Anamaya was blessed with a phenomenal photographer last week who took hundreds, or possibly thousands of photos. Some of her best photography from the retreat she posted to her amazing blog:
A very interesting video interview with ex-president Bill Clinton, who has become vegan, is super healthy and is now the same weight that he was in high school.
Every so often, we find real heroes who question authority and tradition, giving up positions of power and influence to walk down a new path that benefits society.
One of those is Bruce Bradley, who worked for many years for such corporations as Nabisco, General Mills, and has now started his own blog to help spread the truth about what the criminals (in my mind) who produce food for the ignorant and unsuspecting masses (meaning most of us):
Americans LOVE stories of redemption. We are very quick to forgive those who honestly repent their sins and vow to change our ways, and we’re hungry for leaders who dedicate their brilliance towards universal good rather than personal wealth.
An excerpt from the current article written October 30th, about ingredients that nearly all of us are eating without knowing it, such as ground up bugs (used as dye), human hair, etc:
Beaver Anal Glands: This bitter, very smelly, orange-brown substance is also known as castoreum. In nature it’s combined with the beaver’s urine and used to mark its territory. In the processed food world it’s commonly used in both food and beverages, typically as vanilla or raspberry flavoring. Watch out though, you won’t find it on the ingredient list since processed food manufacturers can legally call it “natural flavoring.”
So the next time you think you’re eating “Lucky Charms”, remember that you may actually eating beaver ass.
The following is the transcript with an interview with Kathleen Squires, for her article “Eco Dining in Costa Rica” for the Wall Street Journal.
Hi Geoff—
Thanks so much for your quick response. The Anamaya is the perfect fit for my story. I especially love the “!”
Here are the questions I have for you:
1. You mentioned that you are one of the only organic restaurants in Costa Rica—why, in a country so known for its eco-tourism, are green restaurants so hard to find?
Costa Rica is a small country, and many of the most popular areas are very remote from where the organic farms are in Costa Rica. Typically, tourists come to Costa Rica to experience remote rainforest beaches, and although there are many “farms” in such areas, these farms aren’t growing many vegetables. Usually they have bananas, mangoes, and cattle. The rainforests are just too hard on an organic grower, with the zillions of bugs, funguses, and ravenous 5-foot iguanas. Plus the heavy rains and harsh tropical sun create additional challenges. So, most organic food is grown on the higher slopes of mountains and volcanoes in the central valley. So the logistics of getting a good variety of organic food to the tourist areas is a serious hurdle. Then there are the more obvious answers too… such as that Costa Rica is a small and relatively poor country compared to someplace like the U.S. so there’s just not a lot of any type of business or production going on, plus there’s a small domestic market. With all these things considered, it’s truly phenomenal what we ARE able to get here. Most of our vegetables and spices we’re able to get organic, along with many other things, and the list is continually growing. Costa Rica is really supporting organics, because it does fit so well with the country’s image and direction.
2. In your opinion in general, are more restaurants in Costa Rica now implementing green initiatives in the kitchen?
Yes definitely. We were just visited by a woman who was offering phenomenal cleaning products made in Costa Rica and entirely out of vegetables. Among the dozens of products they made, she had a magic liquid that she demonstrated that took off four years of calcium deposits on the glass and faucets in one of our bathrooms. I didn’t even know that was possible. And all the products are biodegradable. She said she was visiting hotels and restaurants in the area and ALL of them ordered her products (including us, who switched our entire cleaning supply budget to her company) I was thrilled that such great things were being produced locally. As for the food in the kitchens, yes there are several other places that use organics. Two in our small town of Montezuma and one in Santa Teresa. From a business perspective, using organic produce in such a small market isn’t a profitable strategy. The general public of vacationers isn’t searching out organic food. So all of us who use organic produce do it because we believe in organics and are willing to make a lot less profit to support businesses that are making sustainability practical. As a business owner, I’m ecstatic about supporting organics also because it just feels great to own a business that’s doing the right thing. I want to be able to look back at my life and remember that I was part of the solution and not part of the problem. Anamaya also has become super successful in general, and we are seen as a leader in everything we’re doing. I hope to make “going green” seem as cool as possible, and I hope our competition all copy us. This is what the earth needs… people competing to out-green each other!
3. What are some of the best resources that Costa Rica has to offer your dining program?
The food at Anamaya is incredible… just check out our reviews on Trip Advisor, but it’s not just our chefs and great recipes. The food in general in Costa Rica just tastes great… perhaps it’s the amazing volcanic soil, clean air and water, or the fact that it isn’t all picked green so it can be shipped 2000 miles before reaching a store somewhere in the U.S. We’re a much more local economy, and we don’t have a lot of industrial farming. The system here just produces much better quality ingredients in general, whether organic or not.
4. What are some of the green initiatives in the kitchen at Anamaya?
I’m especially excited that I finally found a source of organic Kale. I think there must be only one farm in the country growing it. So now we’re able to offer this healthiest of vegetables with meals. Kale is such a healthy food that I’d like to offer it every day. Our yoga retreats have the meals included, so by serving Kale daily, we’re going to get a lot of nutrition into our guests. We also have a special focus on “super foods”, which are foods that are especially full of nutrition. Many nutritional experts have compiled their own lists of superfoods since the term was coined, so I compiled all the lists I could find to see which fruits and veggies seemed to get the most accolades, and I compiled it in an article on our website here: http://www.anamayaresort.com/wordpress/superfoods-and-anamayas-vision-of-healthy-eating/
5. What is your “greenest” dish and why?
I came up with a single dish that contains four superfoods, which is a mix of 2/3 spinach and 1/3 parsley, cooked on a low heat with garlic, in olive oil. If ever I feel like I’m getting a cold, I just start eating this for a super immune system boost. Tastes great too.
6. You mentioned growing some of your own herbs—can you tell me which kind?
Yes we have oregano, rosemary, thyme, lemongrass, and basil. We have tumeric and a type of broad-leafed cilantro that looks like dandelion leaves. We have a few cherry tomatoes as well. Tomatoes, as well as peppers, are native to Costa Rica. Did you know that Thai chilis are actually from here and were brought to Asia by the Portuguese? Cherry tomatoes grow very well here, and are much more closely related to the original wild tomato variety, so they have a lot of immunity to local bugs and fungus. Larger tomatoes and hybrids are basically inbred species that have lost a lot of their natural resistance to pests and pestilence. So they don’t grow very well here without fungicides and insecticides.
7. When you set up your organic farm, what are you hoping to grow?
Certain things grow very well in this particular climate organically. We should be able to have sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, mustard greens, cucumber, squash, and all types of peppers. Things like broccoli probably aren’t going to grow unless we can find an heirloom variety somewhere that takes to the heat and humidity. So much has to do with finding the right seeds, and they’re not going to be available in Costa Rica. We may grow a lot of things you haven’t heard about too… tropical nuts and edible leaves from Africa. There’s a type of spinach called “Malabar spinach” that grows on vines. I want to try making an edible shade structure with spinach and passion fruit vines. We’ll probably grow some chocolate and villa too. Why not, both are native to Central America. The Aztecs used to mix them to make drinks for the emperor and his court. And of course, we’ll have a variety of tropical fruits… mangos, papayas, bananas, plantains, limes, oranges, and grapefruit, plus things you’ve never heard of.
Could you also send along a copy of a current menu?
We don’t actually have a menu. We serve a meal that everyone shares, and the chefs have a lot of freedom to experiment. We do a lot of baked fish. We have great raw soups, although my favorite of our soups is a cooked black bean soup that’s a traditional Costa Rican favorite. For desert we’re doing a lot of dairy free, sugar free ice cream. We often use a base of avacado which gives it the fatty texture and flavor of ice cream, and it’s sweetened with stevia and “tapa dulce” which is raw organic sugar, sort of like a cruder form of brown sugar. Or we use organic honey. It’s amazing stuff. Most of our guests request a cookbook, so we’re working on that and will put all our recipes on the internet for free when we’re ready.
Vacation time spent at a luxurious retreat is a growing trend. People are looking for something unique – something that will change their quality of life. The various retreats at Anamaya are designed to allow you to experience something you’ve never experienced before and to shed your skin from the chaos of life. The focus at our retreats is your health and wellness. It could be argued that this is opposed to the all-inclusive resort experience where the idea of getting away from the stresses of life may be the same, but the focus is much different and inevitably does more damage than good.
The all-inclusive resort tends to encourage unhealthy behaviour like over-eating and drinking. Not only is gluttony encouraged but vacationers are not really exposed to the culture of the country that they are visiting. So my question is – does that actually reduce stress or increase your levels of toxins and impact your health in a negative way?
A rapidly growing retreat culture has been created as these types of vacations have seen great success. Anamaya Retreat Center has encouraged this trend by offering a variety of health and adventure retreats to customers who want a new type of vacation. Retreats are designed to be enlightening, creative, rejuvenating, romantic, adventurous and more. The retreats normally have great individualized packages that are priced very reasonably.
Spa retreats and yoga retreats are popular but you can find a number of additional options. Body detoxification retreats are common as well as creative writing, painting, spiritual or emotional healing, surfing, circus performing, and more. Retreat vacations are structured around the desires of their clients. At Anamaya resort the resort themes are based on health and wellness but every package is unique. An added benefit is that the resort itself is located in a breathtaking paradise.
Another commonality among retreats is the focus on healthy, organic food. Although the science behind food health is still relatively new, Anamaya prepares your food with a lot of thought and love. An abundance of care goes into creating the recipes we use, we have very close relationships with the organic farms we grow the food we buy, and we cater to any dietary needs. Many retreats include Raw Food workshops into their packages or focus specifically on detoxifying the body through diet.
As the movement towards retreat vacations grows, there is an increasing need for facilities where retreat leaders can host their programs. Anamaya retreat center hosts numerous retreats. “Leading a retreat at Anamaya is such a delight. The Yoga Deck is by far the best place I have ever taught yoga. I will never forget that glorious and expansive view of the ocean. The food is amazing. Oscar is a wonderful chef and the Staff are all such lovely and helpful people. Myself and my students received much more than expected. Look forward to doing it again,” says Daniella Cotreau of Body Temple Yoga. The location of the facility needs to contribute to the vacation retreat – hence the word vacation. Some popular destinations for retreats are Costa Rica, Indonesia and India.
The next time you’re taking a week off of work, check out our website for some incredible deals on retreat packages and treat yourself to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Find out for yourself why the Retreat Culture is so appealing – you won’t regret it!
Favorite Food: Costa Rican food, especially Gallo Pinto.
Why do you love cooking? It is about creating what I like. As I said, I look for sparks, and try to spark flavor on the tongue. I love fusion, and mixing, and going against the rules. I was taught the rule don’t mix lime with milk, so I do it. I like to try a lot of different and new textures on the food. I love making local food created with international techniques, especially French and Italian. I also really love when my food looks rustic.
What is your motivation for becoming a chef? I like the name “chef” because what is involved behind that title is a full team of people. I really love to teach and help people improve and gain self-confidence in everything they do. Working in the kitchen is a really hard job, but I love at the end of the day when you have had a big event or difficult customers, just sitting down with the guys with a beer and giving feedback – what they did right and wrong. I love to help people develop themselves. Food is the way in which I am doing this, but my main motivation is to help people grow.
How long have you worked for Anamaya? 4 months.
What is your previous work experience? I opened my own restaurant when I was 20 years old, serving Mexican food in San Ramon (Central Valley of Costa Rica). After that I went to culinary school for 3 years at Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (National Learning Institute in Costa Rica). I then worked for the Marriot Hotel for 2 years in San Jose. After that I helped open the Four Seasons Resort in Peninsula Papagayo. Then I became head chef at Villa Blanca in San Ramon for 12 months. After that, I went back to Four Seasons for 4 years. And then I came to Anamaya.
How do you cater to special diets such as vegetarian and vegan? We are always happy to accommodate these requests. Even if it is challenging we always have a solution. We try to prepare vegetables in many different ways so that people feel like they are having new foods, even if it is the same base ingredients. We enhance the flavors with salsas and local spices. Every day there are different flavors, and we never have the same dish twice. We always try to do something different and pick the best recipes with the freshest produce on the market, the most organic, exotic, and especially local.
What is the secret to your gourmet cooking? Take everyone’s opinion into consideration. Always listen to the people who are working with you, because everyone has a different point of view. The secret is that there is a whole team behind a meal, not just one person.
What is your favorite dish to cook? Haha, it is gallo pinto. It is because I have never had gallo pinto the same way. The base of gallo pinto is always rice and beans, but sometimes I will add different ingredients. For example if it is a hot day I will add fruit with cilantro. Gallo pinto is what I have had the most experience with because it is my favorite dish. I have cooked it with coconut milk, or strawberry juice, so it can be sweet or spicy. There are many combinations. Sometimes you can combine it with egg or plantain or with raw vegetables, it is really something you need to take as a side dish in every meal – breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What are your favorite spices to cook with? Thyme, Rosemary, and Achiote. Achiote is a native plant to Central America and is what the native people used to paint their faces.
What makes Anamaya the best? We always think about being creative, healthy, high quality, and at the same time helping the local producers. There are a lot of secrets behind a successful restaurant. But I think that one of the most important things is to make the staff happy. If the staff is happy, then they will make happy guests. Our staff is happy here.
As we all know, many centuries ago before civilization existed, our cave-men ancestors didn’t have our huge choice of foods or knowledge of what healthy eating was. They only ate whatever they could find or catch.
Or is there something missing from this theory? What do we really know about the lost ancient wisdom of cultures that lived long ago?
It has been said that all human societies are technological societies, continually using, improving, and developing the worldly knowledge of their times. Ancient people in many areas of the planet ate a wide variety of things. In rainforest cultures, the tribal elders had names for thousands of different plants and animals within their known universe, and they had millenia to discover their uses. When the Ice Man was discovered frozen in a glacier in Italy, they found a larger variety of possessions than they ever had imagined, including herbs from far off places, and evidence of knowledge of acupuncture.
With civilization came greater abundance of food, and methods of storing it for longer periods of time. Foods may not have been as fresh, but at least people didn’t starve as frequently. Only very recently, has science shown us that foods should be eaten as fresh as possible, for maximum nutritional benefit.
Raw Food Or Cooked?
We have been cooking food for 100,000 years. That’s approximately 5000 generations of evolution with humans evolving to eating cooked food. Cooked food tastes good. Why did we evolve a taste for it? Was it because it was nutritionally superior, or because cooking simply killed parasites and pathogens? So should we go back to eating only raw food, like our ancestors did more than 100,000 years ago?
There is a lot of extreme thinking about food, hyped foods and fad diets, and a lot of people selling a lot of things, and many have very convincing, yet conflicting facts (sales science). At Anamaya, we believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Some foods are healthier eaten raw and unprocessed. “Processed” doesn’t just mean in a factory. Processing happens in your home blender too. We know that the minute most fruit and veggies are sliced or bruised, chemical reactions, oxidization, and enzyme breakdowns begin. Many of these reduce the nutritional benefit quickly.
Other foods are nutritionally superior when lightly cooked. Cooking can soften or break down cell walls in certain plants, which aids the digestive process. But overcooking can then damage the phyto-chemicals and other nutrients inside that are sensitive to heat. Overcooking can also create carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds in the food. For example, a healthy food like olive oil can be turned into saturated or trans-fatty oils by overheating it for an extended time. And to make things more complicated, some foods could have different nutritional benefits whether they are cooked or uncooked.
Food Science
The scientific research surrounding food health is a very new science, and as a species, humans know only a small portion of what we will decades from now. If you aren’t familiar with the complexity of this subject, and why it’s so difficult to get solid answers to, think about the following. If you somehow measure the vitamin, mineral content of a carrot, and then you eat it, how do you know how much of that nutrition changes during the chewing process? For the nutrition that gets into your stomach, how much survives the stomach acid, and how do you know how much of that gets into your bloodstream? If it does get into your bloodstream, how do you know it’s used properly by your body, when we know that some important chemical compounds require others to be present in specific ratios to be effective? And if it’s good for one organ in your body, how do you know it’s good for the others? If we measure our waste products and see that the nutritional compounds are no longer present, how do we know that they were even used? Could they be stored in our fat cells, or somewhere else? Could they come out in our sweat, or even our breath, or hair? So imagine how difficult it is to come to a solid conclusion about this, when our individual metabolisms, digestive systems, and neuro-endocrine systems vary so much from person to person and culture to culture.
Is Everything Is Okay In Moderation?
The result is a lot of mystery surrounding foods, and to make matters worse, the companies that produce unhealthy foods use their publicity machines to promote the idea in the mainstream media that there’s a lot of confusion about what’s healthy, and so the corporate message becomes “everything is okay in moderation,” which is far from the truth. Anyone striving for optimal health should be very wary of this concept. In the U.S., the “Food Pyramid” is written and maintained by the USDA (U.S. Dept of Agriculture) whose goal it is to promote the products of America’s farming corporations, not the health of its citizens. I’d love to see a new “Dept of Homeland Nutrition” take over this role.
The health food movement started as a reaction to what people saw as wrong with society, and as a rejection of that, many people became focused on what they didn’t eat, rather than what they do eat. Many people become vegetarians and watch their health decline because they’re still eating a lot of milk products and junk food. Vegans have are an even more extreme case, and in some town and cities, it’s very difficult to eat vegan healthily without having a very in-depth knowledge of healthy cooking. Many resort to eating a lot of very expensive and highly processed vegan and vegetarian “health” foods in packages from places like Whole Foods. It’s either that, or spend four hours every day in the kitchen!
At Anamaya, our food program is designed to not only bring you the healthiest food we can, but to show you how amazing it can taste and how easy it is to prepare. Our guests are invited to watch and learn from our chef, so you can take back with you recipes and knowledge that will help you eat healthier without quitting your job to spend all day cooking or going bankrupt buying from Whole Foods.
Superfoods
A few years ago, author Steven G Pratt wrote the book “Superfoods RX”, in which he coined the term “Super-foods”, which became a nutritional buzzword. These foods are ones which are shown to have a higher nutritional value than any others. Since then, many food gurus have written articles about the subject, and many have provided their own lists of super-foods based upon their own research and educated hunches.
I went through as many of these lists as I could find, to try to get a consensus from a variety of experts, and that list is compiled below. Anamaya strives to use as many organic super-foods from this list as possible in every meal. We will be continually improving our menu.
Some of these foods are on the list because they’re full of a variety of great things, and others, such as Turmeric are here because they have one particular nutrient that’s extremely important. In the case of turmeric, for example, food scientists have found that it has a class of nutrients that are incredibly good at preventing Alzheimer’s disease. In India, where turmeric is eater frequently, Alzheimer’s is almost unknown.
Local Economy
In addition to cramming as many superfoods into each meal as possible, we are working on “buying local” Whenever possible, we are buying foods for our kitchen that are grown in the immediate area. Even our salt is made locally from evaporated ocean water. However, it’s tremendously difficult to grow many of the healthiest foods at sea level in a tropical climate organically. There are just too many bugs and fungi that attack the plants. A lot of research is being done to improve this, and we’ll be able to buy more local produce as farmers develop new techniques. Most of the rest of our produce is grown in Costa Rica at higher elevations, so only a very few spices and herbs are imported.
Food Prepared With Love
At Anamaya we’re in love with our food and it shows. Not only do we love the recipes and the organic farms that grow our food, but we love our clients and are thrilled to be filling your bellies with such healthy food. We’re incredibly blessed to be able to operate a business that is so aligned with our personal values about food health.
Written by Jackie Sloves for Anamaya Meet One of Anamaya’s Gourmet Chefs
Name: Oscar Lopez Quesada
Age: 30
Birthday: November 4, 1979
From: Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Hobbies and Interests: Skateboarding, hiking, a little bit of surfing.
Favorite Food: A lot of fruits and vegetables all the time. All kinds of food, I can create a simple hummus but with a touch of tahini and garlic, it makes a whole new flavor. I also love Costa Rica Peruvian fusion. There’s too much! Salads. Quinoa of course! What else? Thai, Mexican, Peruvian. I don’t know, there’s a lot. Sea Food!
Where did you learn to cook?
I worked with one of my best friends who is an International chef from North Carolina. Since I have been cooking with him, we have opened 3 different restaurants in Santa Teresa (a nearby town). He taught me how to cook in the restaurants over there for 5 years.
What is your other previous work experience?
Besides working in the restaurants in Santa Teresa, I also owned my own Soda (small Costa Rican restaurant) in my home town, Alajuela.
What is your secret to cooking delicious gourmet food? Freshness.
What is your motivation behind cooking? I love to eat well, but also healthy at the same time.
What is your philosophy about organic food? Of course Organic food is better for people and the environment, but here in Costa Rica non-organic tastes great too because everything is so natural here. Everything tastes so fresh, it is very simple but delicious at the same time.
Are you able to cater to special diets, such as vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free? Oh yea, I specialize in vegetarian food. Now I am working on developing new raw food recipes too.
What is your favorite dish to cook? Fish, shrimp, and other sea food. No, no, erase that. Quinoa stir fry with mushrooms. No, no, no, erase this, I got it. I love to cook pan-seared red snapper with caramelized pineapple and asparagus! Yes, that is the best.
How long have you been working for Anamaya? About 5 months, since Anamaya opened.
What is your favorite part about cooking at Anamaya? I love playing with a little bit of everything. I like how people will say they want chicken for dinner, or fish, and then I can create something delicious especially for the guest.
What is your best memory of Anamaya? Which one, I have too many! One of my most beautiful memories of Anamaya was when a big family came from the states and rented the whole place. They just enjoyed staying here the whole time and didn’t think about what they needed for food, because I took care of it. I love being able to provide that experience to the guests.
What is a typical day in the kitchen of Anamaya? A lot of work because I am trying to make sure each meal is what it is – for example, if you want guacamole I make guacamole. It is simple but every dish of every meal is made with special attention and love.
What makes Anamaya the best? The location, and the view is unbelievable. You need to come and see with your own eyes, and smell all the delicious flavors coming from our kitchen. It is the smell of love.
Written by Jackie Sloves for Anamaya The Bitter-Sweetness of Veganism
One of the sweetest parts of Anamaya Hotel Resort is our organic, sugar free, dairy free ice cream that is made daily in our kitchen from scratch. Instead of heavy cream, eggs, and sugar, the base of our ice cream is made from avocados and/or coconut milk. The ice cream is so rich and creamy that you would never know the difference. However, your body will thank you – not only is this ice cream delicious but it is also nutritious! It is almost too heavenly to be true…
The ice cream we serve here is just one of the vegan-friendly recipes we offer here at our Hotel and Yoga Retreats. In the vegan recipes we offer, we make sure to meet all of your dietary needs in order to have a balanced diet. One criticisms of vegan diets is the difficulty in getting the recommended amount of protein and other nutrients. Since a vegan diet does not contain any animal products – no meat, eggs, or dairy – protein can be a scarcity. Plant foods are also often deficient in B12, Calcium, and Iron, which can lead to health problems such as anemia and low bone density. However, at Anamaya, we are aware that these are challenges of a vegan diet, and we create meals that are both nutritionally balanced and delicious.
Many vegan diets are supplemented with the essential nutrients, or foods that are often not found in an omnivore’s diet. One example of such a food is nutritional yeast, which has a flavor similar to fresh parmesan cheese. It can be used to make vegan cheese sauce, top a salad, or simply for extra flavor. It may look like yellow flakes that one would feed to fish, but it’s high in vitamin B12, protein, and fiber. Another way in which one can balance their diet and still uphold vegan ideals is to be creative with nuts. Almonds can be used to make almond milk, and macadamia nuts can be used to make cheese, both of which we do here at the Anamaya Resort Hotel.
The reasons why one may decide to become vegan often mirror the decision to become vegetarian. There are ethical concerns centered around animal rights, and environmental impacts centered around sustainability. Whatever the reasons may be, we respect your personal choices at Anamaya Resort Hotel. In Costa Rica, there are many differences between agricultural production here and in the United States. Many of the farms are family owned and have free-range livestock and chickens. In addition, many of the farms are organic and do not use pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified, or bioengineered products. As a country, Costa Rica promotes and is proud of its sustainability, planting two trees to every one that is cut down. At Anamaya Resort Hotel, we are also proud of and promote our sustainability, which is why we are aware of and provide vegan options to our guests. We also serve raw ingredients at every meal, grown locally and organically.
Written by Jackie Sloves for Anamaya Why go Organic?
At Anamaya Resort Hotel we serve meals with strictly organic ingredients. Organic food products are those which are produced sustainably and without pesticides. The land is treated to have a prolonged yield overtime through enriching the soil, rather than exhausting the land by attempting the extract the largest immediate yield at any cost. Organic farms do not use pesticides, or chemical fertilizers, which inevitably causes soil to become infertile and barren. The foods are not genetically modified or bioengineered, but rather grown naturally. Livestock are not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. Cooking our meals with organic ingredients is central to our detoxifying program because here at Anamaya Resort Hotel we wish to provide our guests with an environment that will cleanse the body and mind. As one cleanses their body from the outside through yoga, one can detox their body from the inside through our organic meals.
Higher Nutritional Content
Though the debate still persists about whether organic food is truly healthier than commercially produced food, one can not discount the many studies showing the benefits of organic foods. One such benefit is that many organically grown foods are richer in antioxidants than non-organic food products. Antioxidants rejuvenate cells, and can help prevent aging of the skin and body. Many detox diets are centralized around foods that are high in antioxidants because of their long-lasting positive effects on the body. There have been recent studies showing that organic foods have a higher nutritional content. For example, organic tomatoes have higher levels of Vitamin C and phytochemicals than non-organic tomatoes. Another study has shown that organic milk has higher levels of Omega 3s and other nutrients than conventional milk.
Detoxifying through Natural Food Products
In addition, antibiotics, growth hormones, and pesticides that are found in commercially produced livestock and agriculture are also found in trace amounts in the human body. Though there are no immediate significant effects, over time these trace amounts build up and can have harmful health effects. In some cases they affect children through mother’s breastmilk. By eating organic foods, one begins to detoxify their body from the build up of these trace chemicals.
Quality over Quantity
One of the downsides to organic foods is that it is more expensive. It is more expensive because many organic farms do not receive subsidies from the government, so the prices reflect the true cost of agricultural production. In addition, organic farms often require more oversight and management because they use more labor intensive farming techniques, such as crop rotation and composting. In addition, organic farms are smaller than conventional farming corporations. In short, one can think of extra money spent on organic food as quality over quantity.
Trust Your Taste Buds
There are many claims that organic food just simply tastes better. Taste is a preference, so there may not be a scientific or objective way to determine this, but at Anamaya Resort Hotel, we prefer the taste of organic food. Come to one of our Yoga Retreats and try it out for yourself!
Organically grown food is better sustaining the human body and the Earth. So whether it costs more or tastes better, Anamaya Resort Hotel has chosen to support local and organic Costa Rican farms.
