The Best of Expo West 2014 & a Fabulous Giveaway!
In all my days as an Hollywood reporter and with all the lavish gifting suites I’ve gone to, I have never before received a mound of swag as large as the one I scored at Expo West.
Just look how Mr. Chow pales in comparison.
For weeks, Natural Products Expo West 2014 was all anyone in the health industry could talk about.
I listened, mystified, to their tales of endless booths of delicious snacks and warnings to forgo breakfast that day, as I would probably be full for an entire week afterward.
But nothing could have prepared me for the behemoth that I witnessed last week.
I headed down to Anaheim on Friday with my pals Gigi of Gigi Eats Celebrities and CJ, aka “The Dude,” behind Vegetarian Dude. Before we could even walk in the convention center doors, we were greeted by an onslaught of product pushers.
Never one to turn down a free, healthy treat, I eagerly began filling my bag.
Inside I was overwhelmed by the expanse of the expo and the sheer number of bodies. With over 2600 booths, reports estimate that about 67,000 people passed through this weekend.
Naively, we only scheduled one day to explore, so we had to be efficient, stuffing our faces as quickly as possible. Fun fact: after you’ve eaten about 347 different kind of protein bars…they all start to taste the same.
While many products I tried seemed to be pretty run-of-the-mill, a few stood out to me. Here are the coolest, new (at least to me), natural food products from Expo West.
Barnana
These chewy little bites of dehydrated banana are sooo good. At 110 calories a serving, they have absolutely no added sugar and about 4 grams of fiber per serving. I love the original but they also come in chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut-covered.
Power O’s
You would never guess what this cereal is made of just from looking at it. Ok fine, I’ll tell you. It’s beans!
Don’t cringe, they’re really good.
This is the first thing I tried when I got home. I topped mine with strawberries, coconut flakes, chia seeds, and a sprinkle of stevia and I couldn’t even tell the difference between them and Cherrios.
Sold.
The original O’s are only 60 cals, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of sugar. They also come in strawberry, cocoa, and honey flavor.
SeaSnax Chomperz
I’ve enjoyed SeaSnax original seaweed strips before, but now they’ve come out with a chip form of their beloved snack.
The “Chomperz” are made of seaweed and brown rice and come in several tasty flavors like Barbeque and Onion. They’re incredibly addictive and perfect for picky kids (and adults) who don’t like the more “in-your-face” taste of the solid seaweed product.
They’re only 40 calories a serving and 4 grams of protein. With 2 servings a bag, so you can down the whole thing without a care.
Cruncha Ma Me
Unsurprisingly (I mean, have you seen my logo), I love edamame. While I’ll eat it in pod form all day long, it would be so much nicer to have a refrigerator-free version to take with me on the road.
This little pouch of amazingness contains more protein than an egg, 4 grams of healthy fat, and 90 calories of fuel to get you through that afternoon slump at work, or in my case, boring Chemistry classes.
They come in a ton of awesome flavors and are only seasoned with natural spices like garlic, onions, and parsley. Major love here.
Explore Asian Black Bean Pasta
This stuff got me all hot and bothered… and not just because they were serving it with spicy curry sauce.
I was floored by just how delicious this gluten-free pasta, made solely of black beans, tastes. Even more impressive though is it’s nutritional stats. One serving is 180 calories (same as wheat pasta) but with 25 grams of protein!
It’s the perfect option to get those muscle-building macros in your meat-free meals.
Eden Brown Rice Mochi
I almost passed this up because I thought they were serving “Mochi Ice Cream”— in other words, totally not healthy.
However, this stuff (which can be used to make mochi ice cream) is simply steamed and pounded 100% whole-grain brown rice. It puffs up when you cook it and you can use it to make the tastiest little low-cal waffles, with no sugar and practically no fat.
I forgot to take a picture of the waffles they were making, but trust me, it was like magic. I plan on recreating it here soon.
Pure Organic Ancient Grains Bars
Pure bars are nothing new to me. I’ve been pounding these babies for ages. Their new “ancient grains” line is though, and it’s awesome. These bars feature a fabulous blend of quinoa, amaranth, flax, and hemp.
As you may recall, I have a pretty intense love affair with grains going on. And if grains are my primary love, nut butter is my mistress. Pure has combined the two and made a hopeless romantic out of me, all for a mere 160 calories.
Along with trying out all these fab new products, I also got to meet my friends at Zevia face-to-face.
You may be aware, I’m a “Zevia Certified Smart Person.” That says nothing about my actual intellect, just that I make great beverage choices.
I ended the day with a much-needed dance party at their booth which was serving up Zevia-spiked cocktails to the tunes of Biz Markie.
Zevia’s originality and fun, funky vibe is precisely why I consider it so much more than just a friend.
Ok, so have I made you sufficiently jealous that you didn’t get to go to Expo West? Don’t worry, I won’t play you like that.
I’m spreading love, friends. I have divvied up my swag and I’m giving a TON of it away to you.
Enter the giveaway below to score this humongous swag bag full of healthy snacks, coupons, and even a sweet pair of shades. The giveaway runs until Sunday.
Katie Owen says:
You have a way with words (it’s a gift) that strums, and hits my heart.
“As you may recall, I have a pretty intense love affair with grains going on. And if grains are my primary love, nut butter is my mistress.”
You’re not good. You’re g o o d !
“Ok, so have I made you sufficiently jealous that you didn’t get to go to Expo West? Don’t worry, I won’t play you like that.”
Well played Whitney. Well played.
PS- You’re a good one :)
-Katie Owen
susie says:
Wow! These products look and sound amazing. Excited to try them all someday! The Organic Black Bean Spaghetti, Pure Bars and Power O’s (gotta love a healthy cereal) sound especially wonderful. Edamame is my favorite snack :)
Kaila @healthyhelperblog! says:
This makes me so excited for my annual trip to Expo EAST every september! Not as big as Expo West…but still exciting! I would loooove to try that mochi stuff! Sounds great!
Ashley @ Brocblog says:
Im so excited about all of these expo recaps! I wish Id gone down there but I would have been so overwhelmed! I can’t wait to hear about these products being more readily available (especially if they show up at TJs)
Kelsey says:
All of it! OMG! Are all of these products coming out soon or available now? The rice crackers, the chompers, power o’s. OMG
Lesley says:
I would love to try the Chomperz and the Cruncha Ma Me, yum!
Caitlin F. says:
Oh man. Those banana bites sound so good!
mary says:
Eden Brown Rice Mochi sound devine :D
Julie says:
…and I didn’t see you?! I worked there so I could get in! Did you try the cricket flour bars?
Julie says:
So I didn’t get much of a chance to walk around. I only grabbed things from the dungeon/Hall E. I want to try the Barnana, but those coconut chips too!
Kathryn Mackey says:
I like this sounds yummy
Karen @ Kama Fitness says:
I have never heard of black bean pasta before, OMG I would love to try it!!
Leena Rocco says:
I would love to win!
Marina @ Lazy for Diet says:
Wow, snacks look cool! I never tried anything such. Because you never will find the real healthy snack in Russia. This industry only starts developing at us. From this that you described – cereal absolute favourites! You never will find in our shops of the cereal not packed with sugar and palm-oil.
Eugenie says:
The Asian Black Bean Pasta and Eden Brown Rice Mochi are two things that I want to try.
Sherry says:
Pure bars, mochi & Power O’s have me intrigued. :) Gosh I miss living on the west coast!!!!!!!
Donna F. says:
So many amazing products! I would love to try the Power O’s, black bean pasta, brown rice mochi and the Bare coconut chips and Mary’s Gone Crackers I see in the basket! Pure bars are my favorite!
Kaitlyn says:
One word: #swag. I’d LOVE to try the Barnana product! Yummy!
Donya says:
I cant wait to try that black bean pasta, looked for it in stores like Whole Foods, MOMs and other specialty stores but haven’t found it anywhere but online. Waiting for my grain supply to go down a bit before I stock up but if you’re going to consume pasta might as well get all that protein, and all the IRON!
Howell says:
I want to try the SeaSnax Chomperz.
Hayley says:
OMG all of them!!
Ashley says:
I’d LOVE to try that new cereal by Love Grown! Anything with beans in it has my heart!
Bethann says:
Sounds like a food-lovers dream! I have only been to Anaheim Convention Center one time and I hope to never go back! Perhaps that is a tad dramatic, but it is SO huge with 2 levels and SO many people packed in! Glad you had fun and found some new treats! xoxo, BA
Brittany @ Barr & Table says:
I see coconut chips in the basket! Haha yum! I’ve also really been wanting to try mochi.
Missy says:
Yummy new nut butter flavors!
kayla says:
i would love to try those banana snacks!
Amanda H says:
The BARE coconut chips sound yummy!
anne says:
I can’t believe I didn’t know about this!! And I live right in OC too :(. All the snacks you mentioned sound just amazing, especially that cereal!!
Jacqui says:
I would LOVE to try that black bean pasta!!! That is so different and I love black beans, so I am sure I would enjoy it.
Dale Janee says:
I can’t believe that expo is soo huge! You got some many fun snacks. My aunt and her husband own The Ginger People and she told me there were going to have a booth there and said it’s big, but I had no idea how many natural food companies are out there. Must be so much competition! At least you got tons of new ones to try though. Nice giveaway!
erin says:
would love to try barnana!
Kristina @ Damn Ten Pounds says:
Holy swag! You guys made out at that expo. I’m marking my calendar for next year. ps – hiiiii Mr. Chow!!!
Sarah Evans-Watson says:
Beanitos!
Lauren says:
Those coconut chips look awesome!
Annabel says:
Loved reading your recap! Wish we had run into each other there! <3
Jody - Fit at 56 says:
It was craziness & sorry I missed you & GiGi!!!!! I have been so sick that I have not even made it into my bags yet! I just don’t feel well enough to tackle them BUT soon! :)
Elizabeth says:
I am obsessed with Natural Products Expo West! A friend of mine gets to go every year because of work and I’m always jealous :). One of these days I’ll make it in. I’m curious the black bean noodles as well as the Power O’s. Would love to try those along with the rest of the goodies!
Cel says:
I’d love to try the root beer flavoured zevia!
Jennifer says:
I’ve tried the Barnana before and my girls loved them!! Like to try the crunch m am
Jennifer Sinquefield King says:
We have tried the barnanas and would love to try a lot of the items listed! I love trying new healthy foods and expose my girls to a healthy lifestyle. We live in Mississippi so we have to travel to Memphis to shop at Whole Foods and have to order off the Internet so being able to try a bunch of new items would be FUN!!
Brittany says:
It sounds like Expo West was a blast. I’d love to try the cruncha mame and the black bean pasta!
Katherine says:
I tried the sea snacks and L O V E them. I thought it would be a weird combo but it was excellent. I’m googling the other snacks :)