Each year, industry leaders gather at the annual Nutracon conference and SupplyExpo to recognize one of their business associates with the NutrAward for the Best New Ingredient. This year, Nutracon is excited to announce the inaugural award for the Best New Finished Product containing a functional ingredient.

The prestigious NutrAward program was created to support and recognize companies that are investing in rigorous and measurable scientific studies to prove the efficacy of their proprietary ingredients or technologies and now a companion program to recognize finished products.

Companies interested in submitting for either Best New Ingredient or Best New Finished Product can visit www.nutraward.com for eligibility requirements and submission information. Submission will be accepted between July 1, 2009 – Oct. 20, 2009.

The NutrAward winners are selected based on a weighted vote from the selection committee which consists of a panel of industry experts, scientists and nutritionists, as well as by cumulative votes of registered SupplyExpo and Nutracon attendees, and Natural Products Expo West exhibitors. 2010 winners will be announced live to a crowd of industry members at a ceremony during SupplyExpo, Saturday, March 13, 2010. For more information on attending the Nutracon conference visit www.nutraconference.com or to attend SupplyExpo, www.supplyexpo.com.

As reported by NPIcenter today- U.S. Nutrition Industry Grows 8.7% in 2008, Nutrition Business Journal Research Shows. Click here to read more and let’s all take a moment to enjoy some good news in these down times!

As healthy oils is slotted as a track at Nutracon in 2010 seeing this article today on NPIcenter about Cargill’s new healthy oils “knowledge center” made me feel like sharing, here is a snipit….

“Cargill has launched a new oils and shortening knowledge center, www.cargill.com/food/oilsforhealthysolutions, within its food ingredient web site on Cargill.com. The knowledge center provides information to food manufacturers seeking to formulate healthier products. It not only gives an overview of oils and nutrition, it also showcases Cargill’s knowledge and in-house technical expertise in the fats and oils arena.”

Take a look, do your homework then come join us at Nutracon for what is sure to be an depth look at trends, formulation, and everything you need to take your next healthy product to market.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. unveiled an environmental labeling program for the products it carries, in a step that could redefine the design and makeup of consumer goods sold around the globe but also boost costs for suppliers and customers. Read more

Thought this might be of interest, the super power of the plum. Now what I wonder is does it matter if the fruit is organic at all? Would pesticides in anyway compromise and counter act the fruits natural properties? US: Plums beat blueberries in nutritional value

Move over blueberries: scientists have found that plums have high levels of disease-fighting nutrients, too.

Investigators at Texas AgriLife Research evaluated the nutritional content and associated health benefits of more than 100 varieties of plums, nectarines, and peaches. The plum emerged superior to the other two stone fruits, and also matched or exceeded blueberries in nutritional value. Blueberries versus plums

Much press has been given to the high antioxidant and phytonutrient content of blueberries. These tiny fruits, for example, have been credited with promoting urinary tract health and reducing the risk of infection by preventing bacteria from accumulating in the walls of the urinary tract. They also contain phytonutrients that have cancer-fighting abilities.

Scientists now say that plums offer similar or superior benefits. To arrive at this conclusion, the scientists evaluated at least five brands of blueberries and compared them with the content of more than 100 different types of plums, nectarines, and peaches.

They found that all the fruits had high levels of antioxidants. The next step was to test the compounds to see how potent they were. They chose to evaluate the impact of the antioxidants on breast cancer cells and cholesterol.

One of the findings was that the phytonutrients in plums inhibited the growth of breast cancer without having a negative impact on normal cell growth. The researchers note that much further study is needed to identify all the benefits of plums. They believe the information will help plant breeders produce new varieties that have the best ratio of phytonutrients, and that their extracts will be available for dietary supplements.

Other benefits of plums

Plums are a source of unique phytonutrients called chloregenic acid and neochlorogenic, which are capable of destroying a very damaging free radical called superoxide anion radical. These phytonutrients also help prevent damage to beneficial fats that protect brain cells and that make up cell membranes.

Plums are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and two pigments—lutein and zeaxanthin–that are especially helpful for protecting vision and preventing macular degeneration. Plums are also a better economic value than blueberries. One relatively inexpensive plum has about the same amount of antioxidants as a handful of more costly blueberries.

The bottom line is that everyone is encouraged to eat at least three servings of fruit each day, and to include high-antioxidant selections, such as plums and blueberries. [end of article]

Post July 4th the fireworks are over and they certainly aren’t going off in celebration of my weight loss, but I am holding steady from the intial 2 lb drop. Not gaining but not losing. I have in honesty been sort of half-on, half-off the TruVida. Lots of travel these past few weeks so although the bars are easy to travel with sometimes you just want to experience the local flair or fare so to speak. At least I’m not gaining. I’ve been working out this week and sticking to the plan fairly well so hopefully I’ll be a few pounds in the red by Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sorry Penny, I’ve become a slacker. I don’t know what happened but I seem to have gone off the deep end. One day I forgot my bars and I decided that I needed to start over again on Monday which meant I didn’t eat them for five days and suddenly all the weight I lost came right back on. (Eating whatever I wanted and not working out had nothing to do with it….) I am SO mad at myself. It’s absolutely amazing how bad a mood stepping on the scale can put you in. So I need a new resolve. Back to the plan. Something, anything. One thing I am going to try this time is keeping a food journal. Anyone have other suggestions? THIS IS HARD!!

Well, still going strong… A trip to San Francisco put me a little behind in the weight loss category but I seem to be holding at my initial loss. Hopefully, this week despite the 4th and a trip to CT I can power through and drop a few pounds. With a 3 day work week and back-to-back travel it makes it tough to fit a workout in! At least healthy eating is maintaining with the yummy Truvida bars, not to mention my weekly CSA farm share which has me eating so much lettuce between bars that I might turn into a rabbit.