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ARKANGEL Journal of animal liberation |
Arkangel Magazine BCM 9240 London WC1N 3XX |
| Getting Fresh With Raw Foodism |
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by Karen Something is afoot in the veggie/vegan community and it's something rather good. In fact you may have heard faint rumblings of it yourself in recent months or maybe even tried it for yourself - it's the health movement known as raw foodism, and it's growing stronger daily. The fresh network (known as fresh for short) is the UK's national support and help organisation for all those interested in raw foodism - and fruitarianism - and was founded in 1992 by Susie Miller from her home in Devon. It began its life as a small networking body for all those interested in following a diet high in raw foods and wanting to know more. In those early days the concept in raw foodism was hardly known about and even vegetarianism was still somewhat fringe, so the earliest magazines were sent out to only a handful of interested people. However very soon afterwards fresh began to sell a number of specially imported books providing invaluable and much-needed information, and with it the membership steadily increased, and the fresh network as it came to be known was born. The network came into being because of Susie's own personal interest in raw food eating after her own diet came to include more and more natural uncooked foods. She had originally gone vegetarian then vegan for ethical reasons, but had no idea that an all-raw food diet was either a realistic or possible option. So when her diet became progressively lighter, quite by instinct rather than a conscious decision, she naturally began to wonder if this would be 'dangerous' in any way and set out to find the answers for herself. It wasn't long before she chanced upon a small advert in the Vegetarian magazine placed by the late Wilfred Crone, offering free information on fruitarianism. After sending her SAE Susie received the information from Wilfred which was to be the final inspiration to set something more formal up, and the fresh network was born. Over the next five years the membership grew and the magazine got bigger, as did the range of books available. However, running the network as well as parenting two young children often proved too much work, and yet fresh could not afford to pay anyone - even Susie herself did not take any kind of wage. On several occasions Susie put out the word, via the magazine, for volunteers to take over the running of the network, but no-one could ever quite manage it because of either lack of time, logistical problems or financial constraints. Yet sitting in the wings was a young twenty-something who couldn't have imagined a more ideal job. She had joined the network back in 1993 when she had gone veggie and had come across the concept of Raw Energy almost by accident. Since subscribing to the fresh magazine and avidly working her way through most of their mail-order booklist, it felt as if her whole world had been blown wide open, elevated and set on an altogether different terrain. More than anything else in the world she wanted to give up her conventional job and lifestyle and work for, or even run the network, but she had no savings on which to draw, no home to call her own, and no experience of running any kind of business. This young woman was me. However by spring 1998 circumstances had changed, and in June that same year I took over as co-ordinator. Nine months later I took my final leap of faith, leaving my full time employment, and the rest, as they say, is history. Due to a surge in interest plus a lot of time and energy invested, fresh today is very different to the fresh of even a year ago. Its mail order catalogue now sells over 150 publications and has expanded to include juicers, dehydrators, sprouting jars and other useful equipment, and it hosts an event almost every month of the year. Some of the world's leading speakers and educators on natural health and the raw food lifestyle fly over and give talks and classes on everything from how to create delicious raw 'gourmet' meals through to detailing the living foods programme, which has helped save the lives of thousands of people who might otherwise have died from cancer and other 'terminal' diseases. Fresh members come from all walks of life, all professions, all age groups, and from different dietary perspectives, although most are usually vegetarian when they investigate what raw foodism has to offer. In the past year alone membership has doubled and looks to do the same again in the next 12 months. Far from being viewed as cranky or radical, raw foodism is finally being seen for what it truly is. Not only is it the most conscious way of eating - for the animals, planet and the individual - but it also reaps the greatest rewards healthwise, in mind, body and spirit. When you begin to incorporate more raw foods into your diet your health soon begins to change for the better - good health becomes great, great health becomes superior and, perhaps surprisingly, people tend to find that their whole outlook on life changes with it. For this reason making the changes can sometimes be somewhat disorientating without help and support, as people soon become awe-struck at how a simple dietary shift can affect them so profoundly. The fresh ethos (originally the acronym of FRESH was for fruitarian raw energy support and help) is still as strong today as ever and its focus is very much on providing that much needed help, support and information for those making the change. The magazine now comes out 5 times a year and is full of inspiring articles and personal stories, as well as providing the more practical information such as details of local groups, those looking to get together for meetings and parties and details of forthcoming fresh events. As well as the movement growing stronger from the grass-roots level, so too are the media and other influential bodies hopping on board of what is beginning to be seen as the health movement to bring sanity back to a world obsessed by food and 'diets'. Far from being a boring or repetitious way to eat, once investigated, people soon find that they are eating more delicious foods than ever before, and a wider variety too. As a natural side-effect of simplifying and upgrading your diet, cravings, addictions and other unhealthy eating habits begin to wane, and eating once again becomes a very natural, instinct-led behaviour and not an incessant round of being 'naughty' and being 'good'. As those who have tried it will vouch, raw food eating is a way of setting people free. And freedom, after years of being at the mercy of food manufacturers and the drug industry, feels very, very good indeed! 'Feel Good Food: A Guide To Intuitive Eating' written by Susie Miller and Karen Knowler is published on 25th May 2000 and will be available through all good bookshops and the fresh network. For further information, and a free enquiry pack, contact fresh at: The fresh network PO Box 71 Ely Cambs CB7 4GU Tel: 0870 800 7070 Fax: 0870 800 7071 Email: info@fresh-network.com Web: www.fresh-network.com |