I know it’s been a while since my last entry-lately time has been flying by and I also took some time off for traveling and to study for my LMSW exam. I’ve been meaning to write about my last trip to Miami which is always so much fun whenever I go. I always make sure to visit life food gourmet, an amazingly delish raw food restaurant, where the chef is now replacing agave with a new low glycemic sweetener that I now use in my own kitchen called “coconut nectar” or “palm nectar” which comes from the sap of the coconut tree. It’s pretty much the healthiest sweetener I found so far that is unprocessed and tastes substantial enough for me. If you’re interested in learning more or purchasing the coconut nectar you can go to: www.coconutsecret.com This website also sells other amazing products that I’ve been using on a daily basis-these products satiate me to the point where my body feels more relaxed and less hungry throughout the day. I would highly recommend the coconut nectar, coconut vinegar, and coconut aminos that you can purchase on their website above. I love visiting life food gourmet and interviewing chef John who introduced me to these coconut products and always has the most up to date information about raw food living and healthy eating for health conscious people like me:-) You can watch my latest video with him below where he goes into further detail about these magical coconut products, talks about why he stopped using agave as his main sweetener, and shows you how to make a healthy and delicious coconut creme shake!

I’ve also been doing a good amount of research on finding the purest and healthiest coconut water & meat on the east coast. It’s easy to buy the young thai coconuts in NYC or go to Organic Avenue for ready to drink organic young thai coconut water. The problem with organic young thai coconuts is that in order for them to be shipped from Thailand they are dipped in a fungicide solution (such as formaldehyde or sodium metabisulphate) before exporting. This is to eliminate mold and bacteria during the “6-week” shipping process. According to wikipedia, “exposure to formaldehyde is a significant consideration for human health.”

As a side note relating to this topic…many of us myself included like to blind ourselves from what we are doing or tend to stay in denial for the sake of convenience & in order to keep the ball rolling, to roll with the punches ect. It’s difficult to change our patterns of behavior even when their juxtaposition to our deeper more innate yearnings and aspirations are completely contradictory. Underneath our resistance is fear and there being too much at stake in the face of our societal standards and too much risk in deviating from its norms. Few take the time to ponder its consequences and where it’s gotten us thus far…I guess in this context I am referring more to our health which of course is connected to and a manifestation of our mental, emotional and spiritual states of being hence the body-mind connection that many scientists are supporting now-a-days.

Perhaps taking a giant step “back” from everything we are doing is the prerequisite for that giant leap forward to a future that is more sustainable, nurturing and healing for man kind. That’s why I find healing retreats including spending time in nature so beneficial and transformative-they give me a chance to take a break from what I’ve been consuming my time with and ponder the meaning of my existence and my mission in life. Ok, I know I just got sidetracked a bit but to think that some of the best organic & raw food restaurants out there are still using these chemically dipped and probably also sprayed organic young thai coconuts on a daily basis is scary for me. And since when were the words “organic” & “chemically treated” meant to be used in the same sentence-talk about a contrasting juxtaposition!

Recommended Coconut Water & Meat in NYC:

1. Exotic Superfoods is a small company that delivers organic, chemical free &  raw young thai coconut water, meat & more to businesses and residents in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Since I live in NJ I just meet them somewhere in NYC. They deliver both the meat and water separately in plastic bottles and bags. They claim that the plastic is leach free so I guess at this point I have to take that in good faith. The coconut water is a bit too sweet for my taste but it’s all relative. They are able to sell organic young thai coconuts that are free from any chemicals by freezing their water & meat before they ship them to the US from Thailand.

2. I recently heard from googling that Fairway in NYC sells green coconuts which I will have to look into and give an update at a later time. If anyone knows more about this feel free to post below!

Recommended Coconut Water & Meat in FL:

I found two places in Florida that sell local organic green coconut water. The good news is that both places literally cut the green coconut off from the tree and either package them as is or pour them into leach-free plastic bottles and it tastes amazing! The bad news is you have to pay for shipping and the bottled ones have to come frozen and shipping costs are not cheap.

1. Glaser Farms in Miami is known for its famous raw products and organic farmers market which is every Saturday where they have a huge variety of everything fresh and dry that you can think of! They also sell organic green coconut water-they grow their green coconuts on their organic farm in Miami and ship it overnight (if you’re not in the Miami area) in frozen bottles. If you decide to order from them I highly recommend ordering their frozen ice cream. Here is their website if you are interested: http://glaserorganicfarms.com

2. Another place in Miami that sells organic green coconut water is an organic farm that ships the coconuts to you! You can see the actual farm and meet the owner who sells them in the below video or by checking out his website. You can’t get it more fresh than this-the only thing is that because he ships the whole coconut you get less water than with Glaser farm or exotic superfoods but the price is still decent & it would be cool as an occasional treat or if you want to use them for a party! You can also order a green coconut opener which opens it in seconds from his website. Here is the website if you are interested in ordering both the coconuts and the coconut opener: http://www.florida-coconuts.com If you happen to visit or live in Miami you can actually pick them up from the farm and I remember the owner offering to bottle the coconut water for me when I called him up beforehand.

This was my second raw food training session with Eric Levinson, a raw food Chef and wellness consultant who is now working on forming a community in Brooklyn that promotes sustainable living. Every time I meet with Eric I am astounded as to how many amazingly delicious raw food recipes he can create that are so easy to make! I first heard about him when he worked as a raw food chef at Sproutcraft cafe, a raw food restaurant that he opened in NYC and I would go almost every week for his delicious dishes that were so addictive it was surprising how healthy they were.

One of my favorite recipes is his raw salsa wrap which turned out so good-I can’t wait to make them again! You can check out the raw salsa wrap video below. There is also the mouth watering coconut meat wrap recipe also in the below video.

Eric focuses on the most sustainable and affordable way to live on the raw food lifestyle which he says can still be very enjoyable and in some ways healthier for you. In the vids below Eric talks about how some raw foods like superfoods and certain nuts can be costly and don’t support a green lifestyle since they have to ship them here from all over the world. Eric also shares how he discovered a way to keep his candida and allergies under control. I am looking forward to continuing to learn and train with Eric in the future and can’t wait to see what new manifestations will sprout into existence from his new endeavors!

To learn more about Eric’s sustainable community go to: www.hivebk.wordpress.com or you can contact him via email at permayogi@gmail.com

It’s not common to find a vegan restaurant on the upper west side now a days let alone one that carries raw food dishes! Peace Food Cafe has a soothing atmosphere with a neo-cultural ambiance including people of all ages enjoying the great variety of food being offered. In the picture below I got a raw walnut pate & seasonal julienne vegetables sushi roll, served with a jicama-carrot medley which was flavorful and filling. For dessert I got the raw key lime pie with young coconut meat, avocado, cashews, lime juice & agave in a crust made with brazilian nuts, almonds & dates. They also have great smoothies, juices and salads that you can enjoy! Their staff was pretty accommodating with customizing the dishes according to my dietary needs. I also tried the roasted japanese pumpkin dish which they put on a bed of lettuce for me instead of the sandwich it normally comes in. This dish also comes with vegan goat cheese made from cashews-Yum! One of the most memorable moments for me was seeing that adorable little girl (in the above picture) with her dog waiting for her father outside of the cafe! Overall, I’m happy to know that I have a place to eat when I’m hanging out on the upper west side. Watch my vid below to meet the owner.

You can also check out their menu and read more about them  on their website: http://www.peacefoodcafe.com

Meet the Sweet Owner at Peace Food Cafe in NYC

This is my latest discovery in the raw food world! As soon as I stepped foot into this restaurant which had amazing vibes all I wanted to do was take the next flight to Jamaica maan! The cooler thing about this place is that the day that we happened to be there the owner was raising money for people in Haiti and was taking donations from customers. They also had live music-you can see the guitarist and his eccentric guitar in the above right picture. As soon as my friends and I sat down the owner and his crew made us feel like we were part of the  family-maybe because the whole place is run by family members;-) The Carribean style raw food was flavorful and satisfying and the owner trained with one of the top raw foodists in the country-Aris Latham at http://sunfired.com/ whom I will also be training with in Panama next week! Overall the food was delicious and the people were super friendly and warm so I would definitely recommend checking it out. My favorites: almond milk, zuchinni chips, curry plantains & the kale and pear salad. Their website www.rawstarcafe.com is currently under construction but they are located on 687 Washington Avenue between St. Marks and Prospect in Brooklyn, NY and can be reached at 718-975-0304. In the two videos below you will see my friend Rachel’s reaction to eating raw food for the first time and an interview with the owner all at Raw Star cafe! That whole experience was like stepping into a whole new realm of existence without having to travel too far from home! Enjoy the below vids and let me know what you think either by commenting below or on youtube!

John Schott owns a raw food restaurant in Miami, FL: www.lifefoodgourmet.com that serves some of my all time favorite raw food dishes including his burger, nori chips, hemp shakes, and chocolate mousse. John and his manager have also been super  amazing about customizing the dishes to accommodate my dietary restrictions like replacing agave with sweeteners that are candida-friendly like palm sugar. Life food gourmet is very passionate about what they do and after getting to know them better and training with John I’ve come to recognize that their greatest goal in running their restaurant is to help people on their healing journey. In the below interview John speaks about how his special meal plans that he offers his customers have helped them lose weight and heal from several physical and emotional issues. When I had the private training with John I was so inspired by his vast knowledge and cutting edge information about living a holistic life. John’s tendency towards getting to the core of the matter is very exciting. He cuts through all of the egotistical nonsense and focuses on what’s really important when it comes to healing. I couldn’t believe how much I learned from the two days that I spent training with him but it was so much more than learning about raw food! We spoke about permaculture, bio-dynamic practices, wild food, iridology, sustainable living, figuring out your genetic and lifestyle blueprints to determine what you need to be eating, his experience training with Dr. David Jubbs-a raw food revolutionist, what getting back to nature really means and so much more! You can watch my interview with him below! Warning: you might want to take notes;-)