CHFA East 2014
Every year I have the privilege of attending The Canadian Health Food Association Conference in Toronto.
This is the largest Canadian health food show on the East coast and features food, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, and personal hygiene products. With over 800 exhibits on a 95,000 square-foot show floor, there is always something new to discover!
I was attending as part of the Preferred Nutrition booth supporting the WomenSense line – a line that I recommend to many of my patients - as well as launching my new book Collagen: Myths and Misconceptions.
One of my highlights was meeting the founder of Deebee’s Organic Teapops (from Victoria, BC). I discovered these delicious and guilt-free treats this summer. They're made of organic ingredients and combine tea and fruit in a popsicle! Very refreshing and no refined sugars or artificial coloring or flavoring.
I also had the privilege of walking the show floor with one of my good friends Brad King of Transforming Health. Brad knows I have a massive sweet tooth, so we were on a mission for organic chocolate! One of my favourites, Theobroma Chocolat, just launched a new flavor with Himalayan salt and dark chocolate. It. Was. Incredible! We also came across another chocolate company called Honey Acres, who make chocolate sweetened with pure honey! Heaven!
One exciting surprise was meeting Bonnie Penner, the founder of ZeroXeno – a company based out Kelowna, BC, that provides all organic body care and household products without xenoestrogens. For those who follow me and have seen me lecture will know that this is a pretty passionate topic for me. Xenoestrogens are hormone disruptors that are very dangerous for women, children and even men! They have the ability to disrupt and mimic our own hormones and have now been implicated in a host of health conditions such as thyroid disease, hormone-sensitive cancers, fibroids and cysts, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity and infertility.
I only hope that more companies will follow in Bonnie’s footsteps and remove the host of toxic chemicals that are found in most of our beauty products and household cleaners.
A Toronto trip would not be complete without a dinner out at one of the many amazing restaurants the city has to offer. A few of my Preferred Nutrition girlfriends and I went to Grasslands on Queen St. W, a delicious vegan restaurant. Even though I am neither vegan nor vegetarian, I would highly recommend Grasslands. It was absolutely delicious! I had the mustard crusted tempeh.
What an amazing few days with amazing people - definitely looking forward to CHFA West in Vancouver BC!