Expo West 2015: Waste Less Recap

Riding the ART bus to the Anaheim
Convention Center was a big part
of my success at reducing waste
at Expo West

With the rush of the Expo behind me, I took today to reflect on my experience at Natural Products Expo West. Even though this was my third go at walking the expo floor, it felt like my first. This was partly due to the larger exhibit areas and the educational lectures. But what really made it different this year was having a clear definition of what I wanted to get from the expo, and preparing to achieve it without losing my mind, or my taste buds.

I knew at the start of Expo West that I wanted to be as waste free as possible. Packing my bag accordingly helped tremendously. So many exhibitors were accommodating to serving drink samples in my cup, food samples on my cloth napkin and accepting their business card back after I photographed it. A big part of my success was observation and figuring out what, or even how I could try products and food without creating so much waste.

Waste Free breakfast at the Marriott and Hilton in Anaheim

I started out my Friday and Saturday mornings with breakfast inside of the hotels. The Boulder Brands hosted breakfast on Friday was held at the Marriott with gluten free pancakes, bagels, cereals and coffee all served on ceramic plates and cups, real utensils and cloth napkins. The next morning at the Hilton I enjoyed a cup of coffee, veggie breakfast burrito and banana with the same waste less setting. I do have to mention that the Hilton breakfast also offered paper cups for the coffee and plastic plates for the breakfast. It amazed me how many people opted for the disposable items over the real deal.

Samples are better without waste! Thank you Canyon Bakehouse, American Flatbread and Ardenne Farm

Getting on the expo floor with a full stomach is key to not over doing it on samples, which also helped cut down on waste. I kept my cloth napkin in my back pocket and my reusable jar handy while walking the aisles. I opted to bring a reusable plastic jar and lid that I already owned instead of glass in case I dropped it. The last thing I wanted to deal with was broken glass with tons of people around. Sampling cookies, chips or gluten free pizza was easy enough to place on my napkin. Drinks that were being poured from bottles or in spouted containers were simple as well.

Kombucha, Popsicles and ice cream all sampled waste free thanks to the support from Revive Kombucha, Good Pop and Artic Zero

Sampling without waste  became more of a challenge with foods that were liquid, like yogurt or ice cream, or if they were already served on a napkin or cup. Many of these exhibitors were kind enough to place a sample on my reusables. If that wasn't possible I made sure that what the food was served on was compostable. Those wooden spoons and paper wrappers I carried around in my pocket were able to be composted today. I did come home with 4 pieces of non-compostable trash. Two were food wrappers, and the others were stickers that were put on me by vendors as I was walking through the halls.

Let's talk plastic and trash, because both are found everywhere at the Expo.

Trash found on exhibit tables, overflowing trash cans and in the Anaheim Convention Center water feature.

For a group of people interested in naturals and organics, it is incredibly surprising how wasteful they can be. Plastic cups and spoons used to serve samples and food packaging could all be placed in the trash and then recycled, but instead trash was being left on tables, the floor and even in the water feature in front of the convention center. This was disappointing.

Composting my Expo West trash

I don't believe hope is lost when it comes to plastic and other trash at the expo. Eco Tesil was on the floor showing exhibitors how their compostable paper spoons are an alternative to plastic. The expo itself is listening too. Loliware, a biodegradable cup that you can eat, won the Expo West New Hope 360 NEXT accelerator pitch slam. I'm hopeful that as more compostable products are made available, brands take advantage of a more natural alternative to serving their foods.

A big thank you to everyone who supported my low waste Expo West experience.  Stayed tuned later this week for a round up of products that ditched the plastic packaging. 

Natural Products Expo West: The Beverage Review

As I promised myself last year I attended more than just a single day at Natural Products Expo West. I was excited to learn about new products that I could incorporate into my gluten free and low chemical life style. If there is anything I remembered from last year’s Expo West, it was to stay hydrated. The Expo is huge, so walking around for 8 hours is a sure way to get dehydrated. Aside from my AM coffee or tea, I usually drink water, but recently I’ve been adding kombucha, kafir and vinegar to my daily drinking habit. Kombucha and Kefir are both fermented drinks filled with probiotics that increase the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Those bacteria do all sorts of good things for us like warding off sickness, decreasing anxiety and of course helping with better digestion. Vinegar, specifically apple cider vinegar (ACV), is known as an old natural healing remedy or tonic. Some swear that a shot of ACV a day will keep a cold away.

If you are unfamiliar with fermented drinks or drinking vinegar you are probably thinking it sounds gross. A few years ago, I would have agreed with you, but I’m usually willing to give something a try at least once. The first time I tried kombucha I didn’t like it, and I still make a face when I take a shot of ACV. The best part about Expo West is discovering new products that are great tasting, with the healthy benefits.

Not all Kombuchas are fermented equally, and some are much tastier than others. That can be said of Health Ade Kombucha. I was drawn to their booth because they have awesome packaging/branding. Their kombucha comes in brown glass bottles with a vintage-y label featuring a simple anchor. Think mid-1800’s “Magic Elixir” being sold out of a stagecoach. One of the first facts I learned was that Health Ade is a lot like the homemade stuff. I totally agree. I find that store bought kombucha can be very tart and sweet which I don’t care for, though I prefer store bought kefir. Health Ade kombucha on the other hand is a lot like drinking cider. Justin, co-founder of the Health Ade, also pointed out that they use local farmer’s market fruit to create the flavors and brew small batches in glass. I tried California Grape and Pink Lady Apple. I could probably drink Pink Lady Apple all day long. They were both great tasting with minimal carbonation and just the right balance of sweet and tart. If someone in Anaheim is listening, please stock this kombucha ASAP!

Speaking of good for you, have you ever tried something that tastes good and then you find out that it is healthy too? That’s what I experienced with Urban Remedy. I sampled their gluten free almond brownie snack which was so good. They also had three juices which were all delicious. I first tried Boost Lemonade which is a mix of turmeric root and lemon. I choose that one first because I’m not a huge fan of turmeric or lemon and I wanted to challenge them. The taste was mild and actually very good, even for someone that doesn’t care for those ingredients. Flush is a blend of cucumber, apple, ginger, mint and lemon. The ginger isn’t too powerful which I liked. My favorite was After Party. It has beet, carrot, ginger, apple and lemon. It is sweeter tasting than the others and although these are supposed to be detox juices, I really think it would taste great as an adult beverage mixer. Good thing After Party helps with liver detox and lowering inflammation.

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of “drinking vinegars” before coming across two different types at the Expo. Side by side were companies offering very different, yet delicious, drinking vinegars and I have to admit I went back the next day for more samples. Both Genki-Su and Pok Pok Som are based on ancient Asian drinking vinegars that were used for health purposes. Genki-Su is sparkling coconut vinegar that comes in 5 different flavors. I sampled the Nashi (Pear) and Shiso (Basil) which were both very good. Pok Pok Som comes in a 16 ounce glass bottle to be mixed at home with water, soda or in a cocktail. Of their 8 flavors, the Thai Basil was my favorite. It was served cold over ice with soda water. As I sampled both drinking vinegars I heard many attendees walk up to sample them because they had heard of the “vinegar soda” buzzing around the Expo. I have to add to that buzz because these drinking vinegars take the face-making out of drinking vinegar.

By the end of the expo I had sampled quite a few varieties of fermented drinks and drinking vinegar. Not only did I keep hydrated, but I’m pretty sure I have lots of new friendly gut bacteria to help my health.

Note: Alkaline water seems to be the biggest trend at the Expo. Since I’m still learning about it, I’m taking some time to research the high pH water. Expect an upcoming post.

Eating Against The Grain

I used to be convinced that I couldn't do all of my groceries at a natural food store. I needed things they didn't carry. I would travel to one health food store for my favorite protein powder, another for body products and another for yogurt and cheese. The bulk of my groceries would come from your run of the mill neighborhood grocery store where most of what I would buy was processed and packaged foods. Would it surprise you that since the beginning of this year I've only been shopping at a natural food store?

After years of convincing myself that I needed “food” from the middle aisles of my local grocery store, I broke away and started eating more whole (unprocessed) food. How was I able to pull it off? It is actually pretty simple. I broke up with wheat. That’s right, no bread, cake, cookies, donuts or even licking envelopes. Envelopes? Yes, envelopes, because when you break up with wheat you are really breaking up with gluten, which happens to be in almost everything. Don’t believe me? Check your condiments. Your BBQ sauce doesn't resemble a loaf of bread but when gluten is used as an emulsifier to thicken sauces, you start to notice that gluten is truly in a lot of what we eat.

The first month without gluten was an experiment. The first thing I noticed within a week of being gluten free is that I felt (and continue to feel) amazing. I used to have achy knees after running and that’s almost completely gone away. Sometimes I would wake up around 3 AM with heartburn. It has happened just once this year when I accidentally had gluten in (you guessed it) BBQ sauce. I've lost inches and 8 pounds without much rigorous exercise. After 2 months of my “experiment”, it has become a lifestyle.

Homemade gluten free blueberry scones

When I started my wheat free journey I also started reading Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis. He describes many health issues associated with gluten and cites plenty of research to back it up. For example, when gluten breaks down it can cross the blood/brain barrier and can act as an opiate. That’s why many people experience withdrawals when they stop eating wheat products. The fact our body reacts to it like a drug is pretty scary! Gluten is the ingredient that causes things like bread and pizza dough to rise, but it also causes some of the highest spikes in glycemic index. As a cardiologist, Dr. Davis has prescribed a gluten free diet to many patients with diet related health problems. As a result they have experienced decreased symptoms of IBS, acid reflux, rashes and a variety of other and more severe diseases including diabetes and heart disease.

So why did I decide to cut out gluten and all of the delicious things made of wheat? I knew I wasn't treating my body well. I would eat dinner at 6 PM and wake up around 3 AM with terrible heart burn that would lead to tossing and turning for hours before falling back asleep. I wasn't hydrating like I used to and needed to add more water to my daily diet. I would look at my plate and see bland colors because I was not eating enough vegetables.

I knew breaking up with wheat would take planning and mean that I would have to cook more – something I don’t always like to do. The light bulb moment came around Christmas when I baked a couple of desserts from scratch. It wasn't difficult or time consuming to make desserts with wholesome ingredients, and they happened to turn out delicious. I cooked using real food and real food tastes great.

Toast and jelly at Snooze 

The good news is that eating gluten free is becoming more common which means more restaurants are including gluten free options on their menus. I spent a few days in San Diego recently and was excited about the gluten free menu options. I am especially fond of breakfast so was just over the moon for the blueberry French toast at The Mission Café. It totally made my day when I got to have toast and jelly with my eggs at Snooze in Hillcrest.

May I point out that eating gluten free isn't just for those with celiac disease? I am eating gluten free by choice, and in that process recognized that my body is sensitive to it. If I can’t convince you to give gluten free a try, and you are worried about the possible backlash (you know, the weird looks or roll of the eyes) check out this article that defends all gluten free eaters.

Disclosure

Beware the middle chapters of Wheat Belly. Dr. Davis advises on some extreme dieting choices such as cutting out all carbs with the intent to stabilize the glycemic index. This portion of the book made me realize that with health options, everyone draws the line somewhere. It can be the difference between a diet and dieting. For me, I've drawn the line at removing gluten from my diet. Without eating rice, quinoa or potatoes I may not have made it this far. Finding substitutes that are healthier choices but similar to what resembles food I like, and am used to, has made this journey much easier.