Disclosure: This post was sponsored by NOW as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Do you ever notice those brands that have insane customer loyalty? People will specifically seek them out and stick with them pretty much for life. I’ve heard other bloggers and fitness enthusiasts talk that way about NOW Foods in the past, but never really understood why – until now.
I recently went on a whirlwind 36 hour trip to visit the NOW Foods headquarters. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I am, as you may have read in the past, somewhat skeptical of supplement companies. But I fell in love with their food product lines, their impressive supplement lab testing, and the company culture.
Food Product Lines
NOW produces several lines of food products that include some awesome pantry staples. Need some ancient grains like amaranth, quinoa, and farro? Want high quality olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil? In search of gluten free baking mixes that actually taste good? (I swear, we had the gluten free brownies and they were ah-mazing).
You can find all of them reasonably priced at NOW Foods.
The company prides itself on making their products solely with natural ingredients. Natural is a buzz word that gets thrown around often, but I think the standards they set make sense to consumers. To NOW, natural means non-GMO, no artificial sweeteners, no high fructose corn syrup, and no hydrogenated fats (aka artificial trans fats), along with several other specifications (you can read their full list here).
Don’t get me wrong – I personally think some of these issues, like GMO, are complicated topics that don’t have a clear black and white answer. But it’s great to see a company that is fully committed to their vision of what natural is, and be able to provide products that fit these standards. And I know some of you are super passionate about these topics, so you can feel confident knowing their food line will meet your needs!
We were able to experiment with some of these food options during a cooking demo and iron chef competition featuring their food specialist and chef, Suzy Singh. Suzy is super energetic and bubbly – and you may recognize her from her days on Master Chef several years ago!
She taught us how to make gluten free, egg free chicken nuggets using some of the NOW products. {If you caught my Facebook Live, you got to see some of Suzi’s demo!}. I think my favorite products that were showcased were the infused coconut oils and the Q-cups. There’s a coconut oil with smoked ghost pepper that adds such amazing flavor to any dish! And the Q-Cups are essentially like little instant noodle cups — but with quinoa instead of noodles, and way healthier than the traditional versions.
Supplement Testing & Labeling
I’ll fully admit it that I can be skeptical of supplement companies. In the past, there have been some concerns about supplements from companies being impure or being contaminated with unsafe products or heavy metals.
But when the NOW CEO started talking to me about testing with a GC Mass Spec Triple Quad, I knew this company knew a thing or two about lab testing their products 😉
And the tour confirmed that. Essentially, this place was one giant lab. There was testing for literally everything. From the initial ingredients that come into the facility to the final product, there are tests done to ensure quality and purity. And they have Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification for their dietary supplement manufacturing process.
One aspect that I thought was really neat was a sensory lab. Obviously the purity and contamination are my biggest concerns, but you want a protein powder or a chewable pill to taste good too, right?! I like that they included this in their protocols for developing products.
And as an added bonus, they are awesome about labeling their sport and supplement products. They don’t use that annoying “proprietary blend” where you have no idea what’s actually in your product. They list everything on the label with the specific amounts that are in the product. (Example below was a screenshot of one of their amino acid powders – you can see every specific amount listed).
Company Culture
I expect big name companies to be a little impersonal. But when we arrived at the hotel, there was NOW staff to greet us. When I got to my hotel room, there was an amazing welcome bag featuring full size products. (Keep reading for your chance to win your prize pack like this!). When I woke up the next morning, there was a scheduled PiYo class to kick off the day.
And at the first event of the trip, the CEO was there to greet us. He introduced himself to me and said “Oh, I love the recipes on your blog!”. Immediate brownie points, obviously 😉
For real, though, the CEO was one of the most down to earth people you can imagine. When a CEO really cares about the types of products being produced, cares about customers, and cares about employees – it says a lot about a company to me. And everyone we met across the company seemed genuinely happy in their job.
Final Thoughts on the NOW Immersion Event
I can see why there is such strong loyalty to NOW – each of these aspects really solidified my respect for the brand. I’m particularly in love with their food products and can’t wait to experiment with more of them soon!
When it comes to the supplement side, I’ll never say that people need every supplement under the sun. I’m a food first RD and if you’ve read the blog for a while, you know that. Plus, I’m grounded in evidence-based recommendations.
But there are definitely supplements that can be extremely useful, depending on your individual scenario. For example, so many of us in the Northeast struggle with sub-optimal Vitamin D levels, and unless you’re eating a ton of fatty fish and egg yolks, it’s difficult to get enough from the diet.
Or for those people who don’t like fish, it’s going to be pretty tough to get optimal amounts of omega-3s without supplements.
And of course, products like protein powders, creatine, beta-alanine, and other sports-specific products might be worthwhile depending on your diet and fitness goals.
Being able to see NOW first-hand helped to ease my inner skeptic when it comes to supplement manufacturing. I saw the lab testing. I learned about the equipment they use. I talked to the CEO. And I feel confident that they are going to great lengths to ensure quality, uncontaminated products.
(PS – If you’re a little skeptical and you’re out in the Chicago area, get in touch with them – you can get a tour too and see it all with your own eyes!)
NOW Foods Giveaway!
I hope you’re excited – because I’ve got your chance to win your very own prize pack from NOW valued at over $500! You’ll be treated to some gifts from their food line, their personal care line, their supplement line, and their sports nutrition line – a nice little sampling over everything!
Enter using Rafflecopter below. {*US Residents only; must be 18 or older to win. Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstakes, per household as part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central. Giveaway ends 8/10/17.}
Share with me: Have you ever tried any NOW Foods products? What are your thoughts on supplements? Which line from NOW would you be most excited to try – their foods, supplements, sports nutrition products, or personal care products?
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I definitely appreciate that they are true to their vision and honest regarding what goes on their supplements. Just finished up a Nutrition for Sports Performance class and we learned about some sketchy ingredients in supplements. ? I wish I could find those Q cups out here! Maybe I’m not looking hard enough?
Oh yea – there are definitely some sketchy supplements out there, which is why I have been skeptical. I really like that NOW is transparent about the amounts of every ingredient, and that they do such comprehensive testing. I was impressed.
You can order the Q cups online! https://www.nowfoods.com/natural-foods/by-category/q-cups
The Q cups look so yummy
Looks like it was a lot of fun and that you learned a lot! Thanks for sharing the info! Also the yoga looked really fun!
Yes, tons of fun and learned a lot! The PiYo class was great. Have you ever taken one? It’s a way faster paced yoga-ish class done to upbeat music.
Looks like such a neat experience! Glad you had so much fun!
Thanks Jessica, it was a great time!
Thanks for sharing – I’ll have to look into this company some more. Looks like you had a great trip!
Sure thing Kara! I think you’d appreciate some of their food products.
i will definitely be checking out more of their products now.
Awesome, that’s great Dixya!
They have a good selection of products. That brownie mix looks delicious.
Oh man, the brownies are FABULOUS. I am so excited that I have a box in my kitchen now to make this weekend. 🙂
this is an awesome trip!
Thank you! I had a blast 🙂
What a great company! I’d be happy to try (and buy!) their products!
They were definitely a great company to get to know. And their products are very reasonably priced.
I have been eating gluten free for over a year now and have tried some of their products. I have always loved it but after reading this article I want to support the company even more! I will be looking at the store to find more of their gluten free items from now on!
Lori, great to “see” you here! 🙂 I’m glad that you’ve had a chance to try their products. I’ve got some brownie mix at my apartment now if you want to pop by anytime soon.
I love NOW brand, the products and quality is great!
They definitely have a great company culture and some nice product lines!
Always great to find a new source for all-natural products. Looking forward to trying NOW Food products!
For sure! Glad I could help introduce you to their products!
i love the brand good food and and thre all natural
Glad to hear that Carol!
I use several Now Foods essential oils daily. Supplements are very important to me, I have been doing a lot of research lately to see what will work best for myself and my family. I personally want to try their Wrinkle Rescue tablets.
I need to learn more about essential oils. The NOW trip was really my first logical, scientific intro to them (i.e. not just facebook posts from people saying they were awesome, haha). If nothing else, I really enjoyed the homemade soap and natural products we were able to make with them!
I would love to try these products
Awesome!
I’ve never tried any of these products before, but I try to feed my family clean foods, so I would be so excited to try these!
They have lots of great family-friendly pantry staples!
I’ve been taking now supplements for years. Great quality at a reasonable price.
I like the idea of supplements!
There are definitely some useful ones available.
I’ve known about the NOW brand for a long time – it’s so cool to know they maintain such high standards and are so open about their manufacturing process!
I was super impressed by their manufacturing standards – and that says a lot because I’m a natural skeptic lol.
This is such a cool trip!
It was a blast 🙂
what a fun company! awesome giveaway too
Yes, they are a great company!
What a fantastic partnership: one of my fav food & fitness bloggers & one of my fav healthy food companies!
Aw, love this Julia!
VIP trip! I use several of their supplements but was not aware of their food line!!
Haha, yes – I felt very VIP on this trip!
It looks like you had a ton of fun! I wish I could have been there. NOW Foods is awesome. I love love love their line of pea protein powder. Thanks for sharing!
I really did have a blast. And I have some of their protein powder on hand now; I’m excited to try it out.
Contests are fun, thanks.
Sure thing!
Looks like a fun trip! I have liked the NOW Foods items that I have tried. Seems like a great company!
It was definitely a fun trip and they are a great company. 🙂