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Of the 3,500 Food Brands at the World’s Largest Natural Products Expo, These 5 Are Going to Be Huge

Emily Laurence

March 12, 2019

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Collage: Well+Good Creative

Imagine walking through grocery store that's, like, four times the size of Costco, with aisles full of products from your favorite brands (and some really cool new ones) and a smattering of products that aren't available to the public yet. Oh, and you get as many free samples as you want. That's a little what it was like to attend the 39th annual Natural Products ExpoWest.

The largest natural, organic, and healthy products event, brands come from all over the world to reveal new products they've secretly been hard at work on, giving grocery store buyers and food writers (like me) a first look. This year, over 3,500 brands descended upon Anaheim, California. The Well+Good team was there in full force, trying as many new foods and drinks as humanly possible.

So, what did we see exactly? These 5 products caught my eye at ExpoWest.

1. Vital Proteins Collagen Water

I do my best to consume collagen on the regular, but my smoothie is loaded with other add-ins and I'm already lugging around adaptogens to the coffee shop to stir into my oat milk latte. Bless Vital Proteins for providing a way that's as simple as drinking water. (Hydration, FTW!) Their new collagen water comes in five different flavors, shown here. It will be available on the brand's site now, and rolling out in stores this May.

purely elizabeth cauliflower hot cereal — Photo: Purely Elizabeth

2. Purely Elizabeth Cauli Hot Cereal

Not to brag or anything—okay, fine, maybe brag a little—but we totally called that cauliflower-based products would be everywhere this year. The proof is in the, well, cereal. Out this June are Purely Elizabeth's cauliflower-based hot cereal. The brand is also coming out with hot oatmeal with collagen and granola with MCT oil, so be on the lookout for those as well. (Check out my longer review of the cereal on our Instagram feed!)

birch benders ketogenic pancake mix — Photo: Birch Benders

3. Birch Benders Keto Pancake and Waffle Mix

Some carbs are easy to give up, but how depressing would life without pancakes be? Unveiled at ExpoWest and available now (bless) are Birch Benders' keto-approved pancake and waffles mixes. (They're made with almond flour and eggs.) And the news gets sweeter, too: Later this year, the brand will be launching a keto syrup, with MCT oil.

4. AvoLov Avocado Chips

Not only are AvoLov's chips keto- and Paleo-approved, they're also a good source of fiber. (Six grams a serving). Besides dehydrated avocados and avocado oil, they're also made with tapioca powder, which makes them puffy and satisfying to snack on. Out in three flavors, these babies are out now.

sunwink detox ginger tonic — Photo: Sunwink

5. Sunwink Sparkling Herbal Tonic

You know those times when you just eat a little too much and are feeling bloated (um, me, right now, post-Expo)? That's where this healing herbal tonic comes in. Each of Sunwink's blends has four to eight times (depending on the one you choose) the medicinal properties as having the herb in a cup of tea. The Detox Ginger has 2,000 mg of herbal extracts, which include ginger, dandelion root, cinnamon, and burdock root (which supports the liver). It's available online now.

Check out Well+Good's 2019 trend predictions here. And if you've noticed that all these products are low in carbs, it's because so many people are nixing them these days. Here's the verdict on if we even need them at all to survive.