We’re in the thick of gift-giving season and I wanted to help out my beautiful Philosophie fam with this Conscious Gift Guide that offers a little something for everyone from the yogi in your life to your moon sister and kiddos. Choose to gift with love + intention this holiday season.

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My Bible: Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements

I've had this book, The Four Agreements, for over 10 years now. I've given it to every person I love to read- either the physical copy or suggesting them to go buy it for themselves. If everyone had a copy in their bedside table (like I do, my bible!) I think the world would be a prettier, nicer, more mindful, kind place to exist. I have a small mini copy I keep in my car for quick reminders when I get discouraged. It's a beautiful, simple read and I highly suggest it for anyone and everyone.

Here they are! The Four Agreements:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret."

-- Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements

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Respect yourself

Self respect is one of the great secrets to health and longevity. If you respect yourself, you won’t pollute your body-mind with drugs, junk food, and smoke, and you won’t abuse it with a poor lifestyle.

If you respect yourself, you will treat your body like a superior being and you would treat your mind like a sage. Treat yourself with respect-you may be a potential Buddha, or the person with the potential to save or positively change the world.

This single practice of truly respecting yourself should be enough to propel you on the path of radiant health!

Generally this is the way my conversations pan out:

Person:"So what do you eat? are you a vegan?"

ME: "well, I am mostly vegan but I eat fish."

Person: "Wait, whaaattt??"

ME: "I avoid dairy and don't eat any food that walks around on land. I eat anything that comes from the sea, including fish."

Person: "But, aren't you raw?"

ME: "I mostly eat raw. I gravitate mostly towards raw, fresh, organic foods. But if I'm at restaurant with family or friends or on vacation, I'll eat cooked foods like a piece of baked fish or steamed veggies."

Person: "I've figured it out. You're a vegetarian, then."

ME: "No. I don't eat dairy, and vegetarians do. Plus I eat fish, and vegetarians tend not to eat fish."

Person: "OHHHH I Get it. You're a flexitarian!"

ME: "Sure. I'm whatever makes it easiest for you."

Are you 100% raw?

No, I am not completely raw. I consume a high percentage of raw food, probably somewhere between 75-85%. I will eat steamed veggies, quinoa, brown rice or a piece of sprouted toast with almond butter. If I go out to eat with friends I will have a piece of broiled or steamed fish with veggies and I have quite the sweet tooth. I’ve been known to polish off a fair amount of dessert, but I’ve learned to limit this over time because it just doesn’t make me feel good. Within an hour of eating the sugary dessert I remember why I don’t eat that way every day. I usually share a dessert and then I feel fine, I’m all for moderation of things we enjoy, not restricting.

Are you a vegan?

I probably eat fish once a week, so I’m not a vegan. I’m careful to research the latest eco-friendly and safe options for fish so that I don’t support any sort of negative treatment. It isn't necessarily an ethical decision, overall I don't like the taste of meat or the health negatives associated, like high cholesterol and high saturated fats. 

When I moved to Los Angeles 7 years ago, I became much more aware of my likes and dislikes, and much more educated about the environmental impact created by eating meat. There is ample evidence in peer-reviewed scientific journals that mammals experience "not just pain, but also mental suffering including fear, anticipation, foreboding, anxiety, stress, terror and trauma," says Prof Andrew Linzey, director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and author of Why Animal Suffering Matters. I would go to the farmers Market in Hollywood every Sunday and talk to people in the community and learn. I decided that within myself, I prefer not to potentially bring that emotional poison into my own being, but I absolutely don't judge others that do. I've known since I was a child that I have an extreme sensitivity towards others and energies, and I may just be hyper sensitive to these feelings about animals as well.

I wear leather boots and have a beautiful leather bag, both from a trip to Argentina. My husband's cousins own a leather company there. I consume raw honey and bee pollen. I make sure all the honey and bee pollen is from a good source where the bees are treated carefully, from local bee farmers. They never transport the bees to pollinate commercial corps, and they embrace traditional, local in-season-only, low stress beekeeping methods that help keep the bees healthy.

Vegan/Vegetarian/Pescatarian/Raw-Pick one!!!!

People enjoy categorizing.  In fact, many a psychological study indicate our brain naturally desires to put things into categories, to organize things and find relationships between new objects and those already stored in our brain.

Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer for you. This hasn't been a quick and easy process for me. It takes intuition and learning about your own body and how it reacts to different things. My journey has 100% been about how things make me feel. Dairy makes my stomach hurt, no more of that. Meat doesn't taste good, and has repercussions if we eat too much; no bueno.  Raw food makes me feel AH-MAZING... so I tend to eat as much of it as I can. Too much processed or cooked food makes me want to take a nap and not feel alive: NAH, I'll drop that from my eating regime. We must learn to listen to our internal mechanisms. Just as women "know" when they are pregnant before seeing a physician, no doctor, health coach or expert can lead you 100%. You are your own expert!

The only advice I will give is to listen to your own body, figure out what works for you and to attempt to reduce the amount of red meat you consume (for health and environmental reasons). The red meat you eat today, will absolutely affect your children's generation, either directly or indirectly. My dad's health (his cholesterol) affected me by making me scared and more aware of the health implications.  This statistic makes me happy:

"More than a quarter of people say they eat less meat than they did five years ago. There is a shifting change in the diet," says Ms Gellatley.

For more info on the benefits to eating organic, local food and more details on eating red meat, read the follow two posts:

Natural organic food explained

Eating meat, global warming and the environment

Generally this is the way my conversations pan out:

Person:"So what do you eat? are you a vegan?"

ME: "well, I am mostly vegan but I eat fish."

Person: "Wait, whaaattt??"

ME: "I avoid dairy and don't eat any food that walks around on land. I eat anything that comes from the sea, including fish."

Person: "But, aren't you raw?"

ME: "I mostly eat raw. I gravitate mostly towards raw, fresh, organic foods. But if I'm at restaurant with family or friends or on vacation, I'll eat cooked foods like a piece of baked fish or steamed veggies."

Person: "I've figured it out. You're a vegetarian, then."

ME: "No. I don't eat dairy, and vegetarians do. Plus I eat fish, and vegetarians tend not to eat fish."

Person: "OHHHH I Get it. You're a flexitarian!"

ME: "Sure. I'm whatever makes it easiest for you."

Are you 100% raw?

No, I am not completely raw. I consume a high percentage of raw food, probably somewhere between 75-85%. I will eat steamed veggies, quinoa, brown rice or a piece of sprouted toast with almond butter. If I go out to eat with friends I will have a piece of broiled or steamed fish with veggies and I have quite the sweet tooth. I’ve been known to polish off a fair amount of dessert, but I’ve learned to limit this over time because it just doesn’t make me feel good. Within an hour of eating the sugary dessert I remember why I don’t eat that way every day. I usually share a dessert and then I feel fine, I’m all for moderation of things we enjoy, not restricting.

Are you a vegan?

I probably eat fish once a week, so I’m not a vegan. I’m careful to research the latest eco-friendly and safe options for fish so that I don’t support any sort of negative treatment. It isn't necessarily an ethical decision, overall I don't like the taste of meat or the health negatives associated, like high cholesterol and high saturated fats. 

When I moved to Los Angeles 7 years ago, I became much more aware of my likes and dislikes, and much more educated about the environmental impact created by eating meat. There is ample evidence in peer-reviewed scientific journals that mammals experience "not just pain, but also mental suffering including fear, anticipation, foreboding, anxiety, stress, terror and trauma," says Prof Andrew Linzey, director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and author of Why Animal Suffering Matters. I would go to the farmers Market in Hollywood every Sunday and talk to people in the community and learn. I decided that within myself, I prefer not to potentially bring that emotional poison into my own being, but I absolutely don't judge others that do. I've known since I was a child that I have an extreme sensitivity towards others and energies, and I may just be hyper sensitive to these feelings about animals as well.

I wear leather boots and have a beautiful leather bag, both from a trip to Argentina. My husband's cousins own a leather company there. I consume raw honey and bee pollen. I make sure all the honey and bee pollen is from a good source where the bees are treated carefully, from local bee farmers. They never transport the bees to pollinate commercial corps, and they embrace traditional, local in-season-only, low stress beekeeping methods that help keep the bees healthy.

Vegan/Vegetarian/Pescatarian/Raw-Pick one!!!!

People enjoy categorizing.  In fact, many a psychological study indicate our brain naturally desires to put things into categories, to organize things and find relationships between new objects and those already stored in our brain.

Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer for you. This hasn't been a quick and easy process for me. It takes intuition and learning about your own body and how it reacts to different things. My journey has 100% been about how things make me feel. Dairy makes my stomach hurt, no more of that. Meat doesn't taste good, and has repercussions if we eat too much; no bueno.  Raw food makes me feel AH-MAZING... so I tend to eat as much of it as I can. Too much processed or cooked food makes me want to take a nap and not feel alive: NAH, I'll drop that from my eating regime. We must learn to listen to our internal mechanisms. Just as women "know" when they are pregnant before seeing a physician, no doctor, health coach or expert can lead you 100%. You are your own expert!

The only advice I will give is to listen to your own body, figure out what works for you and to attempt to reduce the amount of red meat you consume (for health and environmental reasons). The red meat you eat today, will absolutely affect your children's generation, either directly or indirectly. My dad's health (his cholesterol) affected me by making me scared and more aware of the health implications.  This statistic makes me happy:

"More than a quarter of people say they eat less meat than they did five years ago. There is a shifting change in the diet," says Ms Gellatley.

For more info on the benefits to eating organic, local food and more details on eating red meat, read the follow two posts:

Natural organic food explained

Eating meat, global warming and the environment

The Protein Myth: Let's Get Down to the Truth Here!

PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN!

A 6-ounce broiled porterhouse steak is a great source of protein—38 grams worth. But it also delivers 44 grams of fat, 16 of them saturated. That's almost three-fourths of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat. That can be really tough on your kidneys. The same amount of salmon gives you 34 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, 4 of them saturated. A cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, but under 1 gram of fat. So when choosing protein-rich foods, pay attention to what comes along with the protein. Vegetable sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, seeds, green veggies, fruit and whole grains, are excellent choices, and they offer healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals.

*Please take into consideration that individual nutritional requirements for every person is unique and varies. The most important lifestyle influence that may modify demands for protein is the level of physical activity.

What Food Provides Enough Protein?

From www.rawfoodnation.org:

 "The World Health Organization states that humans need about 5% of their daily calorie  intake to come from protein. This constitutes a healthy diet. Actually, by being a raw food enthusiast, you have the option to get your daily dose of protein from a variety of sources. So no longer do you have to think “gee, I should make sure I have chicken tonight so I get my protein.” Now you have multiple ways to get your protein, from your breakfast smoothie to your afternoon snack. On average, fruits have roughly 5% of their calories from protein and vegetables (especially green leafy ones) have 20-50% of their calories from protein."

Here are some great plant based foods that are packed with the proteins your body needs:

* Dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach (2-3g per 100g; great in salads, in juices and green smoothies)

* Fruits such as peaches, avocados (1-4g protein per 100g fruit; great in smoothies), and raisins (consider making a raw trail mix)

* Nuts such as Brazil nuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios (up to 21g of protein per 100g) and seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin seed and chia seed

* Hemp protein powders (23%) added to your smoothies and Blue-Green Algae such as Spirulina (contains all the amino acids) also added to juices and smoothies

After reading all these articles, and finally, reading the article by the World Health Organization "Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition", I've concluded that we need about for every .83g of protein for each kg of body weight(each kg is 2.5 lbs). In easy to understand terms: divide your weight into a third. That's about what you should get in protein grams. (for a 140 lb person they should obtain around 45 grams per day)

This is from a raw food guy I follow, and this is what he says about protein on the raw diet:

"6% of protein in total calories consumed is plenty, for the following reasons:

1. Human milk only contains 6% protein (by calories). We know that babies are growing fast and need more protein than adult. So there is no reason to think we would need more protein than a growing baby.

2. Vegetarian and fruitarian animals on the planet all eat a low-protein diet and yet build tremendous strength and muscle.

3. Proteins in fruits and vegetables are of higher quality than proteins in grains or beans. They contain all necessary amino acids and are not processed, cooked or coagulated by heat. Therefore, they are easy to assimilate.

In the 11 years I’ve been on a raw diet, I’ve never known any raw-foodist with a true protein deficiency.

However, I’ve met plenty of people who consumed too little food and wasted away, in addition to suffering from many deficiency-related problems.

It’s essential to consume enough calories to meet your needs. If you do that, you’ll automatically get enough protein, along with most necessary nutrients (one exception is Vitamin B12. I recommend supplementing for that)." -Frederick Patenaude

I completely agree that we obsess over the protein controversy and that we actually (on the Standard American Diet) get WAY too much. I'm just not sure if 6% is enough. I'll continue to do research.

Check out other thoughts he has on his blog: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/

This concept is hard for me to grasp, personally. I'm still addicted to the idea of "getting enough protein" and getting it from fish. I probably only eat fish every other week, but I feel like it's imperative, even though it probably isn't. This year as one of my new years resolutions, I will attempt to eat less fish. I know there are plenty of reasons to not eat fish- i.e. toxins, mercury, poisons but i continue to hold onto the notion of "how good I feel after eating it" (unlike other meats that don't leave me feeling good). I also feel like I'm on cloud nine after drinking a green juice,  superfood smoothie or a delicious raw entree. So, would I really miss not having fish in my life? This year will be the test! :)

 

After visiting San Francisco about 5 times in the past 2 years knowing fully well about Cafe Gratitude, I finally made it. And it was more than worth the wait.

cut to today: walking about 20 blocks, taking the Bart and 2 buses, I arrived. I am here.

it's no wonder it's such a challenge for people to stay healthy, and especially raw, while traveling. Most people won't endure the above trek in order to achieve a healthy meal.

After arriving... again after ordering, and while eating...and once again after I am finished: I feel such gratitude.

I feel thankful for this beautiful food, for the love and intention that goes into every bite and sip, for the gracious and kind staff, for small details such as the Question of the Day (today's: What are you devoted to?) for The Present Moment, and for my deep awareness of my body and my health to bring me to such a conscious place for lunch.

Here's what I ordered: 'I Am Healthy" Green Veggie Juice, followed by "I Am Giving" Asian Kale Salad with Teriyaki Almonds, sea vegetables and sesame seeds. For dessert (you can't skip dessert when doing a review for a restaurant-it wouldn't be fair) I had the raw Pecan Pie called "I Am Perfect" with Pecans and Dates and a Macadamia nut crust. mmmm. Afterward, while walking around the beautiful store, letting my food digest and my heart absorb my surroundings, I sipped on a cup of mint green tea with ginger and spices. ("I Am Charmed")

I consider it a treat to be in such an amazing environment. I definitely don't take it for granted. Every time I walk in such a place, i feel humble and gracious.

I feel at home here. I can sit Indian style like I would at home. I can ask questions that matter to me and know that they will be acknowledged and respected. There is a lot of love being felt here... the staff just had a group hug, for example. This is exactly how life is in my bubble, in my head, in my heart.

For now, all i can say is that until I can create my own sanctuary, my own yoga studio-juice bar-restaurant-safe place...

I'll be venturing to Cafe Gratitude to fulfill these desires.

What kind of fish to eat when you go to make dinner, go out to sushi, or to a restaurant?  here's a quick cheat-sheet for ya.

The best choices are abundant, well-managed and caught or farmed in environemtnally friendly ways.

Best Choices:

• Spanish Mackerel*
• Prawn
• Black cod
• Pacific halibut
• Bay scallops
• wild Salmon roe
• Arctic char
• Sardine
• Tilapia (US farmed)
• Oysters (farmed)
• Imitation crab (AK pollock)
• Skipjack tuna
• Smelt roe (iceland)
• Giant clam/geoduck (wild)
• murugai/Mussels (Farmed)
• Salkmon (AK Wild)
• Albacore Tuna
  
• Striped Bass (farmed or wild)*
• Sea urchin roe

Good Alternatives: these are a great option, but there are concerns with how they're caught or farmed or with the health of their habitat due to other human impacts.

• Spot prawn (US)
• Shrimp (US, farmed or wild)
• Black Cod (CA, OR, WA)
• Yellowtail (US Farmed)
• Flounders, SOles (Pacific)
• Sea scallops (Canada, US)
• Blue Crab*, King (US, Snow
• Imitation Crab (except AK pollock)
• Skipjack tuna (Hawaii)
• Tuna: Bigeye, Yellowfin (troll/pole)
• Smelt row (Canada)
• Salmon (WA wild)*
• Albacore Tuna (Hawaii)*
• Sea Urchin Roe (CA)
  

AVOID:

Avoid for now as these items are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment.

• Monkfish liver
• Monkfish
• Shrimp
• Yellowtail (Australia or Japan, farmed)
• Halibut, Soles, Flounder (Atlantic)
• Bluefin Tuna*
• Salmon Roe (farmed, including Atlantic)
• Crab:King (imported)
• Tuna:Bigeye*, yellowfin*
• Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic*)
• Albacore tuna (imported)*
• Red snapper
• Octopus
• Bluefine, Bigeye and yellowfin Tuna*
• Freshwater eel
• Sea urchin roe (Maine)

*Limit consumption due to concerns about mercury or other chemicals.

Make Choices for Healthy Oceans

You Have the Power! Your consumer choices make a difference. Buy seafood from the "best choices" list to support those fisheries and fish farms that are healthier for ocean wildlife and the environment.

great websites for more info:

www.edf.org/seafood

www,seafoodwatch.org