This post is sponsored by Fitfluential and NOW Foods; all opinions are my own. For a mom like me, trustworthy supplements and safe foods are an integral part of my life. Many companies say they are safe but didn’t seem to care much about their clients and how to take care of them. Other companies sell products that are unbelievably safe but cost far too much money for the typical family.
That’s why I was honored to be invited to the NOW Foods/Fitfluential Influencer Immersion event for 2018. It was especially exciting because this is their 50th anniversary!
What did we do? We landed in Chicago and were escorted directly to Eagleview Resort & Spa, a lovely hotel in Itasca, IL, with an amazing pool, several workout rooms, and a mini-bowling alley. We took up some snacks up to our rooms which were stocked with swag. Want to see? You do want to see because I’m giving away this awesome package, worth over $500! (In fact, if you get a gold bottle, it might be worth more…more about that later.)
Next, we were bussed to Cooking Skills Academy, a short drive away. We were welcomed by Welcome by Jim Emme, NOW CEO & Dan Richard, Vice President of NHG Global Sales and Marketing. We learned about NOW Food’s humble beginnings and how it got built. What encouraged me was that it took time. They were not an overnight success, but they persevered into becoming a leader in the health and wellness industry.
Next, we had a cooking lesson from Kasey Arena Brown, AKA @Powercakes, who made some awesome chocolate protein donuts, all from NOW Foods extensive product list. The recipe will be available soon – I’ll link when it’s out.
Next, it was time for the Iron Chef Challenge. We had a brief tutorial from Paul Guerrero. I totally recommend his YouTube channel for learning to cook – he was extremely clear, and I need that kind of detail!
Next it was on to the challenge! There wasn’t any surprise ingredient but we quickly got together and brainstormed. My team was great. We decided to make a frittata with avocado creme freche, and when we were struggling to plate, Jim came over and gave us some advice about not stressing the plating. We did our best and we were SURE that we’d be one of the losing teams.
I’m happy to say we came in second!
Next, we had a lovely dinner and dessert and then returned to the hotel. We had to meet at twenty to 7 in the morning so we all went to our rooms to crash.
In the morning, Kasey led us in a High Impact Interval Training (HIIT) class. Thanks to 6 months at SoldierFit, it was no problem! That was a fun bonding experience. That was followed by a smoothie bar…MMM! Bryan Morin, NOW® Sports Brand Manager and Katie Rosengren, NOW® Fitness Trainer, told us all about their supplements, many of which are geared for training and fitness. Yes, I took a liberal dose of L-Carnitine in my smoothie, which was delicious!
Then it was back to the room to pack and shower, and we sat for a proper breakfast buffet with omelet station and, AT LAST, a cup of coffee.
Now it was time for the plant tour of the NOW Operations Facility. We got to see how they operate and test, test, TEST. They are even hooking up a new machine to test for glyphosate, one of the few in the country, so I hope to get more detail about that and write about it in the next few weeks or months.
Next, we went to NOW’s corporate offices for a review of some natural health and beauty recipes by Tina Tews, NOW® Solutions Brand Manager. We made some great products with essential oils and after a delicious lunch and celebratory cake, it was time for Gong Sound Bath meditation with Leslie McDonald, @Balanced_Life_Leslie.
The day had come to an end too quickly and I was on the plane home. I had a great experience. Some things I learned:
- NOW cares about its products. They want to create natural health products that are affordable. That’s important. Consumers like me can’t always afford the products that those around us are using for our families.
- They want to make sure they are safe enough to use for their own families.
- They have a ridiculously huge line of products. Watch for my upcoming post on magnesium…and the extensive varieties they carry!
- NOW Foods really cares about its employees. And the employees all looked pretty happy to be there.
- They test extensively, for everything. I mean, everything – by summer, they’ll be testing for over 800 contaminants. They test before, during, and after to make sure the product is clean from ingredient level to package-ready product. And they have a lot of testing labs and they go deep. Mass spectrometers? Yep, they got a bunch of them.
They also seemed interested in refining things to be the best they could be.
My impression? NOW Foods cares about helping get healthy and eat right at a price they can afford.
NOW Foods is running their own giveaway to celebrate their 50th Anniversary! Just look for products with a golden cap for your chance to win one of FIFTY $10,000 prizes! See more details at their site.
Elaine says
I had never heard of NOW foods before this post. What a cool event and company that obviously values you! Thanks for sharing!
Gina says
They are amazing! And they do big giveaways like this every year. Great company! You’re welcome.
sara says
This is really helpful and informative.. thank you for sharing this..