Category Archives: Tradeshows

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE EXPO – MENU

As I mentioned, while at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo we had the opportunity to purchase vegan buffet-style lunches and dinners designed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman which meant that the meals were very lowfat (oil free), salt free, and vegan.  The picture above is my lunch meal on Sunday which was the last day of the conference.

I know that many of you may be thinking that the above description does not sound appetizing, but it was really tasty and satisfying (Just check out the Wild Apple Crunch pictured above!!!…Seriously amazing!).  When we fuel our bodies with good quality plant-based food that is packed with nutrients it is really filling!  I had zero desire to snack between meals because I just wasn’t hungry.  It was such a treat to go to a buffet knowing that EVERYTHING on the menu was health inducing and vegan.

I have always been confused with regards to added fats…are they good for you or detrimental???  After attending this conference and hearing first-hand what the experts have found through solid research and experience I am convinced that we need to remove most added fats from our diet and that oil is NOT a health food  (another post about that later…I promise to explain in detail…TEASER: It is not the olive oil that makes the Mediterranean Diet “healthy.”).

Below you will find the menu from our conference.

Friday night dinner (Recipes by Mary McDougall):

Mexican Bean Soup
Fiesta Mexican Salad
Tofu Tacos with Cabbage, Cilantro-Garli Aioli and Soft Corn Tortillas
Tamale Casserole with Enchilada Sauce
Brownies with Raspberry Sauce
Iced Tea and Water
(Oil-free and no added fat meal) Served 6pm in the main ballroom before Dr. Barnard’s kenote address

Saturday lunch (Recipes by Joel Fuhrman MD)

Special Low-fat Vegan Buffet:
French Minted Pea Soup
Mixed Grees Salad with Vegan Miso Dressing
Corn and Arugula Salad
Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onion
Couscous with Vegetables and Low Salt Olives
Grilled Seasoned Vegetables
Sesame Tofu
Chocolate Oat Clusters
Iced Tea and Water
(Oil-free and no added fat meal) 

Saturday dinner (Recipes by Joel Fuhrman MD)

Special Low-fat Vegan Buffet:
Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup
Sesame Sugar Snap Peas
Raw Kale Salad
Corn and Arugula Salad
Lemon Cranberry Quinoa
Sesame Tofu
Grilled Seasoned Vegetables
Wild Apple Crunch
(Oil-free and no added fat meal) 

Sunday lunch (Recipes by Joel Fuhrman MD)

Special Low-fat Vegan Buffet:
Creamy Lentil Soup
Mixed Greens Salad with Vegan Miso Dressing
Sesame Sugar Snap Peas
Raw Kale Salad
Grilled Seasoned Vegetables
Lemon Cranberry Quinoa
Sesame Tofu
Wild Apple Crunch
(Oil-free and no added fat meal) 

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Filed under Education, Events, Food Journal, General Vegan, Tradeshows, Vegan, Vegetarian

NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO LOOT

The Natural Products Expo West was a blast!  My friend and I walked the exhibits together which was a lot of fun (She is a yoga goddess and the owner of Om My Soul), and I was able to make some great contacts.  I tried so many products while at the expo and brought sooooooo many more home to try later.  This expo was crazy huge.

I was most surprised by how great all of the body care products were…we have come a LONG way in that arena!  I expected to go in to the expo and focus all of my time on food products, when in reality I ended-up spending nearly as much time investigating the body care products. 

As I mentioned, I think I will be posting some wonderful food product reviews in the coming weeks, but I also must express some disappointment.  As the day went on I became more and more bummed about the fact that so many of the products at the expo were being marketed as “healthy” when in fact they were (i.e.) just overly processed “organic” cookies.  Taking a cookie and making it organic or gluten-free does not make the cookie healthy…it is still a sugar-laden processed cookie.  Products such as these will not solve our country’s health epidemic, rather they will exacerbate it because people will begin eating these cookies or bars and probably eat MORE of them believing them to be “healthy” (since that is how they are being marketed).

That being said, I did find some wonderful whole food products at the expo that I can’t wait to tell you about.  There are also some new and exciting fruit sweeteners coming into play.

Check out all of the loot I came home with…

I will start sampling some more of the products in the coming days.  I am going to need to spread this out since I am not the type to just take one bite and throw the rest away (wasting stinks!).  I must be one of the luckiest girls in the world!

If any of you were able to go to the convention I would love to hear from you.

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Filed under Education, Tradeshows, Vegan, Vegetarian

NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST

Photo Courtesy of www.expowest.com

Photo Courtesy of http://www.expowest.com

I am so excited to be attending the Natural Products Expo West this weekend as a member of the media.  Following is a blurb from the Expo’s website to better help you understand what the expo is:

“Natural Products Expos West is the world’s premier trade show for the natural, organic and healthy products industry.  Attended by nearly 56,000 industry professionals from across the globe, Natural Products Expo West is co-located with SupplyExpo, the Nutracon conference, the Healthy Baking Seminar and the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace. These combined events showcase the entire value chain of healthy products from start to finish, identifying the bestsellers of today and the trends of tomorrow.

Natural Products Expo West / SupplyExpo is ranked as one of the top 100 trade shows in the US, according to Tradeshow Week magazine.

This show is open to a professional audience of manufacturers, buyers, retailers and qualifying media. It is NOT open to the general public.”

Photo Courtesy of www.expowest.com

Photo Courtesy of http://www.expowest.com

I am looking forward to trying all of the new products that will be coming out on the market…get ready for LOTS of product reviews!  This expo is seriously my equivalent to being a kid in a candy shop!!!

Photo Courtesy of www.expowest.com

Photo Courtesy of http://www.expowest.com

To learn more about the Natural Products Expo West click here.

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Filed under Education, Tradeshows, Vegan, Vegetarian