I just spent 4 exhausting days at the Natural Products Expo West. Even with walking an average of 5.5 miles a day, I didn’t begin to see all 3,000 exhibits. Of course, signing roughly 600 copies of my new book on probiotics did consume some of the time. (I got a very big kick out of it when people wanted selfies taken with me!) I also visited with our show sponsors. Seeing them there next to their competitors reminded me of just how grateful I am to have such top notch national product companies such as Dr. Ohhira’s, NeoCell, Enzymedica, Kyolic, Jarrow and Vitality FX supporting our show.

The event showcased some wonderfully healthful food. But, there were also a million (exaggeration of course) companies selling corn chips, coconut products and chocolate. Sprinkling chia seeds or kale on refined flour cookies or crackers doesn’t make them healthy any more than a gluten-free Twinkie is. The people-watching was great. I saw some outrageous costumes and a few funny things. For example, outside the convention center were various food trucks. One caught my eye…the Mastiff Sausage Company with their logo featuring a picture of a Mastiff dog. I just couldn’t get my head around a marketing concept that made me think of dog sausage.

One very cool thing happened. I got to visit with Paula Armstrong Persinger. Long before she became a well-respected developer of vegetarian protein substitutes and a healthier sugar alternative for manufacturers, she worked at Fitness Foods in Plano, TX. That was our very first health food store back in the early 80’s. My brother Jim who was managing the store hired her. She now lives in Iowa. I also ran into two big time product brokers from Colorado and elsewhere who got their starts in nutrition at our stores. If you’ve been to Natural HealthFest, you may have met dietitian Lauri Armstrong (not related to Paula). She came to work with us when she was still in high school. Those are just a few examples of many. I’m very proud that what we did in retail proved to be a “farm team” for several who went on to the big leagues of nutrition.

SAVE THE DATE. Saturday May 7, 2016!

Spring Natural HealthFest will be at the Richardson Civic Center

in RICHARDSON, TX. Check out our new NHF website!

LISTEN to that show in the archives.

We pulled a switcheroony. Nutrition professional and radio host David Stouder hosted the show and made me the guest! As I may have mentioned, my new book, The Probiotic Cure is finally out. There is so much stunning news about the crucial role of our friendly bacteria for all aspects of health that I thought an interview might be a better way to get started telling that story. I’m proud to say that David’s enthusiasm about the book is legit…I didn’t pay him to do this.