Where do I Shop for all those healthy organic raw foods and supplements anyway?

   So you're finally getting on a health kick and maybe even took the extra plunge into going vegan and raw.  Only problem is you don't know where to find all these speciality ingredients to make savory recipes or find the high quality supplements that are not commonly sold at most health food stores.   Well being the savvy health food shopper I am...I'm going to save you a lot of energy and get you in the loop.  I will note that major metropolitan cities are far more likely to have a larger selection than smaller cities in the middle of nowhere.  But that doesn't mean you cannot ever get your hands on unpasteurized raw coconut or superfoods.  What it does mean is you might just have to resort to a bit more online shopping than us city dwellers.   With that said, even though I live in new york city, I still do quite a bit of my shopping online- simple because I find the cost/quality of products beats out the local competition.

As far as Healthfood Stores and Supermarkets go- you may be surprised to find out that Whole Foods Market and Trader Joes are not on the top of my list for shopping at.  In fact, I would argue to avoid Trader Joe's completely since all the research I have done on them indicates they're are fraudulently organic.  If you don't believe me then how is that they can charge $5 for a whole bag of "organic avocados" that are not ripe and somehow stay fresh and like new for 3 plus months? - that just doesn't happen with any other organic avocados I have bought from other organic stores.   Both stores were under controversy in recent years.   

Check out this article posted on Natural News (whole foods censorship gmo labeling) and this one revealing that greed seems to have won the hearts of Whole Foods Market owners (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22449.cfm) 
and also the eco myth of trader joes

So now I will go into where to shop for groceries/produce:

In New York City:

*Lifethyme Organic Market- 410 6th Ave (@ 9th street) www.lifethymemarket.com In my opinion, this market has the some the freshest and highest quality not to mention diversified organic produce around.  They often source from local organic farmers as well.  In the last few years their prices seemed to sky rocket so I have not done nearly the shopping I have in the past in recent years but I still support them.  The second floor of the market has a sit down area and bodycare dept.   They also have organic buffet, juice bar, and deli on the premise with various vegan options ( However I personally do not care for any of the food they prepare raw or not.  So I would recommend to buy prepared raw food elsewhere.)  

Westerly Natural Market-913 8th ave (@54th st) www.westerlynaturalmarket.com  I frequent this market the most of all.  Mainly because its convenient and more importantly open extra late- til 12am everyday!  Excellent customer service as every employee is upbeat.  They have a great selection of raw food snack foods from vivapura, sunfoods, lydias, gone raw, nopals, exotic superfoods, Juice Press, etc.   And they have sales fairly often on various items.   Also if you sign up for their mailing list you get a $5 off coupon monthly to put towards large purchases.  They do have a juice bar in the back of the store as well as prepared soup buffet.  

Commodities Market- 165 1st ave (by 10th street) www.commoditiesnaturalmarket.com  For those of you who are based in the Lower East Side.  This should be your place.   Although extremely tiny- they have high quality I believe also locally grown produce and lots of exotic organic fruits you don't see elsewhere.   Definitely worth stopping in. 

*Integral Yoga Foods- 229 West 13th street www.integralyoganaturalfoods.com  Associated with the every popular Integral Yoga next door. This spot also has a great selection of locally grown whenever possible organic produce that priced reasonable.  Their skincare also is impressive with more exclusive selection of products like my favored Morrocco Method line for example.  They do carry a small selection of prepared fresh raw food items as well or vegan desserts that can be found in their juice bar.

Gary Null's Uptown Whole Foods- 2421 Broadway (@ 89th st) This spot first started by the famed health guru Gary Null is still around and like Westerly also open fairly late.   A good selection of organic produce but definitely more pricey.   They don't have as much raw food speciality items however.  I would also recommend that you do NOT purchase raw nuts and seeds from here as I'm discovering that most are rancid from either being stored to long or not refridgerated.

The Health Nuts- Various locations (but my fav 1208 2nd Ave) While I wouldn't recommend buying the bulk of your fresh produce here, I would definitely recommend them for supplements and speciality raw food snacks and treats as they have a large selection of each.  

*Union Square Farmer's Market- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from 11am to 5pm.   I love shopping at the farmer's market- particularly in spring/summer.  I drop my food scraps off once a month to the Lower East Side Ecology Center.  And I buy from Norwich Farms the freshest produce.  Plus or minus one or two others- most of the other farmers are not certified organic so definitely do your research and ask the right questions if you're in doubt. 

Fairway Market- 2127 Broadway (@ 74th street) or 2328 12th ave (@123rd st) This was one of the first places I discovered when I moved up the city a few years back.  Fresh fruit sits outside the store in big bins daily.   Upstairs has the organic food selection which is fairly basic (think whole foods selection) so not as much exotic organic food items.  But its a decent place to check out.  

Washington D.C:

Yes! Organic Market- (Various locations in D.C area) www.yesorganicmarket.com  I found out about this chain the end of last year when I was visiting my aunt for thanksgiving in Northeast DC.  Its a cute little market with pretty good selection of organic foods and raw food snacks to be found.   They also have some fresh prepared food to choose from.

Wilmington, North Carolina:

Tidal Creek Co-op Market- 5329 Oleander Dr. - A good place to shop for your organic food which is mostly locally harvested.  Their raw food selection is limited but I'm going to see about getting them diversified. 
Lovey's- 1319 Military Cutoff Suite H.  Another boutique thats a bit smaller so not as much fresh produce but has a nice cafe of healthy foods to eat at.  

Outside the U.S:

Planet Organic (Various locations in Western Canada) www.planetorganic.ca - I first was introduced to this place by my boyfriend at the time whom lived in Edmonton, Canada.   He knew how much of a health nut I was and decided to research organic markets.  And lucky for me this one was walking distance from where he lived.  Its fairly well kept but don't be expecting to see nearly the selection of organic produce you see in the states here.  Also the prices are quite a bit higher in Canada verses the USA.  They have limited raw food speciality items but you should be able to find at the very least your bare bone veggies and raw nuts/seeds. 

* denotes my top picks for produce shopping.  

Raw Food Speciality Stores:

Live Live- (261 East 10th Street) www.live-live.com Located right next to the popular raw food restaurant Quintessence in Lower East Side.  This boutique carries a diverse variety of some of the highest quality supplements, gourmet raw foods, superfoods, kitchen prep tools, skincare, and bee products (the owners are bee keepers).  Being that they are a boutique they are a bit pricier than other retailers so I limit my shopping to items I wouldnt find elsewhere like the RMS makeup, simple divine skincare, bee yummy products (which they created), Premier Research Labs supplements, and Living Tree Olive Oil.

High Vibe- (138 E 3rd street) www.highvibe.com Another boutique in Lower East Side and very reasonable priced.   They package their own raw foods.   I especially like buying my raw nuts here because they are good about keeping their supply refridgerated so they don't go rancid.

One lucky duck- (125 E 17th street and at Chelsea Market) www.oneluckyduck.com This is the juice bar side to Pure Food and Wine.  But they sell a variety of their recipes handmade raw food cookies/cereals/crackers/cheeses and few select high quality supplements as well as skincare.  You can also purchase the goodies straight from their website.

Juice Press-juicepress.com As I mentioned in my previous post- this is my fav organic raw juice bar.  You can also stock up on organic raw nuts and seeds if you want to pay a slightly higher premium to take with you on the go.

Organic Avenue-  www.organicavenue.com They sell a variety of local raw food vendors premade fresh and dehydrated goodies including but not limited to Organic Avenue brand, Rockin Raw, The Squeeze, Gnosis chocolate,  and Fine and Raw.  A good tip is to catch them when they have sales on fresh items soon to expire they mark down 30% at select locations.


My Favorite Online Retailers:

Raw Food World-  www.rawfoodworld.com.   This site was created by long time raw foodie Matt Monarch.  He and his wife Angela Stokes-Monarch run a popular internet tv show discussing a variety of topics.  Matt was actually the person who first got me into the raw food diet.   I found his site a huge help when I was living outside a metropolitan city and had limited access to popular raw food prep ingredients, supplements, kitchen tools etc.   In the last few years Matt came around a started to offering monthly at cost specials from a variety of vendors to his customers.  So definitely suscribe to their emails so you can get ahold of these sales.  I have purchase organic raw tahini, stevia, marine phytoplankton, chinese herbs, toothsoap, nuts, nut butters, b12 patches, etc for a fraction of what they would cost normally when I caught them on his sales during the month.  Additionally if you type Honeymoon in the promo code you can get 7% off every time you order.   I will forewarn you that the only downside is the items take quite a bit of time to actually ship out and shipping can be expensive since they don't comp that no matter the amount you order.

Vivapura- www.vivapura.comThis raw food company is based in beautiful arizona and carries the highest quality raw organic non- gmo nuts/seeds/superfoods.   My top picks that I have gotten friends addicted too are their Australian Bee Pollen (harvested only twice a year and doesnt need refrigeration, Styrian Pumpkin Seeds,  manukka raisins (the non-hybrid version of raisins that still have their seed), and spirulina crunchies.  

Natural Zing- www.naturalzing.com  This is another good site to purchase raw food prep supplies- particularly if you are a chef officiando and want to purchase bulk quantities.   They aren't nearly as diversified in products as raw food world but do offer cheaper shipping rates and larger sizes of various food items.

Longevity Warehouse:  www.longevitywarehouse.com  This website belongs to the Raw food guru David Avocado Wolfe.  You can find the famed earthling grounding technology, chinese herbs, raw superfoods, raw skincare, and purchase tickets straight from his site for upcoming longevity now conferences.

Integral Yoga Foods Organic Produce Section

Young Living Oils: www.youngliving.us This is the direct website to the purest and unadulterated essential oils there is on the market.  You can purchase at retail costs directly from the site or become a member through another member (such as myself so contact me if interested) and enjoy discounted rates on all products.   My top picks so far are peppermint, peace and calming, lavender, valor, thieves products, and clarity blends.

Premier Research Labs: www.prlabs.com  Famed doctor Gary Marshall created the highest quality excipient free supplement line utilizing the highest quality organic food and superfoods.  Dr. Gabriel Cousens and local holistic doctors alike prefer this line to use with their clients.  I personally love the Liquid B-Complex,  Allicidin (equivelent to taking 40 cloves of garlic without the taste of garlic), Betaine HCL (derived from Beets), Digest, sea salt blend, and their coconut oil.   Longevity warehouse, Live Live, and natural zing all carry a few of their products.