What's New in Health Food

This past weekend, I visited the CHFA (Canadian Health Food Association) trade show and had an opportunity to learn about some exciting new products heading our way.  I also had a chance to sample some other goodies that you may or may not have tried yet. Here are some of the highlights:

 

Breakfast:

Love Grown Foods - Power O's: A breakfast cereal made with beans and lentils! They offer a few flavours, and although I'm not a fan of sweetened cereal, the original box is a healthier, unsweetened alternative to traditionally made "O" shaped cereals with a high amount of fibre and protein. (lovegrownfoods.com).

Snacks:

The Good Bean - roasted chickpea snacks: Chickpeas are soaked and then roasted with sea salt to make a tasty and crunchy snack. I don't love the ingredients in all of their flavours but the Sea Salt variety I would definitely recommend.  They make a nice alternative to nuts that you can send to school.  My 3 year old is definitely NOT a bean lover and these are his new favourite snack.  Also a great source of protein and fibre. (thegoodbean.com)

Way Better Snacks - Simply Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips: These gluten-free chips contain sweet potato, sprouted quinoa and chia seeds along with the more traditional corn.  A good amount of fibre, iron and protein compared to ordinary tortilla chips.  WARNING: These chips are very addictive. (gowaybetter.com)

 

Gluten Free Pasta:

Tolerant foods bean/lentil pastas: One ingredient organic pastas that are gluten-free and high in protein, fibre and iron.  Available in red lentil or black bean varieties that include Fettuccine, penne and rotini shapes.  I didn't care for the black bean pasta but we all enjoyed the lentil fettuccine, including the kids. The pasta contains 13g fibre and 21g protein per serving! The downside is they are VERY expensive.  You can, however, order them online from the company directly and save when you order in bulk as well as through costco.ca. (tolerantfoods.com)

 

Dairy-free Yogurt:

So Delicious coconut milk yogurt: This dairy free product will soon be available in Canada in two new unsweetened varieties - Plain and Vanilla.  I had a chance to taste them at the show and they both had a smooth/creamy consistency and the vanilla added a nice hint of sweetness.  (sodeliciousdairyfree.ca)

 

Frozen Treats:

Frozen Coconut: An unpasteurized non-dairy ice cream made with fair trade, organic raw coconut milk and 100% raw agave nectar.  Coming soon to Ontario. (frozencoco.ca)

Coconut Bliss: Two new items to watch for... A new ice cream flavour: Chocolate Walnut Brownie and their popular Salted Caramel flavour will soon be available in an ice cream bar! "Delicious caramel with a hint of salt, dipped in organic fair trade chocolate" (coconutbliss.com)

Deebee's Organic TeaPops: Organic tea and fresh fruit popsicles. These tasty treats contain no refined sugar and use only fair trade teas, including 3 caffeine free flavours. The products were created by Dr. Dionne Laslo-Baker, a mom AND doctor who has completed years of study into the effects of chemicals on fetal development, so you know there will only be the best ingredients in these popsicles! (deebeesorganics.com)

Plant-based Milks and Other Beverages:

 

Isola Bio: This company offers a variety of organic plant-based milks, but the one that stood out for me was their Rice-Coconut blend.  Not as thick as straight coconut milk and the addition of the rice milk adds a natural sweetness without added sugar. No added oils or carrageenan. (isolabio.com)

So Nice Organic almond milk: This almond milk is available in original or unsweetened and you can find it in the refrigerated aisle.  It is organic AND made without carrageenan. I had a chance to taste them and the unsweetened variety was probably the best packaged almond milks I've tasted so far. (sonice.ca)

Coming Soon...

 

Seva 100% Pure Maple Water: Pure organic maple sap straight out of the Laurentian Forest maple trees in Quebec. Think of it like coconut water...but LOCAL. Similar to coconut water, maple sap is full of minerals, antioxidants and electrolytes. I really loved this product! It was so refreshing. (drinkseva.com)

Earth's Own Cashew Fresh: This new product will become available in early 2015.  It will come in original or unsweetened and will not contain carrageenan. This was pretty delicious.
(cashew-fresh.com)

Earth's Choice Canned organic coconut milk will soon be sporting a BPA-free label (earthschoice.ca)

So Delicious is currently working on a carrageenan-free coconut milk.  It will likely become available in the US market first, but eventually will make its way up north. FINALLY!! (sodeliciousdairyfree.ca)