This is called life force or prana. Food that contains a lot of prana boosts vitality, makes your body healthy and your mind calm. For instance, the life force of a strawberry that has just been picked is greater than one that has had to travel all the way from Spain. So, nutritional value is not only related to the quantity of the measurable nutrients that food contains but also the vital energy that it gives you. By eating organic food, you also greatly reduce the number of chemicals and other toxic substances that you ingest through food, which is obviously better for your health in the long run.

  2.  Only organically grown crops contain active plant substances, such as salvestrols. Organic vegetables have no help from crop protection agents and have to defend themselves against pests. As a result, they produce more antifungal substances, such as salvestrols. Salvestrols are bitter and only occur in relevant quantities in organically grown vegetables, fruits and herbs. These bitter substances have anti-cancer effects. Organic crops also contain more antioxidants, which protect the body from free radicals.

  3.  Better quality and taste due to less nitrogen in the soil. The quality and taste of fresh, organic produce are partly determined by nitrogen. In organic soil, nitrogen is released slowly into plants, after which they can grow at a calm, natural pace. Soil that is regularly sprayed with chemical pesticides contains far more nitrogen, causing (forcing) fruit and vegetables to grow a lot faster, which does not necessarily benefit the quality.

Optimal nutrition is the medicine of tomorrow. – Dr Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel Prize winner

Amanprana: a balanced mind in a healthy body

At the Belgian family-owned company Amanprana, they believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Their organic products are therefore processed as little as possible and no isolates are used. In addition to being organic and vegetarian, they are also fair trade as much as possible. In Sanskrit, Aman means peace or tranquillity and Prana refers to life force. 'Food as medicine', 'Save the Sea', 'What cannot be eaten, cannot be smeared on the skin' and the cradle-to-cradle recycling process are of paramount importance. Amanvida, the ethical and sustainable web shop of Amanprana, sells hundreds of organic food and care products, from dozens of top brands.