Web Page Potpourri: a column devoted to informative alternative health resources on the internet

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2004 by Marjorie Roswell

In Part 1 of my Web Page Potpourri column on raw foods (June #251) I included resources for finding books, recipes, potlucks, and people. In Part 2, I'll share web pages that will connect you to local produce, along with raw-related listservs, magazines, health retreats, restaurants, and delivery services. In keeping with the theme of this issue, I've also included some helpful raw food resources related to bowel troubles.

Local Harvest

http://www.localharvest.org/

Raw food cuisine depends on fresh and ripe produce. This interactive map-based site can help you to find local farms, farmer's markets, restaurants and food cooperatives.

About Produce

http://www.aboutproduce.com/produceaz/commodity_search.asp

Aboutproduce.com is a collaboration of the Produce Marketing Association and the Produce for Better Health Foundation. The URL above displays availability of produce by source country, tips on selection and storage, FDA-approved health claims, and recipes. It's a good site, but a bit overly-friendly to genetic engineering and pesticide use. In their FAQ they say things like "Although minuscule amounts of pesticide residues may, in fact, remain, credible scientific evidence indicates they represent no risk." At some point I think I'll devote a whole column to web resources evaluating pesticide safety and risk.

Fresh Produce and Floral Council

http://www.fpfc.org/

This California-based site features a nice concise Fresh Facts newsletter, and adorable pictures of kids' art and games taken at the Produce Olympics.

Listservs

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=raw+food

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=live+food

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=living+food

http://groups.msn.com/search

Listservs are communities linked by email. There are countless raw food (and "live food," "living food") listservs. They can be fabulous resources; they can also be a time drain, if you're not careful. For those new to listservs, I recommend searching the web for "listserv netiquette" to help navigate the art of etiquette online. I actually started a raw listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shazziefans/. We are a lovely group including members from the US, UK, Canada, Belgium, France, and Germany. We're inspired by Shazzie, a beautiful Brit with a flair for raw food; we're a little abashed to be part of a "fan club," but happy to know one another, and to share our stories and our recipes.

Magazines

http://www.justeatanapple.com/

http://www.livingnutrition.com/

These two magazines are terrific.

Raw Restaurants

http://www.raw-pleasure.com/directory/directory_index.htm

This site was designed in Flash, so is unfortunately not disability-accessible. Even for those who are not visionimpaired, it would be nice if the restaurant listings allowed selectable text, for copying the address into a mapping site, or the name into an email. Those caveats aside, this is a rich international resource. (Townsend Letter readers can refer to the August/September 2003 edition of this column for information on how to make your website accessible to the blind.)

Delivery Services

http://www.diamondorganic.com/

http://doortodoororganics.com/

http://www.rawfood.com/

http://naturalzing.com/

http://urbanorganic.net/

http://www.planetorganics.com/

http://www.glaserorganicfarms.com/

http://www.sproutpeople.com/

http://www.rawvolution.com/

http://www.living-foods.com/resources/organic.html

A few years ago it took hours of searching online before I found someone who could deliver organic food. Now such sites abound! The selection above is just a start. Diamond Organics has some of the best produce I've ever tasted, and a visually stunning catalog. Door-to-door Organics costs a little less and offers weekly delivery. The Sprout People know about growing sprouts! Rawvolution actually ships prepared raw cuisine. (Not cheap, but very, very delicious.) Perhaps your supermarket doesn't stock organic produce? Now it's easy to take your business elsewhere.

Raw Radio Online

http://www.kuow.org/HumanCondition_020815.asp

http://www.tanglewoodwellnesscenter.com/articles/

http://www.thegardendiet.com/rawradio/

http://www.hacres.com/radio1.asp

http://www.wpfw.org/(Thursdays, at 3 pm)

For your listening pleasure. Audio formats include Real, Flash, and MP3.

Health Centers and Retreats

http://www.living-foods.com/resources/health.html

http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/directories/dir_rawlifecenters.html

http://www.davidwolfe.com/links/retreats.shtml

http://www.rawfoodwiki.org/index.php/Facilities

A raw food retreat will benefit those who are chronically ill, as well as those who just need a vacation. I love to be where food is prepared by expert chefs, where the air is clean, and the sun is shining. Last year I did a work-trade for a week, washing dishes in exchange for the stay. Try one of these places: You'll inspire your taste buds, learn something new, meet energetic people, lose weight (if you're overweight) and feel great.

Colitis and Crohn's Health Recovery Service

http://www.colitis-crohns.com/testimonials.html

http://www.colitis-crohns.com/publications.html#ln