In the Ikigai Diet, we recommend that you eat organic food as much as possible. We also suggest that you eat local food. In that case, what can you do when organic food is not available locally? That is what I am going to talk about, so stick around.
Hi, my name is Sachiaki Takamiya. I am in my late 50s but haven’t had any problems at my yearly checkups so far. I am the founder of the Ikigai Diet. The Ikigai Diet is a diet and an integrated lifestyle that will help you stay young and healthy so that you can enjoy your 100-year-life. It is based on the traditional Japanese diet and the modern understanding of health and wellness.
Sometimes it is difficult to obtain organic vegetables in your local area if there aren’t many organic farmers around. In that case, should we buy vegetables from organic farmers elsewhere even though they are located far from you, or should we buy vegetables from local farmers even though they are not organic?
That is a tough question. In terms of health, you are better off eating organic vegetables, but for the health of the planet, it is vital to support economic localization, and therefore you want to support local farming. Local vegetables also contain local bacteria, and they are beneficial for your health.
It depends on how far the organic farmers are located. If they are in the next town or next prefecture, I will buy from those farmers. Nevertheless, if you have to import organic vegetables from other countries, I would purchase domestic produce.
It also depends on how organic those vegetables are. There are different degrees of organic farming; big scale farming to small scale farming, monoculture to polyculture, and using animal-based fertilizers to vegetable-based fertilizers. I would consider all these factors and compare them with local vegetables.
The best thing is that you encourage local farmers to shift to organic farming. If there are enough consumers in the area, they might consider switching to organic. You can form a system of community supported agriculture with your friends.
You can always grow your own. In this way, you can choose any style of farming: Not only organic farming but also biodynamic farming or natural farming. Growing vegetables can provide a lot of other benefits: It is a good exercise, you are in touch with local bacteria in the soil, and you will start eating seasonal vegetables.