Fall 2014 Supplement Highlights
A couple of weeks ago, the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) hosted its annual trade show in Toronto. This event is a big deal for the health food industry, as it allows us the opportunity to meet with the representatives of various companies, check out what’s new and trending on the market, and bring some fresh goodies into our store.
At the Dispensary, we brought in a couple of new products that I’m pretty excited about, and I think you should be too.
Here they are:
1) Megafood’s Nutrient Booster Powders
Megafood is already a favourite brand in the store. People love the company’s whole food based vitamin and mineral formulas. They are high quality, clean, and easy to digest. This year, Megafood has come out with a fun new line of “nutrient booster” powders.
So far, there are four kinds available: Daily C-Protect (a vitamin C blend from whole foods like oranges and blueberries combined with immune boosting herbs like schizandra and astragalus); Daily Energy (an energizing blend with beets, ginseng, and green tea); Daily Purify (a detoxifying liver-supportive formula with reishi mushroom, artichoke, and dandelion); and Daily Turmeric (an anti-inflammatory combo featuring turmeric, holy basil, and black cherry).
All formulas are free of sweeteners and sugars, as well as any artificial colours, preservatives, and flavourings. The powders can be easily added to smoothies, juice, or just plain water, which is how I take my Daily C-Protect, which has a tart, natural, “I’m-not-trying-to-taste-like-anything-but-myself” kind of flavour.
2) Four Sigma Foods Instant Medicinal Mushroom Powders
I get so excited about medicinal mushrooms! Medicinal mushrooms are a category of edible fungi that are fantastic for increasing the health of our bodies and minds. Mushrooms are incredibly safe and yet oh-so powerful. Generally, these mushrooms are used to support the immune system, but many of them additionally specialize in specific areas.
For example, reishi mushroom is great at relieving stress and anxiety, chaga is anti-aging and inhibits tumour growth, cordyceps is an energy-booster and improves athletic performance, maitake balances blood sugar and supports weight loss, lion’s mane protects the nervous system and improves memory, and shiitake fights infections and is detoxifying. Phew! What a hard-working bunch of fun guys (get it?).
One of my favourite mushrooms is chaga, and especially in the winter, I brew large pots of the stuff on a weekly basis to keep colds away. However, brewing this woody mushroom takes a good hour. Sometimes it’s nice to have the option of having some mushroom medicine ready in minutes, you know?
Enter Four Sigma: They have come out with convenient, single-serving sachets of instant water-soluble powders for all the aforementioned mushrooms! Just add boiling water and stir. I think they could also be added to blended smoothies or even coffee.
3) Orange Naturals Homeopathic Tinctures
Developed by two GTA-based naturopaths Adriana Restagno and Cecilia Ho, Orange Naturals is a local company that creates herbal and homeopathic formulas. I am particularly intrigued by their homeopathic combinations, which are new to our store.
What I like about them is that I feel that some of their formulas have filled a really important gap in the market. Some of their more unique formulas include: Calm Flights (reduces apprehension and anticipatory anxiety about flight and calms the nervous system before and during flying); Snoring (reduces nasal swelling and sinus pressure); and Eczema (reduces skin redness and irritation and promotes healthy skin cell turnover for better healing).
In addition to those formulas, Orange Naturals also has homeopathic combinations geared towards digestion, cold and flu, and stress management, as well as a nice line of herbal combinations and single herbs.
Come stop by and check out what else is new! And just so you know, our “old” stuff is pretty cool too…
Take care,
Alex
Alex Picot-Annand, BA (Psych), Registered Holistic Nutritionist & Certified Life Coach
Photo: Aldi Llgori
