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Natural Products  Expo East and West showcase the latest and greatest in natural, organic and healthy products. Here is a review of the trends I saw as well as some of my show favorites:

• Coconut – this flavor trend is still growing and can be found in several different beverages, confectionaries, packaged foods and dairy products (yogurt, frozen yogurt, coconut milk).
• Lentils – lentils are hot and I tasted several lentil crackers, chips, pasta, ready to eat meals, and breads made from lentil flour and/or lentils. Lentil flour increases the protein and fiber content of gluten free foods providing products with a better nutrition profile.
• Gluten free
• Non GMO
• Chocolate and cocoa
• Probiotics naturally found and added to yogurt, “shots”, frozen yogurt and confectionaries.

A few of my favorite finds:

Rob’s Really Good Coconut Zero

Rob’s Really Good Zero is indeed really good! It is sweetened naturally with erythritol and monk fruit extract. No calories, tastes great. I was hooked on the coconut and coconut pineapple flavors at Expo East.

Mediterranean Snack Foods Rosemary Lentil Crackers

There were several lentil chips and crackers and all of the ones I tried had a good taste profile and the texture of a typical non-gluten free cracker. Mediterranean Snack Foods Lentil Rosemary Herb are so good you might not want to share them with a dip or spread.

Explore Asian Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti, Organic Mung Bean Fettuchini and Organic Soybean Spaghetti are the best tasting high protein pasta products I have ever had. In fact, I prefer the taste and texture of Explore Asian Cuisine pastas (I tried all three) over all white American pasta. And they take just 6-8 minutes to make. My quick prep lunch today was black bean pasta, sauteed yellow bell peppers and fresh Parmesan cheese. I love it when a protein-rich, veggie meal is quick and easy to make.

My colleague Elizabeth Jarrard, RD introduced me to this Vega Sport Natural Performance Based Protein . If you are looking for a vegan protein, look no further. This one contains 26 grams of protein and it has over 5 grams of added BCAAs (smart move!), glutamine and digestive enzymes. I was thrilled to find a performance-based natural, vegan product that is so well formulated. Thank you Elizabeth for taking so much time to speak with me!

Since I don’t live in Phoenix I can’t pick up La Grande Orange’s outstanding homemade granola on a regular basis (if you are visiting Phoenix, schedule a trip to this store, you won’t be disappointed). And….just when I thought my granola fix would go unmet, the people I work with at KIND Snacks introduced me to KIND Healthy Grains as soon as it hit the marketplace (their Oat & Honey Clusters with Toasted Coconut is my favorite but, I adore coconut). And, after this past weekend I have another favorite that doesn’t require a trip to Phoenix (though of course I won’t turn down a trip there) - Purely Elizabeth Original Ancient Grain Granola. Once you taste it and check out the nutrition facts panel you’ll realize why it has been featured in several magazines including Women’s Health Magazine’s 125 Best Packaged Food for Women. And, the beauty of Expo East and West is that you can talk to the person behind the food, beverage or natural product and hear their story. Like all of the other people I met, Elizabeth was an absolute delight to speak with and passionate about tasty, nutritious natural foods.

And of course if you want a sweet gluten-free treat, try Wow Ginger Molasses, Glow gluten free cookies , Udi’s Gluten Free or Glutino. All of these brands carry baked goods that will make you forget all about your grandma’s freshly baked cookies. Even if you don’t eat gluten free, you will want to try these!

On the beauty side, fragrance is a hot topic because one fragrance could contain a number of ingredients including ingredients people are sensitive to.  If you want to follow everything natural in beauty products, follow Jessica Rubino. And on that note, it would be nice to see “natural” and “artificial” flavors include a list of ingredients as well.

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