The Fresh Network Blog

Raw: your biggest questions answered

We're back to tell you more about our brilliant new ebook -pictured - and to share an extended excerpt from it. This is the book where we ask a panel of 12 leading experts the biggest questions regarding the raw diet and lifestyle. Click here to read an extended selection of those questions and/or to download the book and read on to see who is on the panel.

The excerpt we've chosen to share is part of the chapter on supplementation. [Note: a similar excerpt appeared in the current issue of Get Fresh! magazine - if you have already read it there it is still worth reading on, as this version contains information that was not included there due to space constraints]. Without further ado, here it is...

We're back - with more exciting news!

We're sorry this blog hasn't exactly been a hive of activity over the last fortnight. That's because there has been so much activity going on behind the scenes. We can't go into too much detail right now as it has been a bit of a marathon and we all need an early night. But in brief, here are a few things you might be interested to know...

To the left is the cover of our much-anticipated ebook, which is just out - Raw: your biggest questions answered. This is the book we updated you on two weeks ago, it features the opinions of 12 leading raw food experts on a wide variety of topics, and you can now find out more about what's in it, and/or instantly download it and get your hands on 270 pages of the most valuable and fascinating health information ever published.

But this isn't the only publication we've brought out this week: we're also proud to bring you the Autumn issue of Get Fresh! magazine, now available in print or as an instantly downloadable emag.

Also newly launched this week is our affiliate programme. This is for those of you who have a raw business, website or blog and and would like to earn a potentially very nice source of passive income referring customers to us. It's as simple as signing up online and then putting a special link or banner (which we'll provide) on your website. This will automatically track traffic from your site to ours and pay you commission on any sales that result. Go here to read more about our affilate programme and/or to sign up.

Finally, we have been busy planning our Christmas party. It's on the evening of Sunday 6th December, it's at Saf, London's top raw restaurant, and it will be THE raw party of the year. Tickets are on sale as of today and numbers are limited so they are sure to sell out fast. Go here to read more about it and/or to snap up your ticket/s before it's too late. 

Exciting news!

This is the Autumn issue of Get Fresh! magazine. We're still putting the finishing touches to it but we had to tell you about it as it's our most exciting issue ever bar none. Why? Because it contains – along with the usual selection of brilliant articles and interviews – 14 pages of highlights from The Fresh Forum files.

The Fresh Forum is the massive project we embarked on earlier this year to quiz a panel of 12 of the world's leading raw food experts on the biggest questions regarding the raw diet and lifestyle. The result is that we now have reams and reams of valuable and fascinating material ready to share.

You may recall that we announced this project back in April and invited you to send in your questions. A great many of you did just that and along with our own considerable list we ended up putting so many questions to our busy panellists that in some cases they needed months to get all of their responses to us.

In fact it is because we're waiting for a few all-important last-minute clarifications that the Autumn issue is running a few days behind its scheduled release date. We estimate that UK subscribers will receive it on or around Wednesday 7 October, and we'll be back again soon with a full line-up of what's in this amazing issue.

The Fresh Forum material is SO valuable and fascinating we wish we could publish all of it in Get Fresh! But there is so much of it that unfortunately isn't feasible. We had to make it available to you, though, so we've put together an ebook, Raw: Your biggest questions answered. This will also be out on 7 October and it will contain the entire Fresh Forum files: all the questions we asked and all the answers the experts gave. Here's a sample of just some of the topics covered:

What's the best way to transition to raw and how important is it to be 100%?

The raw food enzyme theory: science or speculation?

Is the vegan diet ideal for everyone?

How easy is it to raise children raw?

Cacao, calorie restriction, colonics.

Detox, deficiencies, dental health.

Salt, supplements, sex.

We asked it all, and you can read the questions and answers in their entirety in this unique ebook. Unfortunately that's all we can reveal for now, except to say that many of the answers surprised us and we're sure they'll surprise you, too!

The anatomics of your subatomics

Who we are and what we’re capable of starts with our trillions of body cells. Are they clean, are they healthy and are they communicating properly? By Natalia Rose.

What does true health look and feel like? What is the natural experience of childbirth and menopause? How many decades should we live? How many decades should we live in an excellent state of health? When mainstream science attempts to answer these questions and others, it does so based on what is common. But what is common should not be mistaken for what is natural. None of the above questions can be answered meaningfully by mainstream scientific studies, as those invariably focus on people following some version of the standard – i.e. very unnatural – diet and lifestyle.  

We cannot hope to achieve our potential if we don’t know what we actually are, what we are made of and what sustains our being. Let me start this discussion by introducing a concept I call, “The theory of the electronic human”.

Everything in the world of form gives off either a negative or positive ionic charge based on the number of electrons to protons in its atomic structure. Healthy cells and tissues are made up of negatively-charged ionic particles. This makes man’s body alkaline, and all life-generating substances in the world of form carry a negative, or alkaline, ionic charge. An ion is simply a particle that is electrically charged (either positively or negatively), meaning it has either lost or gained one or more electrons.

When an atom has more electrons orbiting its nucleus than there are protons in the nucleus, it carries a negative ionic charge; when there are more protons in the nucleus than electrons orbiting the nucleus, the atom is said to carry a positive ionic charge. If it’s been a while since high school science, just think “pro” for positive/proton. Alright, now that we’re up to speed on basic atomic structure let’s move on…

Tonya Zavasta's top beauty tips

This exclusive excerpt is taken from our interview with Tonya Zavasta in the newly released Summer issue of Get Fresh! magazine. We asked Tonya to list her top beauty tips - here they are:

1. A daily raw vegetable juice
Make it fresh and drink it right away. It's so healthy and hydrating. Juicing will make your face glow and your eyes sparkle.

2. Dry skin brushing
Brushing the entire body all over every morning is an invigorating way to start the day.

3. Dry facial brushing
Exfoliation is the most important part of a beauty regimen. We speed up the process of skin rejuvenation when we remove dead skin cells. Exfoliation energizes your face and improves circulation. All of these steps result in a better looking complexion.

4. Hot yoga
Nothing beats it for cleansing the body via sweating, nor for toning and stretching. It effectively works every muscle group in your body.

5. Facial exercises
They take care of the sag of skin and muscle tone due to aging or rapid weight loss, and they improve circulation too.

Summer issue of Get Fresh! now out

Here's the Summer issue of Get Fresh! magazine, out today - and yes, that's Your Right to be Beautiful author Tonya Zavasta on the cover. It's a right cracker of an issue, this one. Tonya looks stunning on our cover and people who saw it during the production process commented that they couldn't believe a woman of 51 or anything like that age could have skin like that. But having met Tonya in person I can vouch that she has a complexion more glowing and flawless than any photo could ever convey.

In our exclusive interview with her she talks in depth about the link between the raw diet, health and beauty and reveals her all-singing, all-dancing program for unveiling your natural gorgeousness and reaching your greatest potential for rejuvenation and longevity. A key part of Tonya's personal programme is Bikram (or hot) yoga and this issue also contains an exclusive article by her about the amazing detoxification and rejuvenative benefits of this practice.

Another special in our Summer issue is a trio of articles on the subject of our potential:

• Who we are and what we're capable of starts with our trillions of cells. Are they clean, are they healthy and are they communicating properly? Only if the answer to all these questions is yes can we hope to reach our potential, says Natalia Rose.
• As we've drifted further from nature we've drifted further from our true potential, says Thomas Lodi, M.D. To rediscover it, we must return to nature in the way we eat, relate and live.
• Potential and the power of the mind: it can be either your greatest obstacle or your greatest ally, says Dr Brian Clement. 

Plus:

• Dr Doug Graham on the foods that are supersizing our kids and why bigger is definitely not better when it comes to your child.
• Scary dairy: Dao Earl explores myths and facts about calcium, and the pros and cons of different kinds of milk.
• "Real" men eat meat and drink beer. Or so we are supposed to believe. Pete Vincent sets the record straight and explains why REAL men eat raw.
• Vaccination: a cautionary tale. Jesse Bogdanovich nearly died as a result of an allergic reaction to a polio vaccine when he was a baby. It condemned him to a childhood of disability and ill health. He became his own doctor when he went raw as a young adult and he tells his story for the first time here.
• "You are what you apply": Sarma Melngailis explains why we need to think of our skincare as skin food and Sarah Best reviews the top raw beauty ranges.
• Raw for beginners: in a new regular column, Karen Knowler describes how to get started on a raw diet and set yourself up for success.
• Making friends with your food: Tera Warner has 12 steps for overcoming compulsive eating once and for all.
• Cancer survivor and Living Foods Lifestyle author Brenda Cobb talks us through a typical day.
• Russell James with a step-by-step guide to making raw sushi.
• In an exclusive except from her new book Ani's Raw Food Desserts, Ani Phyo presents gorgeous sorbet and ice cream recipes.
• Low-fat recipe special: Cherie Soria on how to cut the fat without cutting flavour and Dr Doug Graham with simple savoury summer lunches.
• Plus the latest news, reviews, tips, useful contacts and much, much more!

Buy this issue

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The truth about cancer: its causes, prevention and treatment

Today we bring you another great extended excerpt from the current issue of Get Fresh! magazine. Thomas Lodi, M.D. has a cancer clinic in Arizona where he combines the best alternative therapies with the best conventional ones. Here he talks about his methods and shares health information that is essential reading – whether you have a cancer diagnosis or want to prevent one. Introduction and interview by Sarah Best.

It is estimated that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the Western world will get cancer during their lifetimes. Nearly four decades after U.S. president Richard Nixon declared "war on cancer" in 1971, and despite the billions spent since then researching potential “cures”, more people are getting cancer than ever before, and more people are dying from it than ever before. Why? More people are getting it because of the way we now live and more people are dying from it because despite all that money and medical research, mortality rates remain unchanged. 

Against this grim backdrop, for those who know where to look, numerous raw and living foods centres are busy educating patients about cancer prevention and recovery. It’s all anecdotal, of course, but cancer patients who are lucky enough to find themselves at one of these places seem to fare much better than those who go the conventional route. One such centre is unique in that it is also a fully-equipped cancer clinic, staffed by a team of doctors and nurses: the “An Oasis Of Healing” clinic, in Mesa, Arizona. Mesa is a suburb of Phoenix and the clinic, located in a quiet residential district, is the inspiration of Thomas Lodi, M.D. 

Lodi practises under a homeopathic licence at the clinic, but he is also a medical doctor of 24 years’ experience, and a member of many professional bodies, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a passionate advocate for natural living and holistic healing whose email signature reads, “Health is our greatest treasure. It must be guarded more preciously than gold.”

He both looks and comes across as someone much younger than his 57 years. He is a raw vegan and a teacher of the power of raw foods and raw juices, colonics and other complementary therapies. It is not unusual for late-stage cancer patients with seemingly hopeless prognoses to arrive at his clinic horizontal and to leave not long after, healthy and full of hope. Here, he shares his views on cancer – its causes, its treatment and its prevention – and also on health and human potential.

Let’s consider conventional cancer treatment first. Obviously, it’s not working in the majority of cases. Why not?
The three aspects of healing cancer are: stop making cancer, selectively target and destroy cancer without harming the patient, and stimulate and rebalance the immune system. Conventional medicine does none of those things. It is based solely on aggressive, non-specific or non-targeted methods to kill cancer cells which often end up killing the patient first. At the clinic, we take very seriously our Hippocratic Oath, “First, do no harm”.

Announcing The Fresh Forum

YOUR chance to ask the world's top raw experts the questions YOU want the answers to

When you first discovered the raw movement, you probably assumed it would be a cosy, close-knit fraternity where everyone is in agreement with everyone else about what constitutes optimal nutrition. But you don't have to spend much time looking into it to be hit by how little consensus there is about what the ideal diet looks like.

Meanwhile, doctors and dieticians and other mainstream medical experts insist that the raw diet is a fad, that it is extreme, that it will leave you deficient in essential nutrients, and that we digest cooked foods better – in other words, there is a great deal of opposition to the notion that raw is best when it comes to nutrition. So having navigated your way through those conflicting opinions and arrived at something that really makes sense, it can be very disheartening to discover that within the raw arena there is so little consensus about what we should actually be eating. And we are not talking shades of difference here, but diametrically opposed views.

For example, consider these polarized opinions – just a small selection of the many points of contention:

"We are all biochemically different so there is no 'ideal' diet that suits everyone"

"There is an ideal diet for humans, just like there is for every other species"

"A raw diet alone isn't adequate these days – you can't be healthy without taking supplements"

"Supplements are completely unnecessary, absolutely inferior to living raw foods and in many cases detrimental to health"

"Raw juices are an essential part of a raw diet"

"Raw juices are not essential and it's always better to consume the whole food"

"Eat little to no fruit"

"Eat 80% or more fruit"

The Fresh Forum is a panel of the world's leading experts on raw food. The line-up includes Elaine Bruce, Dr Brian Clement, Dao Earl, Dr Doug Graham, Thomas Lodi MD, Paul Nison, Frederic Patenaude, Natalia Rose, Jasmine Scalesciani, Shazzie and Tonya Zavasta.

The top 10 substances that destroy health

Some people go from the standard diet to a very virtuous raw vegan one overnight. But most of us need a little longer to make this transition, and many decide not to take it to that level but to stay happily “high raw”. Although cooked food is never an optimal choice, all cooked foods are not created equal – some are much worse than others.

This list is a roll call of the common substances and lifestyle habits that are the most detrimental to health. Even if you’re all raw, and you consume nothing whatsoever that’s unnatural or “impure”, watch out for number four – it may well apply to you.

It is impossible to put this list into a hierarchy of “least unhealthy” to “most unhealthy” so it is presented in alphabetical order. Give up all of the items in one go or let go of them one at a time – the choice is yours. But whatever you do, make it your goal to cut these substances out completely, if you haven’t already.

If you’re still eating things that come in packets you’ll need to become a label sleuth to ensure that nothing on this list is sneaking into your diet uninvited. The best strategy, of course, is to prepare your meals yourself from fresh ingredients. It’s the only way you can be totally sure what you’re eating.

This is an excerpt from an article by Sarah Best in the Spring 2009 issue of Get Fresh! magazine.

What cooking does to food, by Dr Douglas Graham

Today we bring you an exclusive excerpt of one of the main features in the newly-released Spring 09 issue of Get Fresh! magazine – Dr Douglas Graham with an in-depth look at what cooking does to food. Here it is...

Is cooking as harmful as some raw food teachers lead you to believe? After all, how can it be so terrible to gently and lovingly cook your food? People are cooking their food at every meal, every day, all around the entire world. Heck, people have been cooking for thousands of years. You survived decades of eating cooked food yourself, didn’t you? And the vast majority of people who count themselves as raw fooders still include substantial portions of cooked foods in their diet – usually intentionally but also unknowingly. 

What actually happens when foods are heated, and is it really such a big deal? After all, don’t some foods become more digestible when cooked? The material in this article outlines the health facts associated with cooking food. It delineates the nutritional losses caused by cooking, and explains the various health compromises associated with eating food that you have heated. The claim that cooking certain foods enhances their nutritional value is also put under the bright light of scrutiny. Hopefully, once the facts are rooted from the fiction, clear decision-making will be much easier.

We’ll take a look at various classes of nutrients, and evaluate what happens to each of them when exposed to the heat of cooking. Then we can look at the bigger picture and realistically evaluate the nutritional and other health issues associated with cooking. After all, when friends and loved ones ask you, “What’s wrong with cooked food?” it is valuable to be able to give a convincing and caring answer. Who knows? Besides supporting your own efforts at eating raw, you might even be able to sway someone else to give up their (self-destructive) cooked-food habits.