Friday Five: Top Trends from Expo East ’19

It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five. If you’ve been following along, you know I’m at Expo East in Baltimore again. Don’t miss my Instagram stories (I  put a “highlights” story up in case you missed them). I’m sharing finds and fun throughout the days. I’ll do full recaps, but I’m going to share 5 trends I’m seeing so far from the first two days I’ve been here.

5 Trends from Expo East (So Far)

Trends one and two are the same as last year. I’ve added a bit of color commentary. Lasts year’s other top trends that I saw were plant based everything, healthier kids snacks and foods and the 4 c’s (collagen, cauliflower, coffee and coconut) and hidden veggies and prepared veggies. These are all still prevalent but I saw some new things busting out here at the show!

1. CBD oil is [still] IN and in everything. Everyone is promoting the “chill” with CBD oil and all of it’s other properties. It’s in all kind of digestible forms like honey and even caramels and coffee. It’s also in roll-ons and balms. They have a whole hall for CBD/hemp products and a summit section just for that. I’m a fan of CBD pain relief roll ons but not the ingestible kind. It makes me anxious. That happens to about 10% of the people. Who knew? Have you tried CBD?

2. Fat is where it’s at – Keto is IN! Paleo is less prominent than last year and Keto is king. I’m glad that people are embracing healthy fats again. Keto is not for me, but it works for many people. Any keto dieters out there?

3. Oats are the mostest! Oat milk has been a big trend for a while but now there are several brands of oat milk ice cream including the yummy Oatly. I tried a butter and a cheese made from oat milk from Miyokos and both were amazing. Elmhurst 1925 is making an Oat Milk Latte, an Oat Milk creamer and added to their milked oats. I’ve been told that oats are a more sustainable product and are great for people with nut allergies.

4. Tea is the new coffee. Last year, there was coffee after coffee after coffee. There was so much cold brew and nitro that it was insane. Don’t get me wrong, coffee is still around and there are lots of coffee innovations. This year, there are a ton of teas. There are tea sodas and seltzers and all kinds of cold and hot tea options. Keep an eye out for one of my faves Teatulia.

5. Plant based everything with a focus on taste. With the success of Beyond Meat and Impossible burger, more folks are jumping on the bandwagon and creating newer and tastier plant based options.

I’ve only seen a small portion of the show so far so I’ll be back with full recaps and photos as usual. I’m going to check out lifestyle and supplements today so I’ll let you know what’s trending there!

Have a great weekend friends!