Exceptional Products VII

Camros Organic Eatery

This September, CCNM had the privilege to re-open its cafeteria under the new management of Camros Organic Eatery. This family owned company, from Toronto, shares many of the philosophies of Naturopathic Medicine and what better place to showcase their menu than at the Canadian Naturopathic College. As wholistic nutrition is foundational to naturopathy, I am so proud to have food provided by people who truly care about the impact of food on health. Furthermore, the management has been open to suggestions from the students and a special student menu, exclusive to CCNM, will be available in addition to their amazing meals.

Today, several students from CCNM met at The Camros Garden which is situated about a 45min drive North West of Toronto in the centre of a beautiful hilly woodlot. We spent the afternoon doing gardening work and learning about the processes involved in growing vegetables without artificial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. A truly practical exercise in organic produce farming! It brought back memories of the hard work, yet community involvement, of the organic farming I helped with during highschool. I think everyone of us kindled a greater appreciation for the food in our cafeteria and are looking forward to going back to the farm when exams are done! Thank-you for the hospitality we were shown.

Exceptional Products VI

Natural cleaning and body care products:

Green Beaver Company

The founder of this company gave a presentation at our school that really impressed me. Also, this company is Canadian. Read their story on www.greenbeaver.com

Seventh Generation

We use their laundry detergent, soap and the diapers. The seventhgeneration.com website is very informative and shows practical ways that we can stop polluting the home of our children.

Exceptional Products V

Patagonia outdoor clothing and gear.

It may seem odd that I included a clothing/gear company, but we have tremendous power for change when we vote with our dollars by supporting companies with a good philosophy. This company makes top of the line expedition quality clothing that I have personally trusted in the wilderness. They are pioneers in the outdoor industry and were one of the first to make fleece, but more interesting was that they used recycled pop bottles to make it.

Patagonia is still very concerned with environmental endeavors and was also a pioneer in the use of products like organic cotton. Furthermore, check-out www.patagonia.com for tremedous amount of information on Environmentalism and be sure to view the "Footprint Chronicles" which tracks the distance a product travels as well as the effect each material and garment finish has on the environment.

Another company worthy of mention here is Mountain Hardware. Mountain Hardware makes possibly the most exceptional, highest quality outdoor gear in the world (the closest competition in North America would be from Arc'teyx) and is also involved in environmentalism. Take a look at Mountain Hardware Gives back on their website.

Exceptional Products IV

6. Sambazon A�a�: www.sambazon.com

Although this product travels a fair distance to get to Canada, the philosophy of this company is extremely noble. Furthermore, the a�a� berry is very nutritious and their fruit smoothies are exceptional!

Exceptional Products III

5. Saugeen Country Yogurt: www.saugeencountrydairy.com

This yogurt is real! Made from whole milk unprocessed straight from the cow. For a plain yogurt, it has an amazing, soft flavour. Furthermore, it is organic (I like to mix it with fruit and a little maple syrup!). I toured the facility many years ago and was impressed by the simplicity of it and their philosophy. Interestingly, some Naturopaths believe that yogurt is the key to the health of the traditional Hindu diet.

Exceptional Products II

If you choose to eat meat (for a complete protein source, vitamin B12 and Iron) then eating grass fed, free range or organic meat ensures that your selection will be free of the hormones and the subtherapeutic antibiotics required to grow conventional meat animals.

My favourite meat is Buffalo (Bison) which is very lean and unlike beef, does not marble. Buffalo are more efficient eaters than beef cattle and produce a healthier meat (slightly higher in protien, lower in cholesterol, lower in saturated fat and higher in Omega fatty acids). However, grass fed organic beef will also be leaner than conventional beef.

3. Mountain Lake Bison Range: www.mountainbison.com

4. Hoven Farms Organic Beef: www.hovenfarms.com

For a list of healthy meats close to you, check out The Eat Well Guide.

Exceptional Products

Support your local health food store. The first �Health Food Store� was started by a Naturopath, Bennedict Lust in the early 1900's in New Jersey.

New Chapter Vitamins.

So far, I have yet to come across a more innovative nutraceutical company. They also use Organic ingredients: www.new-chapter.com


**Note: all the products listed here I have personally encountered (I do not get paid to put these products on this blog-I just really like them!)