You are what you eat. This old adage is increasingly being backed up by study after scientific study. So if what you eat is pesticide, steroid and preservative ridden, then you aren’t doing your body any favours. Obviously, feeding our growing kids those chemicals is messing up their systems in ways that we need to acknowledge.

Recently, I bought a book by Jamie Oliver in which one line really struck me. He claims that his kids’ generation is expected to be the first in Britain to die younger than its parents. It stands to reason: produce is grown at incredible speeds and to incredible sizes. It’s not natural and it’s not healthy. Of course, that is for those who actually eat produce. Sadly, for many, the major food groups now seem to be Jolly Ranchers and Doritos, and snacking between meals is no longer something for which kids or, in fact, anyone gets in trouble.

Si, è organico: Select stores are stocked with wholemeal pasta and pasta made with free-range eggs. Photo: Bina Khan

However, all is not lost. A quick scan of your supermarket (mine is Agha’s Supermarket in Karachi) and you will see all kinds of healthy, natural and ethical options. Select stores are stocked with wholemeal pasta, pasta made with free-range eggs (battery-farmed eggs are full of antibiotics because the chickens are packed so closely together that they aren’t allowed to move and thus run the risk of infection in their tiny, wire-mesh cages), fair-trade coffee (often traditionally grown), organic soups, natural biscuits, organically grown tea, chick peas and baked beans, and so on and so on. The more you choose these options and show that you are willing to pay the extra cost for them, the more votes you cast in their favour as they compete for shelf space.

Clearly, it’s already happening.

Agha’s has its very own organic stand, sponsored by Daali Earth Foods (more on them in a minute). Sadly missing are options such as free-range eggs, free-range chicken and grass-fed beef (not as unhealthy as normal red meat). I don’t like the idea that animals are mistreated, and if they are mistreated in my name, I am particularly distressed. I am more than happy to pay a little more to think that the chicken giving me my egg has been allowed to run free and is a happy and healthy animal that sees the sun and hangs out with her buddies. I say this with hope because there are people right here in our very own country who are thinking about this too, and, unlike me, have decided to make a difference.

Stone ground: Daali Earth Foods says its uses no industrial grinders. Photo: Bina Khan

Lahore spawned Daali Earth Foods. Their farm experiment started as early as the mid-90s and now they distribute to several cities. According to their beautiful website, their process of slow, stone grinding allows their products to retain the nutrients and benefits that are lost in industrial grinders. For example, their rock salt contains 84 minerals and elements that help build bones and replenish you after you perspire, as opposed to commercial salt that contains pure sodium, chloride and anti-caking agents (yes, that’s it). Their other products are also positively different and inspiring: the flavour of their honey varies depending on which flowers are in season, their flours include a sachet of neem, kalonji and bay leaf to naturally protect against insects, and their chunky, textured chilli powder is the most vibrant tomato red you have ever seen! Their motto is “Nothing added, nothing removed,” and they seem to be pretty serious about it. Visit their website to learn their story; everything they are doing, from their diabetic/diet atta to their 100% natural honey makes me think that they are super ethical, smart cookies!

Meanwhile, right here in Karachi, another organic farm concern has launched: Sungold Organic (contact them at[email protected]). The owners of Sungold have chemical-free, naturally grown vegetables, they irrigate with potable water and they produce their own natural fertilizer. They rely on manual cultivation, or godi, done by local village women, increasing income levels and employment in the area. And they also have a long list of available veggies, including naturally grown broccoli, carrots and eggplant. Even their wheat is naturally grown. The clincher, though, is more of a modern convenience: delivery to your doorstep!

So next time you are out buying your masalas, why not try some from Daali? Or the next time you run out of vegetables, ask Sungold to deliver. And every time you go shopping, make “ethical shopping” the first item on your list. You and your family deserve it.