A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend to the Natural Products Expo East. This is an event were hundreds of brands attends to showcase their products; it’s basically a trade show that also hosts educational events. What makes this expo different is that none of the brands are conventional brands, they’re all natural, mostly organic and non-GMO. These brands are trying to make a difference, some even provide back to the communities, and all have a very unique mission and take of the products they produce.
I had the honor of attending this event as a New Hope Expo Blogger (New Hope is the organizer of this amazing event) and got to discover a lot of amazing brands I didn’t even know existed. I want to share all these brands with you because I know most of you will love them as much as I do now.
As consumers, we have the power to steer what’s being sold to our kids and families and if we support brands that are making things differently, producing better alternatives; then these products will prosper and future generations will have more and more healthy, organic options.
You can see the full list of brands that attended the Natural Products Expo East here. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to see even half of them because this is such a big event so in this post I’ll only share about the brands I got to meet in person and that I loved. My list is pretty extensive so I’ve divided this post in 2 parts: this post is going to talk about all the food products I discovered and in a few days I’ll publish the healthy body edition where I’ll go over baby products, skin care products, supplements and eco-friendly alternatives for the home.
To make things easier for you I’ve divide this post in 4 sections:
- Snacks for kids
- Foods loaded with protein
- Snacks for the whole family
- Coffees
Snacks for kids:
This is probably my favorite part of the expo. I am always looking for healthy, organic snacks my kids can have on-the-go that aren’t filled with questionable ingredients and lots of sugar. Believe it or not, there aren’t many products that fall into this category so I was really excited to discover some great brands at the expo.
Bitsy’s Brainfood
This is my favorite snack discovery. This brand was created by two moms that believe that healthy snacks can look fun and be tasty! I can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen those sugar cereals or cookies with fun characters at the store and I’ve had my daughter beg for them; only to have her cry because I won’t let her eat that stuff.
Bitsy’s Brainfood offers fun packaging of snacks that are healthy, organic, low in sugar and actually tasty! My daughter tried cereal for the first time in her life.
Learn more about the brand Bitsy’s Braindfood and buy these online here.
Veggie fries
My daughter loves fries so of course as soon as I saw this I had to try it. They are fries made out of veggies. Veggie Fries are vegan, Non-GMO certified and free of the top 8 allergens including gluten, soy, dairy, and wheat.
Learn more about the brand and where you can purchase these here.
Pure Spoon
Have you ever tried baby food that you would actually eat? Pure Spoon makes such tasty baby food! I tried most flavors and liked every single of them. The best part is that they’re organic and free from preservatives, additives, color and added sugar.
They use a High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) that pasteurizes the food without the use of chemicals or nutrient-depleting high heat but this means their product has to be refrigerated so you’ll find it on stores like WholeFoods and (some) Targets or you can buy it online directly from their website.
Learn more about this brand and where to buy them in your area here.
Lucky Bar
These are protein bar for kids and when I first saw them I was worried about the sugar content since I’ve seen kid bars that have over 25 grams of sugar. To my surprise these bars didn’t have that much sugar and actually tasted pretty good.
Learn more about Lucky Bar and buy them here.
Little Duck Organics
They make little baby snacks, like freeze dried fruit and veggies but my favorite product is their probiotic fruit & veggies snacks. I love that they’re all organic with no added sugar and that these are snacks I can carry in my diaper bag.
Learn more about the brand Little Duck Organics and buy them here.
Foods loaded with protein:
Pro-Yo
I almost walked by the Pro-Yo booth without stopping and now I’m so happy the people at the expo stopped me and invited me to try their product. This looks like a popsicle and taste almost like an ice cream. It’s loaded with protein, probiotics and also has prebiotics. You can eat it straight from the container or make a smoothie out of it.
This is another product that has become a staple in my home since I don’t eat enough protein on a regular basis. Plus, it’s so tasty my kid will eat it on those days that she hasn’t eaten enough.
This product needs refrigeration so you’ll find it in most grocery stores. For more information on Pro-Yo and to find out where you can buy it in your area, click here.
B’more Organic
I am in love with this product. It’s a liquid yogurt that’s loaded with protein, it’s organic and made from grass-fed cows. As a mom there are days I don’t eat properly and having these yogurts have been a life saver. I only wish I had known about them when I was pregnant and needed to take extra protein.
This product needs refrigeration so you’ll find it in most grocery stores. For more information on the product and to find out where you can buy it in your area, click here.
Brami Snacking Lupini Beans
In case you haven’t noticed I love high protein snacks because we don’t eat a lot of meat in my home. These beans are also high on protein and very tasty – they come in all sorts of flavors. You’ll find flavors your kids will love as well as you. This is a great snack to carry in your purse!
Learn more about these beans Brami Snacking and buy them here.
The New Primal
This brand uses grass-fed meats to make tasty jerky and beef sticks. They come in regular size and kid size for the little ones. I love protein snacks that I can keep in my diaper bag without spoiling so this is perfect for that!
Learn more about The New Primal and buy here.
Snacks for the whole family:
Natural Sins
These are my new favorite fruit “chips”. Natural Sins has taken pineapples, coconut, beets and mango and created a paper thin chips. I love the texture and so do my kids but the best part is how tasty these chips are. Plus this company is from Costa Rica, which is a big plus for me.
Learn more about Natural Sins Natural Sins and buy them here.
I love Snacking
You should definitively check out all the snacks they make because they were all so tasty and perfect for kids as well as adults. This would have been a great snack to take to work back when I worked in an office.
My favorite snack was their olive pouches. My kids and I love olives but I didn’t have a convenient way to carry them. Now I just buy these bags!
You can learn more about I love snacking here and you can buy the following products online: Oloves (olive pouches), DipIn (healthy dips) and Stuff’d (stuffed dolmas).
Zema’s Madhouse
This line has snacks that are gluten-free and made with ancient grains. Zema’s commits to being free of dairy, soy, rice, sesame, yeast, tree nuts, peanuts, sulfites, additives, trans fats, preservatives and refined sugar.
We tried their cookies and they are really tasty! They don’t taste like regular cookies but my kids love them. We’re also really excited about their black bean brownie mix.
Check out Zema’s Madhouse and buy them here.
Goodness Grainless
When someone tells me to try a gluten-free and grain-free cookie I do it, but I’m a little hesitant since a lot of gluten-free stuff I tried tastes weird to me. I was so surprised when I tried Goodness Grainless – they’re cookies are delicious. It is not only tasty but free from so many allergens.
Learn more about Goodness Grainless and buy their products here.
Wedderspoon
If you love honey you must try this one! It’s tastiest and fanciest honey I’ve ever tried, plus honey has so many amazing properties that it should be a staple in everyone’s home. Wedderspoon even makes body products with their amazing honey.
Learn more about this honey and buy their products here.
JicaChips
Who doesn’t love chips? Ha! What I loved about these chips is that they are from Jicama. If you haven’t tried Jicama yet you should. It tastes amazing in a salad!
Jicame has 50% less calories than a potato, tons of fiber, vitamin C and potassium so they make a great healthy alternative to potato chips. JicaChips comes in all sorts of flavors, some even spicy for those of you that like a little kick.
Learn more about JicaChips and buy them here.
Vana Life Foods
I almost missed out on trying this vegan product and I’m so glad I didn’t. It is probably the tastiest garbanzo beans I’ve ever tried. It’s a pre-made meal that it’s ready to eat, all you have to do is heat it up so it’s perfect for those busy nights where you don’t know what to make for dinner or to have as mid-day protein snack.
My favorite one was the green chickpea flavor with chimichurri, coconut and butternut squash.
Learn more about Vana Life Foods and buy it here.
Lilly’s Hummus
I love hummus – any and all types of hummus! I hadn’t tried Lilly’s hummus before and I am so glad I did. Their hummus is really tasty and it comes in snack size containers so it’s perfect for lunch boxes and when you’re on the go. Unfortunately it is not organic but it is non-GMO.
Learn more about Lilly’s Hummus and where you can buy it here.
Enjoy Life Foods
When I think of tasty cookies, sweet treats and comfort food I think of a certain flavor and texture. I haven’t been able to find this in many of the healthier products until now. Enjoy Life Foods makes treats that taste just like regular ones, except they’re healthier.
Their foods are free from gluten, wheat, diary, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish.
Learn more about Enjoy Life Foods and buy them here.
Coffees:
I am a coffee lover and now that I am a mom I cannot survive without coffee; so naturally the coffees I discovered would have their own section in this post.
Pachamama
I tried this coffee during the expo and it was pretty good! What I loved the most is the mission behind Pachamama. They are a cooperative of family farmers that grow organic coffee beans in small batches. These farmers get a chance to grow amazing coffee without sacrificing their lives/income.
Learn more about this awesome cooperative here and while you’re at it buy some coffee.
Cameron’s coffee
I am very picky with my coffee and have been bringing coffee from Costa Rica every time I travel there but now that I discovered Cameron’s coffee I won’t need to bring coffee back from Costa Rica.
Their newest line is a substitute for the K-cups, which is amazing since this will reduce so much waste but I drink my coffee the old fashion way so I got their beans. Let me tell you, this coffee is amazing and so much better than the coffee I was already drinking. Not only that, but it’s organic!
If you love coffee, you must try Cameron’s coffee.
Sunniva Caffe
I met the owners of this company at the expo and they were so inspiring! They are in their 20’s and came up with this coffee drink out of their own needs. Sunniva Cafe is a cold coffee drink with coconut oil and protein.
I am not one to drink flavored coffee but I loved this one. The best part is getting some extra protein while drinking coffee. I bought a stash of these to carry with me on the days I have to take my oldest to school since I don’t have time to make coffee at home.
These can be found in some groceries stores but you can also buy it online here (and while you’re at it read their story!).
I know this list is long but I had to share all my favorite discoveries with you! I had never heard from most of these brands and I’m really happy that more and more brands are offering organic, non-GMO and healthier alternatives for the family, especially for kids.
If you end up trying and loving one of these products, let me know.
Stay tuned for the second part of this post!
Sandeep Solanki says
nice article