Thursday, March 17, 2016

Highlights of the 2016 Expo West!





Expo West 2016 Picks!
Guest blogger: T. Korisky
(@thefoodygal on Twitter!)




Blk Premium Alkaline Water
One of the best products that I tried was Blk Premium Alkaline Water. With its unique black color, it’s so different from the typical bottle of water. Also, Blk has different kinds of flavored black water, such as, black lemonade, tropical punch, blueberry acai, and mango splash. Personally, my favorite kind was the tropical punch, which has a subtle sweet flavor that I really enjoyed.



Vita Coco
My absolute favorite products I tried at the event was from Vita Coco. Vita Coco had the most intriguing products, ranging from mango peach coconut water to their espresso infused café latte coconut water, which is my personal favorite. I loved the coconut water with pineapple and the vanilla café latte coconut water. With 630 mg of potassium per bottle, these drinks are the best pick me up, especially when you’re under the weather or just want something refreshing. Also, Vita Coco gave out small cups of popcorn with coconut oil sprinkled on top, which was a delicious and healthy substitute to butter.



Hubert’s Lemonade
Hubert’s Lemonade was another great company to see at the Natural Products Expo. Their station was filled with a collection of lemonades to try, such as blackberry lemonade, blood orange lemonade, peach lemonade, and my personal favorite, watermelon lemonade, which tastes like a Jolly Rancher candy. Another reason to love these lemonades is because they’re sweetened with Stevia, instead of artificial sweeteners, making them guilt-free.


Pamela's Products



Each year, Pamela's Products get better and better. This year featured even more gluten-free options for pancakes, cookies, and bars. Whenever Bars have been my go-to breakfast in the morning for awhile now. And my family eats Pamela's gluten-free pancakes for dinner some nights, packing them with blueberries, bananas and maple syrup. The great thing about Pamela's display is how personal she is with everyone. Pamela and her staff are always so friendly and there are so many samples to try. Her products, presentation, and people behind this great company, are just incredible!


Immaculate Baking Company



Every time I attend the Natural Products Expo, Immaculate Baking is one of the companies I always look for. With their adorable display and friendly employees, they nearly draw you towards their table. As well as great presentation, they have some of the tastiest sweet treats to try. This year, they gave out sample pieces of their brownies and chocolate chunk cookies, which were delicious! Both products were soft, sweet, decadent, and so hard not to love!



Amy’s Kitchen

Out of all the companies I saw, I cannot express how impressive Amy’s display was. From tables filled with their delicious candy bars, to slices of hot pizzas, samples of their pastas, as well as live food demos. A few of my favorites included their pesto swirls, Dreamy candy bar, chili mac, and the three cheese and kale bake. As well as a great display, all of their candy bars are vegan and all of their food products are vegetarian.




Naked Juice


I’ve been a fan of Naked Juice for so long, so when I saw them at the event, I was so happy! Not only did they give samples of their existing flavors such as chia sweet peach and kale blazer, but they also featured their new line of cold pressed juices. I tried the hearty greens juice and the cool pineapple juice, which were both so delicious. They were naturally sweet, but also packed with so many healthy ingredients. Also, these refreshing juices have no added sugar in them, which makes them even better.





Back to Nature

Considering mac n’ cheese is one of my favorite foods, seeing Back to Nature’s display made me very happy. Not only did it include a large variety of their of mac n’ cheese boxes, but their new microwavable cups too. As well as being delicious, the mac n’ cheeses come in a variety of fun shapes, such as “silly sea life” and “crazy bugs”. Additionally, the whole line of products is organic, which is also very impressive.

Professor Stephanie Reich, UCI professor of education and expert on youth and social media

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