The 2018 NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO EAST HARVEST FESTIVAL

The Natural Products Expo East Harvest Festival is the kick off to the main global show event that has sold out for 2018. The beautiful Harvest Festival event features an array of natural products in a festival style atmosphere and discussion area for retailers, brokers, distributors, educators, businesses, industry experts and investors to discuss hot topics in the organic industry. The newest natural and organic products are displayed around the festival that combines the lively appeal of the traditional farmer’s market.

Natural Products Expo East (NPEE) is a flagship event that continues to connect healthy lifestyle with the organic industry. NPEE offers extensive educational conferences, entertainment and a host of exciting social events to foster personal and professional growth in the Agriculture & Forestry, Ayurvedic & Herbal, Food & Beverage, Medical & Pharmaceutical industries. Both large and small brands continue to launch innovative products that are featured at the harvest festival and the long week show that goes through Sept. 15, 2018.

I personally picked some natural, organic foods and beverages to share with my readers that I truly enjoyed sampling at the harvest festival. These new products were very popular with vistors and I.

The first stop at the harvest festival was the MINDWELL table. I stop for some insanely good plant jerky. I personally never have tried plant jerky and decided to stop in for a sample and glad I did. This cracked pepper vegan jerky was insanely delicious. As an athlete, this would be a great snack after my workouts.

"Did you know that studies show eating more plants isn't just good for your health, but could significantly reduce emissions? Do your body and the planet a favor, go plant based!" MINDWELL

https://www.mindwellsnacks.com

My second stop was to try these new CHIA Squeez vitality snack packs. I'm individual on the go and love to have small nutritious, protein-packed snacks on the go with me. I sampled the Blackberry Chia Squeeze from Mamma Chia and fell in love with the flavor and texture. These packs are great for kids or adults. The nutrients are great! You can get your fill of omega-3s, protein and fiber with delicious organic blackberries and purple carrot juice. The plastic pouch makes it wonderful for a great portable snack. If your a runner, this is great for long runs. I highly recommend these snacks.

https://www.mammachia.com/chia-squeeze/

Marys Gone Crackers

These seed crackers are whole grain, organic, gluten-free goodness! I was a bit hesitant to stop by this table and almost walked pass them. I'm so glad I didn't! These crackers are so good and good for you. I tried one of each flavor and was amazed with the great taste. What sold me was the nutritional content of this product. To read more about the great nutritional content of this product go to the website to read more. You will be very impressed. https://shop.marysgonecrackers.com/Original-Crackers/p/MGC-000106&c=MarysGoneCrackers@Crackers#nutrition_display

These Veggie Pops are so good and good for you. These energy-packed balls made from real, whole food like chickpeas, broccoli, kale, carrots, almonds, seeds, and spices are delicious. These ferociously flavorful veggie pops are fun yummy crunchy snacks full of plant-based protein, fiber, and vitamins. Yes..full of great nutrition. No powders or fillers just great plant based food. With all those vegetables in each savory bite, no one will have to tell you to eat your vegetables again! They have different flavors and my personal favorite was the sour cream and onion. https://www.madeinnature.com/organic-snacks/shop

After snacking on all the above goodness, it was time to stop for a drink. I decided to try these new flavors of Komucha by Mother Kombuca. Kombucha is a living, probiotic tea that has long been associated with wellness and vitality. It is brewed by combining tea and sugar with a fermenting culture called a “mother” or SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). The culture uses the sugar for the fermentation process so there is little residual sugar in the final product. The result is a sparkling, refreshing beverage that is a little sweet and a little tart, often compared to apple cider. My wonderful sample of Lavender Mojita was a huge hit. I loved this flavor and taste and I'm truly hoping they will distribute this healthy product in the state of Maryland.

Suja Juice Immunity caught my eye when I was walking around the beverage section of the harvest festival. I'm a huge fan of probiotics and wellness products that protect our immune systems. The wonderful ladies at the Suja Juice table served me up some immunity shots to sample. These little immune shots were packed with flavorful goodness and packed with functional ingredients like ginger, turmeric, camu camu, echinacea, and live probiotics,. These immunity shots are sure to give you the boost that your body needs for wellness protection! It also provides 100% daily value of Vitamin C, and supports your immune system. To read nutritional content:

https://www.sujajuice.com/products/wellness-shots/immunity-shot/

I'm a huge dark chocolate and morinag superfood fan, and I had to stop and try the dark chocolate moringa superfood bar that was displayed at the harvest festival. During my sampling the CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods Lisa Curtis extended her hospitality and told me a bit of history about Kuli Kuli's mission. Kuli Kuli is America’s leading moringa brand around the world. Kuli Kuli provides the highest quality and most nutritious moringa available in the United States. Kuli Kuli’s moringa is rich in iron, calcium, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Kuli Kuli’s founder Lisa Curtis got her first taste of moringa as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small village in Niger . As a vegetarian, she was eating mostly rice and millet — a diet that left her feeling sluggish. When she mentioned her fatigue to women at the community health center, they suggested she try moringa. She bought moringa leaves from a neighbor’s tree and mixed them with a popular peanut snack called kuli-kuli. She soon felt better and began to work with villagers to encourage them to use moringa. Lisa founded Kuli Kuli to help women in West Africa use more moringa locally and earn a sustainable livelihood by selling a portion of each harvest to the US. I highly recommend including Moringa in your diet and trying these wonderful delicious superfood bars. Learn more about Lisa and the nutrition content of Kuli Kuli's products. https://www.kulikulifoods.com/about

Active Food for Vibrant Living

Popcorn! Who doesn't love popcorn? Personally I'm very picky about my popcorn and popcorn flavors. Again, I was a bit hesitant to sample these superfood popcorn products as I'm picky about my popcorn. It took me some time to read and research the product I was about to sample. Standing next to a gentleman that was raving about the salsa verde flavor of Activated Super Food popcorn finally led me to try a sample. I'm so glad I tried the salsa verde. I am forever hooked. I truly fell in love with the flavor of this popcorn. This popcorn is bursting with spices and flavors. In additon thsi superfood popcorn contains spirulina, chlorella and kale. How could one get so lucky with flavor and nutrition! Next time your are in your organic aisle, pick up a bag of this popcorn. You will love it.

Pearson Ranch Jerky was another great stop. The wonderful owners shared some history between New Mexico and Texas and how this turkey is made. Delightful individuals. I'm a huge jerky fan. I'm a Texan girl and its park of the Texas culture to grow up eating jerky. I personally love to know how my food is bioprocessed and made. So knowing your ingredients its a great way to live and eat healthy. Pearson ranch jerky is delicious. It has no nitrites, gluten-free, no MSG, and no soy. Each bag is packed with high grams of protein, and is minimally processed.

https://www.pearsonranchjerky.com

NutPods Dairy Free Coffee Creamer

Nut Pods are a great alternative great tasting creamer made from almonds and coconuts. This plant based alternative half and half creamer did not disappoint. As a coffee lover, I love to have a variety of healthy creamers and different flavors. In addition, these creamers can be used in a variety of different healthy recipes. Creamy and delicious and I personally highly recommend them.

https://www.nutpods.com/pages/nutpods-recipes

This comes to my conclusion of the harvest festival and my favorite organic natural products selection. Stay tune for more blog write ups and articles in our upcoming issues of The Platform Magazine. Sincerely, Dr. Judy Staveley