“This garbage is nothing but processed carbs and vegetable oil… but at least it’s gluten-free, right?”
Living Well Daily co-editor Jasmine cracked a smile, acknowledging my sarcasm. She’s gotten used to my rants on nutrition, which helped her put up with me for three straight days in Anaheim, California, for the Natural Products Expo West 2015. Bursting at the seams with over 71,000 attendees, it was the biggest trade show for healthy food products and supplements in the United States.
We were rummaging through the goodie bag we got when we picked up our badges. The fare was pretty disappointing: a protein bar, popcorn bag, granola pouch, and other assorted prepackaged goods that were nothing more than carb delivery systems with a little window dressing.
None of it was healthy. Or as I like to say: It wasn’t “fit for human consumption.”
But grain-based carb products are addictive and have high profit margins, and the companies behind them sponsored the expo. Fortunately, we didn’t have to eat the stuff. Or even buy any kind of meals, for that matter. Because the event featured over 2,700 exhibitors, and roughly 80% offered free samples. More than enough food to feed an army of health-conscious moochers for a long weekend.
A whole cacao fruit, which chocolate is made of. I didn’t take a bite.
But food wasn’t the only attraction. Devices, acupressure pads, cosmetics, personal care products, and kitchen items abounded. Jasmine even got to ride a vibrating exercise gizmo:
No jokes, please.
The people were a hoot too. I got to meet the esteemed Mr. Ginseng:
While the food and folks were fun, our real focus was one of the smaller parts of the show: groundbreaking nutritional supplement ingredients and science.
We’ll be revealing much more in upcoming issues of Living Well Daily. For instance:
- The special kind of ginseng that soothes away your anxiety while simultaneously boosting your energy within 30 seconds of taking a little taste
- The natural herb recently proven to increase testosterone levels in men 24% (we bet you can’t guess what it is)
- The hot new fat-loss ingredient with two placebo-controlled human studies proving its power
- A unique sugar your body doesn’t store as fat that instantly banishes fatigue
- The easiest way to instantly regain a calm, focused mind without ingesting a single pill
- The secret visit we made to a laboratory just outside of Anaheim. Just to get inside, we had to don protective gear:
For now, here’s a tip you can implement immediately:
When it comes to your food, don’t fall for claims on a package like “gluten-free” or “organic.” Sure, those are good things… unless they’re being used as siren songs to make you feel comfortable stuffing your face with some carbohydrate-filled bar or bag of mush.
Grains are not healthy for your brain, heart, or waistline. Choose foods that don’t require a fancy package and you’ll be better off.
You can expect more news and actionable tips like this in each issue of Living Well Daily, designed to deliver you better health, fitness, and longevity — in short, “live well.”
Until then…
Nate Rifkin
