by Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move

Wow!  I came home with far too many bags of goodies.  (And I should be complaining about that?)  Beginning to test some of the hot new items on offer from the press room on Saturday and lots from the expo floor.  So far I have a few hands down favorites:

Addicted to soda?  Well, you can break that sugar habit once and for all!  Because one of the nonpareil products at the 2012 natural foods expo west, being manufactured by SWEET LEAF liquid stevia is their new Sweet Drops Cola flavor.  Oh yeah!  This was a mighty taste.  Just a few drops in a glass full of carbonated water and I was quenching my thirst with a certified cola tasting beverage that included – ahem – zero calories, zero carbs, and zero glycemic index.  No more boring water offers 14 other exciting flavors like Apricot Nectar, Chocolate, Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Grape, and Berry.  Cola flavor is not on the market for sale yet.  But dieters and diabetics will especially want to add this item to their cupboards as a natural alternative for a bit of guiltless, daily sweetness.

You SHOULD be bitter about it!

I’ve been downing this healthful tincture for years as the best cure for digestive upsets of all sorts.  So it was a total treat to discover a home-grown company with a perfectly bright new idea.

URBAN MOONSHINE is taking bitter to a whole other level by crafting exceptional blends of certified organic Vermont herbs and roots, and reviving the tradition of dazzling the palate while priming digestion.  A new American formula and tastier alternative to traditional Swedish Bitters, these come in three unique and very potent (trust me on this, I tried all of them) flavors: Original, Citrus and Maple.  “Our bodies are built for bitters: the taste revives our body’s impulse to prime digestion by juicing up the digestive tract!” 

Gluten intolerant?  Need to skip on dairy, soy and corn?

I can’t live, if livin’ is without you!

I met Arnel McAtee of ARNEL’S ORIGINALS in the wee hours of the morning filling her sample baskets with the truly delicious Organic Buckwheat Bread.  We immediately shared our mood swing stories with food.  After discovering that her own very young children were intolerant to all kinds of foods resulting in extreme reactions like eczema, by testing and removing certain food items (and consequently being yelled at, kicked and bit by her 3 year old who was in a sugar/carb craving frenzy and desperate for a piece of toast) she decided to create something they could all actually live with.  Arnel is in the medical profession so formulating an organic healthful product was serious business all yummi-ness aside.  I walked away with my signature package and will be attempting to bake for the first time in a year.  Gulp.  I looked up her video for moral support.  Get to your local organic grocer and cook with Arnel.