Let food be thy medicine - Hippocrates

The goal of the Beyond Organic website is to help you redefine the meaning of a healthy lifestyle. When most people think about health, they think about watching their calories and doing light exercise. There are many more dimensions to health they never consider. Once your awareness grows, your definition will most likely broaden to include:

• Eating food free of harmful additives, preservatives, and other contaminants
  
• Limiting exposure to chemicals in the environment, and periodically detoxifying your body of unavoidable carcinogens
  
• Drinking purer water
  
• Breathing cleaner air
  
• Regular cardio and resistance exercise
  
• Getting enough quality sleep

Toxins permeate virtually every facet of our lives. At work, at home, and everywhere in between. It’s in the food we eat. The air we breathe. And the water we drink. Ailments such as Alzheimer’s Disease or colon cancer don’t strike suddenly, but rather develop over time. Yet, it's often difficult to prove scientifically what the causes are short of following the lives of many individuals. In addition, many chemicals that were introduced haven't been in existence for a full generation to be able to assess their complete long-term effect on the human population. Most people don't just die of "old age" - there is usually some predominant health condition that hastened their death.

It stands to reason that exposure to toxins plays a role in our mortality which is manifested through a variety of illnesses. Industrialization may have made the environment we live in more toxic. But on a positive note, we’re in the best position ever to improve our health through technology, the shared body of knowledge on health, and the transportation of medicinal plants over great distances. By addressing your health now, you can enjoy more active, productive years. We shouldn’t have to live with pain, ailments, or taking a cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs – even when we’re older. It’s understandable that everyone will have different levels of comfort when it comes to living healthy.

Do what you can, because it's better than doing nothing at all. Organic food can taste just as good or better than conventional food. Some changes won’t take much effort at all. As for the higher cost of a healthy lifestyle – consider the cost of prescription drugs, surgeries, and other medical procedures 1 might have to endure brought about by a lifetime of abuse to the body. It’s difficult to even place a value on healthy eyesight or a few extra happy years of life. I like to think of it this way ... my most prized possession is not my house or my car. My body is what I value most. It's irreplaceable, and worthy of a small investment of time and money. If you feel the same, then you've come to the right place!

Medical disclaimer: see a doctor or nutritionist when trying new supplements or making big adjustments to your diet.