Natural Products Expo West 2011. An experience worth sharing.

Yesterday was Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim and as always, it felt like home. There was well over 300 vendors and suppliers and I can appreciate the passion these people have regarding their natural products. It was great seeing companies who I buy products from bring new or improved products to the market. There is a large variety of organic, vegetarian, vegan, hormone free meats, natural cosmetics, chemical free cleaning products, beverages, supplement etc…

Saturday I had the chance of tasting so many variety of foods from India, Philippines, Tex Mex style, Chinese to American foods and I must say I could totally live off the food from India. I also tried a few beverages that I’m excited to share. I don’t know where to begin so I will name a few products that I thought really stood out. Some may not be in health food or mass market stores yet but it’s certainly worth keeping your eye out for.

I started my journey yesterday down my favorite part of Natural Products West and that is the food area. This area is thousands of square feet designated for food vendors and more. As I made my way down the hall my nose was in heaven as the air was densely filled with the scents of flavorful foods from all around the world. One company that I really liked was a company by the name of PJ’s Organics. They make gluten free meals from Tex Mex Chicken Taquitos, Chicken Enchiladas and a Steak Enchiladas. I personally liked the Tex Mex Chicken Taquitos and the best part was reading the label and being able to identify all the ingredients. You can visit there website for more info regarding their foods www.pjsorganics.com. Another company I really like is Dr. Praeger’s. I personally am a big fan of his fish sticks. It’s one way I can get my 8 year old to eat fish. His products are all natural and the ingredients are identifiable. I’m really excited about the Spinach Littles they have on the market. They were not only full of flavor but full of vegetables and have an appealing star shape for kids. My son is a finicky eater so I look forward to buying this for him to try. Also Dr. Praeger has a variety of frozen foods that are vegetarian and gluten free. You can visit their website for more info at www.drpraegers.com.

This year, I really took my time in the international food area and I feel in love with a variety of Indian foods. One company that I remain loyal to is Tasty Bites. There line of foods are shelf stable and can be found in mass-market stores as well as natural foods stores. Tasty Bites has a variety of Asian rices that are new to the market and can be heated up in 90 seconds and are ready to serve. I’ve personally tried all their vegetarian line of foods from India and I really enjoy them. However, I’m not a big fan of their Kashmir Spinach but everything else is worth trying. Next is a line from India called, Kitchen of India. I must say when I took a bite of the Chick Peas Curry, Samosa (crispy pastry with potato filling) and the Basmati rice, I could have sworn it was from an authentic restaurant of India. If you’ve never had Indian food this is a great product to try. Kitchen of India’s foods are full of great flavors. You can taste the curry, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric and each seasoning complements the other. This product comes in frozen and some shelf stable. Kitchen of India can be found at Vons and I think Raley’s in Northern Cal. A company by the name of Viana makes a variety of vegan, cholesterol free, GMO free and organic foods. This is a Germany based company that has their products imported by Tofutown North America. Visit there website for more info at www.viana-usa.com.

If you’re looking for “natural candy” and are a fan of licorice, Tubi’s makes a yummy red licorice and an organic black licorice, which I’m told is good but I personally can’t stand black licorice. Tubi’s is found at most healthy food stores.

A company that also stood out was Farmer’s Market Foods. They have been in the natural foods business for some time. This is a family owned company out of Oregon with an outstanding product. They provide USDA organic canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. When I first came across their booth, I was blown away by the vibrant colors of their pureed vegetables. The corn, butternut squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes were samples they were offering. I decided to try the fresh pumpkin but I was skeptical because the only way I eat pumpkin is in a pie but I gave it a try. I had one bite of the pumpkin puree and I had to try the rest of the vegetable purees. The taste of the corn was better than some of the “fresh corn” that I’ve bought in the supermarket. The corn was sweet, the sweet potato puree was full of color and was good enough to eat alone, and the butternut squash was full of flavor. Farmer’s Market products are wonderful and worth buying. The purees are not only good for recipes but great for making homemade baby food. And the best part is it’s all natural. You can find their products at Natural Food markets. Visit their website for more info at www.farmersmarketfoods.com

If you’re a woman who is looking for natural cosmetics, search no more. I personally use a brand called Mineral Fusion. They are based out of Denver and they make a great line of eyeliners, mascara, mineral powder, blush etc… There body lotions, washes, shampoos etc… are paraben and phtalate free, gluten free, 100% vegetarian, hypo-allergenic, rich in minerals and overall good quality. I really like their mineral eyeliner. I know for sure that Clark’s Nutritional Center’s carry a nice extensive line of Mineral Fusion. You can also visit there website for more info. www.mineralfusion.com.

Great teas to look out for are Numi. They have organic, GMO free teas that taste great and they work to help the local natives. Steaz Zero Calorie Iced Tea (100% natural). Mate Factor’s Fresh Yerba Mate (Organic), Bigelow Wild Blueberry Acai (full of antioxidants). Teeccio Coffee substitute contains no caffeine and the vanilla nut is my personal favorite.

There is so much to talk about and share, I wish I could plug my brain into my laptop and have it all appear on my blog. But since I can’t do that, I will share more over the next few weeks. One of the highlights of Expo West was Jillian Michaels. She is the spokes person for So Delicious and spent a few minutes throwing down T-shirts to promote their products. I attempted to take pictures but if you have a cell phone cam, you know they’re not that great if you don’t have a steady hand. Anyways I hope you enjoy this blog and look out for some of the products I felt are worth trying.

Ways to Boost Your Metabolism.

Recently I read in a magazine about ways to boost your metabolism. Normally I’m pretty skeptical about fat burning tips however, these tips had research to back them. So, I felt comfortable sharing them this week with you. A study out of Scripps Clinic in California said grapefruit contains an antioxidant called naringenin that helps to control insulin, resulting in stable blood glucose and calories being burned more efficiently. You can also reeve up your metabolism by eating more whole grains. Whole grains require more energy for your body to metabolize, thus boosting your metabolism. Green tea made the list of metabolism boosters as well. There has been ongoing press for some time about green tea’s metabolism boosting benefits. The active constituent responsible for green teas weight loss benefit is epigallocatechin. This phytochemcial “stimulates the nervous system” without increasing heart rate. The article went on to say that 3 cups of green tea a day can help burn an extra 80 calories a day. Lastly, hot peppers such as cayenne, jalapenos and habaneros contain a phytochemical called capsaicin that helps to increase metabolism. In fact, having a meal that contains any of these peppers can increase your metabolism by 25% for up to 3 hours after a meal.

These are great tips to add to any healthy lifestyle plan. Keep in mind that there are no quick fixes to weight loss and if there are, they’re only temporary and may not be healthy. My advice to you is to be good to your body and it will be good to you;).

The Chocolate Alternative (Carob)

If you’ve never tried carob, you’re missing out on a sweet and healthy treat. Carob is one of my favorite sweet treats, in fact I find myself opting for carob chips on my frozen yogurt instead of chocolate chips. Or occasionally I’ll stop by Clark’s Nutritional Centers for a few yummy carbo malted balls that can be found in the bulk bins. Carob malted balls are like Whoppers malted milk balls but have more flavor and are lower in fat and calories. Carob is closely related to chocolate and has many of the same health benefits as chocolate. Carob is known for it’s hint of cocoa and coffee flavor but is without caffeine. Carbo is also lower in calories and fat compared to chocolate. It’s also high in fiber and low in sugar. Its low sugar content is because it’s naturally sweeter compared to chocolate, thus requiring less sugar during processing. Some health benefits to eating carob include a higher protein and calcium content. When comparing carob to chocolate, carob does not contain oxalic acid, which can get in the way of calcium being absorbed in the body. Carob is also lower in sodium and is a good source of copper, manganese, potassium, and magnesium. It naturally has a high level of vitamin A and B vitamins. There is also some research to show that carob can help reduce migraines and acts as a remedy for diarrhea.

If your wondering how to use carbo, you can pretty much use it the same way you would use chocolate in a recipe. It comes in powder or solid form and can be found at a natural foods store such as Clark's Nutritional Centers, Sprouts or Whole Foods Market.

Mind Over Health

Are you in a mental state of wellness or has your thoughts reeked havoc on your health? Our minds are so powerful that it can literally make us sick. Having a positive attitude and being happy overall can have a good effect on health. We may not have control over everything in this life but we certainly can have control over our thoughts, the choices we make and the actions we take. Studies have shown that people who are happier about their home life, work environment and life overall have lower blood pressure, decreased cortisol levels (stress hormone), less anxiety, stress and other ailments. In addition, the bible tells us in Proverbs 17:22 that “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Even the Greek philosopher Plato believed that being happy could decrease burdens on the soul and have a positive effect on health. Another example of mind over health is Emile Coue who was a French psychologist and pharmacist in the 1900’s who was renowned for using a method called autosuggestion to help heal people of ailments. Many people who followed his method were told by him to recite “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.” As a result, many people were healed of their ailments.

Like everyone else, I to am faced with my share of daily stress. In fact, some days may be more or less than others. But regardless I try to tell myself, no matter what the source of the stressor is, “it’s not worth poor health.” After telling myself this, it makes the stressor a little more manageable. Besides, most of the time I’m the one who brings on the stress (lol).

If your current mental state is poor, ask yourself, “is it worth poor health?” Life will continue to throw us all curve balls and challenges but it’s up to us as to how we take on those challenges. Keep in mind that some stress can be beneficial but it too should be in moderation;).

Lemon Juice Can Help Reduce the Effects of Aging

New research out of Mount Sinai School of Medicine NYC says, cooking with lemon juice may reduce the effects of aging. For instance, by adding lemon juice to meats before cooking helps reduce a harmful compound called “advanced glycation end product" that increases aging in the body. Cooking meats by grilling, broiling, baking and searing can increase AGE’s. The theory with research is that lemon juice helps to decrease the formation of these compounds. Meats should marinate in the lemon juice for an hour, depending on the size and type of meat.

It’s also good to serve a liberal amount of veggies and a serving or more of fruits at meal times (depending on how many servings you had thus far in the day). Fruits and veggies contain a high amount of antioxidants and phytochemicals that can help make aging all the more graceful;).

Are you taking balance for granted?

How important is balance to you? Is it a part of your exercise regimen or is it something you never really think about and kinda take it for granted? Balance is very important; in fact it’s a skill that could save your life. Balance training should be taken seriously and be a part of your exercise routine. As we age, it becomes a skill that is more and more challenging. A recent article I read said, declining balance skills is said to be a “major factor in the 450,000 hospitalizations” that occur in the US annually. That means a lot of these hospitalizations could have been prevented, by doing exercises to help improve balance.

Here are a few things to keep in mind in terms of balance. Core, resistance and agility training with some stretching, is a great start to help improve balance. Having strong core muscles will help keep your body more stable and capable of doing activities that may be a little more challenging. In addition, having good leg strength and ankle flexibility will allow you to have a better range of motion, thus reduce your chance of falling.

To improve the flexibility in your hamstrings (back of the legs) you can simply sit on the floor and touch your legs (ankles) or toes and hold that position for a count of 15 to 30 and release. Abdominal crunches are a great simple beginner exercise to help strengthen your core. Tightrope walking is a balance exercise that will help improve balance and mental focus. It can be done by walking heal to toe with your arms extended shoulder length at your sides so your hands are parallel to the floor. This exercise can be made more advanced by lifting your leg out in front of you, keeping it straight and counting to 10 then releasing and extending it backwards while holding your balance for a count of 10, then switching legs. Doing exercises such as squats or even jump roping will help increase leg strength. An exercise that can be done to improve agility is “side to sides.” Sides to sides are done by jumping to your right and left (at a slow pace) then gradually picking up speed. This exercise will help strengthen your ankles as well has your calf muscles.

Setting Realistic Goals & Resolutions

Here we are entering another new year and if you are like many Americans who made a New Years resolution, you are probably on your way to a new you or at least that’s the plan. I personally have never been much of a fan of “New Years Resolutions” but I am big on making changes in your life that will equate to a healthier and better you. One thing to keep in mind when making a “resolution” or goal is to keep it realistic. I remember when I was pregnant with my son and I gained quite a bit of weight during the pregnancy. I also had my share of battles with food cravings during that time. For the most part I ate balanced and tried to keep it as healthy as possible but as I approached the end of my pregnancy, I weighted 175lbs. My goal after I had my son was to get back to my normal weight by exercising and eating right. At first that was easier said than done when your nursing and running off a few hours of sleep with a fussy baby. It was hard to stick to a regular exercise schedule in the beginning but I managed to do a little at a time by including my son in my exercise regimen. For instance, when I had a tough time putting him to sleep, I would put him in the Snuggle, which was a baby backpack that could be worn on your back or front side. Then I would go about my daily activities such as light house chores or walk around the block a few times. And on the days that I was fighting the blues, I would dance them away with my son being toted around in the Snuggle. By the time I came to the end of my cha-cha-cha he was fast asleep and I could sneak in a cat nap as well.

Making the best of my situation and taking small steps overtime helped get the extra weight off. And before I knew it, months had gone by and I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, my son was walking and I was chasing him around and that was exercise in itself.

Goals and resolutions don’t need to be complicated or overly thought, just realistic and small steps are a good start. Keep in mind that we all fail at one time or another but the ones who get up and dust themselves off and start again are the most successful.