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diary-style thoughts after 2 full days of expo west: 1. there are a lot of bars. more than ever and as someone who has been a ride or die perfect bar girl for a decade, i have trouble swapping that out for another. but there are a lot of new ones with different nutritional breakdowns and catering to other needs or “trends”. excited to try some of the ones in my suitcase. but also hyped about the brownie perfect bar! 2. protein protein protein - but also protein in things that it doesn’t belong in. like protein soft pretzels?? i get why protein is having a moment but i personally prefer it in things like shakes, bars, oatmeal etc. or natural forms of protein like chomps meat sticks. do you feel your lacking protein? 3. soda alternatives - i didn’t think i’d see more sparkling beverages after the last two shows but WOW a lot of functional sodas or drinks focusing on prebiotic, probiotic, adaptogens. i dont notice as much without sugar as previous years. in fact a lot of what i sampled had a decent amount of sugar. but its from fruit sources like mango pureee. 4. hydration - electrolytes, magnesium, all the things. i love what local weather and leisure are doing. i drink these daily and they deliver on flavor and ingredients to me. as a woman who has been pregnant or breastfeeding for 6 years straight, hydration is a huge focus of mine. i chug water and hydration beverages all day 5. fiber - fiber powders specifically. i am noticing more fiber supplement powders to mix in our water to up fiber intake. curious your thoughts on this trend? do you think you need extra fiber? 6. snacks - there are no shortage of snacks. but there is a shortage of the snacks i as a consumer am shopping for. i find this inspiring for new opportunities in the snacking category 7. some of my favorite new innovations: - sweet nothing’s new peanut butter pops and açaí bowls -midday squares new crunchy peanut butter -unreal snacks chocolate pretzels and almonds -sweet loren’s gf puff pastry, breakfast biscuits and gf pizza dough -spindrift grapeade and fruit punch although i did beg them to do fruit punch as a collab years ago😆 -actual veggies sweet potato fries -goodles gluten-free mac (excuse typos as i am on my phone😅)