We’ve been hearing a great deal about these tiny seeds and have now added them to our shelves!

Infinity Chia Seeds are grown in Argentina, Bolivia, Equador and Chile. Once prized by the Aztecs, Chia seeds have great nutritional benefits:

- One of the richest plant sources of Omega-3

- More antioxidants than blueberries

- High in fibre

- Good source of protein

- Can apparently aid weight loss for two reasons. The first reason is that they are so filling that you will eat less of other foods. The second reason is that they actually bulk up and cleanse your body of old “junk” in your intestines.

- Easily digestible

Chia seeds can eaten raw, ground and used in baking/cooking/shakes or sprouted.

Buy them here at www.garlands.co.uk

We’re delighted to add Pourtoi’s fantastic award-winning Double Choc Chip Cookies to our range. They have a lovely texture, wonderful chunks of Belgian chocolate chunks and wonderful flavours. Enjoyed by those who can have gluten as well as those who can’t!

Available to buy here at www.garlandsorganic.co.uk

We’ve been selling a lot of a new product called Moo Free Dairy Free Chocolate – it’s a dairy-free ‘milk’ chocolate alternative and manages to be both a very acceptable alternative and much enjoyed by children!

Buy a bar or Easter egg online here at www.garlandsorganic.co.uk.

A recent study shows that a diet packed with vitamin D combined with high level of sunlight could reduce the risk of breast cancer in women by as much as 43%.

67,721 women aged 41-72 were tracked over a ten year period. Their diets and geographical ultraviolet levels were analysed to calculate the risks. Dr Pierre Engel who led the study said “It is difficult to have a simple public health message without thinking about the risk of skin cancer. We must be very cautious, but we think that increased vitamin D levels by reasonable sun exposure and higher dietary intakes should be encouraged.”
Premium quality Vitamin D supplements available to order online at Garlands Organic, click here for more details.

Helen Browning is well aware of the problems she faces when she takes over from out-going director Patrick Holden. The Soil Association, founded in 1946 to give voice to the agricultural theories of the inspirational Eve Balfour, has taken a crazy journey in the last few decades, from the tiny, marginalised “hippy-dippy” operation of the 1970s through the extraordinary boom of the late 1980s and 1990s, with a tough decision in the late 1990s about whether to stay small and true to its original principles or to go for the main market and weather accusations of selling out.

Holden, according to Friends of the Earth’s Vicky Hurd, “really played a key role in setting an ambitious agenda for food policy in the last couple of decades, he’s been really very impressive. He was a very important leader, a visionary, saying things about the links between nutrition and soil health, for example, that most people at that time just didn’t want to hear.”

Others, both from within the Soil Association and from the conventional farming world, are more critical, particularly of the fact that some of his outspoken views on conventional farming techniques mean there is still bad blood between the two groups. But the biggest problem, most feel, is that somehow – not helped by having Prince Charles as the patron – the Soil Association has come to be seen as “posh” and “elitist”.

“I do agree that to be seen as elitist is a real problem,” Browning says, “because for me the best food is almost a fundamental human right actually, and that doesn’t mean posh food but it means really great food.

“You see it with animals all the time – if you get the nutrition right with animals before and during pregnancy you do end up with much healthier calves or piglets, and I do feel that as a society we should be putting so much more emphasis on that really commonsense approach of feeding people really well, particularly women during their childbearing years, because if you have healthy babies you have got such a step forward in life.”

She is aware that organic prices are a problem for many, but counters with three points. “My own position has always been that if you take everything into account, if you include the hidden costs of our food production system then organic is actually cheaper. All the damage that our agricultural systems do at the moment is just not accounted for.

“But that’s the big picture; in actual terms the price difference is usually somewhere around 20% if you’re buying directly from the producer, for example. The Soil Association is already doing a lot of work on approaches to this problem, such as vegetable boxes, or forming co-operatives and buying food that way. With a bit of thought there are ways of making organic food more accessible. And finally, I think the gap has been so wide because inputs like fuel and artificial fertiliser have been artificially low, but that’s now going to start narrowing.”

An excerpt from a recent article in The Guardian on January 5th 2011, to read more click here.

What’s your favourite recipe/tip for using any of the Raw Health products?

Raw food products have become increasingly popular, so we put some questions to Alice Waghorn at Windmill Organics to find out more about their Raw Health range.

How did Raw Health products come about?

The RAW Health range grew out of a passion for creating tasty, organic produce that gives people maximum nutrition from the food they eat.  Here at RAW Health we have achieved this by using carefully selected ingredients that are soaked and sprouted to bring out the real life force of the food.  The ingredients are then bound together at low temperatures to ensure health-giving nutrients and beneficial enzymes in the food stay alive and well.  ‘Vibrant living’ is our brand motto and harnessing the full raw power of food is our aim.

What are the benefits of eating raw foods?

Raw foods are not over-processed or over-heated which offers a huge range of benefits to consumers. The specialist production methods we use create products that are alive, active and packed with power, making you feel energised and purified.

Raw foods are also great at staving off hunger and when you derive more from your food you often find you need to eat less.  Raw foodists can also experience improved mental, emotional and spiritual health; a healthier immune system; regulated sleep pattern; and improved complexion.

Most of the RAW Health range is also vegan, gluten free and sugar free, so people with specific diet needs can enjoy these delicious foods too.

Where do you source your organic ingredients?

We look to the continent to source the best organic ingredients that go into our innovative RAW Health products.  We also pride ourselves on using sustainably sourced ingredients, such as our RAW Health Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The specific qualities of the olive oil have attracted accreditation as a food product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).  The European PDO regulation aims to protect diversity against homogenization, therefore promoting sustainable production.  The production site itself uses solar technology that allows it to be totally energy self-sufficient.  The scheme also aims to ensure the survival of traditional production methods, thus contributing to better incomes for farmers, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

Which product has produced the biggest challenge?

Our biggest challenge has probably been with some of our more unusual products such as the Spouted Sunseed Mix Provencale.  People aren’t sure of how to use this mix of sprouted sunflower seeds, sundried tomatoes and tamari sauce but we encourage comments on our website and Facebook page to allow people to share ideas and this has really helped encourage people to try new products like this.

What’s the best thing about working for Windmill Organics?

It has to be the chance to try all the new products that we plan to launch; after all you need to know what the food tastes like to be able to tell other people!

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things could you not be without?

The new RAW Health Date & Brazilnut Energy Bar, which is just delicious, plus a pair of sunnies and some suncream – if you’re stranded there you may as well get a bit of sun!

7) What’s the best compliment you’ve received for any of your products?

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for making such great raw snacks – your raw chocolate is the best I’ve ever tried!”

What’s your favourite recipe/tip for using any of the Raw Health products?

For a sweet tooth like me I’d recommend chopped up Date & Brazilnut Energy bar with some yoghurt and grated Very Cherry Chocolate over the top – divine!

Thank you to Alice for the low down on raw food and if you’d like to sample some raw food products, we have a selection to buy online here at Garlands Organic.

At this time of year it’s easy to pick up all manner of coughs, colds and viruses, particularly if you have children at school – so here are some suggestions on how to boost your immune system and keep well during the colder months. Here we cover: Echinacea, Sambucol and DLux Vitamin D spray.

1) Echinacea – a traditional herbal remedy that not only helps prevent cold and flu but also relieves the symptoms e.g. runny noses, sore throats and coughs. It’s usually available in both tincture and tablet form but not all brands of Echinacea are the same – the most effective are made from extracts of fresh Echinacea and has been clinically proven.

2) Elderberry Extract – again reputed to boost he immune system and specifically help reduce the duration and severity of influenza infections. A 2006 study showed that black elderberry extract was 99% effective in destroying H5N1 avian bird flu virus.

3) Vitamin D – has gained a huge amount of kudos recently with many studies reinforcing its benefits. Normally vitamin D is acquired through exposure to the sun but those living in the Northern Hemisphere are generally lacking.  Vitamin D can help to prevent everything from bone fractures to cancer, heart disease and diabetes as well as helping to boost our immune system and ward off winter ailments.

The recommended dose for maximum effectiveness is at least 1000 IUs per day. You can take capsules but a new product DLux – makes vitamin D available in a pleasant-tasting spray form and each spray delivers 1000 IUs.

For a great range of immune boosters available click here to buy online at Garlands Organic.