Unlimited Health

Having grown up in California, it’s easy to take for granted the access we have to top-​notch raw food and supplements. Coming to Holland, it’s been harder to find many of the super foods and supplements I enjoy in SF. I was happy to find Unlimited Health. Every time I land back in NL, they are one of my first stops. The store has grown from its original space, and it’s great to see them doing well. I really like their Chlorella CGF tablets, and the almond milk they make in their café is top-​notch.

Short: left ½ way through the class and asked for my money back.
Long: Maybe this was just not my cup of tea. I’m not a devoted yoga person, I don’t meditate and I don’t do it religiously. Being from California where doing yoga is as casual as having a cup of coffee, I like my yoga class dynamic and uplifting. I was in for a surprise. The instructor, who clearly LOVEs the sound of his own voice, for 45 minute (before I walked out) was giving us a lecture on how lucky we were to be in his class, that he is the only person in entire Europe that knows true yoga and blah blah blah blah blah. In those 45 minutes we did 3 breathing exercises only to be told that we need to forget everything we know about yoga since we clearly didn’t learn it from him and therefore it is wrong. Anyway I would not call this a yoga class, I would call it a lecture (bordering on religious/​cultish) and the website and employees should clearly identify it as such.

Alright. Phhooooooo… okay.
I’m a stuck-​up, super-​spoiled, vegetarian-​mega-​brat. Why? I come from Los Angeles where if you want a macrobiotic, vegan, raw, super-​green slice of ANYTHING, we’ve got it. It’s pretty much amazeballs. Really.
We do it up in California without any pretentious vibes at all. We’re just super stoked to be healthy and that’s that. Oh, we also like options.
So, when I heard about Unlimited Health yesterday from my holistic masseuse (Massage Marin — I’ve reviewed her, she’s ridiculously great), I was so pumped.
Their website looks stellar — they have a café+juice bar+restaurant. Yoga and detox center, too, but I’m not a stretchy kind of gal.
So, I grabbed a friend this morning, hopped on our bikes and rode over there, so elated for the insta-​health we’d find here.
The setting is bland. No music. Feels like a cold cafeteria in a hospital. Granted, it was only around 11:30am, so maybe the older women working there just don’t know ambiance is a 24 – 7 kinda thing? Not sure. Anyway…
The grocery store. It has a small, but neat assortment of raw snacks. An okay assortment of supplements. Water bottles. Green powders. Skin care. Okay, good. So, there’s stuff I can buy to feel awesome.
Oh, but wait. 10euros for 300 grams of a raw cereal? You’re, like, kidding right? Right?
40euros for a small green powder. Um, you are SO funny, store! What a crackup. Right? Right?
Bottom line: the concept is ok.
However, you’re getting ripped off. The same products in the US go for half the price. Maybe more.
It’s nice to have a small grocer with even more upscale raw/​vegan, etc. products… but come on. Is the wallet-​raping necessary?
I left with some kale chips and a shot of wheatgrass.
I’ll go back. For Liquid Aminos. After my paycheck. ;)

Not in a million years did I expect to find an eatery suitable for raw vegans in Amsterdam. Unlimited Health is only a short walk from the center of town, and offers a raw, organic daily special after 12pm. The café isn’t very spacious (like, at all…), BUT manages to fit a juice bar, and supply health products, including books on holistic health, packaged foods, and personal care products. If you’re visiting the city, whether you’re looking for a DELICIOUS place to eat or need to stock up on healthy groceries, Unlimited Health is worth checking out.