Natural Products Expo West Trends 2019 Review

Would you agree that there are just too many health trends to keep track of these days?

Sorry, folks.  The number of trends didn’t go down this year, but I’m here to give you the Cliff Notes version of what I saw in the natural food space at Expo West.

Natural Products Expo West is the world’s largest trade show highlighting the latest products in the natural and organic foods space, in addition to supplements and lifestyle categories.  The expo is massive, overwhelming, and mind-boggling, but also a lot of fun and a great way to see what products are currently trending.

 

2019 Expo West Trends

The following trends and products are in no particular order and I was not compensated to mention any of them.

Collagen

Collagen has been trending for a couple of years now, but it seemed to be in even more everyday food products this year rather than just in powdered supplement form. From bars, to beverages, “beauty balls” and beyond, many companies seemed to be marketing these products from a beauty standpoint.

Matcha and tea

Tea is exploding this year!  In addition to traditional black and green teas, matcha is staying strong in addition to standing alongside teas that are classified as herbal supplements. Traditional Medicinals had a large selection of these teas featuring ingredients such as red clover, turmeric, nettle leaf, and dandelion.

Protein balls and bites

I always expect to see many, many protein bars, but this year, manufacturers seemed to transition to bite-size balls and pieces.  Same products, just different shapes.  Perfect Bar showcased a resealable container of bites for those that want to eat some now and save some for later.

Tonics with function

Those little bottles that usually hold energy drinks now hold tonics that serve functional purposes for your mind, belly, immunity, inflammatory state, sleep, and sanity.  Many of these tonics tasted strongly of non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia, but Numi Organics debuted some that tasted quite good.

CBD in everything

Holy moly.  CBD is now in everything from gummy bears, to capsules, tonics, topical creams, roll-ons, beverages and more. Certain manufacturers combined CBD with melatonin for night time and caffeine for the morning, or even other herbs for PMS symptoms.  Who knows how much CBD I actually consumed at Expo West between drink samples, anti-anxiety gummies and an entire CBD watermelon water later that evening, but I slept a whopping 13 hours that night and felt super groggy the next day!  Oops!

Products for good mood and brain health

I strongly believe in the power of whole foods and dietary patterns strongly influencing mood and brain health.  I saw lots of products claiming to promote happiness, brain health, and good mood, however, I feel like a majority were relying heavily on marketing and little on science.  I would need to investigate the claims of some of these products a little more closely, but just remember that mood and brain health are enhanced by consistent lifestyle patterns and not by randomly taking a supplement.

I can get instantly get behind some of these good mood foods though. Most kids, let alone American adults, don’t get enough Omega-3 fatty acids and choline, both which are needed for a healthy brain. I really like that Brainiac Kids yogurt added DHA Omega-3s and choline to support a child’s growing brain.

Seaweed

I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of products focusing on seaweed since this plant from the ocean contains many healthy vitamins and minerals including iodine, calcium, vitamin C, iron and magnesium. I did a quick drive-by sampling of Blue Evolution’s toasted sesame seaweed popcorn and it was super tasty.  I wish I had stuck around to try their pasta made with seaweed. Ocean’s Balance highlighted a kelp puree that could be stirred into soups, dressings, sauces and even dips like hummus.

Low FODMAP foods

As more research pops up regarding digestive disorders such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), demand for foods with no or low FODMAPs  is growing.  FODMAP stands for fermentable, oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides, and polyols and are all types of carbohydrates that are not well broken down by some folks.  Fody has a large line of great tasting products including snacks, salsas, sauces, dressings and seasonings.

Keto friendly

Whether you are a keto lover or hater, if a product was “keto friendly” the vendors at Expo West definitely wanted you to know about it!  There were many grab n’ go keto snack foods and desserts and everything I tasted in this category was disgusting and went in the trash.  I don’t understand how you can let something go to market that tastes so bad!

Honey & date syrup

Honey is always shown in big numbers at Expo West, but this year we saw some twists on traditional honey products.  Mike’s Hot Honey is infused with chile which added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the honey.  I could see this pairing really well on a cheese plate.  I also tasted a fermented honey which didn’t really taste like honey, but more like a sweet vinegar similar to balsamic and suited for salad dressings.  Date syrup was also at the show as a more “natural” sweetener and alternative to white sugar.

Probiotics

Probiotics are in everything now. This category just keeps getting bigger and bigger and including probiotics in products that naturally would never contain probiotics.   In addition to products that normally have good bacterial ike yogurt, kombucha and sauerkraut, I saw probiotics added to protein bars, beverages, and even dried fruits.

Mango chile

Mango chile seems to be the hot flavor right now.  I saw a number of chips and crackers flavored with mango and chile.

Caffeinated water and sparkling water

Why drink plain water when you can have water with a kick! I saw plain water with the addition of caffeine, but I also saw many caffeinated sparkling waters as well.  When ingesting caffeine, whether in coffee, tea, or so-called “healthy” energy drinks, just remember to listen to your body.  While the recommended limit is 400mg per day, your body may tolerate less.

As for sparkling waters, the popularity of La Croix has invited many imitators, as we saw at last year’s Expo West.  This year, we’re seeing sparkling waters with added adaptogens, nervines and anti-inflammatory compounds such as curcumin.  Similar to the tonics, many sparkling waters claim to have a functional purpose.

Plant-based…cheese, butter and proteins

Plant-based cheeses are getting better and better and Wildbrine has really raised the bar with their plant-based brie alternatives.  They were really delicious and this is coming from a dairy cheese lover!

Proteins included items meant to taste like meat in the form of burgers and deli slices in addition to items made primarily from beans and soybeans.  Seapoint Farms ran with the riced cauliflower trend and applied it to edamame, which is a high qaulity plant-based protein.

There were also many plant-based butters including one from Fora Foods made with aquafaba, the liquid you would typically drain from a can of chickpeas.  I had the faba butter on toast, but according to the company you can bake with it as well.

Allergen Friendly

Allergen friendly products aren’t new, but more and more vendors are going out of their way to create products that are free from all of the Top 8 Allergens.  So many of these products are actually tasting really good too!  One of those is the bread and buns from Little Northern Bakehouse. This bread is light and fluffy and doesn’t need to be toasted to be edible.  I even tricked my husband into thinking it was regular wheat bread.  He had no idea!

Daiya showcased a line of frozen plant-based burritos that were high in flavor and low on allergens.  Free of the Top 8 Allergens, I’ve always been impressed with Daiya’s commitment to producing allergen friendly products and even working with other allergen-friendly companies when making foods at trade shows.

Eggs

I was very excited to see an actual whole food in its original form as a trend!  Just regular ‘ol eggs! Of course they were organic, cage-free and pasture raised!

Oat “milk”

Move over almond milk, there’s a hot new player in town.  Oat milk isn’t new, but its popularity has suddenly exploded.

Honorable mention goes to camel and horse milk

I didn’t taste the camel or horse milk, but I’d love to know if you’ve tried it!!

Fruit and botanical waters

There were a number of watermelon water vendors in addition to one vendor selling banana water. Water with botanical flavors including rosewater, lilac and hibiscus were also seen.  They didn’t seem to have any functional purpose, but they did smell really good.

Non-plastic straws

Since plastic straws are banned in many restaurants across the country, straws made from alternative materials such as glass, stainless steel and silicone are gaining market share.

Wrapped cashews

I love seeing products that are completely new to me. Karma sells cashews that are wrapped in their natural skin to give the cashews more antioxidants and twice the fiber than a traditional cashew.  Plus, there’s less food waste on the manufacturing end. It’s like a spanish peanut or even pistachio that still has its thin papery skin and tastes like a traditional cashew.

Ramen grab n’ go cups

These aren’t your typical cup o’ noodles soup.  These soup cups are higher quality, contain less sodium, often organic and often made with bone broth.

Beyond traditional hummus

In addition to dessert hummus, companies were promoting “artisanal” hummus in a variety of savory flavors. Prommus brand hummus touted higher protein from the addition of whey protein isolate.

Bitters

Bitters were featured in the form of medicinal drops as well as in beverages such as sparkling water.  There are many digestive health claims made about bitters, but I love them for the taste they impart to cocktails and sparkling water.

Non-alcoholic beverages made from hops

I saw a few non-alcoholic drinks made from hops which were very flavorful in my opinion.  One of my favorite drinks at Expo west was H2OPS, a sparkling hop water.  I loved its slightly bitter, grapefruit and citrus flavor.  This was one of my favorite drinks at the Expo west.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms can now be found in the form of supplements, beverages, snacks bars, jerky and chips!

Culinary algae oil

While this product is not new to me, it’s new to a lot of people because up until recently you could only find this oil online and at a few select retailers.  Thrive Culinary Algae Oil is a great neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point and made from algae!  Algae oil has a high monounsaturated content, which is the heart healthy kind of fat.  In fact, Thrive informed me that they are now allowed to use the statement: “Thrive Culinary Algae Oil may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.”

Seafood

Most Americans do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids in the form of EPA and DHA, which both come from fish and can greatly benefit brain health!  At Expo West, seafood companies were promoting not only omega-3s, but high protein contents as well and in very convenient ways to eat seafood on the go.

Non-grain based chips

Chips were made from cassava, cauliflower and now avocado.  AvoLov avocado chips are made from dehydrated avocado pulp and were pretty tasty.  Definitely something new!

Basil Seeds

This was another “I had no idea this product existed” item.  Zen Basil sells 100% raw basil seeds that act like chia seeds in water by plumping up in liquid. The company promotes that the seeds offer electrolytes, antioxidants and plant-based prebiotic fiber.  They state on the package that basil seeds have twice the fiber, potassium, iron and calcium as chia seeds.  Who knew?

Non Glyphosate Certified

In addition to organic, certified gluten-free, fair trade, and non-GMO, a number of companies are now wanting us to know that the main active ingredient found in the herbicide Roundup is not used in the growing of crops used for their products.  One such company is Silver Hills Bakery, which sells bread made from sprouted grains.

 

I never get through Expo west in its entirety, so tell me if you saw something that I didn’t!