Organic Walkabout in New York's Capital Region - Made the Switch to MegaFood

I was in Upstate New York last week to host a series of Solstice Gong Bath's in Troy, Albany, Latham, and Saratoga Springs, NY and I had some time to spend visiting the local shops to get some supplies and meet some locals who were kind enough to post our events on their community boards.

In Saratoga Springs, I'll always have an affinity for the farmers' markets - The HighRock market scene is fantastic and I am amazed that the Spa State Park is so accommodating to the market now held within the old Lincoln Bath complex.

One of the benefits of the High Rock location is the fact that it's so close to the newly opened Four Seasons Natural Food Store on Henry Street. Although Saratoga is a fairly healthy town (the vintage sign on the way in reminds all visitors that health is a huge part of the town's allure!) and has a ton to offer, you can definitely do worse than to visit Four Season's original location on Phila for a sit-down experience and their vegan buffet.

Speaking of new places, Bodywork Professionals just opened a beautiful new collection of massage therapy offices at 11 Spring Street in Saratoga Springs. If you can plan more than 30 days in advance, you can book a rolfing session with the proprietor himself.

One the way down south, towards the Latham Gong Bath, I intended to go all the way to the renovated and well known Honest Weight food co-op but was suprised to find the Green Grocer in Clifton Park carrying some of my favorite snacks that I thought were discontinued at least in New York City staples like The Westerly.

Before making it to the Pilates Principle for the Gong Lab, I decided to stop in one more store, Uncle Sam's Health Food. I know not everyone believes in supplements, but I have invested quite a bit in blood tests with my internist to monitor a few known deficiencies that have been hard to correct with diet alone and I will say that I actually needed some vitamins. Though I tend to rely on piggybacking mail orders from my better half, I decided to ask a few questions and get some on the spot. The staff was helpful, and even though they weren't the most expensive, I was turned on to MegaFood's "Fresh from Farm to Tablet" brand and I have been happy with them so far. Although I still need to augment the standard dose with additional B12 I can say that I have actually been able to 'feel' an affinity for these tablets and I may be hooked.

Label-readers know it's tough to find a legally labelled 'organic' tablet and the pinboard of compliance logos for non-GMO, vegetarian, soy-free, dairy-free, and farm-fresh do seem a little cluttered but I have done some poking around and believe that the MegaFood crew is on track (my love and respect for New Hampshire may constitute a bias).

They do have a YouTube channel and I was supprised to find what looks like a cool endorsement from Dr. Andrew Weil during his visit to the MegaFood facility:

We'll be back upstate in August and will hopefully spend some time in New Paltz, Woodstock, and Troy, NY... See you soon!