This was another amazing year at the 2013 Natural Products Expo West!
As always, the energy was running high. Comparing it with last year, this year was a little different because
I had to work at the booths of the products I represent. I did enjoy my time there networking
& learning more about the product lines I rep for which are: Rainbow
Light, Alaffia, Vibrant Health, Vega, & Creative Bioscience. On the other hand, I did have some time to sample a few products that I'm excited to share with you. Before
I share those products, I would like to say, I had an interesting visit with
Silk & Soy Delicious. Both products are favorites, however due to the
ingredient “Carrageenan” in some of Silk & So Delicious products, I stopped
using both of their soy milk & coconut milk. But the Silk Almond milk does
not contain this harmful ingredient. I did ask Silk if they plan on removing it
from their other products and they said, in the future they would but could not
give a date. And they did say, they were aware Carrageenan being a harmful ingredient. In contrast, when I brought this concern to Soy Delicious they were well aware and have
already made changes to their formula, which should be hitting the market
sometime later this Summer. I love the fact that they were proactive and I will
be more than happy to buy more of their products:-)!
In regards to healthy foods that are natural, organic, filled with nutrients and gluten free, here are several you should keep your eye out for:
- Cedar Lake has a yummy Egg White Frittata that is gluten free, 5 grams of fiber and 10-13grams of protein. They are pre-made and come in Broccoli Cheddar, Spinach & Roasted Tomato along with a Chile & Cheese. Keep in mind, these are vegetarian and not vegan products. www.cedarlanefoods.com
- Alexia has Crispy Seasoned Potato Puffs that contain 150 calories, 0.5 grams of saturated fat & 1 gram of fiber.
- Stoger makes an out of sight cherry seed oil that was simply amazing dipped in bread. www.culinary-imports.com
- Conte makes these wonderful gluten-free pizza/pasta & Pierogi’s that are full of flavor. www.contespasta.com.
- Mrs. May’s had samples again of their chocolate covered fruits that are heaven. I highly recommend the Dark Chocolate covered Blueberry’s! They also come in Strawberry & Almond Rounds, Dark Chocolate covered Strawberries & White Chocolate covered Strawberries. The calories range from 150-160 calories per serving. The ingredients are clean, meaning I know what they are;). www.mrsmays.com
- Mom Made has pre-made meatballs that are very tasty. They come in Chicken & Apple, Turkey & Beef w/cheese. I did try the Chicken & Apple and Turkey, both were good. www.mommadefoods.com
- Suzie’s Quinoa Milk Beverage was my top pick! I’m always looking for something to mix with my protein shakes and I really liked this product. It has a nice creamy taste; it’s also vegan and gluten free. It’s enriched with antioxidants & calcium. It comes in unsweetened & vanilla. The protein content is low, so I would not use it as a sole source of protein. And the best part is…it does not contain Carrageenan! www.goodgroceries.com
- Hodgson Mill has a great line of natural, organic and gluten free whole grain mixes to bake cookies, cakes, pizza crust and more. I enjoyed several freshly baked gluten free chocolate chip cookies that probably helped me tack on 5lbs lol. www.hodgsonmill.com
Interesting. I attended Expo West, and also work for one of the Exhibitors at the show. We along with the many producers of products being presented, have an organic, gluten free, non gmo, vegan product. What escapes most people's minds is how Un-Natural most of the products are in fact, even unhealthy, empty in nutrition, or environmentally harmful, including the one my company produces.
ReplyDeleteWe have become a nation or society subjected to the world of merchandising. For instance, the Cedar Lake Frittata mentioned in your review.
Wouldn't it be easier to make an omelette with vegetables, and cheese, than to buy a packaged product with ingredients that have been packaged for weeks, or months? The cooking instructions for the frittatas is to microwave them for 2 1/2 minutes in high heat. That alone makes the product worthless of nutrition, since the high heat kills the food. If you choose to cook them in a conventional oven, the instructions are to cook them for 45 minutes. Anyone that can cook can make an omelette in 10 minutes, using fresh vegetables packed with nutrition.
Now consider the environmental impact these packaged foods require. These types of foods get processed in huge plants that run gigantic machinery that use so much electricity, then other huge machines to package them and place the packages in shipping cartons.
The packaging gets produced in separate manufacturing plants, that also use a lot of electricity. The paper and cardboard for the packaging gets driven to the printing plants, the ink gets driven to the printing plants as well, and all these materials just for the packaging, are also produced in plants that require a lot of electricity to produce. The shipping cartons for these packaged goods are also produced in large plants that require a lot of electricity. Then these materials gets shipped to the product manufacturing plant.
The ingredients for these products are sourced from suppliers, some overseas, some domestic. Either way the ingredients also need to be shipped to the product manufacturing plant. All of this takes place before the product leaves the manufacturing facility. Then the product gets shipped to Distributors, who then ship the product to the supermarkets.
A lot of these products need refrigeration, so more energy gets used up. All of this effort and energy spent so that we can stick a fork into some egg, and move it into our mouths. And I haven't even mentioned the amount of work, or the amount of people that are needed, using more energy just to advertise or market the product.
Sounds so UN-Natural to me.
Good point. But some of these companies produce their products in the U.S, meaning the food sources are grown locally. Organic prepared meals are by far a better option than the mass market brands or fast food. In addition, my goal in promoting organic, prepackaged with natural ingredient foods is to target the audience who buys the more "unnatural mass market brands" of frozen foods. In my line of work, this is common for working families and I much rather have them go with a "healthier alternative." If your already a healthy eater and prepare your own meals, more power to you. But for those who have kids and families who work and don't have the time, this is a better option. Thanks for sharing your opinion:-).
ReplyDeleteHealth and Fitness can make all that difference in one's life and it is essential to know about some gym rules which remind people to be polite and considerate of other gym members. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBeauty care products
great issues altogether, you just gained a new reader.What might you suggest in regards to your post that you just made some days ago? Any positive?
ReplyDeleteCLA
Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites?
ReplyDeleteI have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss
and would really like to have you share some stories/information.
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