GoodnessDirect Blog – Health foods & healthy lifestyles for you & your planet

Protect your teeth and you protect your baby

18 March, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Did you know that if you are pregnant and have gum disease you are three times more likely to give birth prematurely?

Hormonal changes can mean your gums are more susceptible to disease at this time, so if you notice that your gums are bleeding it’s important to get them checked out.

The issue is that oral bacteria can easily get into the bloodstream through untreated gum disease – and almost everyone has a little gum disease at some point in their lives. But once the bacteria is in the bloodstream it can reach the baby. It can even result in a stillbirth.

If you think about just how much we have to brush our teeth to prevent all that bacterial build up (which causes infection and damages our teeth) and remember how a woman’s immune system is slightly more vulnerable during pregnancy, it’s not surprising that oral health is a vitally important issue for expectant mothers.

But it can be difficult to get right. Some mums-to-be find that brushing their teeth makes them feel sick – as if the daily morning sickness wasn’t enough!

Nonetheless, the main advice is still to brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste for two minutes, try to cut down on sugary foods and drinks and visit the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend. Remember, dental treatment on the NHS is free to pregnant women and for up to one year after the birth.

And there are organic, nature-based and vegan oral brands out there.

Looking after your teeth is good for your baby

Looking after your teeth is good for your baby

One oral health support that’s becoming popular is Peri-Gum mouthwash. It is based on seven herbs and essential oils known to improve your gums and has been clinically proven to be effective in reducing gum disease. At just a few drops per gargle this is a powerful herbal solution.

Also, Eco-Dent offer a full range of natural oral care products. But, if you are pregnant, you need to be careful of the extra vitamin A found in their Dental Gum and also in other products like Dentaplex (a nutrient supplement for oral health). These are very good at naturally boosting oral care but should not be used during pregnancy without medical advice.

Surprisingly Cranberry juice has also been found to protect your teeth. It gives your teeth a teflon like shield against bacteria.

As long as it is unsweetened, Cranberry drink brands like Biona and Rabenhorst can be enjoyed at mealtimes. But here there is caution again, dentists advise that only drinking cranberry juice at mealtimes is best because cranberries are acidic too and overdoing it would effect your teeth’s enamel.

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Complementary Health · Health · Mouth · Organic · Vegan · Women's Health
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Booja-Booja Easter Eggs – How would you eat yours? – Competition

17 March, 2010 · 3 Comments

What’s the biggest sin when eating an easter egg?

Not sharing? Not finishing your hoard of chocolate until October? Scoffing it all in a great marathon event which ends with you on the couch vowing you’ll never eat chocolate again?

Whatever you end up doing (hopefully something more virtuous than the above), please don’t do it with the Booja-Booja Luxury Champagne Truffle Egg, it’s far too good to waste on novice chocolate eaters.

Win a beautiful Booja-Booja Easter Egg

Win a beautiful Booja-Booja Easter Egg

We’re talking about wonderously dark chocolate, velvet lined, hiding a trove of champagne truffles within, handcrafted and encased in a hand painted oval box. And because it’s Booja-Booja it’s a practically a blessing for you if you’re vegan or can’t eat gluten or dairy. A wonder to behold!

But here’s surely the greatest transgression of all – we are giving them away!

Booja-Booja luxurious Easter Eggs also come with Hazlenut Crunch, Midnight Expresso and Ginger Wine Truffles but, before I tell you how to win the Champagne Truffle Egg, let me also mention a few other conscientious chocolate eggs which deserve your attention too.

EqualExchange have their own Divine Delights for your exultation; fairtrade naturally, so you know there’s some good in what you’re doing as you munch through all the ruinous chocolate.

Organic oeuvres of fascination are available courtesy of the Chocolate Alchemist – imagine dark Belgian chocolate studded with jewels of crystallised ginger! They also make plates of dark and milk chocolate engraved with creamy motifs.

Or you can try Green & Blacks who are are offering butterscotch eggs of crunchy toffee, thicker chocolate shells, and a host of mini eggs, all organic and fairtrade (of course).

Finally, I’d like to mention Siesta D&D who are specialists in dairy and gluten free chocolates. They have designed lovely boxes of 20 eggs and bunny chocolates for your children to love.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the Booja-Booja Luxury Champagne Truffle Egg, you can enter the Booja-Booja competition with a simple email to me and I’ll put your name in the draw for one of five prize eggs (competition ends Friday 26 March 2010).

Trust me, win one of these and you’ll be in seventh heaven for days (and hopefully not hours).

→ 3 CommentsCategories: Chocolate · Competitions · Dairy Free · Fairtrade · Gluten-Free · Organic · Vegan
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Homeopathy – do you need it?

11 March, 2010 · 8 Comments

Homeopathy, some people swear by it, some swear whenever they hear the word.

The issue is so controversial that it has been investigated by Members of Parliament. On the one hand are medical experts who say that any result is purely a placebo effect, on the other are positive testimonies from people who’ve found help only through this form of medicine backed up by the doctors who’ve treated them.

Where does that leave you as a customer? No one wants to spend money on something which does not work, however people should be free to try any medicine providing it is not dangerous, especially if nothing else has provided a cure.

Homeopathic medicine sounds as if it works in a similar way to vaccination, giving the body a trace element of the problem in order to cure itself. But many professional bodies argue that the trace element is so small there is nothing in the medicine at all. But is the allegorical evidence really all just down to a placebo effect, and don’t all medicine’s have a placebo effect?

At GoodnessDirect we stock a number of homeopathic medicines from Weleda, New Era and Nelsons. If you have experience of success or failure with any homeopathic medicine, particularly these, we’d love for you to leave your comments below.

→ 8 CommentsCategories: Complementary Health
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Sea Buckthorn Oil, omega 7 and the unspeakable issues of the menopause

9 March, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I have recently come to appreciate the benefits of Sea Buckthorn Oil, have you heard of it? No neither had I, nor had my mother. Why this uniquely cleaver little oil is not more widely acclaimed I’m not sure, so I delved a little deeper into it’s history and qualities. Here is what I discovered.

What is Sea Buckthorn oil?

Sea Buckthorn is found in Asia and Europe. It was used by Tibetan and Mongolians more than one thousand years ago as a medicinal ingredient. You can never underestimate those Tibetans can you? The interesting feature of the Sea Buckthorn berry is that it contains omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9 – jackpot!! The omega 7 is the interesting one, palmitoleic acid, in which Sea Buckthorn is exceptionally rich. Palmitoleic acid is rerely found in plants so this is a rare quality possessed by Sea Buckthorn. As if that was not enough, sea buckthorn is also rich in natural antioxidants (tocopherols, tocotrienols, carotenoids) and plant sterols.

What are the benefits of Sea Buckthorn Oil?

This may sound good so far, but why should we get excited about omega 7?

Omega 7 may help to maintain the natural lubrication of mucous membranes of the vaginal tract during the menopause. Its soothing action may help maintain natural lubrication of mucous membranes not only in the vaginal tract but also in the mouth, eyes and digestive tract.  Like skin, mucus plays an important part in protecting the internal organs. Mucous membranes line much of our internal systems and mucous can be a route into our bodies for harmful substances and bacteria, so healthy and strong mucous membranes are important for general health. Sea Buckthorn oil is said to be good for mouth ulcers too though I have never tried it.

Why should we get excited about antioxidants and plant sterols?

The antioxidants in sea buckthorn oil help prevent free radical damage to cell membranes. Free radical damage is the damage to our systems by waste products in our bodies which are produced by oxidation, yes just breathing. Our breathing and general existence produces bi-products which “attack and age” our bodies. Anti-oxidants help to subdue the wear and tear we experience through this oxidation so they are a valuable nutrient to include in our diets.

What about the plant sterols found in Sea Buckthorn Oil, is that of any benefit? Yes,  plant sterols are known to be of benefit to cholesterol management and our metabolism.

Where can I buy Sea Buckthorn Oil?

Pharma Nord Sea Buckthorn oil comes in both 60 vege caps and 150 vege caps sizes and is also present in the Higher Nature Essential Omegas mix of omegas 3,6,7,9 available in 30 caps, 90 caps and 180 caps.


→ Leave a CommentCategories: Antioxidants · Cholesterol · Complementary Health · High Cholesterol · Menpause · Mouth · Omega-3 · Skin · Vegan
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2010 Free From Food Awards

8 March, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The shortlist of Free From Products which are being considered by Foods Matter for the 2010 Free From Food Awards has now been released.

What an excellent initiative the Free From Awards are, they have helped give the special diet foods industry recognition that did not previously exist.  The list of foods being considered includes a wide variety of excellent products which really illustrates how the ‘free from’ market is growing and maturing.  Free from is being acknowledged by manufacturers and retailers alike and the selection  embraces products from a much wider sphere than just the baked goods historically at the centre of the ‘free from’ market.

The full list is  below separated into several categories.

Innovation Award

Against the Grain chocolate and orange cookies
Antony Worrall Thompson stock cubes
Asda gluten-free fusilli
Cake Angels cup cakes
Dietary Specials frozen sausage rolls
Gluten Free Kitchen brown bread rolls
Gluten Free Kitchen egg-free carrot cake
Hares’ Moor Curry kits
Hale & Hearty gluten-free bread mix
Hale & Hearty gluten-free falafel mix
Hale & Hearty gluten-free pasta
Isabel’s cheese bread mix
Livwell English muffins
Lovemore Free From Foods gluten-free pastry
Peace of Cake – cake selection
Sainsbury’s Bombay potatoes
Sainsbury’s caramelised onion rolls
Sainsbury’s chilli con carne
Sainsbury’s gingerbread slices
Sainsbury’s Korma sauce
Sweet Freedom

1. Animal (not cow)’s milk, butter, yogurt and ice cream

Delamere Dairy whole goat milk
Lactofree lactose reduced cow’s milk
Laverstoke Park buffalo milk
St Helen’s Farm whole goat milk
St Helen’s goat butter
Styles strawberry sheep’s milk dessert
Styles vanilla bean sheeps’ milk dessert
Tesco whole goat milk

2. Plant (soya, rice,oat, nut, potato) ‘milk’, spread, yoghurt, cheese and ice cream

B’Nice non dairy rice cream – strawberry
Biona Organic Olive spread
BoojaBooja Stuff in a tub – hunky punky chocolate
BoojaBooja Stuff in a tub – smiling vanilla m’gorilla
BoojaBooja Stuff in a tub – maple and pecan
Cheezly Greek style
Oatly Oat cream

Pure Soya spread
Sainsbury’s organic olive spread
Sojasun raspberry passion soya alternative to yogurt
Swedish Glace Neopolitan
Tofutti Creamy smooth original
Tofutti Mozzarella style
Tofutti non dairy frozen dessert – chocolate
Worthenshaw’s coconice strawberry frozen desert

Barkat gluten-free waffle cones

3. Gluten-free breads and bread mixes

Beiker – Sandwich bread mix
Genius white bread
Glebe Farm – seeded brown bread mix
Dietary Specials – Fresh multi-seeded loaf
Gluten Free Kitchen – seeded loaf
Juvela – Fresh brown bread
Livwell – tear drop flat breads
Mrs Crimbles fresh white bread
Proceli – Brown seeded rolls
Tesco – pitta bread

4. Gluten-free pasta

Dietary Specials penne
Doves Farm brown rice spaghetti
Farabella cannelloni
Gluten Out tortellini
Juvela spaghetti
Juvela tagliatelli
Orgran multigrain fusilli with amaranth
Rizopia organic brown rice fusilli
Rizopia organic brown rice spaghetti
Tesco fusilli
Tesco spaghetti

5. Gluten-free pizza bases/mixes and pastry/pastry mixes

GFree rich shortcrust pastry
Glutafin multipurpose white mix – pastry
Gluten Free Kitchen shortcrust pastry
Juvela pizza base
Juvela white mix – pastry
Store Cupboard pizza base with rosemary
Tarte Maison ready to use pastry cases
Wellfoods pizza base

6. Gluten-free savoury pies, flans and ready meals

Brumby’s chicken and mushroom pie
Clive’s Pies – Aloo gobi
Clive’s Pies – Lentil and olive
Dietary Specials tagliatelle with bacon and mushrooms
Dietary Specials thin and crispy pepperoni pizza
Dietary Specials deep pan mozzarella and tomato
Intolerable Food Company green Thai vegetable curry
It’s a Free World fragrant Thai chicken curry
Sainsbury’s chicken Kiev
Sainsbury’s beef lasagne
Young’s Gluten free fish fingers

7. Gluten-free savoury biscuits and snacks

Barkat pretzels
Eskal pretzels
Glutafin crackers
Les Pain des Fleurs crunchy chestnut toast
Mrs Crimbles cheese crackers with sun-dried tomatoes
Nairns oatcakes
Nairns mini rough oatcakes
Paterson’s oatcakes
Trufree pretzels
Village Bakery oatcakes
Village Bakery seedy oatcakes

8. Gluten-free scones, sweet tarts, Bakewells, cake bars etc

Asda fruit teacakes
Asda chocolate brownies
Christine’s Puddings scones
Gluten Free Kitchen fruit scones
Honeybuns Heathcliff brownie
Honeyrose ultimate oat bar flapjack
Honeyrose pecan maple syrup flapjack
It’s Nut Free chocolate chip flapjack
It’s Nut Free refrigerator cake
Livwell sultana scones
Lovemore Free From Foods chocolate brownies
Mrs Crimble’s Bakewell slices
Orgran raspberry fruit filled biscuits
Tarte Maison Bakewell tart
Village Bakery chocolate orange brownies
Waitrose almond tart

9. Gluten-free sweet biscuits and cookies

Asda Belgian milk chocolate wafers
Baker’s Delight FreeTime
Eskal vanilla tea biscuits
Glutafin gran biscotti
Glutafin shortbread
Glutafin custard creams
Honeybuns honeyed apple cookies
Lazy Day Foods chocolate gingers
Lovemore Free From Foods chocolate chip cookies
Orgran dinosaur whole fruit cookies
Morrisons caramel shortbread
Mrs Crimbles’ chocolate macaroons
Prewetts ginger cookies
Prewetts jammy wheels
Prewetts sultana and apple cookies
Trubitz raison cookies
Trufree chocolate chip cookies
Waitrose cranberry and orange cookies

10. Gluten-free cakes, muffins, brownies and mixes
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Asda almond slices
Beiker cup cakes
Droppa & Droppa Victoria sponge
Droppa & Droppa fruit cake
Glutafin – white mix
Gluten Free Goodies Victoria sponge
Gluten Free Goodies carrot cake
Gluten Free Kitchen ginger cake
Gluten Free Kitchen Victoria sponge
Healthy Cake Company lemon and coconut cake
Honeyrose Victoria sponge
Livwell Victoria sponge
Marks & Spencer cherry and chocolate cake
Morrison’s fruit cake slices
Pure Flavour lemon and vanilla sponge
Tesco Victoria sponge
Trubitz Victoria Sponge
Winona’s Midnight Sin

11. Gluten-free puddings, sweet pies, desserts, cheesecake

Barkat pancake mix
Christine’s Puddings chocolate pudding
Christine’s Puddings sticky toffee puddings
Gluten Free Goodies syrup sponge
Hunter’s sticky toffee puddings
Hunter’s chocolate fudge pudding
Intolerable Foods blueberry and almond tart
Intolerable Foods pecan and toffee tart
Lifestyle pecan tart
Mama Cucina strawberry cheesecake
Mama Cucina mango and passion fruit cheesecake
Morrison’s treacle tart
Morrison’s pancake mix
Mrs Crimble’s pancake mix
OK Foods treacle tart
Orgran apple and cinnamon pancake mix
Provamel vanilla dessert

12. Dairy/gluten-free chocolate and snack bars

Billy Goat Stuff half solid egg
Billy Goat Stuff 35% white chocolate
BoojaBooja champagne truffles
BoojaBooja Around midnight expresso truffles
BoojaBooja ginger wine truffles
BoojaBooja hazelnut crunch truffles
Bounce spirulina ginseng
Conscious sesame chews
D & D chocolate Easter egg
Dietary Needs Direct chocolate Easter egg
Fruitus fruit bites with blackberry
Fruitus chewy apricot bites
Kinnerton luxury chocolate bar
No Nuts Just Chocolate… 74% dark chocolate
Orgran fruit filled apricot bar
Orinoco coco minty munch bar
Plamil rum and raisin chocolate
Raw Living Be the Change

13. Dairy/gluten-free Christmas foods

Asda gf,wf Xmas pudding
Barkat gf,wf Xmas pudding
Coop nf, gf, wf Xmas pudding
Droppa & Droppa mince pies
Droppa & Droppa Xmas cake
Especially Delicious Xmas cupcakes
Gluten Free Goodies mince pies
Healthy Cake Company Xmas cake
It’s Nut Free mincemeat
M & S gf Xmas pudding
The Right Ingredient Xmas cake
The Right Ingredient boozy choc brownies
Trubitz mince pies
Trubitz Xmas pie

14. Nut-free in all the tastings

Coop nut-free, gluten-free, wheat-free Xmas pudding
It’s Nut Free mincemeat
No Nuts Just Chocolate… 74% dark chocolate
Orgran dinosaur cookies
Orgran multi-grain spirals with amaranth
Proceli bread rolls
Trubitz Xmas pie
Trubitz raisin cookies
Young’s fish fingers

15. Gluten-free beer

Estrall Damm – Estella Daura
Green’s – Premium Pils
Green’s – Premium Golden ABV
Hambleton Ales – GFA-ABV
La Zaragozana – Ambar Celiacos
St Peter’s Brewery – G-Free
Wold Top Brewery – Against the Grain

Read more about the Free From Food Awards

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The biscuit song – gluten free and ever so nice

5 March, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Everyone has their favourite food, some people are mad about tea, some people love chocolate and then there are those people who go crazy over a biscuit…

I present my evidence with Exhibit A: The Ode to Biscuits which features some startling songs about biscuits. Here’s an example: (sung to the tune of American Pie)

Bye, bye Biscuit maker guy, made his biscuits kinda heavy and they always was high an them good ol’ boys were eating biscuits of rye singin if this’ll be the day that they’re dry, then this’ll be the day that I’ll die.

Did you write the recipe of love and do you have faith in God above, to bake them biscuits so, and do you believe in biscuits n’ rolls, can they save your mortal soul and can you teach me how to bake em real slow? Well I know that you’re in love with him cuz I saw you bakin them with him, you both threw off your shoes and I love those biscuits and blues. I was a lonely teenage cookin punk with a white apron and a pick up truck but I knew I was out of luck, the day, the biscuit maker, died. I started singin…

Copywrited to Ben Griffiths ©2005

I don’t know what Don McLean would think of that. He might complain Ben was Killing Him Softly With His Song (it’s a little known fact that Don McLean performance was the inspiration behind that original track). But what I do know is that most Ceoliacs when they taste biscuits can lament ‘The Day the Biscuit Died’. Gluten free biscuits have a tendency to be dry and chalky, crumbly and tasteless. It’s a really hard thing to get right.

That’s where Doves come in. They’re already well known for the organic flour they do and they are also one of the UK’s best known producers of gluten free flour (as well as and gluten free pasta, cereals and baking products) and now biscuits.

They’ve actually been making Gluten-Free cookies for a while but recently brought out some new flavours and I doubt most people would be able to tell the difference.

Of course, I had to do a bit of taste testing:

  • The Lemon Zest Cookies have a lovely zingy taste, with a texture similar to ginger nut biscuits though thankfully less hard.
  • The Chocolate Chip Cookie has that classic choc-chip cookie character: they’re small, delightful and moreish.
  • The Ginger Hazelnut Cookie was possibly my favourite with a great crunch experience and a flavour that fills the mouth.
  • The Double Chocolate Cookie is a deeply rich mouthful which easily leaves you wanting more.
  • The Hazelnut Cookie with A Hint of Orange is moist and tangy, but for me needed to be a bit more fruity.
  • They all dunk really well and, while there is still a hint of a grainy texture, I truly believe anyone who didn’t know would enjoy these for what they are: distinctively premium biscuits – something to sing and dance about I’d say.

    → Leave a CommentCategories: Coeliac Disease · Fairtrade · Gluten-Free · Organic
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    What GoodnessDirect customers say about the service

    2 March, 2010 · Leave a Comment

    Thanks for all the compliments we get about our products and our service, we are overwhelmed!

    Everything about the service was excellent. I was arriving to a self-catered apartment from New York.  The order arrived a half hour after I did… it was so easy and meant I didn’t have to run out to the shops as soon as I arrived.  Thank you for the service.  Also a few of the items are not available locally.  Grateful for the service. H Davis

    I love Goodness Direct because they do the legwork for you in the sourcing of premium and principled health food, toiletries, supplements and remedies. It is a one-stop shop which is easy to navigate, and which provides access to excellent information and education through their newsletter and links to Wellness Centre.

    As an Alternative Healthcare Practitioner, I can safely recommend GD to my clients as a place where they can easily pick up the supplements, remedies and dietary items that I have suggested they use to enhance my treatments, knowing that they will get them quickly and easily rather than having to shop around. GD’s special diets ranges are a particular bonus as sourcing these products can be a nightmare for some clients and can put them off making the changes. It’s reassuring to know that my clients will get good value for money, and that the customer service is second to none if additional help should be needed.

    I shop extensively myself from GD so I know that what I recommend is the best that I, as an informed person, can source, and the site is getting better all the time. Well done, Goodness Direct.  M Gudmundsson

    I always get a good service. You save me a heck of a lot of driving. My nearest supermarket is 25 miles away, so you are a godsend. J Holden

    GoodnessDirect, I am soooo pleased I have found a company that can supply loads of different vegan stuff for my very strict daughter. Her sister and I are trying very hard to be vegan and the food we can buy with your company has made it very easy. LOVE IT!!  J Marshall.

    My order got here safe and well ………..   ah the joys of GoodnessDirect. Fresh food and reliable.

    I was going to drop you an email anyway to say a big thank you as always  for such great service.  It's good every time
    but I'm always staggered by how good. The organic veg box was really amazing I'm spoilt for choice. I had  fresh roasted
    aubergine with melted vegan cheese and cracked black pepper for dinner.  I love being vegan, its one of the best choices
    I ever made but as i was unpacking my stuff today i pondered on how much harder it would be to be a vegan if you folks
    weren't there with your super speedy goodies. 
    
    As always a big hand a huge thank you for the really great service you provide. If I can ever track down an industry award
    for best  provider of mail order vegan food id be really happy to nominate you . 
    
    Thanks again.  Elle
    
    From the outset, I  felt that I was dealing with real people, who think the way I do
    about food and our place in the wider scheme of things. This was borne out by the level of
    service and the personal response to my getting in touch later. M Barbour

    Really pleased to find a company who have got it right, start to finish!  Well done! S Stamford.

    I love your website and newsletters, and think that you stock a fabulous range. It was a godsend to me when I broke my ankle and could not get out. The wheatgrass kits are amazing. They just keep on going way beyond first cutting, and I will never be without them now. M Gudmundsson

    A *more* than perfect shopping experience – as always! Thanks!!!  S Bright

    Excellent as always. Brilliant customer service., super quick delivery plus superb products equals an unbeatable company to deal with :) N Quinn

    Our first experience of shopping with you was a joy – the site was easy to use and delivery was super-fast . We will definitely be shopping with you again. Best wishes Jenny and Kevin.

    I think this is a great site.  It has just the products I want and at the quality I want.  Seervice is second to none.  Well done and keep up the excellent work.  Oh and thank you very much  -  Viccy Hall

    Excellent – the only online delivery service I have found that gives me stuff I would choose
    for myself rather than tired fruit. J Simpson

    Great web site. Recommended by my nutritionist. L Lazaro-Keen.

    Order was received in excellent condition , and arrived within forty eight hours, which is excellent for orders to the channel islands.
    I can always rely on excellent service from Goodness Direct. Many thanks. F Ferguson

    The service you provide is absolutely fantastic – to offer selection of delivery day is particularly brilliant. J Braithwaite

    I didn’t have fresh product, but my merchandise arrived in very good condition and well packaged.  Your site was very user friendly.  I found exactly what I wanted at a very good price.  I will visit site again soon for further offers.  L Clark

    You’re one of only a handful of places I can get barley flour! K Humphries

    I was extremely pleased with the speed with which my order was processed and arrived. The website was really friendly and easy to use – not at all frustrating! Thank you. J Barber
    You seem to need to know the brand names to find some things on your site. Better cross referencing might be helpful? Great service though, and fabulous choice! thanks! L Husband

    Dark chocolate covered raisins in smaller quantities, please!
    You guys are still the best!  A Vine

    First order, as we can no longer fine items in local health shops. Excellent service, will definitely shop again. B Roberts

    I used to buy Blue Dragon silken tofu in my local Asda, but it was discontinued about a year ago. I tried to find another supplier at the time but couldn’t. On this occasion, I found a few websites that supplied it but I felt yours was the best. I have been extremely impressed with the whole ordering experience – you seem to have everything covered and I will definitely continue to buy this product from you. The only negative I can find is that you don’t have an excellent option on your feedback form! S Common

    Found your service excellent and really helpful for someone needing to change their eating pattern seriously. S Gardiner

    Very impressed with the speedy delivery. Also, the order was well packed and the food first class. 10 out of 10 on all counts. R Webster.

    Items that fall into more than one category sometimes take time to find, eg potato starch flour. Also, the gluten-free section included lots of items possibly with gluten traces, so I had to check the details of every one. It would be helpful if categorisation was clearer and more watertight. J Hickman

    Excellent service. Many organisations heavily underestimate the importance of postage and packing free. It so obviously defines whether you place a small order or not. Our family have always been of the opinion that say 5% added to the cost of all goods but never charging p and p would invite many more small /medium orders. D Harris

    My order arrived the day after it was placed – a really excellent and efficient service. The goods were very well packed. Thank you, Thelma

    My wife is a coeliac. Your service was superb. Could not be better. We’ll be back!. Thanks. M Rainey

    A most satisfactory order outcome, my continued custom is guaranteed, many thanks. S Scott.

    I didn’t buy these things for me, but for my mum, who’s a vegan. so as these sites are not my natural habitat it’s really helpful to find a site like yours, which is clear, easy to use and hassle-free. Thanks very much. A Schenkl

    Your service was better than some of the bigger well-known websites – thank you very much for goods delivered on time and in good condition! R Martin.

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    This is just a note to say thank you so much, my order arrived safely today. The speed and efficiency of the service you provide is exemplary. Considering the seasonal goods I ordered, and how close to the required date we are now, every effort has been made to get my order to me before Easter. The is my first dealing with you and because of this occasion I will be a returning customer from now on. You should be very proud of yourselves. You have an excellent company and brilliant staff.
    Yours Faithfully C Aldridge

    I’m really happy with the service and products, would definitely recommend to others and will be using you again. Thanx. Y Fayyaz

    Dear Goodness Direct,

    Just received my delivery-its’ the first time I have ordered vegetables from you. I wanted to say Thank You- it felt as if everything in the boxes had been packed with tender loving care-the veg smell delicious-and I had some truly yummy bread (wheat free had to be put on hold it looked so tempting) as a thank you from you. I have previously had a veggie box from Riverford-but I will be changing that to a regular order with you. I follow a macrobiotic eating plan but there is nowhere that stocks macro stuff near to me so a joy to be able to get just about everything I need from the same place. If you had stocked Mooli my day would have been even more perfect.

    With brightest blessings to all of you. K Scott

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    I love you Goodness Direct!!

    I’m often overseas working and have 2 small kids, but I know whenever I get home I can trust you to deliver my health stuff ASAP. Just received my parcel..perfect.

    Brilliant!
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    K Roberts

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    Many thanks for the excellent service we received,the items were very well packed and delivered on time.I shall not only use your company again but recommend to friends.
    Again many thanks. J Durham

    Still the best on-line shopping site. Keep up the good work. S Dunlop

    Overall this is a awesome site with awesome service – perhaps one thing i think might benefit the site is if the products had more visual sub-categories – If possible more vegan products : ) I say this on behalf of all my vegan friends as well as it is frustrating when trying to live a compassionate life is made difficult as a result of “lack of products” – Many Thanks again for making life a little easier : ) R Rayner

    Overall very impressed and pleased with great service and products from an ethically aware co-operative, keep up the good work folks, as you’re a beacon of hope to health conscious consumers! A Smith

    → Leave a CommentCategories: GoodnessDirect · Uncategorized

    Cure for peanut allergy

    24 February, 2010 · Leave a Comment

    News this week is that the doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, have discovered a cure for peanut allergy.

    Hopefully, researchers think it could work for other allergies such as egg and dairy too.

    1 in 50 children in Britain have a peanut allergy and about seven children die each year from a dangerous reaction. But when 23 children were tested by giving them daily doses of peanut flour in their foods over a fixed period all but two were cured.

    It goes without saying that nobody should attempt this by themselves outside of a medical environment – previous similar attempts to cure children this way had failed. However it is hoped that significant advances in providing this cure will be made in the next three years.

    → Leave a CommentCategories: Allergy · Dairy Free · Egg free
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    It’s a fair trade – swap your purchase for a more ethical one

    24 February, 2010 · 2 Comments

    You probably know already that it’s Fairtrade Fortnight.

    The Fairtrade Foundation are encouraging every household to swap just one of their everday buys for a Fairtrade version.

    It’s so easy to get in on the action…

    Fairtrade Farmers for a fair wage

    Fairtrade Farmers for a fair wage

    Choose to buy Fairtrade Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Pasta, Jam, Bananas, Honey, Peanut Butter, Sugar, Biscuits, Snackbars, Oil, Fruitjuice, even Ricecakes or many other Fairtrade products in place of the type you’d normally buy.

    Taste the difference, revel in the justice and hopefully, you won’t even want to swap back.

    Then you can register your swaps online at the Fairtrade website.

    Remember Fairtrade isn’t about charity, it provides the world’s poorer farmers with a fair wage for the food they put on our tables. So take a look at our Fairtrade Section and see if there’s something you could put on your table with pride.

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    Shea butter – “woman’s gold” when it comes to skin

    19 February, 2010 · Leave a Comment

    Have you heard of Shea Butter? A skin cream so good and so nutritious it is being used in chocolate and patisseries.

    What is more Shea Butter is highly regarded for its ability to heal.

    It comes from a tree known locally as ‘woman’s gold’, and grows as a nut on trees from the savannah belt of West Africa, from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. Indeed it really is woman’s gold because its recent popularity has transformed the lives of women, allowing them to set up businesses and look after their children.

    Here’s the science bit…

    Shea- butter - very healing

    Shea- butter - very healing

    The moisturising properties in Shea Butter are the same as the moisturisers produced by the Sebaceous glands in the skin. That makes it a superb moisturiser which melts at body temperature and absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving a greasy feeling (I know this because I just tried it).

    Because the cream is exceptionally high in its unsaponifiable quality (unrefined Shea butter is up to 17% unsaponifiable, most natural oils are less than 1%) it is believed that Shea butter has a high potency in important nutrients, vitamins, and other valuable phytonutrients required for healing, particularly vitamins A and E.

    The natural cream has been noted to improve a number of skin conditions including blemishes, itching, eczema, psoriasis, lichen sclerosis and other forms of dermatitis. Additionally Shea Butter is used for insect bites, frost bite, small skin wounds and sunburn.

    Pregnant mothers are also enjoying using the cream on their bellies to prevent stretch marks. The list of benefits could go on (so I’ve included a bigger list below).

    We’ve found a Shea Butter which is organic and hasn’t been tested on animals. It comes combined with grapefruit, tea tree, lemongrass or lavender – all bearing a wonderfully fresh aroma.

    This traditional balm is reaping dividends for both its users and producers. As one report noted, “For years, we have used it for everything. It cures our ills and fills our bellies. Now it is filling our pockets.”


    Shea Butter is used for: Dry skin, fading scars, eczema, burns, rashes, acne, blemishes, dark spots, skin discolourations, chapped lips, stretch marks, wrinkles, soothing, daily face and body moisturiser, nappy rash, stings, minor burns (including sunburn), cracked skin, dermatitis, arthritis, athlete’s foot, after shave balm, scalp irritation, lip balm, massages, blisters, sun cream (up to SPF6).

    → Leave a CommentCategories: Beauty · Feet · Skin · Women's Health
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