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any people in the capital have recently turned to organic products to lead healthier lives, although doing so can consume time and comes with a price tag.

Diana Mardiningsih, 46, for example, has stuck to a strictly organic food diet comprising mostly vegetables for two years.

'€œI decided to eat chemical-free foods because at my age I have to be watchful of what I eat to live a long and healthier life,'€ said Diana on Friday at the Organic, Green and Healthy Expo Bazaar, which runs until Sunday at Bentara Budaya, Central Jakarta. She added that aside from helping her maintain a fit body, organic food also contributed to her youthful appearance.

To support her lifestyle, Diana added, she joined a couple of communities, such as the Indonesia Makan Sayur (Indonesia eats vegetables) community, from which she could gain information organic products.

Diana said she usually bought organic products at the Organik Klub shop in Tebet, South Jakarta, from where she could also request delivery service.

In addition, she added, she spent time looking for restaurants that served organic food to prepare for trips to other regions.

Nonetheless, she said all the time and money she put in to lead a healthier life was worth it.

Chemical-free beauty product user Giasinta Angguni Pranandhita said that since she committed to using organic face and body products, her face started '€œglowing more'€ and her body felt '€œfresher'€.

Moreover, she said, most of the products she used were only sold on the Internet and were attached to higher prices. She, however, does not mind the prices, saying that producers needed to maintain the quality of their products.

As the organic products contained less synthetic chemicals, the products also promoted a greener environment, she added.

Anggun said she started using organic products, including shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste, after reading about the dangers of synthetic chemicals frequently used in cosmetics, such as paraben, a widely used preservative in cosmetics, a year ago.

Nutritionist Yustina Anie Indriastuti lauded Diana and Anggun, acknowledging that organic products were healthier as they used less or no synthetic chemicals at all. However, she suggested consumers carefully choose organic products

'€œMany sellers claimed that their products were organic but they actually were not. Thus, consumers should be careful in choosing such products. I suggest that they consult with the organic user community or even look at the producers'€™ workspace,'€ said Yustina. (agn)