Health is not just absence of disease, but also an abundance of vitality. It’s the experience of a profound sense of well-being that can be achieved by everyone. This attitude is not just a belief but also an experience that I have had personally and have also witnessed in many other people with whom I have worked over the years since I started to pursue optimum nutrition.

Optimum nutrition, put very simply, is giving yourself the best possible intake of nutrients to allow your body to be as healthy as possible and to function in perfection.

One foundation of good health is to eat foods that provide the right amount of energy required to keep the body in perfect balance. Unfortunately, today’s diet has drifted a long way off the ideal intake and balance of nutrients. Organic, unadulterated whole foods have formed the basis of the human diet through the ages. Only in modern times did we begin to be subjected to countless artificial chemicals in foods and in the environment. It is practically impossible to avoid these substances, which are contaminating our planet and our health.

Choosing locally produced, organic foods wherever possible is the nearest we can get to eating a pure diet. Eating raw, organic food is the most natural and beneficial way to acquire nutrients. Many foods contain enzymes that help digest them once chewed. Raw food is abundant in vital phytochemicals, whose effect on our health is valuable. Cooking food tends to destroy enzymes and reduces the activity of such phytochemicals.

There are a number of reasons why you should consider buying local food. Supporting the local economy and helping the environment by supporting farms is a main benefit. Concern for the treatment of animals is another common reason for adopting a locavore diet.

Availability and cost are some of the more prohibitive factors for most people, but lack of awareness of the possibility of purchasing local foods, and the benefits of doing so, prevents most consumers from even engaging in those considerations. No matter what stage of the purchase cycle you find yourself at, exploring the benefits and limitations of buying local in more detail is a worthwhile exercise in evaluating your options.

The environmental costs of transporting food across the world are substantial. Carbon emissions, depletion of finite fossil fuels and pollution of the oceans are some of the biggest concerns arising from the food shipping industry. Buying local food greatly reduces such issues.

Moreover, locally produced foods are fresher, last longer and taste better. Local produce can last twice as long as that found in supermarkets before wilting or going bad, keeping its flavour and texture better while giving consumers more flexibility in food purchasing and preparation. The taste tends to be better as well, as many small farms try to avoid genetically modified organisms as well as synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, all of which can impact the flavour of produce.

Small farms and cattle-raising operations also tend to feed their livestock grass and allow them to roam freely, giving them a remarkably improved flavour profile and vastly reducing the amount of fat in the meat. Nutritional benefits like these are additional reasons to consider buying local.

Farmers’ markets have increased in popularity in recent years. Similar forms existed before the Industrial Age but were often part of bigger markets, where suppliers of food and other goods gathered to retail their wares. A farmers’ market is a physical retail market featuring foods sold directly by farmers to consumers. Such markets typically consist of booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, where farmers sell fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, dairy products, honey, prepared foods and beverages. Farmers’ markets exist worldwide and reflect their local culture and economy.

Many consumers have found that buying produce from local growers is less expensive and allows them to develop a connection with farmers. They can talk directly to local growers and find out what fruits and vegetables are in season and even get cooking suggestions.

Locally, we have a farmers’ market in Ta’ Qali and another one which is being set up in Vittoriosa. Open markets scattered around our islands also include vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables. Moreover, almost all major grocery stores have an organic section in the produce department. It is possible to buy foods that have been grown using organic farming practices, including not using pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Dairy sections often offer organic milk and cheese products. The government farm in Ghammieri offers organically grown meats and poultry meats that are grass fed and have not been raised using antibiotics or hormones.

Small farmers are being encouraged in successfully making the shift to organic production. Their possibility to succeed in organic production is strongly influenced by some characteristics of small farmers, including the technology and production systems previously applied, land tenure and household feature.

Consuming high quality food is a means to a goal – health and wellness. Preference for local produce is a potential choice towards accomplishing this goal.

For a slice of pizza

John R. Portelli, 65, marketing and communications consultant, has a long history of eating discomforts and disorders. A menu of alternatives, awareness and tolerance helps, he says.

If you were to be told that you have to change your diet completely because you have become intolerant to certain foods, how would you take it? You might think that you now have to follow a gluten-free diet, right? That’s healthy too, they say. Gluten-free sounds like a new diet fad that everyone has heard about and few understand until that fateful day when someone says you have become intolerant to wheat and dairy products. And that means no more pizza, pasta, pies, cakes and ice creams – all things I love.

I have a long history of eating discomforts and disorders. These include wheat, cow’s milk and all their main by-products, eggs, bell peppers, peas, yeast and some shellfish. I probably developed these intolerances with age, and professionals always put them down to the stress of my working life. Do we know better now?

But what’s all this about gluten? Your friends Messrs Google and Wiki come to your aid and explain that gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. Gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise, keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture. Worldwide, gluten is a source of protein, both in foods prepared directly from sources containing it and as an additive to foods otherwise low in protein.

Statistics show that about one in 133 people in developed nations have an intolerance to gluten. Gluten sensitivity is classified as an intolerance rather than an allergy and although it won’t really kill you, it has the ability to demoralise or depress you.

However, in recent years, producers and retailers with good marketing sense have started responding to consumer needs and more wheat-free, dairy-free and egg-free products are increasingly available.

This availability has made cooking at home easier. Knowing what my intolerances are means I can avoid them and use healthy alternatives such as quinoa. Being intolerant to certain foods and ingredients doesn’t mean you cannot eat well. My cooking style has changed but it hasn’t lost its adventurous touch.

So, yes, there is hope. It’s just that now you will have to tell others about your food intolerances and make them sensitive to your particular needs.Otherwise, you will be forever invited to dinners and parties and cannot eat a thing. Eating out will also need to be planned in advance. The choice of restaurants in Malta catering for diners suffering various food intolerances is limited – however, more restaurants are now offering gluten-free options, which augurs well for the future.

We need to raise more awareness as this is key to the quality of life. Making other people aware of your intolerances means that once the word starts to spread, others who have similar issues start coming out of the shadows and making their intolerances known. That way, friends, family and more restaurants can cater for us.

There is, of course, a but. Living on a gluten-free diet doesn’t come cheap as gluten-free products still come at a premium. However, it’s a price worth paying to feel good again.