My trip to New York was in one word… ravishing! Even though my favorite store Westerly was closed due to renovations and Raw Soul is no longer active as a restaurant I was delighted by the new places I discovered and the known ones I re-visited.

I was sitting in a Starbuck cafe drinking a mint tea, looking at people passing by and thought; “Let me count how many people on ten are overweighed.” I was shocked that the number was “ten” during that next minute. How ironic and sad to see this in a city were magnificent whole food stores are within reach behind every corner, where organic and raw foods are for sale in many supermarkets and lovely specialized stores, where communities are organizing themselves to sell organically, locally grown produce at affordable prices.

New York is full of opportunities to make healthy choices. My dear friend guided me through town from South to North so I could write about these lovely places. This healthy raw food tour will show you where to go if you are living in this wonderful city. Or if you are raw and visiting New York but don’t know where to go to, then be my guest and put your teeth in the juiciest, biggest apple you ever had…

THE ORGANIC AVENUE

“Welcome to the Space of Love” it says on the blackboard at the door of 116, Suffolk Street. And oh my, you do feel welcome between all the lovely bottled juices, alkaline water, superfoods, friendly smiles, the beautiful bar, the inviting wooden table. The space is grand, clean, simple, tasteful, peaceful and perfect for the many events the Organic Avenue organizes. In April for instance, you can join them for a three day long workshop with James Russell. I wish I was there!

I talked to the lady of the house and when she heard that I am a raw food coach she invited me to organize one of my events at her place. I was, AM thrilled and so looking forward to giving my first raw food workshop in New York.

But a lot more is going on at the Organic Avenue. They make gorgeous juices and smoothies. You want to do a cleanse but have no juicer? Order your cleanse and it will be delivered right at your door in a cool box. You can’t get confused; the bottles are numbered and you don’t have to worry about anything. It can’t get much easier than that!

The Organic Avenue has charming cafés and shops all over town, you can check out the locations here, they are within everybody’s reach. My dear friend who guided me and I enjoyed a wonderful mint smoothie in a cute bottle and went off to the next stop.

Ramson

After some tempting recipes I would like to write more about what Raw food is really about. Going Green is a challenging and life changing action. At least if you are convinced that this is what you want. But how can you know for sure?

There is a reason why you are reading this raw food blog. You might have been going through certain issues lately for which you are looking for a solution, although you aren’t sure yet where to look or what to look for. You have come to a point where you have felt and thought: “Enough is enough!” This is your moment, the point of no return. And no matter how frustrating or sad or angry this moment might have felt for you, it is the best thing that could happen to you right now. It is not healthy to live a life that doesn’t fit you. And it sure isn’t healthy you are eating food that doesn’t feed you. So this is one reason why and how you can be sure you want CHANGE. But what change? And…

“How can food change my whole life?”

Rejuvelac With Lime & Mint

Raw food is so much more than a diet. It is not about counting calories, not about guilt when you eat a dessert that you are really enjoying, not about doubts when you had a wonderful meal. Raw food is much more than the food you are eating. It is a lifestyle and a personal journey that takes you much further than you would have ever expected. Becoming aware of yourself, taking responsibility of your body and soul will open many new doors and opportunities to live your dreams. So let’s go…

In 5 steps from S.A.D. to RAW

1. Your starting point is the most important step. To find the right commitment you have to know why exactly you want to do this. Knowing where you are starting from is your motivation that will support your engagement throughout your raw journey. WHY do you want to eat raw? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to feel energized as never before? Are you fighting disease? Do you want to live healthy and more consciously? Do you want to feel more connected to yourself? Find out and write it down.
2. A very EXCITING step is finding out more about raw food and seeing all the possibilities you never expected. Discover this new world of ravishing food and read, read, read. The more you know the more you will be drawn to living your life healthy. Knowledge will guide you through your transition.
3. It’s time to take ACTION and MAKE YOUR KITCHEN COME ALIVE! Throw out everything that might tempt you or can sabotage your raw food track. Find out which equipment you need first to make your whole kitchen set up successful. Reward yourself by investing in quality tools that make it easier and real fun to work with. This is a step you will really enjoy and makes your thoughts and search much more tangible!
4. PLAYTIME! Plan your menu’s, try out recipes, create your very own, soak & sprout and make your own living foods, surprise friends and family with your first chocolates or raw pie -of which they will never even suspect it hasn’t seen the oven-. Enjoy and have fun with these ravishing foods that makes YOU come alive!
5. You gained so much ENERGY, you are getting the GLOW, you are feeling amazingly STRONG. Raw food brought you to a new level in your health, physically and mentally. But this is just the beginning. There are many levels you can go through and it is all up to you how far you want to go. Each level will bring you higher up in your raw journey with each its own challenges and surprises. You have now the STRENGTH to make the things happen you always dreamed of. Your transformation has started.

These are the five steps that will bring more clarity on where you can start. There is much more to come. Now you know WHERE to start, you will certainly want to know HOW to start. Keep an eye on my blog. I will tell you soon. Meanwhile, take some time to think about what I wrote, prepare your journey and enjoy your thoughts that will bring you closer to your radiant health!

Step-By-Step