Summer issue of Get Fresh! magazine - exclusive interview with John Robbins

Sarah here, with news of our summer issue. Good news! Firstly, it is out and it mailed yesterday so if you're a subscriber and haven't already received it, it's on its way to you.

If you've been following this blog for a while you'll know we at Get Fresh! have a commitment to making each issue of the magazine the best ever and from the feedback we get, we are succeeding! This issue jumped into that category around the time we had our exclusive interview with Diet For A New America author John Robbins confirmed. The resulting feature is his characteristic blend of thought-provoking facts, plain-speaking common sense and boundless compassion.

This is a man who was heir to the Baskin Robbins company but whose conscience wouldn't let him live the life mapped out for him so, as he shares with us in the interview, "I gave up extreme wealth because I didn't want to give up my soul."

Like many, I have John to thank for my decison to go vegan - that happened after I read another of his books, The Food Revolution, in July 2001. He was also indirectly responsible for my discovery the very next day of the raw diet - I didn't need to peruse many "normal" vegan cookbooks with their egg replacement powders and margarine and soy to realize that that didn't sound like the diet for me. Having read John's powerfully persuasive arguments about the health, ethical and environmental reasons against consuming animal products I was clear this wasn't an industry I wanted to economically support anymore, but what was I going to eat? In front of me on the bookshelves in Planet Organic I spotted Juliano's recipe book RAW: The Uncook Book. Time stood still as I leafed through it, seduced by dishes with names like "New Moon Fruit Stew" and captivated by the accompanying photography.

So it was an honour and a privilege to speak to John. I learnt a lot in the course of researching the questions to ask him, and I learnt a lot more from his answers. If you are already treading lightly on the planet with a plant-based diet this interview will very clearly reinforce just how valuable your decision to live consciously is, and what a positive effect it is having on those around you whether you realize it or not. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, it will provide much food for thought.

We called this our "ultimate green lifestyle issue", and as well as five pages worth of John's valuable wisdom it contains an article from Dr Brian Clement on how to live naturally in an unnatural world and we also bring you raw vegan actress and dancer Tonya Kay talking us all through a day in her green life.

Also in this issue:

• How Shazzie detoxed her world. The raw author, entrepreneur and mother talks to us about her life before raw, her astonishing personal transformation, her views on holistic parenting and her campaign to make raw food mainstream
• Sun exposure: health hazard or health essential? Our raw beauty columnist Tonya Zavasta busts some myths and explains the link between sun damage and unhealthy diets
• From struggle to challenge: the power of perception. Dhrumil Purohit of We Like It Raw on staying in the happy zone with your health regime.
• Clinicial nutritionist Natalia Rose on what constitutes a real detox: are you getting rid of your toxins or just rearranging them?
• Raw Food Coach Karen Knowler quizzes a client to find out the beliefs and thought patterns stopping her from going raw
• Raw food, real mood. Drop sedating, stimulating cooked foods and you come face to face with the real you - which doesn't always feel like a good thing, says Sarma Melngailis
• Heidi Ohlander of Raw Food, Right Now remembers 35 days on juice and outlines the top eight benefits it gave her
• Naturopath Philip Weeks on the silent epidemic of B12 deficiency
• When it comes to your health, just who do you believe, asks Pete Vincent
• Teacher of teachers Alissa Cohen helps a reader who is struggling to feel satisfied on raw foods
• New body, new life - a reader's true story of losing over 100lb on raw food and gaining a whole new life
• Juice Master Jason Vale: Why diet pills are never the answer
• Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier introduces a workout for strength and muscle maintenance 
• Fabulous raw food - Cherie Soria on the best binders and thickeners, Russell James with light summer soups, easy everyday recipes from Jennifer Cornbleet, and four ways to enjoy peaches by Brigitte Mars
• Our inside guide to the summer's two biggest raw food festivals
• Plus: news, reviews, tips, useful contacts and much more!

Our fab new designer Sara Popowa is on her second issue with us, and with her creative brilliance plus all that first-class, life-changing content, I do believe we've done it again! I want to publicly thank each and every one of our valued regular contributors and also our equally valued readers. It is a pleasure to produce the magazine for you and please remember that it is YOUR magazine, so if there is ever any topic you would like to see us cover, or indeed if you have any feedback whatsoever, please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you. 

The summer issue is now on sale online as either a print magazine or an instantly downloadable PDF, but why not take advantage of one of our great subscription deals? You'll save money, and you can also choose whether you'd like to receive the print magazine each quarter or the electronic version.

I've just done another interview with someone I know many readers will be very excited to see in the magazine. That will appear in our autumn issue, out on September 1, but I'll be forced to reveal a little about it on here shortly because it touched on a topic I have been itching to blog about! Stay tuned...