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Organic Wholefoods

Welcome to the Wholefood section of our website, here you will find a full and comprehensive selection of the best organic wholefoods you can buy, in addition we have many non-organic wholefoods. If you can't find the organic wholefood you want don't hesitate to contact us.

You are what you eat, so good quality organic wholefoods, simply prepared gives you the best taste as well as the best goodness and nutrition.

As a short introduction to who and what we are it may help to know that we started as a Mums and todlers buyer group many years ago. when we could not find the organic wholefoods we wanted to eat and, more importantly feed our kids. We then moved to a market stall selling organic wholefoods and local delivery service operating from our dining room and garden shed and finally to our current premises in Cotesbach where we are a cross between an old fashion wholefood shop, an internet business and a local farm shop. The cold of the shed and the toddlers have faded to a memory, but the children, leading their own lives continue to buy, cook and eat organic wholefoods. This is the ethos we wish to continue, a family business promoting our love of a heathier way of eating.

Organic Wholefoods became more available in seemed only natural that we should start list them, now we have full Soil Association Organic Status for our wholefoods. This is in addition to our Soil Association Growers licence for the salads and vegetables we grow at Cotesbach. As we pack many of our wholefoods we can offer a great variety of sizes and also as we offer larger packs our prices are very competitive.

Organic Wholefoods

Very many of our wholefoods are also available in organic and an increasing number are also Fairtrade. So for mail order we offer a great range at reasonable prices.

What do we mean by Organic Wholefood - A Guide

The vast majority of our wholefoods are available in organic. This is the whole of the food, packed with goodness, "food as nature intended". Eating the whole of the food is considered to be the basis for a good diet. Science tells the more we learn about how our bodies work the more the evidence points to eating all of the food (or the wholefood) as being best, it is how we developed.

In addition to this guide to wholefoods, we have a guide to each type of organic wholefood, just follow the links below :

	dried fruit - organic dried fruit does not contain sulphur dioxide as a preservative, so the fruit is a more mellow, natural colour, not day glow yellow. Eating organic dried fruit only minimally effects the nutritional value of the fruit (except Vitamin D) and is a good way to add fibre and sugar to your diet, excellent for commited organic wholefood eaters.
	nuts - eating nuts as part of a wholefood diet gives you many essential trace elements required for health. Nuts are good for a vegetarian diet as they contain protein, they are a good source of energy and have lots of calories. Nuts are high in unsaturated fat, which helps maintain a healthy heart and are an important element in an organic wholefood diet.
	seeds - seeds are a great source of minerals they are also high in polyunsaturated fats and calories. For protein Pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are best. For some smaller seeds, such as sesame, to get the best from them give them a quick 5 seconds in a food processor, otherwise they can just pass straight through. For those with a busy lifestyle wanting an organic wholefood diet, seeds are a good nutrition choice for high value snacks.
	rice - eating whole grain rice is not only tastier it has many nutritional benefits, rice can be very important if you are following a wholefood diet. Rice is also great value to buy by the sack as it keeps very well, and is easily stored. Don't forget as with most wholefoods Brown is best, eating the whole grain.
	grains - whole grains should form an important part of your diet. In our grains section you will find the full complement of whole grains for a wholefood diet. Whole grain contains three elements, the bran, germ and endosperm. Each part contains key elements, the Bran contains fibre; the Germ has vitamins and minerals. Refining the grain removes the bran and the germ, removing fibre, vitamins and minerals. Eating the whole grain keeps these valuable components. So much research now points to the importance of eating wholegrains as part of your diet. Therefore you should include wholegrains in your organic wholefood regime.
	pulses - protein in a wholefood diet can come from eating pulses, they can also count as one of your five a day vegetables. Rich in protein, carbohydrate and fibre, and low in fat. Soak your pulses over night and then they are ready for use. One major advantage of dried pulses is that they store very well if kept in a dry, air tight container away from light. Dried Pulses are what many people think of when they talk of an organic wholefoods diet and of course they are important, but there is so much more, so don't forget the pulses but try some other organic wholefoods.
	lentils/split peas - we could of put our lentils and split pea section in with the rest of the pulses, but they are so good we though a category of their own was appropriate. If you are vegetarian then lentils are one of your best sources of iron, they are also a great source of protein. Health magazine is reported to of selected lentils as one of the five most health foods. For many, lentils represent a key part of an organic wholefood diet as they are so versatile they store well and are high in protein.
	flakes - organic wholefood flakes can make a good base if you want to make your own porridge or muesli. If you start with the basic flakes then you know exactly what you are eating. In addition to breakfast time you can add flakes to soups, stews and casseroles.
	superfoods - most superfoods are fresh, but we've got listed cacao beans and cacoa nibs.

Organic Wholefood Benefits

The more researcher that is done the clearer it becomes that basic unprocessed, unrefined foods are what we are designed to eat. There is universal agreement that a wholefood diet is a good diet, a wholefood diet includes :

Lots of high fibre foods, these include fruit, vegetable, pulses, whole grains, nuts and seeds and for an organic wholefood diet you will need a good source of organic fresh fruit and veg, organic whole grains, and organic nuts.
A wide variety of foods, make sure your wholefood diet includes lots of different foods. Eating seasonally is one way to eat different food.
Eating the whole part of the food, for example a diet including whole grain foods is associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease.
Get you vitamins and minerals from foods not supplements, supplements will not substitute for a healthy diet. Foods provide the “synergy” that many foods require to work effectively. Eating a wholefood diet gives you all the food.
Eating a wholefood diet helps you avoid many of things that are added to food, sugar, sodium and many addititives, flavourings, and artificial colours, and if you choose the organic wholefood option you can be sure of what you are eating.
In processing a food many of the important nutritional benefits are lost, unprocessed wholefoods retain as much of the natural nutrients as possible. One crucial factor to consider is that in an organic environment you will get as natural a wholefood as is possible, so organic wholefoods offer processing at its minimum.

A major characteristic of wholefoods is that they are easily digested, providing all the basic nutrients the body needs. In August 2006 a major New Scientist review article concluded “Just because a food with a certain compound in it is beneficial to health, it does not mean a pill with the same compound in is". In essence we don't yet know how the body works, but the indications are that it is more complex than we once thought, and eating the whole food gives many benefits that are not enjoyed by eating only part of the food, or taking a supplement.

Whole foods are always better both in nutritional value and taste than processed foods, combining wholefoods and organic gives the best of everything.

Wholefoods and Diabetes

Studies in the US by Harvard University have suggested that replacing white rice with wholemeal brown rice will reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Eating large quantities of white rice increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but eating wholegrain brown rice reduces your risk. The study suggested that replacing white rice with wholefoods, including brown rice, brown pasta, wholemeal bread and oats could cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 16%.

Wholefoods or wholegrain foods, release their energy slowly. In contrast, white rice has had all the bran and some of the germ removed during milling. This gives white rice a higher glycaemic index (GI) - a measure of how much a food raises blood sugar levels compared with the same amount of glucose or white bread.

Diabetes UK advises replacing some of the meat in a stew or casserole with pulses and lentils. In terms of fruit Diabetes UK advises "People with diabetes can eat any kind of fruit - fresh, tinned, frozen or dried. It makes a good low calorie snack or dessert. Try adding fruit to your cereal to help meeting the target of at least 5 fruit and veg a day."

The overall message is clear a wholefood diet is clearly best. If you follow an organic wholefood diet then you are doing the best for yourself and the best for the environment.

Organic Wholefoods - recipes

If you want some wholefood recipe ideas why not look on our recipe pages, here you will find some interesting ideas of what to cook. Among the ones you might want to consider are :

	Lentil Puree/Dhal - a great way to eat Lentils, the perfect dish to serve with curry and a great comfort food. Lentils are a good basic wholefood and are easily available as organic. Dhal of course is a staple ingredient of Indian cooking and there are many different recipes.
	Black Eye Bean Bake - Black eye beans are easy to use, cheap and healthy. This is a really easy recipe, but gives a great result, try cooking double the recipe and freeze one for later.
	Almond and Cauliflower Korma - Cauliflower is an easy vegetable to curry and if you don't over cook it it still can have a bit of bite. With both blanched and ground almonds you might go nuts for this curry.
	Squash with Cannelini Beans and Pesto - a easy supper dish that uses tinned cannelini beans.
	Pumpkin crunchy cereal - a recipe for homemade wholefood cereal, vary the ingredients to get the recipe that is perfect for you.
	Lentil soup - a spicy soup using lentils and spices, this makes a very economical yet nurishing soup. Great with a chunk of wholemeal bread.
	Green Lentil Curry - a simple curry using lentils and spinach.
	Brazil Nut Stuffed Mushrooms - a good dish to have with rice and a green salad.
	Sesame tofu stir fry - all the time is in preparing the veg, only minutes to cook.
	Tamari roasted sunflower seeds - Tamari roasted sunflower seeds, a great little wholefood snack. Choose organic ingredients to make it that much more special.
	Lemon Cous-Cous with Paprika Mushrooms - using beans and cous-cous a good wholefood dish.

If you have any good wholefood recipe ideas yourself and want to share them plese let us know as we like to share recipes.

Organic Wholefood Brands Stocked

In this section you will find many great nutrient-dense nuts, seeds and sprouts that will arrive with you in great condition. We can also offer many wholefoods in bulk quantities for some great savings.

At Naturally Good Food you will find we stock many of the major organic wholefood brands including :

	Crazy Jack - a huge range of over 120 organic wholefoods, great for all types of dried wholefoods, nuts, pulses, dried fruit, seeds, rice and fruit concentrates and snacks. If Crazy Jack produce it we stock it. Crazy Jack is one of the earliest organic wholefood brands. The range includes many firsts, including the first organic apricots in the UK (delicious, no sulphur!), award winning organic marzipan from Sicily, and most recently the first Fairtrade Organic Himalayan Basmati Rice.
	Emile Noele - the first french company to make organic olive oil. A lovely range of oils for cooking and salads. Quality oil can make a huge difference to the taste of any meal as well as nutritionally and with Emile Noele who get the quality and will further add to a whole food diet.
	Community Foods - we can supply the whole range of Community Foods products and really proud to work with Community, if it is bigger bags or bulk wholefoods then Community is the perhaps the best overall company. Organic wholefoods are a stable supplier for us. From the early 1970's Community Foods have supplied whole grains, dried fruit, nuts, pulses, herbs and spices from all over the world to service a small but growing industry of health food shops and manufacturers.
	Sanchi - sea vegetables and Miso can be an important part of your diet,and soya sauce is great for flavour. Remember the Japanese are among the longest living and most active in old age. For some tips on Japanase recipes.
	Biona - a handy range of tinned pulses, pasta and fruit juices. The Biona range can make a wholefood diet easier as tinned pulses can be a great benefit if you don't have time to soak your own pulses. Biona also produce some good wholemeal spagetti and also a range of spelt pasta.
	Clearspring - some fine fruit purees, oils and a great Japanese range. The Clearspring goal is to get organic food back on the dining table. Clearspring have won many awards for their food and the range is 100% vegetarian and vegan.
	Suma - some really good lines, and the best place for bulk toilet rolls. Might be a necessity with a good wholefood diet. We also stock Suma beer, the perfect thing with a wholemeal supper.
	Infinity Foods - we stock many Infinity Food lines, and if don't stock the line, let us know and we can get it for you. Infinity Foods is one of the UK's leading wholesale distributors of Organic and natural foods, providing an extensive range of high quality vegetarian foods.
	Queenswood - a great range of wholefoods, don't forget we can get the full range of Mr Bumbles as well. Queenswood are good for bulk and semi-bulk wholefoods, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses.
	Doves Farm - flour can be an important element in your wholefood diet, with Doves Farm we have a great range of flour.
	Meridian - a great range of nut butters and spreads, great for a sandwich lunch or on toast. Meridian also produce some good sauces for a quick tea. All Meridian products are suitable for vegetarians and many are suitable for vegans, diabetics and those suffering from food allergies. Meridian Foods believe that eating a healthy, organic diet should not mean a compromise on what you eat.
	Tropical Wholefoods - a nice range of dried fruit to snack on if your on the go. Tropical Wholefoods aim to win lasting markets for farmers in developing countries. Working with ethical businesses, to pay fair prices in advance, share useful technology and develop and market farmers' products.
	Whole Earth - offer a genuinely healthy, tasty version of everyday staples like coffee and sparkling drinks, cereals, baked beans and ketchup.

If we are missing your favourite wholefood brand, or perhaps we have not listed a line from one of the wholefood brands we stock please let us know and we may be able to help. Customer feed back is very important for us in developing our product range.

Diet Hints and Tips

Below you will a few hints and tips on organic wholefoods we have pickeup over the years, if you have any other hints you would like to share please let us know.

Move to wholefoods gradually and do not be too rigid with your diet.
Eat more plant foods, nuts, grains, legumes and seeds.
Add some pumpkin, sesame or sunflower seeds to a salad, you could try toasting them for a little extra zing.
Start by sneeking some wholefoods into your family diet.
Sprinkle nuts, seeds and dried fruit over your morning cereal, easy to do and it will give you that bit of extra energy mid-morning.
When possible choose food with 100% whole grain.
Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, think colours try to get three different coloured vegetables at eat meal. Add beans to your meals and snacks, wholefoods come in all shapes and sizes.
Eat less convenience and processed foods, they often have added fat, sugar, salt and additives. Eating wholefoods helps your cooking skills and can save you money, switching your diet to an organic wholefood diet can be cheaper with the right choices.
Don’t forget what you drink, try switching to water, mineral water, green tea, fresh fruit juice or a soya milk.
When you go out try all the exotic vegetarian dishes, also think Japanese, Korean or Thai Asian restaurants often offer a healthy option. Try to find an organic wholefood restaurant.
Avoid frying, bake, poach, steam, stir fry or perhaps saute, try some of your wholefoods raw.
Don’t over cook your food, let your organic wholefoods speak for themselves.
Read the ingredients list on prepared food don’t be taken in by a label saying Natural or Organic.
Think it terms of your main dish as organic and wholefood, whole grains, vegetables and beans with only a moderate amount of meat.
Food should look good, wholefoods generally look good if it looks fresh and colourful that’s a great start, try to eat lots of colours, but not colourings.
Watch out on the web for wholefood cooking demonstrations.
If you are a keen runner, cyclist or hill walker then Go wholegrain: swap white pasta and bread for healthier brown, wholegrain versions, the slower energy realease will be a clear advantage.
If your travelling and on a long trip take some wholefood snacks with you, then your non tempted to eat junk and you can also save a few pennies.
Adding some pulses to a veg soup will increase the protein level.

Wholefoods are Cheaper, Better Value and Help the Environment

Eating wholefoods especially if they are bought in bulk can be cheaper, better value and help the environment, to make the most of your wholefoods :

1. Eat less meat – A 1 kg beef causes about 13.3 kg of CO2. The same quantity of CO2 is released when you burn about 6 liters of petrol, a 1kg of apples typically produces 0.55 kg of CO2. Try using lentils to bulk out mince in cottage pie, chilli or a pasta dish. Using lentils gives the added advantage it counts as an extra vegetable and is much cheaper, with the savings you could use really good quality organic mince in all your cooking.

2. Buy your beans and pulses dried not in tins, this does not have to be hard-core wholefoods, soaking pulses over night is easy. It is much cheaper to soak beans and pulses, and you are not using any tins, its better to avoid using something rather than having to recycle. The other advantage with using dried beans is you can avoid any added salt that is sometimes present in canned beans. It is also much cheaper to post dried pulses and uses less fuel, saving the planet, in addition it is much harder to dent a packet than a tin, so less potential waste.

3. Buy in bulk for wholefoods such as, porridge, beans, pulses and flour etc with a long shelf life. This reduces packaging and can be much cheaper, 1kg of organic Porridge Oats is around Â£2.50 Kg in your Supermarket, but buy it as 5kg pack from a specialist company and the price per kg is Â£1.65, buy a 25kg sack and the price falls to Â£1.15. Can you divide a large bag with your neighbours or family.

We are always adding new sizes to our range of wholefoods, buying your wholefoods in bulk is normally significantly cheaper than buying small packets.