Expo West 2018: Tips, Food Trends, and My Top Picks

Attending Expo West has been a dream of mine. This year, I was finally able to go and it was everything I thought it would be, and more! As a health food junkie it was like going to Disneyland (which just so happened to be across the street). I got to try some products I hadn’t heard of and taste products that haven’t even hit store shelves yet. It was also really cool to see the various food trends.

If you ever plan on attending Expo West, here are some of my quick tips.

• First: book your hotel yearly. I waited too long so options near the convention center were either booked or too expensive. I ended up staying about ten miles away, but being closer would have been nice. They do have free parking at the Angels Stadium and shuttles that bring you to and from the parking lot to the convention center. That was a wonderful service! We never had to wait for a new bus. They have that system down to a science.
• Second: use the bag drop service. They have a tent on site where you can drop off your bags as they start to fill up and get really heavy. My back did not enjoy the added weight. Comfortable shoes is a must!
• Lastly: don’t eat breakfast.  Normally I would never suggest skipping meals.  I made this mistake the first day and was already full before I got to the Expo. Just about every booth offers samples to try on site and I had to turn down so many. Not everyone offers packaged samples to take with you, so if you want to try it, you want to have an appetite to do so.

Food Trends

I noticed a lot of food trends. Not all of them are really that new or surprising, but still, it was fun to see them. The health nut inside of me was jumping for joy.

Adding turmeric to everything! Things like cereal, kombucha, salad dressing, drinks, or ghee. You name it, they put turmeric in it. With the thousands of studies that prove its health benefits and support of a healthy inflammatory response, it is no wonder that it has become so popular.

Dairy free ice cream is all the rage. This is not surprising with all of the digestive issues going on in the world today. One of the top allergens I see even with my own clients is dairy (particularly cow dairy). So it’s great news that there are now so many different types and flavors of dairy free products hitting the shelves. You can have your ice cream and eat it too! (See the “My Favorites” section below for my top pick.)

Lots of sparkling beverages. Even Chameleon Cold Brew is adding a sparkling coffee to their line. This is another trend that isn’t too surprising considering all of the people getting smarter about soda. Even diet soda has been shown to impact blood sugars and contribute to weight gain, so instead of giving up the bubbles altogether, there are now more options for a better substitute. The flavor possibilities are endless! Some are completely unsweetened and other use Stevia or monk fruit.

Cauliflower is the new grain free substitute. You no longer have to painlessly make cauliflower crust at home. It actually isn’t that hard to do when you get the technique down, but if you don’t feel like making your own at home there are a couple of brands now on the market. I even saw cauliflower crackers and cauliflower flour represented at the expo. This makes an amazing grain free and gluten free substitute especially if you can’t do nuts (almond flour).

Fermented everything! I see lots of digestive issues in my private practice (pretty much 100% of my clients) so I am glad to see we are becoming more concerned about protecting our gut bacteria. The fermented salsa from Wildbrine was awesome! I tasted so much kombucha during the Expo and I am not complaining about it at all. I am a sucker for a good kombucha and the flavor combinations I tasted are brilliant.

My Favorite Products

Out of all of the products I tried (and man I tried a lot) these were some of my top picks:

Best dairy free ice cream: Van Leeuwe (get the Earl Grey Tea flavor – I am still dreaming about it)

Best sparkling beverage: Sound Sparkling Rose Tea (has lime and cardamom in it, plus it is organic and unsweetened)

Best kombucha flavor: this is a tie between Humm Hopped Grapefruit (which is seasonal) and Soma Delight Jun Kombucha Pomegranate Rose (I am a sucker for floral flavors)

Best new to me product:  Yoot Dandelion Root detox tea reminds me so much of my homemade herbal coffee.  It contains dandelion root, chicory, cinnamon, and cardamom just like my home brew so it was no surprise that I loved it!

Best dairy free yogurt: You know I am always going to love Coyo coconut yogurt and they have a new vanilla flavor that is coming out which was amazing! I also loved Forager’s new greek-style cashew yogurt. The lime flavor was delicious and oh so creamy!

Best new products from already great companies: One of the fun things about going to Expo West is that a lot of great, established companies use it as an opportunity to introduce new products that haven’t yet hit the market. Three of my favorites fell into this category.

Rebbl is releasing some new flavors that are amazing, Berries & Creme and a Roots Mango Spice.

Siete is coming out with some new flavors of their already popular grain free tortilla chips and you will need to get the ranch flavor when the time comes.

Primal Kitchen has a bunch of new products coming out and their Lemon Turmeric salad dressing was my favorite of all the new stuff.

Jackson’s Honest already makes the best potato chips cooked in coconut oil but they are adding a grain free puff to their line.

I hope you enjoyed the highlights and if you followed along with me on Instagram I appreciate it!  Till next year.