We Like It Raw

Synthetics drugs and proprietary economics

2009-01-04T20:54:05-05:00

An excerpt from Medicinal Plants and the Pharmaceutical Industry, an article by James A. Duke from the Center for New Crops & Plant Products, at Purdue University. Circa 1993.

American consumers want natural drugs, believing natural drugs are safer than synthetics. The pharmaceutical firms seem to prefer synthetics or semisynthetics, in part due to proprietary economic reasons. The health of the drug company by necessity must concern the drug company before the health of the consumer. As noted in a recent International Trade Commission Study, "Between 1976 and 1990, the cost of developing a pharmaceutical product in the US increased from $54 million to $231 million. Only one out of every 4,000-10,000 compounds discovered can be marketed commercially--after which a company has less than ten years to partially recoup its R&D investment before its patent expires and generic manufacturers enter the market or a me-too drug is created by a competitor" (Chemical Marketing Reporter 1991). Such investments may lead pharmaceutical firms to prefer a proprietary synthetic or semisynthetic to a relatively less proprietary herbal or natural product.

American pharmaceutical firms often seek the semisynthetic and avoid the natural compound, when, at least in some cases, the natural compound might be best. The pharmaceutical firm must consider several attributes including, safety, efficacy, reproducibility of results, patentability, and profitability. With at least $7,000 in public relations directed to each physician in this country by the pharmaceutical firms, the physicians may reflect the same priorities as the pharmaceutical firms. Consumers, National Institute of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and the government as a whole should seek the safest, cheapest, most efficacious drugs. Often, these could prove to be standardized herbs or relatively unpatentable natural products, placing the drug companies and the consumers and government's interests in conflict. More than 10% of Americans can't even afford modern medicine and/or insurance. Farnsworth (1990) estimates that about 64% of the world's population or 3.2 billion people use plants as drugs (largely unable to afford modern medicine). If their drugs are worth as much to them economically as modern medicine is to Americans, these plants are worth trillions of dollars.

Takeaways:

It's against the law to patent a natural plant
To make money pharmaceutical firms seek to create synthetic drugs based on the properties of natural plants
Most natural plants work far better than their synthetic counterparts
Pharmaceutical are in the business of making money, so it's up to the public to get educated about what really works
Well meaning MDs and Docs don't stand a chance against the marketing budgets of big pharma

Mountain Rose Herbs voted Green Business of the Year

2009-01-03T14:44:37-05:00

Note: I wrote this post and then realized that the Green Business of the Year award was announced back in November. I'm a little late with this news, but none the less my appreciation still stands.

Original Post

I first heard about Mountain Rose Herbs from herbalist/alchemist Daniel Vitalis. Daniel does most of his bulk herb purchasing from MRH because the company has such a commitment to quality products, affordable pricing, fare trade and the organic movement.

Upon hearing Daniel's recommendation I tried a few of their products and was immediately sold. I've now been using MRH products in my daily Elixirs for about 5 months.

This morning I got a Facebook message from Green America (formally Co-Op America) that gave me another reason to love MRH even more:

Our 2008 People’s Choice Award

What better way to celebrate the new year, but through celebrating the best of 2008. The votes are in and the people have spoken! Congratulations to the winner of our fourth annual People’s Choice Award for Green Business of the Year- Mountain Rose Herbs.

Mountain Rose Herbs is an amazing business. A member of our Green Business Network for 17 years, Mountain Rose has grown from a one-woman living-room operation in the late 1980s to a remarkably sustainable mail-order company employing 60 full-time employees in Eugene, OR. Mountain Rose’s products are truly green, with a commitment to sourcing only 100-percent organic herbs since 2001, in addition to pioneering the sale of Fair Trade Certified™ herbs in the US.

But beyond their product, everything about Mountain Rose is deeply, deeply GREEN.

The entire company produces less than 80 gallons of waste per month (the equivalent of a four-person household), and staff are committed to the ultimate goal of zero waste. Mountain Rose makes deliveries in a fleet of trucks running on 100-percent locally produced recycled biodiesel, and even at their desks in the office, Mountain Rose employees are using recycled office supplies and energy-efficient computers.

They are the real deal, and a true asset to Green America.

I love hearing stories of small business success. I love hearing stories of small green business success even more.

Congratulations to the team at Mountain Rose Herbs. We wish you continued success in 2009.

My Way: Rishi Kumar

2009-01-01T23:22:01-05:00

This week's My Way feature comes to us from blogger, pro-am Indian chef and student, Rishi Kumar. Together Rishi and his brother Rohit make up the dynamic Roshi's Raw Lifestyle team. Rishi lives the life of a spiritual player (practicing yoga and making raw Indian recipes) in Southern California.

My Way: Rishi Kumar

When Dhrumil asked me to write a My Way article, I was super excited. I sat down a few days later to get it started, and that's when I realized the following: after two and half years of being a raw foodist, I couldn't exactly say what "my way" was.

During my first year or so on a near 100% raw diet, I felt really great. I was as strict as I could be, and firmly believed that the closer I came to an absolute raw diet, the healthier I would become.

When I got sick for a month during the winter, I kept telling myself I was detoxing. When it happened again the next year, I started to rethink things a bit.

So I kept adjusting my diet, looking for that magic combo of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that would leave me in that perfect balance of health, but never finding it.

Now, in my third year of being involved in raw, I've learned a few things. Most importantly, everyone individual is different. That sounds like an obvious statement, but its really important to understand. Some people turn to a raw diet and never get sick. Some people live off meat and bread and never get sick. The reality is that each person is different and will react to everything differently. It's more important to try things out for yourself and see what works for you.

So for now, *my way* is just to eat things that I feel like eating. Most of the time that still means a bowl of fruit or salad, but it can also be a hot plate of Indian food--roti and dhaal (or mashed potatoes, mmmmmm). For me, the most important thing right now is not to stress it so much, and just be grateful to God for whatever I have.

But remember, my way is my way, so go find your own way! ;)

Tuesday
I woke up a bit late ~9ish, and after having a tall glass of fresh orange juice, I got myself out to the garden. I spent a few ours ours digging away, working on my next big project. I'm not gonna let too much out about it here, but I'll just say I'm super excited about it. Lunch was big cabbage salad with all sorts of toppings like sprouted black-eyed peas, home-made sauerkraut, and sun-brewed fresh pickles. After that it was back in the garden for another few hours. Got back inside around 4ish, and started to get ready for dinner out with my friends to celebrate my birthday. I completely underestimated how many people would show, so we had to cram 18 of us into a great vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Rowland Heights called Happy Veggie Garden. Because my bday is during the holidays, it's the one day that all of us get together for sure each year, so its become somewhat of an event. Always something I look forward to each year.

Wednesday
After waking up to find my hometown covered in clouds, I fell back asleep for another hour or so. I was so stressed out during my last 3 weeks of school that sleeping in till 9 or 10 feels amazing now. Rain and cold that us So Cal people aren't used to kept me out of the garden. I stayed inside and kept myself warm with lots of Ayurvedic tea. Lunch was a light vegetable soup with a tomato base and chopped carrots, celery, corn, and peppers. Next I spent a little time working on my other projects (like the new series of Pranayama videos just posted on roshis.com). After that I sat down with the "Heart of Yoga" by TKV Desikachar, to read his translation of the Yoga Sutra. Beautiful book. Dinner with the family. Finding beauty in the gloomy clouds.

Thursday
I woke up early to celebrate my second decade of life. The birds sang for me as for a few minutes, but left with the coming clouds. I peeled two pumelos and made a persimmon shake for breakfast. Spent most of the day on the couch with my family. We read, talked, and just enjoyed being for the few days we can each year. Lunch was a lettuce salad topped with sauerkraut, tomatoes, sprouts, and a basil-tomato dressing. For dinner moms said she'd make anything I wanted. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Absolute best holiday food for me. Finished the night by watching a documentary called "The Take." Its about the growing cooperative movement sprouting in Argentina in response to growing government corruption. You can check it out here.

Friday
Clouds rolled away for a bit, and I found myself back in the garden. A few hours of work in the morning, and I was pooped. Felt like I definitely needed some sugar, so lunch was just a big bowl of citrus and homegrown bananas. Spent the afternoon working on filming Pranayama videos. At night, went for a Lady's Sangeet (traditional Indian pre-wedding ceremony) for my elder cousin and his fiancee. Lots of loud music and dancing (bhangra baby!), definitely my scene. Came back and collapsed into bed after having a glass of cinammon/cardmamom/fennel/clove/ghee/honey tea.

Saturday
Woke up to find my legs sore from all the dancing. Still, after a nice glass of carrot/orange juice, I found myself in the backyard again. After the shovel had sufficiently torn up my hands, I came back inside for lunch. It was still really cold outside, so the family and I had a nice hot vegetable soup, similar to the one from Wednesday. At 2, we left for my cousins wedding ceremony. I packed some bananas/nuts/dates for the long night ahead. The ceremony was beautiful, and the panditji (Hindu priest) explained all the intricacies of the ceremony. The woman always chooses the man, he said, not the other way around. After the ceremony, we headed to a banquet hall for the reception. Punjabi wedding reception = Bhangra till you fall. Super duper fun.

Sunday
Opened my eyes to see my clocks hands hitting 10:30. Really tired from a night of dancing. Nothing to refresh the body like 30 minutes of pranayama (before food, of course). Spent most of the day working on Roshi's, Pranayama videos, and few other projects. Lunch was home-made dhaal, palak paneer, and roti. Ooph, heavy. Took a walk around the neighborhood to let the food settle and take in the sights. Enjoying the time I have away from studies to pursue my passions.

Rishi Kumar is a blogger, student and spiritual player. He blogs at roshis.com

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T12:13:31-05:00

Thank you for your readership and your friendship.

Happy New Year from Dhrumil and the We Like It Raw squad.

p.s. Check out the Best of Raw 2008 Winners here

Philip's Memories from 2008

2008-12-30T13:06:13-05:00

What a beautiful and glorious journey this life is. I am so glad that I chose be a part of it. ; )

As this year comes to an end I can't help but feel so much gratitude...

Gratitude for this amazing community that I have seen grow, and is so dear to my heart. Gratitude for those that have supported me online on the dozen different sites I update. Gratitude for those that have opened up their homes to me on my travels.

But most importantly, Gratitude for those that have opened up their hearts. Your love is felt and appreciated. Together we are creating heaven on earth.

Please enjoy some of my Memories of 2008:

Jan 3rd: Daily Affirmation Video

Jan 15th: WeLikeItRaw Crew hosted Gabriel Cousens in NYC

Jan 19th: Gave my first lecture at Arnold's Way in PA.

Jan 18th: Interview with We Like It Raw

Jan 23rd: Begin my 100-Day Juice Feast (pic above)

March 3rd: Fasting from Speaking

March 13th: Garam Masala We Like It Raw Poconos Retreat (above)

March 13: "A Day in the Life of Philip McCluskey" Article

March 18th: Lovingraw.com 1 yr Anniversary

March 21st: Removed 12 mercury fillings from my mouth

March 29th: Spoke at Successfully Raw with Karen Knowler and WLIR Crew (above)

April 17th: Spoke at Veggie Magic, met Jenna Norwood & Harvey Diamond (above)

April 26th: Spoke at Catch a Health Habit in CT

May 1st: 2 yr raw anniversary / Finished 100-Day Juice Feast / Released nearly 200 lbs

May 2nd: Chocolate Party thrown for me by Gnosis Chocolate & WLIR (above)

May 20th: Flight to London for first International lecture. Part 2

May 25th: Hanging with Shazzie, Karen Knower, Kate Magic Part 2, 3, 4

June 11th: Hosted a Give It To Me Raw dinner in San Fran. Part 2, 3 (above)

June 23rd: The Cali tour continue to Ojai with Matt Monarch Part 2

June 26th: Hosted a Give It To Me Raw dinner in Los Angeles. Part 2 (above)

July 25th: On staff as food prep for David Wolfe Toronto Retreat

July 26th: Spoke at Conscious Living Festival in Alaska (above)

Aug 13th: Visited Woodstock, NY for a vacation. Look at this treasure! (above)

Aug 23rd: Visited Jenny from Maine for a vacation.

Sept 5th: Spoke at Simply Raw Festival in Ottawa, Canada. Part 2

Sept 12th: Spoke at the Raw Spirit Festival in Sedona (above)

Sept 16th: Back to Santa Monica and dinner at Au Lac with friends.

Oct 14th: My Raw Family Video

Oct 15th: Live on CBS show "The Doctors" in LA. (above)

Oct 18th: San Francisco Dinner Bash.

Oct 24th: San Luis Obispo Dinner

Oct 25th: Los Angeles lecture and dinner party at Au Lac

Oct 29th: Attended Journey's For the Soul Eden Hot Springs Event

Nov 18th: Visiting friends in Florida

Dec 13th: Birthday party for Chocolate Girl at COSM (above)

So... 25 flights and 132 blog posts later, I bid goodbye to 2008.

It was the best year ever - but I got a feeling next year may top that!

The proof is in the pudding. Raw works. My life works.
Everything is perfect. Happy New Years.

All my love,
Philip

Sunday Listening: Podcast Recomendations

2008-12-28T13:54:11-05:00

Sunday is a fantastic day to relax, recoup and prepare for the week ahead. On Sundays, while cleaning, making food or planning, one of my most favorite things to do is to listen to educational and inspirational audio. Here is what I'm listening to today:

The Buddha in the World: Krista Tippett interviews Indian journalist Pankaj Mishra about the life of the Buddha. Mishra pursued the history and meaning of the Buddha, not as a religious figure but as a critical social thinker relevant to our time. Listen here

Choice: RadioLab goes on a journey around the country to understand how emotion and logic interact to guide us through our options. They ponder how people get through the million choices and decisions they make every day. Listen here

Toxic Chemicals In The Home: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, interviews Debra Lynn Dadd, a top author and expert on toxic chemicals and green living. Dadd shares fascinating information on toxic chemicals that may be lurking in your home right now (and what you can use that's clean and green instead!) Listen here

Mexican Collard Wrap by Andrea Primm

2008-12-26T22:30:45-05:00

Chef Andrea Primm makes a simple collard wrap. More videos from Andrea here.

Raw Refried Beans Part 1 and Part 2

p.s. I'm loving all the new faces I'm seeing on video. The birth of the Flip and Flip-like cameras has made video producing easier than ever. If you have a good personality, and the heart of a teacher, I think having a video blog is a much better route than a text based blog. I'm every excited to see what awaits us in 2009.

My Way: Lori Painter

2008-12-22T22:07:08-05:00

This week's My Way feature comes to us from health and wellness practitioner Lori Painter. Lori is the author of the very educational and extremely entertaining blog, Inspire 2 Act. In addition to her health enthusiasm, Lori is passionate about the eco living, working out and raising her two lovely kids, Alex and Megan. Lori and her family live in Southern California.

My Way: Lori Painter

Just my luck that Dhrumil asked my to be featured in "My Way" when it is winter, rainy and cold (which is rare) in Southern California. It only makes eating 100% raw more of a challenge. However, instead of eating totally raw, I have decided in the winter months to focus on hydration, greens and eating fruits and veggies versus too many gourmet recipes. I'm still working on using food to feed my emotional needs. Since I belong to an organic produce buying club, my meals tend to be very simple and repetitive. It depends on what is in season. Each week it is a little different. This is how I do things My Way.

Monday
Off to the gym to earn my breakfast. I shower from the inside out in the sauna and visualize my dream day! Today's menu consists of simple monofoods: breakfast is 2 apples and a banana, Lunch is a green salad with an avocado based dressing. I am sure to get my daily 4 quarts of water in too. I check online messages and correspond accordingly, watch some YouTube subscriptions and post a little twitter.

Tuesday
It's cold & raining. I opt to make a homemade veggie soup and green salad to munch on all day.

After gymnastics, the kids and I all write blogs and take video footage for upcoming posts to our websites. I have a great chat with my web designer and act like I know what she is talking about when she uses technical jargon. I realize I have so much to learn when it comes to creating a business online. I feel inspired to get my kids going now with an online presence. They are never to young to get in on the online world and share their perspective. We play and set up twitter accounts for them as well as blogspots. After dinner consisting of a massaged green salad I head out to take a Latin dance class.

Wednesday
It's raining & cold outside and I don't hit the gym first thing. Instead I eat a steamed yam for breakfast and cuddle up in bed with my kids for some home school lessons. My kids are brilliant without all the social conditioning. I feel that I am here to recognize their passions and support them in their life. Of course I emphasize on entrepreneurship and finances along with healthy living. Part of their curriculum is to visualize and keep a gratitude journal. I want them to be self reliant and have a healthy perspective on life. Actually, they are great reminders to have more fun in life! Lunch is another massaged greens salad while dinner is a steamed yam. After dinner is kickboxing. I am drenched! Mission accomplished!

Thursday
My day starts at the gym. Today's menu 3 quarts of water, clementines and apples, a banana. Dinner is veggie soup and a salad. My kids and I set it up an herb garden. Snowboarding season is here so I write up a workout plan including lots of balance, ankle and leg strength for myself and my kids so we can be ready for the slopes. I am noticing a huge success with drinking tons of water between meals. If I require that I finish 1 1/2 qts of water between meals I tend to have less cravings & more energy. After dinner I catch myself eating steamed veggies and 2 yams (made the same way as yesterday) I ate this and I wasn't even hungry! This is another emotional eating episode.

Friday
First thing is my workout at a boot camp circuit conditioning and cycling class. My diet consists of 3 quarts of water, a green smoothie, guacamole with crudités such as cucumber, cherry tomato, celery, carrots, and a massaged green salad. My kids and I make homemade toothpaste & mouth rinse, it was awesome. However, I tried apple cider vinegar "shampoo"... YIKES, I must have done something wrong there. My eyes are burning and it smells awful. Never again! It's dinner time & I am out of greens. The sugar cravings come rolling in. I didn't have much fat earlier in the day either. UGH!!!! I binged on a brownie sundae. I really notice a difference in my cravings when I don't eat my greens. So, I go through a down period because, "I know better!" I remember that guilt is very low calibrating and so decide to forgive myself and love myself. Practice not perfection. I still am doing better than I was a year or so ago.

Saturday
Wake up about 5 am. I grab my 48 oz of water, fresh fruit and I am on the road to pick up wholesale organic produce for the participants of the IEOPBC. I feel a little lazy considering it is my "off" day from working out, but seriously, my body is feeling the impact of this weeks workouts. Most Saturdays I have a raw potluck, demo class or other health lecture that I attend, but this week is different. We went to see "Wicked" - Freaking awesome!

Lori Painter is a mom, blogger and health and wellness practitioner based in Southern California.

What are your holiday plans?

2008-12-20T20:07:36-05:00

I'm very interested to know what you plan on doing (or not doing) for the holidays. Drop us a comment and give us a little peak into your lives.

Here are some questions I have:

Do you spend this time of year with family and friends?
Do you celebrate any sort of tradition?
How does food play into it all?
Does this time of year feel like a chore for you or does it feel good?
Any meetups scheduled?
Any personal favorite healthy holiday recipes?
Things you 'look forward to and don't' this time of year?

Come on, share some love!

The Power of Community, a tale of two restaurants

2008-12-17T18:50:24-05:00

While I was in San Francisco last week I had the opportunity to visit two very well known raw/live food restaurants.

Restaurant 1 has fantastic food. Not just good food, but great food. Very gourmet and lot of attention to detail, especially when it came to their desserts.

Restaurant 2 had good food overall, and a few winners. The food didn't nearly have the "Wow!" factor of Restaurant 1, but it was still tasty and wholesome.

If it came down to just the quality of food, Restaurant 1 would have been my favorite and the favorite of the local community. But of course it's never just about the food. It's about the experience.

The Restaurant 2 Experience

When you dine at Restaurant 2 you feel like you're at a friend's house. When you walk in the door the entire staff, not just the host, welcomes you with a genuine "Hello and Welcome!"

There is nothing fancy about the interior design, but what is on the wall is there with purpose. Positive sayings, murals of people enjoying life, affirmations in the bathroom. Even if the vibe is "not your thing" it's clear that this place stands for something bold.

Sit down and you're immediately welcomed to the tribe with a "Question of the Day." Sample questions include, "What do you love about yourself" and "What do you honor about the people that you're sitting with?" Sure some people might find it corny, but again, you're reminded that this restaurant stands for something bold. This restaurant is clearly not vanilla flavored ice cream, it is more like a mint-cacao-swirl. Bold!

Take a look at your menu and you'll notice that each dish has two names. A divine name and a practical name. The divine name is a name given to each dish that allows all patrons an opportunity to participate and go deeper into the energy of the restaurant. For example, want to order the Mushroom Bruschetta? Just tell your waiter that you'd like the "I Am Present". Notice how she'll repeat, "Yes, you are present" when writing down your order. It's all part of the ritual of Restaurant 2.

Restaurant 2 also knows that it's not just about the dinning experience. They regularly have events, even though they don't make much of a profit on them. They invest in the personal development of their staff by having an opportunity each morning to host a "clearing" - a specific time for all staff members to let go of anything that's on their mind, be it personal or business related. Restaurant 2 also openly hosts opportunities for other in the industry to learn about their best practices and what makes them successful.

One of the most powerful things that Restaurant 2 does is introduce their patrons to one another. In addition to encouraging shared seating, the owners and staff quite regularly make off-the-cuff introductions, taking an opportunity to be especially welcoming to people dinning by themselves. This isn't a one time thing, this is part of their business's culture.

While Restaurant 1 has a hard time filling up on a Friday night, Restaurant 2 is busy on a Tuesday night. While Restaurant 1 has a tough time with one restaurant, Restaurant 2 is successfully managing five locations with a central kitchen.

What could Restaurant 1 learn from Restaurant 2?

Putting positive messages on the wall, having funny names for your dishes and hosting a few events isn't the point. Those are all tactics. Great things, but meaningless without a bigger strategy and a larger driving force.

The true lesson in the success of Restaurant 2 is their investment in Community.

Restaurant 2 has unapologetically turned what it stands for into a destination, an experience, a movement, a tribe, a living and breathing community. They aren't well known because of some press write up, feature on national news program, or a big marketing campaign. They are known because everyday one more enthusiastic patron invites their friends to be part of this wonderful experience and expand the community further.

Restaurant 1 is always clean, the interior design is nice, the staff is friendly and the food, as mentioned above, is fantastic. Restaurant 1 is doing everything correctly, everything by the book. But after you are done eating the experience is over. Eating at Restaurant 2 is just part of the experience.

When you genuinely care, and you show it, your community showers you with devotion. When Restaurant 2 wanted to expand their operations they sold pre-paid $1000 gift cards that contained $1250 in food vouchers to tons of their patrons to raise financing. Sure many people bought the cards just for the savings, but I have a feeling the majority of buyers wanted to be part of the bigger picture. An investment in the restaurant was an investment in their own community.

You may not run a restaurant, but I have a feeling that this lesson of community is universally applicable to all businesses. Especially businesses that work in the holistic health space. I've said this before and I still stand by it: the number one reason why people have a hard time staying healthy is community support.

You might sell fantastic products to help people get healthy, but what are you doing to regularly support them?

Resources

If you are serious about building and leading a community, I'd highly recommend listening to this free download of Tribes by Seth Godin.

If you're an individual who's wondering how community impacts your day to day life, I'd highly recommend reading Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi.

Both of these books and their authors have made a hunge impact in my life and the business operations of We Like It Raw. Hope you enjoy them too!

Photos from our NYC Chocolate Party

2008-12-16T11:50:24-05:00

A select few photos from this weekend's NYC Chocolate Party / Vanessa's Birthday Celebration. You can see all the photos at jskyphoto.com

Photos by Jeff Skeirik / Party by Philip McCluskey

Chocolate Girl Vanessa Barg and Jeff Skeririk

Philip and Deepen having a public argument over who's a bigger spiritual player.

Javier aka Rain showing off his break dancing skills

Dhrumil and Cort Kinker

Rawbin came up to NYC all the from Maryland

Mr Matt "Don't Vote Me Off the Island" Mueller

Best buddies Britanie and Jayna

Vanessa reminding David Wolfe that she is indeed the Chocolate ~~Princess~~ Gangsta

Can you tell we're super enthusiastic about spring water?

2008-12-12T16:03:51-05:00

Filmed at Stokes State Forest Spring

Now it's your turn! Go find a spring in your area and then let us know about it on findaspring.com

Much love to Jeff aka Rawtographer for letting us know about Stokes State Forest Spring.

Daniel Vitalis on finding springs in your area & reclaiming your water

2008-12-12T15:08:09-05:00

20 minutes | Download the MP3 | via iTunes

Today we have a very special guest joining us for a very special public service announcement. Daniel Vitalis and Dhrumil Purohit talk about their new joint project, findaspring.com

It's time to reclaim our water!

Topics Covered

What are the benefits of spring water?
What's the best strategy to go out and find a local spring?
Once you find a spring how can you make sure the water is safe to consume?
Besides drinking spring water straight up, what other ways can you use spring water in your life?
What are some the spiritual benefits of collecting water and truly being in nature?

Fantastic Holiday Deals and Spiritual Freebies

2008-12-10T18:13:13-05:00

Update: We've updated this post with a few more deals that were sent in. Check out the comments for a additional deals

A lot of wonderful companies have some incredible deals happening right now. And with the holiday season coming up we'd like to encourage you to "keep the money in the family" so to speak. If you plan on buying gifts, make a promise to buy only from purposeful, caring and compassionate companies.

This isn't a plug just for the companies listed below, this is a plug for anyone or any company taking stand for people and the planet.

The following holiday deals include both Agave advertisers as well as deals that we've found on the surfing on the net. In full transparency We Like It Raw and it's team members do not earn any commission on links or products featured on this list.

If you know of some deals we can add to this list, hit us up in the comments.

Holiday Deals

15% off Raw Gaia Skin Care Products
Raw Gaia makes the world's only living skin care products. They use only cold-pressed, organic, vegan ingredients. Raw Gaia is offering a special to all We Like It Raw readers: Get 15% off all their products when you enter the code "rawisgreat" in the check out process. Our personal favorite is the Floral Face Toner and the Sun-dried Green Clay Face Pack.

Natural Zing offers flat rate shipping Wednesdays
Natural Zing is offering $5 flat rate shipping on all Wednesday orders in 2008. Four more Wednesdays left to take advantage of this offer.

20% to 40% Your HealthForce Nutritionals Order
HealthForce is the amazing company that is behind some of the highest quality whole food supplements out there on the market. Not only are they offering 20% off there four main products: Vitamineral Green, Earth Shot or MacaForce, Spiritulina Azteca, but they'll give you 40% off your total order if you buy one of their packaged deals. For example, buy Vitamineral Green and Earth Shot and get them both at 40% off. That's $11 to $22 off retail price. That is ridiculousl! I still don't know how they pulled this off.

20% to 40% off everything at Exotic Super Foods in Queens
Unfortunately Exotic Super Foods in Queens, NY is going out of business. If you live in the NYC area though you can help. The staff is trying to do their best to clear out their inventory. All store inventory is 20% to 40% off. They have snacks, books, frozen foods and much more. Feel free to call them about specifics.

20% off at therawfoodworld.com
20% off coupon for ANYTHING in the store except appliances. The coupon code is 'holiday' and it is valid until January the 1st.

20% off all Nutiva Products when you use special We Like It Raw Code
Nutiva, makers of fine hemp and coconut products, are offering We Like It Raw readers 20% off all orders when they use promo code "GLA" in their check out process. 20% off makes this a great opportunity to stock up on hemp seeds or Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil.

SunFood.com offers Free Shipping
David Wolfe's SunFood.com is offering holiday special where all orders over $100 receive free shipping. SunFood has a great collection of DVD's on raw and holistic living.

15 for 15 sale from Angela Stokes
15 of Angela's favorite products at 15% off

Free Gnosis Chocolate with your order of 5 or more bars
Gnosis Chocolate bars are creamy, tasty, and made with tons of love. If you've never had one before, now is the perfect time to enjoy this ultimate guilt free indulgence. Founder Vanessa Bar is running a great special: Buy 5 bars and Receive 1 Pom Acai bar free. Buy 10 bars and Receive 1 Happy Holidays bar free. Buy 15 bars and receive 1 Pom Acai bar and 1 Happy Holidays bar free. Yum! My favorite is Mayan Heat. Special ends December 15th.

One Lucky Duck Stocking Stuffer Sale
Sarma has picked out her favorite snacks and beauty products and put them on sale at One Lucky Duck. Stuff those stockings with the healthiest and most eco friendly products on the planet: Gingerbread Cookies, Chewy Almond Crunch Bar, Bamboo Socks - Ankle, Eye and Lip Cream, Organic Bar Soaps, and Chocolate Truffle Butter.

A few more deals

Spiritual Freebies

Complementary Membership to Philosophers Notes
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Reclaiming Your Power

2008-12-06T14:12:50-05:00

It’s been almost a month since I returned from the West Coast and I just realized that I hadn’t shared all the beautiful moments I had experienced, with you. I will pick up after the whole CBS adventure, and then travels to LA and San Francisco. During that period I also visited San Luis Obispo, Eden Hot Springs, The Tree of Life, Scottsdale, and finally Florida.

(AmyRuth loading nut mylk into Brandie's bike so she can drive it to the cafe)

San Luis Obispo
I was blessed over a year ago to meet a new friend AmyRuth on MySpace. We chatted for a while, and then little did I know at the time I also met her roommate Brandie. We all met this year in person at Raw Spirit Festival and they invited me to hang out with them for a few days at their place in San Luis Obispo.

Brandie owns Smiling Dog Café, and works there along with AmyRuth. Smiling Dog Café is a branch off of Smiling Dog Yoga Studio, and did I mention it’s raw! How cool is that? You can get your stretch-on during your yoga class, and then get to head out with a green juice or yummy dish in-hand.

One of the reasons I wanted to spotlight them was because they are a shining examples of raw foodists that really walk the talk. From the moment I walked into their house I immediately felt at home. Brandie offered me her bed (cacao colored organic sheets) while she slept in the living room. I tried to protest, but they don’t play games. As I strolled through the house I saw the following:

Every spice and superfood in giant mason jars taking up multiple shelves on an entire wall of its own.
Five jars of kombucha fermenting on top of the refrigerator.
Six jars sprouting upside down in multiple sink strainers
Refrigerator full of greens, dips, and even a strawberry sauce, yum!
Every appliance imaginable including 3 dehydrators
Organic bathroom products
Outdoor garden
Mini outdoor greenhouse with sprouts growing
Clothes drying on a clothes line

But more than their raw prowess in the kitchen and eco-green lifestyle, these ladies open their house every week for a raw food potluck for anyone in the area. Even if you’re not raw, or just down on your luck, you can come by and enjoy a beautiful raw meal with lively souls radiating pure light and energy. I got to experience two of these wonderful parties while there, and had a great time. That is the true Raw Spirit. Thank you both.

Check out more San Luis pictures here.

Tree of Life
I swung through Patagonia for a day to celebrate our birthdays with my good friend Savrah. When scorpios unite, beware! Savrah leases a home in Patagonia that she opens up for raw roommates. Most of the people that live there work for The Tree of Life or Vivapura, both companies that hold it down in Patagonia. You may also be able to rent a room or couch for the day if needed, so contact her ahead of time if you’re in the area.

I had chatted with my friend Courtney Pool during the day and decided that I needed to visit the Tree of Life at least once before heading out. So I drove on over to enjoy a special lunch that they had put together and synchronistically caught my friend Dart (check out his pics and tell me raw doesn't give you muscle) just heading out for his lunch break. He hoped in the car as we drove in, filled our plates, and hung out with Courtney and crew. I didn’t really get a chance to explore the compound this time around, but I did get to enjoy the wonderful scenery and beautiful people. The food was amazing, even the shot glass full of sauerkraut juice I was dared to drink was pretty good.

Check out more Tree of Life pictures here.

Scottsdale
As I was finishing my tour, before heading back to the East Coast, I stopped off at the Mandala Tea Room. They offered some yummy raw food snacks but more importantly a nice variety of delicious and soul satisfying selection of teas. The cool thing about it was I got to sit near the window, on the floor, Indian-style. I loved it!

Florida
Not long after I arrived back on the East Coast I quickly decided to visit a friend in Florida. I mainly enjoyed the warmth and vitamins of the much-needed sun, but also made sand castles, went to Universal Studios and saw animals, and rode my first “real” rollercoaster.

That’s right, 32 years old and I finally did it. Why did I wait so long? I could never fit in the seats before. First coaster I was on I closed my eyes the entire ride as the machine climbed, teased, and then dipped with enough G-force to pin my head permanently against the platform behind me. I sent out a Twitter about it and was immediately told by two friends that I wasn’t allowed to leave until I experienced a rollercoaster with my eyes opened. So I did, and it was amazing. I was able to actually meditate through the first one and it felt really good. The second time around I was yelling! Woohoo!

Check out more Florida pictures here.

Eden Hot Springs
My adventures at Eden are a blog on its own – due to come shortly. It will include everything from my first sweat lodge experience, finding inner strength, sun gazing on top of a mountain with new friends, rattlesnakes, swimming in hot springs in the nude, and…. letting go of my iPhone, kind of. This was one of the most memorable growth experiences I have gone through to date. Keep your eyes peeled for this upcoming blog.

Sneak a peek at the pics before the blog by clicking here.

Reclaiming Your Power
More and more these adventures keep bringing up the following lessons for me:

Be your own guru, doctor, and lover. Self-love and empowerment is key. The only things I focus my attention on arw those that point back to me. When you capture the true essence of loving yourself you will discover magical perfection in every moment.
The Universe is always conspiring on your behalf. There is nothing that could ever happen that could go “wrong.” Don’t judge events, just be in the moment and recognize them as growth opportunities.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Anyone can be a raw foodist, but I challenge you to the following: Do you open up your home to others, is your house a sanctuary of love? Do you love and accept everyone, even those pounding down burgers or living lifestyles you don’t agree with? Do you see God in everyone’s eyes you meet, or are you looking for faults or things to compare yourself with?

Its time to reclaim your power, take back your responsibility, and shine!

Enjoy my latest YouTube video on the topic.

Peace and Love,

Philip McCluskey

PS. If you’re in the NYC area I hope to see you at the Sexy Chocolate Dance Party for Chocolate Girl on Dec 13th at Alex Grey’s COSM. Rumor has it David Wolfe will be there too! Sign up today.