Covering an event like the Natural Products Expo West 2014 requires physical and gastronomic stamina. The array of foods, skincare, wellness and health products are dizzying. This year over 65,000 attendees tasted, smelled and slathered their way through aisle after aisle of products. Frankly, as a health professional who also happens to be a journalist, I pride myself on caloric restraint and mostly healthy food choices most of the time. Putting a health halo on foods can confuse you - even healthy foods require portion control, and even the healthiest of processed foods are not meant to entirely replace the simple fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, legumes, teas, and water that should frequent our daily diet. But we all want pizza, quick grab snacks and meal bars, the best choices in yogurts and alternative milks, and certainly better-for-you swap outs that include un-fried fries, carb free noodles, baked chips, dried and baked fruit products, nut butters, condiments, soups, entrees and more. This show has them all. And at this once-a year event, I am the uber-taste tester, which means that my a.m. exercise and all day walking have to somehow balance out all the mouthfuls I eat……they don’t. So I resign myself to just enjoying the chomping in the name of food and trend reviews.
Chia, chia everywhere. Chia is clearly trending strong, but not all chia is created equal, and I got quite the education on whole grain Salba brand, otherwise known as Salvia Hispanica at their booth. Used by Purely Elizabeth, and recommended by Rachel Beller, the nutritionist on The Biggest Loser, Salba conveniently comes in single serve packets. The health benefits of chia include a large dose of omeage-3 fatty acids (ALA), fiber, antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, iron – it’s a nutrient powerhouse. You can add it to salads, soups, oatmeal or cereal, yogurt or make a healthier meatloaf or muffin with a packet or two. It averages about 70 calories per pack and may help you to feel more satiated too.
I don’t think that you can easily replace real pasta or noodles BUT I do know that many dieters want to control their “grain carbohydrate” intake. As a nutritionist, I do think we all eat too many servings of grains – even the healthy ones. To be clear, that category includes cereals, breads, rice, pasta, muffins, crackers, even peas, corn and potatoes. So I have been recommending kelp noodles to clients and consumers for awhile. KonaBerry noodles by Sea Tangle are just the latest variation on low calorie noodles that allow you “bulk for few calories.” You have to be willing to rinse, re-rinse and rinse these noodles again and again, and store unused leftovers in a container filled with water. And the source of these new noodless – Hawaii’s konaberry - offers a range of anti-oxidants. Soon to be available online and nationwide, I just think these noodles can help a dieter looking to fill up for a small calorie cost. Enveloping these noodles, once they’re rinsed thoroughly, in a tomato sauce, soup, or salad may help to limit the slightly chewy texture and the ‘fishy” aftertaste some people experience. Let’s put it this way – it works for me!
We should all be drinking more water and unsweetened teas. For some people, plain H2O just isn’t appealing, so gently flavored waters or zero calorie teas can be the next best thing. Zero-calorie fortified waters though calorie free, are not innocuous, because of their vitamin content. Ayala herbal waters come in flat and sparkling, and have somewhat refreshing, sophisticated flavors like Lemongrass Mint Vanilla, Lavendar Mint, Cloves Cardamom Cinnamon, Cinnamon Orange Peel, and Ginger Lemon Peel. I’ve been a fan for years, and now a line of teas are new entrants to the product line. Chamomile Bergamot Vanilla, Nutmeg Cacao Nibs Cardamom, Peppermint Melissa Spearmint, and Rooibos Cinnamon Rose Petal are sophisticated and palate-pleasing. They will fill my pantry shelves shortly.
Why do I keep hearing about diets that bash fruit? C’mon folks, there isn’t a better fast food as in grab food on the planet. And yes, that includes bananas and watermelon which often get bashed for being super dense or super sweet. If everyone swapped out all the processed “healthy food” they’re eating and committed to eating 4 or 5 fruit servings daily, trust me, you’d enjoy taste, fiber, health benefits and your body (and probably your waistline) would benefit from the fewer so-called healthy, processed choices you eat. But I agree that sometimes you may just want an alternative, and Peeled Snacks Apple Clusters (there are 3 to choose from) pass muster. Just organic apples plus juice and 60 calories per serving – perfect to mix with nuts for a full-bodied snack, and the whole family can enjoy them. (I am munching as I write)
I constantly tell consumers and clients that nut butters are a fabulous way to enjoy protein, and it pairs so well with ingredients in a fruit smoothie or just on a fruit. Baked crackers and nut butters are a great pick-me-up snack and there’s nothing yummier than a waffle and nut butter. I prefer to grind my own, sans any additional ingredients other than the nuts themselves. But I do agree that single serve packs are great for travel and highly preferable to other high fat/processed spreads. Some of the decadent flavors from this year’s Expo include Earth Balance Coconut and Peanut spread (Vanilla Bean + Expresso yummy too), Barney Butter Almond Butter Honey plus Flax (they also make Raw plus Chia). Love, love the Nutzo To-Go “7 nuts and seeds” spreads too – just nuts and seeds and 1 gram of sugar per serving!
If you want to turn your experience with a spread into a decadent treat, I was insane over the chocolate (from Venezuela) spread flavors from Ek Chok (distributed by Premier Organics which included licorice, rose, cardamom, vanilla, and others – perfect for a berry dip!! Remember, this is a treat moment!!
Other notable mentions from my taste-testing include a stop by Alexia, which is now offering 98% fat free roasted fries , Gardein fishless filets (coming soon) rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids , Lesser Evil Super 4 White Bean Bites that include quinoa, lentil and chia too, Beanitos Baked Bean Puffs, and IPS egg white chips, which have 7 grams of protein per each pressure-puffed serving. It will take me a while to share thoughts on new and old standby nutrition bars…stay tuned for that.
And of course, there’s my go-to-after-dinner treat. I’m a big fan of “around 100 calorie” yogurt bars and frankly, Skinny Cow has been my choice for a while. Well, Yasso did lasso me with their new flavored Greek Yogurt Bars, and I couldn’t pick a favorite. Hands down I lusted after Mint Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel and Raspberry Dark Chocolate. Remember, these are treats, so despite sugars in the range of 11-16 grams, the nutritionals are far healthier than their tasty and high fat, mainstream counterparts!!
Lots more to come on reviews and trends in future blogs……gotta get on the treadmill now!!
And of course, there’s my go-to-after-dinner treat. I’m a big fan of “around 100 calorie” yogurt bars and frankly, Skinny Cow has been my choice for a while. Well, Yasso did lasso me with their new flavored Greek Yogurt Bars, and I couldn’t pick a favorite. Hands down I lusted after Mint Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel and Raspberry Dark Chocolate. Remember, these are treats, so despite sugars in the range of 11-16 grams, the nutritionals are far healthier than their tasty and high fat, mainstream counterparts!!
Lots more to come on reviews and trends in future blogs……gotta get on the treadmill now!!
RSS Feed