If you ever have the chance to go to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, go. At least once in your life you must experience this conference, learn some amazing information from health and nutrition professionals from around the world, and taste some samples that you’ve both a) tried before and b) never thought you’d try before! Here is a little overview of my trip (I didn’t take many photos, or do much on social media because my goal this time around was to soak in as much of the experience as possible!).
On day one I made a stop at (among other booths) the Navitas Naturals booth. I saw that they had their Maca powder sitting out and I proceeded to tell them how much I can’t stand that product (I was a little nicer about it though) and how I bought a bag last month and almost threw up after I tried it. That’s not a joke. It’s disgusting (don’t tell Nick but I’ve been adding it to his smoothies so it wouldn’t go to waste, at $30 a bag. Strangely, he hasn’t noticed). Anyway, my complaining paid off (I also did some sucking up by letting them know that while I don’t like their Maca, I do love their chia seeds and cacao powder. That’s not joke) because one of the guys behind the table (the author of the book below) gave me his cookbook!! I looked through it on the plane and can’t wait to post some of the recipes on this blog.
The Chobani yogurt booth wasn’t just a booth, it was about 1/10th of the expo (ok, I’m exaggerating). They were giving out full samples of each type of their yogurt. Needless to say, that was breakfast every morning. I hadn’t tried their Flips before, but now I’m hooked (I did learn in one of the seminars that if you want to boost your fertility, studies show that higher fat dairy products are better than fat-free….so I’ll be looking for 2% yogurt from now on!).
Can you believe I had never tried a Chobani Flip before? I know, crazy.
I’m a dietitian, and a lover of all things crunchy. My true favorite chips are Trader Joe’s salt and pepper chips, but these “Air Lay’s” were fantastic! They tasted just like their original chip, but with fewer calories and fat (unless, of course, you decided to eat twice as many simply because they are light. Don’t do that).
I know what you’re thinking; “Gina, that’s junk!”. you’re right, no nutritional value here, whatsoever, but if you are ever craving a handful of chips I say go for these! They are light and airy but packed with flavor. Just don’t eat twice as many, or that just defeats the purpose.
We went to a great restaurant one night, and the name is escaping me. They had several options for Paleo entrees, many of which I couldn’t eat because of FODMAPs. It was sad, but I ended up ordering the spaghetti squash with turkey bolognese and I was truly in heaven.
We went to a Paleo restaurant in Houston. I wanted to order the cauliflower pizza, but couldn’t because of FODMAPs. Instead I had a spaghetti squash turkey bolognese. Amazing.
Have you tried Beanitos? They are one of the few bean chips that don’t contain “bean powder”, or beans as the last ingredient. Whole beans are actually the first ingredient in these chips (I swear, I need a Beano if I want to eat more than a serving!). I had tried most of the flavors before the conference, but their Restaurant Style Tortilla chips were new. I’m hooked.
Have you tried Beanitos? It’s one of the only bean chips that is actually made with whole beans, as the first ingredient, rather than bean flour as the last ingredient (lame).
Ok, enough about the trip, it’s giveaway time!! I am giving away a goodie bag filled with samples and coupons, and you have until November 4th to enter! 
Coupons for Dreamfields, hemp, veggie products, pumpkin, Smart Balance, and so much more. Plus samples of Luna, Lara, Stevia, Nuts, Seeds, and again, so much more!
How to Enter
- Leave me a comment telling me which food booth you would visit first if you went to this conference and expo (basically, tell me your favorite food company, because I can assure you they were there!)
- Check me out on Instagram (The Candid RD),Facebook, and Twitter (Candid RD), and follow me if you want, or don’t, I don’t care, but just check me out (and let me know you did)
- Tweet about this giveaway, or post on your Facebook page (and let me know you did); “@CandidRD is having a #FNCE goodie bag giveaway! Check out the loot here; (LINK TO POST)”
You will get one entry for each of the steps you take, listed above, and I will announce the winner next Monday. Good luck! I’ll be back tomorrow with a recipe for stuffed pumpkin ricotta shells. Have a wonderful Monday.
