Best in Show: Favorite Natural Lifestyle Discoveries

The natural products industry is growing in leaps and bounds—and nowhere was that more apparent than at the jam-packed recent Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, CA. I was honored to celebrate Expo’s 35^th birthday and listen to incredible speakers like Gary Hirshberg, the organic community force behind Stonyfield Farm and a founding partner of the Just Label It GMO-labeling initiative, and Arran Stephens, who co-founded Nature’s Path on a principle passed down by his grandfather: to “always leave the soil better than you found it.” Plus, I discovered my new favorite band Nahko and Medicine for the People, which delivers messages as powerful as their music. (Listen to “Black as Night.” I believe in the good things coming!) But the best part was discovering amazing new products that are both good for you and good for the Earth. The best part of Expo West was discovering amazing new natural lifestyle products that are both good for you and good for the Earth. 1. Their stainless steel bottles are my favorite for my kids’ lunches because they never lose their tops, but Think Baby’s BPA-free feeding (or lunch packing) set is my new favorite. It’s so cute—a beautiful gift for a baby shower or birthday!

2. My husband suffers from serious seasonal allergies, and I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that local honey can help “immunize” him from reacting to the pollen in the air. Honeydrop is a new line of cold-pressed, lemon-cayenne “honeyade” that includes raw honey from 20 specific regions—including SoCal, natch. And they support local beekeepers, too!

3. My daughter likes dehydrated apple chips—but she adores tomatoes, which are a little bit harder to pack in a lunch. So when I walked by the Snapz Crisps booth, I was intrigued. Can you really make chips from tomatoes? You can, and they do—they’re delicious! Snapz organic apple chips will roll out in Sam’s stores nationwide this year, and they’re going for organic certification across the whole line by 2016.

4. After a day on the floor at Expo, I woke up the next morning with an aching back. Luckily, I ran into Lou Paradise at the Topricin booth. This man has the warmest heart and smile in Anaheim. I put Topricin on my back that night, and woke up with zero pain in the morning. Never again will I travel without it!

5. I was hesitant to taste fish oil direct from a spoon but Barlean’s flavored Omega Swirl is amazing! I would serve it straight, in smoothies, or drizzled over hot cereal. I was really amazed at how they’ve transformed a supplement that most people associate with uncomfortable burpiness into something truly delicious. And the health benefits of omega-3s simply cannot be denied—these are essential for every day.

6. Garden Cookies from Seedbalz is an adorable children’s gift designed to get kids outdoors and digging in the dirt. The cute little kit includes a rolling pin, seeds, play and cookie cutters to make “cookies” that you plant in the garden.

7. For years, I’ve been traveling with raw honey sticks in my travel kit—when I get to my destination, I crack one open and do a quick facial that revitalizes my skin with zero toxic chemicals. Wedderspoon takes this a step further by infusing nourishing manuka honey from New Zealand into their hydrating Face Contouring Cream. This is truly amazing stuff.