Canadian Health Food Association Celebrates Natural Health Products Week

After last year’s long & nasty winter how do Canadians plan to fight off the winter blues during the coming ’T-Rex of winters’? The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) is encouraging Canadians to adopt healthy habits by holding a Natural Health Products (NHP) Week from Nov 3- Nov 9. During this week all Canadians are encouraged to stop by any natural health retailers to chat about how to stay healthy with natural health products.

The Canadian Health Food Association has informed us that most Canadians have inadequate intakes of Omega-3s, Vitamin D and Calcium, due to food choices and the lack of sun exposure during winter time. These are all important nutrients that keep us happy.

Vitamin D is closely associated with reductions in cancer and improvements in mental health and the immune system. Calcium not only strengthens our bones, it is also essential for nerve transmission, muscle contraction, blood pressure regulation and hormone balancing. Omega-3s also have a laundry list of health benefits, from supporting heart health and balancing mood to relieving inflammation and improving dry skin.

To obtain enough nutrients, Canadians should consider incorporating healthy winter foods and natural supplements into their diet.

Some healthy choices include broccoli (rich in vitamin A, C, and folate), fish (source of Omega-3s), milk (rich in calcium), olive oil (rich source of healthy fats), sweet potato and squash (rich in antioxidants, vitamin A and beta carotene). Yogurt and other fermented foods are also essential since they are important sources of probiotics and calcium.

That being said, maintaining a balanced diet seems rather difficult for event goers like myself, so I got myself covered…

my natural winter blues-busting supplements

Natural Health Products are regulated by the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) to ensure the products sold in Canada are safe and high quality. A legit product would either have an eight-digit NPN (Natural Product Number) or DIN-HM (Homeopathic Medicine Number) on its label.

product with NPN number

About CHFA…
The Canadian Health Food Association is Canada’s largest trade association for the organic and natural health products industry. The CHFA represents over 1,000 businesses including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors and importers of natural health and organic products. The industry contributes more than $6 billion to the Canadian economy.