It was my 8th year at Expo West (the largest health food show in the world…yes, WORLD). If you know me by now, you’ll know that I am very picky about products. I always check ingredients, making sure products are free from all those so called “healthy” ingredients the industry tries to trick us with. Well not me. Needless to say I passed up quite a few booths.
Some brands you may already be familiar with as I am a regular consumer of them myself, and others will be completely brand new! Regardless if they are familiar or not, they all had something new to me that I wanted to share. I certainly am not showing everything I saw at the convention, but wanted to just include a few items that I thought were interesting, tasty, and of course actually healthy!
CBD Products
CBD was popping up everywhere! In teas, truffles, chocolate, and plain old CBD oil extract. However not all CBD is created equal and some product out there may contain fillers and/or additives in the product as a whole (nut just the CBD).
Evo Hemp
Evo Hemp just launched their new CBD tincture extract as well as soft gels! Last year they told me this would be happening and I couldn’t wait to tell you all about the news! So they are officially available to the public through their website. Use code: lilsipper for 20% off too!
They also re-branded their entire line so the packaging is all new. Along with the re-brand, they now offer their Hemp 90 which contains 27g per serving compared to their original protein (15g).
The Hemp 90 has a smooth texture as apposed to the gritty-ness of their original and it can be easily mixed in water, smoothies, and baked goods. And of course, it’s just ONE ingredient! No sugars, stevia, flavorings, or fillers.
Hnina Gourmet
These are raw, vegan, paleo chocolates which are sprouted for easier digestion. But they announced at the show there will also be a CBD line coming out this summer!
CBD items will include:
• Snacks
• Spreads
• Bars
• Truffles
• Per the owners, the exact CBD mg is TBD.
Tribali Foods
I’ve had these before and recently been loving their grass-fed patties. I’m including them here because though they did not launch any “new” products, they are a farely new company and discovery of mine so the entire line of 3 skus should be checked out (cuz they’re flippin bomb!). Not to mention they won a Nexty Award.
They are:
• Paleo certified
• Non-GMO Certified
• Whole 30 Approved
• Gluten Free
• Antibiotic and Hormone Free
I’ve had them before and HERE is just one dish you may like. Each box includes 4 pre-portioned patties (raw), ready to cook straight from the freezer. Store locators are on their website.
Sunbutter
Ok, another company you know I love and though they also don’t have a “new” product, they did just re-brand so I wanted to get you in the know to be on the lookout for their new labeling! I always go for their organic since it contains just organic sunflower seeds.
Fire Cider
Not only did Fire Cider re-brand with spanking new labels, but a subtle but VERY IMPORTANT ingredient added to their formula is black pepper to activate the fresh turmeric in the ingredient list. Smart! I do get asked quite often what the different is between Fire Cider and regular apple cider vinegar is, and well….beside the tongue tingling taste, just check out the ingredients and you’ll see for yourself! Certified organic.
Apple cider vinegar, raw honey, oranges, lemons, onions, ginger, horseradish, garlic, turmeric, habanero pepper, black pepper.
As most of you know that watch my Instagram stories, I take this every morning just for a boost and it also helps me drink more water since I dilute it with water (but also have been known to take straight shots!)
Nancy’s Yogurt
Nancy’s also re-branded so all their packaging looks different, fresh, and really pops! In addition, they also launched some single serve whole milk yogurt cups which contain 41 BILLION living probiotic cultures!
Rumor has it that they will be available this July. I also know their whole milk kefir will be launching in Sprouts in about a week! I’ve tried their plain kefir and it’s addicting!
Explore Cuisine
Another go-o pasta brand of mine, Explore Cuisine. They just launched their new mung bean rotini which is sold EXCLUSIVELY through Amazon (so anyone can get it!)
• Made from just one ingredient
• Organic
• Non-GMO
• Gluten Free
• High in Protein
…and, did you know? Mung beans actually are beneficial to the gut! So if you have trouble digesting other types of beans, you may want to give mung beans a try! Really! Don’t take my word for it…look it up! HERE is a recipe that I tested out using this pasta a few weeks ago.
Right Foods
New packaging seems to be one of the major themes this year for brands. I mean, check out these sexy cups of their organic on-the-go gluten free oats!
Why I tend to gravitate towards these easy cups for traveling, is that they actually DON’T include all the extra sugar. That is, a packet is included inside each container so you have the option of controlling the sweetness! I usually don’t add it in at all, but perhaps you want just a touch of sweetness, you can just add 1/4, or 1/2 of the pack. You decide! you control it!
KitchFix
Can I just say how excited I am about this?! I actually have been consuming their grain free, paleo waffles for at least a month (ever since I attended their brunch in Santa Monica at the beginning of February). I do always prefer to test a product out for a while prior to recommending it to others since I don’t know how I will react to it. I would hate to recommend something that I tried only once, then later find out after a week of consuming it I felt horrible. That was simply not the case for these waffles. I pretty much had them every day (usually I added pieces to my smoothies!) and they even taste amazing frozen!
The ingredients are obviously grain free and super clean. Out of all the varieties, I would have to say the original is my favorite only because it’s more versatile, however all the flavors are on fleek!
I’ve also been munching on their grain free paleo granola (it can get addicting so be aware!) but I tried their brand new grain free bars at the show and was actually quite surprised! At first glance, I thought they would be one of those rock hard, stale bars. But as I bit into them my view immediately changed. I also liked that they were not too sweet and weren’t “sticky.” Now I have not been consuming them regularly, however from what I did try, they digested well and I had no upsets. Per KitchFix, these bars won’t be available until the summer, however the waffles are already in Sprouts! (freezer section).
Vixen Kittchen
One of the cleanest ingredient list of any ice cream I’ve seen. I actually tried this vegan AND paleo gelato a few months back prior to Expo West, so when I saw their booth at the show you know I had to include them here!
Not only does this brand steer clear from flavorings, gums, and thickeners (a rare find these days), but it actually taste amazing with no compromise to texture. Creamy and dreamy! But it get’s even better yo! All their decadent dessert flavors are certified organic, paleo, and vegan. I spoke with the owner and she informed me that they just started shipping nationally with FREE shipping included! Click HERE for the link where you can get the goods. They’re also sold in tons of health food stores on the west coast so just check their site for store locations.
Comment your thoughts HERE on which item(s) you are most excited about! I want to know!
These were just a few items that stood out and I felt comfortable sharing about right away. Of course there were others, however I am one to not just taste something once then say “get it!” I like to try it out for a while to make sure:
1) It agrees with me
2) It actually works (if applicable)
So stay tuned on the gram!
