by Gergana Manolova

Travelling for an hour every day just to find good food for your table – this is how a friend of mine copes with the problem of commercially available food, which is often full of pesticides. Instead of going into the nearest supermarket, she has researched the best locations for natural and bio products and now scouts them daily.

Living in the city means less contact with nature, which is the best medicine for tension and fatigue. It is possible to restore it with just a few actions: eating fresh and natural food and escaping into the nature every once in a while are small but necessary steps.

Why choose natural products? They are beneficial for your physical and mental state. Ecologically clean food contains more vitamins and minerals and does not accumulate harmful substancies in your body. Your children will grow up healthier on it, too, since the time is long gone when the vegetables from the market was good enough for the baby diet.

In Balev Bio you can find organic and savoury representatives of every food group, easily available at the two shops in Sofia and Varna as well as online (www.balevbiomarket.com). Your favourite natural food will be delivered straight to your door. Mothers will appreciate being able to get organic baby purees, while exotic mixtures such as the pepperoni bio sauce and the almond and carrots bio pate will delight food lovers.

If you want to transfer the natural way of life to all of your home, not just the kitchen, look for ecologically clean home cosmetics. You can find them in the Biovariant shop, which is stocked up on the bio certified washing and cleaning products, cosmetics and make-up. Get a cup of bio-coffee or tea while you browse the selection of food items – there is everything from flour, rice and vegetables to spices and sauces that will make your eco dishes tastier.

The healthy lifestyle includes the holidays as well, so pick a place that will provide you with lots of clean air and opportunities for exercise. If you are fond of Bulgarian mountains, head straight for the Rhodope, which has both. In particular, the eco farm Gagovi Nivi is the perfect place to relax by yourself or with your family, away from the stressful city life. No matter if you like sports or not, activities such as water skiing, archery, horse riding or paintball are not to be missed.