Shopping for healthy foods…

In my articles, blog posts, talks or workshops, I often mention, or recommend natural foods, snacks, healthy oils, or supplements that are beneficial to health, as well as useful kitchen equipement. Here are my favourite selection, together with explanations of what they are, particular benefits and uses, & how you can incorporate them into everyday life. All are available at  The Fresh Network

Coconoil organic virgin coconut oil – Coconut oil has long been recognised as a healthy option for use both in the kitchen, and to apply to the body, as a skin or hair conditioner. This particular oil is produced from coconuts grown in the west of Sri Lanka. These are traditionally harvested and cold pressed to produce a wonderful Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.  I use a teaspoon when I want to lightly fry, blend it with aloe gel to make daily face cream, and use it as an after-bath massage oil.

Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend – The ultimate source of omega 3, 6 & 9 and the UK’s market leading nutritional oil blend. Udo’s Choice delivers a balanced 2:1:1 ratio of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega 3 and 6, and the beneficial fatty acid omega 9. It is a unique blend of certified organic flax, sunflower and sesame oils, with unrefined oils from the germs of rice and oats, evening primrose oil and non GM lecithin. Simply use as a salad dressing, add a spoon to smoothies, or drizzle over vegetables.

Yaoh Organic Hemp Seed Oil is cold-pressed in the UK using the freshest organic Chinese hemp seed available. This  oil has a mild, slightly nutty flavour and is ideal for drizling over salads. This is the way I use it most. Due to its high essential fatty acid profile, this oil should never be heated as this will destroy the EFA’s. However you can add it to hot food (e.g. steamed veggies or fish), once the food has been removed from direct heat. This improves both the flavour and nutritional content of a meal.

Olive Oil (Soler Romero) – Organic and cold-pressed from Andalucia Spain, this oil has deep citrus aromas with tomatoes, light pepper and fruit. It’s Medium in strength. This is a 5-star olive oil that’s great in dressings or drizzled over salads. Use cold and remember, for cooking… use coconut oil.

Dr Martins Coconut Water – Coconut water contains an ideal balance of electrolyte minerals making it the perfect hydration drink, both during and after workouts, or simply to drink throughout the day! I adore coconut juice. This brand is unique among coconut drinks, as it’s tapped from fresh, green, organic coconuts using a patented process that ensures the water has never come into contact with light or air. So you get to drink it as nature intended, with no additives or preservatives of any kind.n>

Kale Chips - A new line of kale chips from InSpiral. Kale chips are essentially crisps made of kale pieces instead of potato slices. Better still, they get their supremely crunchy texture without being deep-fried, which involves heating cheap and nasty vegetable oils to indecently high temperatures. Instead these “crisps” are coated in nut sauce and gently dehydrated to give them their supremely crunchy texture. You’re sure to love them, as I do, and your kids will too! They are an easy way of getting “green” goodness into them – and you! These chips are made with curly kale which is enveloped in a crunchy cashew coating containing Himalayan crystal salt and various natural flavours.  Ingredients: curly kale, cashew nuts, baobab superfruit, apple cyder vinegar, braggs liquid aminos & himalayan crystal salt

Black olive & onion organic crackers – Healthy raw crackers with a difference. Shaped as elegant “tuiles”, they would pass with flying colours at any dinner party. They’re great for dipping into mashed avocado or hummus, as a “side” to a healthy salad, and also make an ideal snack when you’re travelling or on the go. Ingredients: Hulled buckwheat grains, black olives, onions, golden linseed, hulled sunflower seeds, psyllium seeds, chives, parsley, sea salt.

Beetroot & carrot organic crackers – Another delicious flavour of savoury crackers. Shaped as elegant “tuiles”, they would pass at any dinner party. They’re great for dipping into mashed avocado or hummus, as a “side” to a healthy salad, and also make an ideal snack when you’re travelling or on the go.Ingredients: Hulled buckwheat grains, beetroot, carrots, golden linseed, hulled sunflower seeds, psyllium seeds, sea salt.

Nature’s Living Superfood – If you like to take a daily “Multi”, then this is an ideal answer. Unlike incomplete, regular multi-vitamin/mineral products, this blend of nutrients come exactly as nature intended – naturally in whole plant food form. Nature’s Living Superfood is a green food supplement made from a wealth of wholefoods, algaes, wildcrafted aquatic vegetables, enzymes and probiotics. It contains a wide spectrum of nutrients in their natural complex state, including antioxidants, chlorophyll and tens of thousands of important phytonutrients. Its ingredients are specifically grown, processed, and combined to maximize their beneficial effects.

I love Nori Sheets! These are probably the most popular sea vegetable, versatile and easy to use for homemade sushi, or simply rolled up with your own mix of raw veggies. Try strips of cucumber, tomato, beetroot and avocado. Sea vegetables are high in rich in minerals and fibre, and one of the best vegetable foods to incorporate into the diet.

Sea vegetable salad – A fresh salad in minutes straight from the sea! This is a great mix of common sea vegetables that you can instantly turn into a very impressive starter, add to main course salad dish, sprinkle over stir-fries, or stir into rice or quinoa. Ingredients: Japanese sea vegetables

The Champion Juicer – For fruits, vegetables, and greens

The Champion uses the mastication process to chew the fibres and break up all the cells of vegetables and fruits, which results in the preservation of more enzymes, vitamins and trace minerals. The Champion therefore produces a darker, richer coloured juice with a sweeter, richer, more full-bodied flavour than a conventional centrifugal type juicer.

Designed for simplicity, the Champion requires no nuts, bolts, screws or clamps to assemble. The floating cutter just slides on or off the shaft, a quick half turn, and the body locks on or releases for removal. It’s so simple and all the parts are easy to clean.

The Champion requires minimum preparation of fruits and vegetables, easily handles stalks, stems and cores. In addition to extracting vegetable juices, the Champion can make: coconut milk, baby foods, fruit sauces, nut butters and ice-creams.

The Champion offers the following:

Large Feeding Chamber – 1.75 inches, 4.5 cm in diameter, able to take large vegetables, such as whole carrots, without the need to cut them into smaller pieces.

Floating Cutter: designed to separate the juice from the pulp in a continuous operation without jamming. No intermittent cleaning required.

Tempered Stainless Steel Cutting Blades: the blades are cast into the cutter for strength and durability. They never separate, rust, tarnish or become dull.

A Champion is Durable. This special heavy-duty, dual voltage (110/220-240V) Champion Juicer is powerful, durable and built to last. All juicer parts are made from 100% US Food and Drug Administration approved nylon and stainless steel, exceptionally durable. The Champion’s body is lined with wear-resistant stainless steel which will not absorb food odour.

Warranty: 5 year limited warranty. Now three years on motor (was previously one year), five years on juicing parts.

Accompanying material: Instruction booklet

Dimensions: 425mm (L) x 190mm (W) x 200mm (H) 17″ (L) x 7.5″ (W) x 10″ (H)

Weight: 9 kg

RPM: 1425

Price: £299.00

The Vita-Prep 3 – Used in many commerical kitchens, this is the “ultimate” blender!  The Vita-Prep purees and blends quicker and smoother than any food processor. Vita-Prep will puree anything, even asparagus!, with no strings, no lumps and no seeds. Just a silky smooth puree every time.

The new Vita-Prep 3 has more power to handle the thickest, toughest ingredients with its efficient 3HP motor.

• 2 litre container as standard
• Variable speed allows you to grind, chop, blend and puree many different ingredients at exactly the right speed
• Grind fresh flour from whole grains, rice, beans and pasta
• Chop small quantities of ingredients from hard cheeses to soft mushrooms and tomatoes

Vita-Prep3

Code V10089

Black

Width 20.3cm

Height 51cm

Depth 23cm

Weight 5.9kg

Electrical requirements 1200W

Power Rating 3HP

12 month warranty

Price: £582.00

The Oscar 930 Pro Juicer – this innovative new commercial design is rapidly becoming the #1 choice for juice bars, restaurants and the serious home enthusiast. This attractive healthy drinkmaking machine fits neatly on any kitchen bench.

• More yield than ever before
• Maximum nutritional value
• Faster than ever before
• More than just a juicer
• Easy to clean & use
• Quiet operation
• Quality Construction Guaranteed

Maximum Yield

The powerful juicing action of the Oscar 930 Pro provides the highest yield of living juice, making it the #1 choice for those producing larger quantities of cold pressed juice.

Heavy Duty Construction

Designed for heavy duty juicing, the Oscar 930 is built from high quality, commercial grade materials. With fewer moving parts, clean up is fast and easy and the Oscar 930 Pro is strong enough to stand up to the heaviest commercial use.

Versatile

The Oscar 930 Pro is more than just a juicer. With the Oscar 930, you can make a wide range of healthy smoothies, including soy, rice and nut based drinks

Dimensions: 40 cm x 17 cm x 25 cm

Motor: 70 rpm Single phase induction motor

Juicer Type: Cold Press juicer & drinkmaker

Compatible Foods: Wheatgrass, Fruits, Vegetables & Leafy Greens plus soaked nuts, beans, pulses & grains for drinks

Model No. HU-100

Construction: Food Grade Polycarbonate, Melamine (BPA Free)

Style: Table top

Colour: Chrome / White with green handle

Wattage: 200 W

RPM: 70

Motor: Single phase induction

Warranty Domestic: 20 Year Warranty on Motor, 5 years on Parts and Labour

Warranty Commercial: 3 Year Warranty on Motor, 3 years on Parts and Labour

Price: £395.00

Skin Brush – Firm with plant source bristles, this Skin Brush with a beechwood handle (from FSC sourced wood), unbleached cotton strap and natural plant fibre bristles (not pig hair) is a 100% vegan product.. The long handle helps you to easily reach all areas of your back, but it can quickly be detached so you can use the brush head (with strap) on its own. To use you simply brush your skin, working from the limbs towards the heart, to stimulate the lymphatic system.

Dry Skin Brushing

• Significantly improves circulation.
• Is a valuable component of any detox programme.
• Helps your lymph system to clean itself of toxins that collect in the lymph glands.

Brush your legs and arms towards your heart in long strokes and over any areas of cellulite in circles for five minutes a day. Using this simple technique improves the surface circulation of the skin, keeps skin pores open and encourages your body to discharge metabolic wastes, like those that cause cellulite! This results in an improved ability to combat bacteria, plus it helps your skin look and feel healthier and more resilient!