livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink |

Top 5 Organic Food Products from Natural Products Expo East 2016

Max Goldberg September 27, 2016

As I do at the end of each Expo East and Expo West, I list my top 5 organic food products of the show.

Some of the criteria that I use to judge the best products include originality, taste, and innovation. Also, I try as hard as I can to include products that most people have never seen before.

At last week’s show in Baltimore, there were many great organic products to choose from but here are the ones that I found to be the most compelling. These are My Top 5 Organic Products from Natural Products Expo East 2016.

FORAGER PROJECT’S DAIRY-FREE STRAWBERRY CASHEW YOGURT

Having watched this company for several years now, I give major kudos to the folks at Forager Project.

Despite being one of the country’s leading pressed organic juice brands, Forager has not been sitting still. Instead, it has pushed very hard to expand into food, with a complete emphasis on plant-based ingredients. Read more »

Supermarket Spotlight: Organic Circle in Brooklyn is ‘The Hidden Gem’ in the New York City Organic World

Max Goldberg September 13, 2016

Supermarket Spotlight is a new column that I am launching today, and it will showcase independent, organic supermarkets throughout the country that people ought to know about, such as Organic Circle.

This column will run every other month and is sponsored by my friends at RangeMe, the leading platform that empowers retail buyers with an efficient way to discover innovative new products and to manage their inbound product submission process. RangeMe gives product suppliers and manufacturers increased control over the marketing of their products and greater access to retail buyers. Read more »

TIME SENSITIVE: Suja’s Limited Edition Midnight Tonic — Do What You Can to Get Them

Max Goldberg September 8, 2016

(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to add me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

Last week, I got a mysterious shipment from Suja and it was six black bottles of juice with a note inside of it that said:

A Secret So Juicy We Had to Share

I found this to be very strange on several levels.

Normally, when the company sends me product, I get advance warning and I also know what they are shipping out to me. In this package, not only did I have no idea that it was coming, but I had no idea what these juices were when I opened the box. You couldn’t read the label while the bottle was full of juice. Read more »

What You Need to Know About The New “Non-GMO” Label

Max Goldberg September 5, 2016

(All images courtesy of the USDA)

To me, it is incredibly suspicious that after a mere two weeks of the DARK Act passing, a new “negative claim” GMO label was just put forth by the USDA. And who is going to benefit the most from it?

Big Food, of course. Read more »

12 Compelling Finds at Indie Beauty Expo in New York City

Max Goldberg August 30, 2016

(Jillian Wright on the far left, Founder of Indie Beauty Expo)

Last week in New York City, I attended Indie Beauty Expo, a showcase for independent organic and natural personal care products. This was the second year of Indie Beauty Expo, and I was incredibly impressed by both the show itself and the quality of the companies that presented.

While Living Maxwell mainly deals with organic food, body care products will be an area of focus going forward. This is because 60% of whatever we put on our skin gets into our bodies. So, that means the personal care products that we use are of utmost importance.

Here were 12 of the most interesting finds at Indie Beauty Expo. Some are USDA certified organic, while others contain both organic and natural ingredients. Read more »

What is Biodynamic and Why Do The Products Taste So Good

Max Goldberg August 18, 2016

(To follow my day-to-day organic food adventures, please be sure to add me on Snapchat: maxorganic)

Whenever I get asked the question of which are the best tasting organic foods, my response is always the same: the Biodynamic ones.

For quite some time, I have been wondering why exactly Biodynamic tastes so delicious, so I went digging for an answer.

THE BASICS

To understand why Biodynamic tastes so good and different from the rest, let’s first discuss its origins and then define it. Read more »

The Benefits of Collagen Peptides for Hair, Skin and Athletic Performance

Max Goldberg August 14, 2016

Very rarely do I write about supplements, but I came across one recently that I think is fantastic – Collagen Peptides from Vital Proteins.

And even though I have only been using it for a relatively short time, I am already noticing improvements in my hair, skin, and performance levels when working out.

First off, what is collagen and why does it help our body?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body and is found in our muscles, bones, skin, ligaments, blood vessel walls, and tendons. It comprises 30% of the protein in our overall body and 70% of the protein that makes up our skin. Collagen is essentially the “glue” that holds our body together.

Not surprisingly, as we get older, collagen production decreases. Poor dietary and lifestyle choices (processed foods, sugar, smoking, too much sun, chemical overload), stress, sickness and long-term strenuous exercise play a role in reduced levels in collagen as well.

So, if we think about collagen being that “glue” that holds our body together, we need to make sure that we are doing what we can to maintain collagen levels. When that “glue” weakens or decreases, we suffer from wrinkles, sagging skin, muscle soreness, and joint and muscle pain. Read more »