The Fresh Network Blog

New UK raw food delivery service

North-of-England-based company Purely Raw has launched the first UK-wide raw food home delivery service. The menu boasts four side dishes, two mains, a soup, a dessert and two sauces, and current offerings include Carrot Onion Bread, Kaliphoul Curry, Apple Crumble and Caramel Sauce. Minimum order is £24, with an additional £7 to £11 for post and packing.

The service was recently tried and reviewed by Debbie Took on her excellent Raw Food UK forum. Here is what she had to say:

Hi everyone

My first raw food delivery from purelyraw.com has arrived.

I must stress that I have no association with purelyraw.com. I just
thought you'd all like an honest account of what the food from the
UK's first raw food delivery service is like. I also fully support
Chris and Zoe's stance on ingredients. All their ingredients are
raw, and they are living proof that it is not necessary to use
cooked/heat-treated ingredients to make delicious raw dishes.

Well, here goes:

All the food comes wrapped with labels saying things like 'I Am
Worthy!'. OK, I'll agree with that!

Onion Pate
Well, that's easy. It's the best raw pate I've ever tasted, and
indeed one of the best pates I've EVER tasted. I can taste the
walnuts and oregano more than the onion, but it really is GORGEOUS,
and I wouldn't have it any other way.

'Pasta' Alfredo
Again, delicious! I'd hoped to have an opportunity to have just a
couple of reservations, so this didn't read like a 'Chris and Zoe'
fan club, but I can't fault the taste at all. You could give this to
any non-raw person and they'd love it. Aha - one thing: the
ingredients on the label don't state mushrooms. But there are
definitely mushrooms.

Apple Pie
The best raw dessert I've ever tasted.

Date Syrup
No - can't be dates. Must be toffee. Must be from M & S really...

Since going raw at the beginning of the year, I have had the good
fortune to have all sorts of raw cuisine, at raw events, restaurants
and functions.

I am STUNNED at the quality and pure deliciousness of this food.

Please, if you can possibly afford to spend £24 on an amazing
experience, do give Chris and Zoe a ring. It WILL be worth it.

Love

Debbie Took

Well I don't know about you, but on the basis of that review, I am sold! Funnily enough I'd been thinking I needed a treat after toiling day and night on the winter issue of Get Fresh! magazine (printing as I write – my apologies for the under-activity of this blog recently!) and I think I've found it :) Watch this space...

More details about the service can be found here. Alternatively, you can email them or ring them on 0844 770 3344, or +44 (0)1925 290 436 if you are overseas.

Get Fresh magazine - Winter issue coming soon!

I know I say this every time we have an issue nearly ready to print, but this one is without doubt the best ever. Yes, yes, I know I'm a broken record! But just wait and see... If you're into raw food, holistic health and vibrant living this is one you will not want to miss!

It has some of our best features ever. For starters, there's our exclusive interview with supermodel Carol Alt (pictured). She tells the story of how hitting rock bottom in her mid thirties turned out to be her greatest blessing. Depressed and worn out, she had long been unable to go anywhere without the portable pharmacy she needed to manage her myriad health conditions. A humiliating experience on a modeling shoot in Venezuela was the catalyst that forced her to find a better way. Over a decade later, she is enjoying better health than ever and is passionate about raising awareness of the power of raw food to change lives. Read the interview to find out, in Carol's own words, how the raw diet and lifestyle transformed her world - plus her views on health, nutrition and staying fabulous.

What else is in this issue?

• Nutritionist and author Natalia Rose on why getting hung up on '100% raw' can prevent you from reaching your true potential
• It's official: raw food does equal better sex, but only if you do it right. Roe Gallo introduces the lifestyle that will help you reach your true 'SQ'
• Not sure which water is best to drink? We sort through the confusion with an exploration of the relative merits of tap, bottled and the different varieties of filtered water. 
• An article on the living foods solution to diabetes by Dr Gabriel Cousens
• Brian Clement with a shocking exploration of the possible implications of planned Codex Alimentarius legislation on our health freedom
• Sarma Melngailis finds salvation in green shakes
• World-class athlete Brendan Brazier on the importance of staying alkaline, and how to achieve this
• Raw chef Chad Sarno presents a New England Christmas feast
• Heidi and Justin from Raw Food Right Now share their insights into the important role of raw blogs in spreading the word and providing much-needed information and support.
• Karen Knowler outlines the five steps to freedom from emotional eating 
• "How I beat chronic fatigue syndrome" by Raw Lifestyle Coach Jess Michael
• 'Mother of gourmet living foods cuisine' Cherie Soria shares her tricks of the trade in the first installment of a new regular column
• How raw foods and yoga work in tandem for superior health, by Tonya Zavasta
• Why microbes could be ruining your day, by Pete Vincent
• Energy soups: what they are, what they can do for you and how to make them
• Alissa Cohen shares her tips for eating healthily during the party season, and her favourite festive recipes
• The alternatives to vaccination
• An in-depth review of the recent Raw Spirit Festival
• Events, classes and workshops listings. If you have one of these coming up that you would like to promote to raw food fans, email us right away
• Plus news, reviews, tips, useful contacts and much more!

Like I said, this is one you won't want to miss ;) It's out on December 1, so if you don't already subscribe line up your copy now.

Carol Alt photo credits: Hair by Steven Dillon, Make-up by Sharon Sinclair, Photographed by Andrea Blanch, Produced and styled by Melanie A. Bonvicino for metro management groupe.

Cancer experts issue strictest nutrition guidelines ever

It is the most exhaustive and authoritative review ever done on the link between cancer, food and exercise. A panel of 20 cancer specialists spent a decade sifting through more than 7,000 studies dating back to the 1960s. The recommendations, released today, included AVOID: alcohol, salt, junk food, sugar and processed meat, and if you eat red meat, eat it in moderation. (Cue the mainstream media with incredulous cries of: "What's left to eat?"!!)   

Some reports made much of the fact that the panel concluded that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day offers less of a cancer-protective effect than previously thought. Vegetables are not the 'magic bullet' we've been led to believe, cried one UK tabloid. In fact, one of the panel's top 10 recommendations was a diet based around plant foods. But no - unfortunately you can't consume the standard diet and expect a couple of pieces of fruit a day and a few soggy helpings of microwaved veg to undo the damage. Is this really news?

It will certainly be news to most that there is NO safe level of alcohol consumption. This was another clear finding of the study. Although there is widely-trumpeted evidence that drinking a glass or two of wine a day can protect against heart disease, the weight of the evidence showed that even this level of consumption increases cancer risk, so better to find other ways of chilling out. 

The recommendations also included an hour of exercise every day, and in perhaps the most shocking discovery of all, the group reports that being even minimally overweight can increase the risk of a range of cancers. In fact, the experts declared shedding excess pounds second only to not smoking when it comes to cutting cancer risk.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who chaired the panel, said: "We are recommending that people aim to be as lean as possible within the healthy range, and that they avoid weight gain throughout adulthood. This might sound difficult but it is what the science is telling us more clearly than ever. The fact is that putting on weight can increase your cancer risk, even if you are within the healthy range."