5 easy ways to be healthy

5. Go organic
‘Many studies find organic foods to be higher in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Organic foods can also be higher in antioxidants, which are substances produced by plants to protect them from threats – organic plants not sprayed with pesticides need more natural protection and need to produce more antioxidants. Antioxidants that we take in through food can support our own health, protecting our cells from free radical damage.

But perhaps the most important reason for choosing organic is what the foods don’t contain rather than what they do contain. By eating organic, you avoid the chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides used in ‘conventional’ fruit and vegetable production. You also avoid the hormones and antibiotics that are commonly given to non-organic animals, which can end up in the meat and dairy products that we eat. All of these substances can affect our own health in a negative way – for example, hormones can upset our own hormone balance, and antibiotics may affect the beneficial flora in our gut, as well as encouraging antibiotic resistance.’