2018 South Florida Veg Fest

Zygote Nation was there! … At the 2018 South Florida Veg Fest on Dec. 1, 2018, at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Fort Lauderdale and the festival was well-attended. There was a nice mix of vendors peddling their food, drinks, and supplements at tables and booths inside of the auditorium and set up on the lawn of the auditorium’s grounds. This was my last festival of 2018, capping off an experience-rich year at healthy food events around the United States and Canada.

Here is my list of the festival’s notable vendors and products:

Rebirth Elixers

Rebirth Elixirs of Coconut Grove, Florida, sells a line of raw, vegan elixirs inspired by the drinks of ancient civilizations. This is one of those brands that really gets me excited. I wish I had local assess to these drinks, which are outstanding. On display at the festival were four varieties: the Butterfly Pea Tea (filtered water, butterfly pea flower, lemongrass, galangal, raw cane sugar) from the Ayutthaya Kingdom of ancient Thailand; the Chicha Morada, or Incan Purple Corn Cider (filtered water, purple corn, pineapple, quince apple, spices, lime, raw sugar), from the ancient mountain cities of Incan Peru; the Egyptian Rose Water (filtered water, damask rose water, 23-karat edible gold leaf, rose simple syrup, crushed rose petals) from the time of Cleopatra’s Egypt; and the Moringa Tonic (filtered water, moringa, chlorophyll, raw honey, lime) from the Maurya empire of ancient India. The elixirs come in 16-ounce bottles. I tried all four varieties. The Butterfly Pea Tea had the most subtle flavor to my palette. The Chicha Morada was my favorite. Since the festival, Rebirth Elixirs launched a fifth blend, Hibiscus CBD (CBD stands for cannabidiol; it one of the beneficial cannabinoid substances found in the hemp plant). The company also announced that a sixth variety is in the works, based on the the rare plants and flavors of the Capensis floral kingdom of South Africa. I look forward to trying the two new elixirs on my next trip to Florida.

Physicians Preferred

Physicians Preferred of Miami markets hemp tinctures and topical creams derived from organic hemp grown in Colorado. The company has four lines of products. First are the full-spectrum tinctures that contain a range of beneficial cannabinoid substances and terpenes, along with the legal amount—0.3 percent or less of the hemp plant’s dry weight—of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of the hemp plant. The remaining lines are: isolate tinctures that contain only the cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD); pet tinctures; and pain-relieving creams. The tinctures come in a base of fractioned medium-chain-triglyceride (MCT) coconut oil. The liver directly metabolizes MCT into energy, which, in turn, makes the cannabinoids readily available to the body, according to the company. The full-spectrum tinctures come in an Every Day Wellness blend and extra-strength option as well as these formulas: Acne Refresh, Joint Relief, Menstrual Relief, Moringa Infusion, and Rest, Relax, & Renew Sleep Aid. These products undergo rigorous third-party testing to detect the presence of any contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and residual solvents, according to the company.

Doctor D’s

Doctor D’s of Louisville, Colorado, offers a line of USDA-certified organic water kefir beverages. These caffeine-free sparkling drinks are a live fermented beverage, like kombucha, rich in probiotics. The company’s website states that “water kefir commonly produces a wider spectrum of probiotics” than kombucha. The drinks are available in six flavors: Concord Grape, Crisp Apple, Ginger Lemon, Lively Lemon, Mandarin Orange, and Tart Cherry. I tried the Crisp Apple and Tart Cherry and liked them much. As an example of the drinks’ ingredients, the Tart Cherry blend contains: water kefir culture (reverse osmosis water, organic cane sugar, kefir culture, pink Himalayan salt), organic tart cherry juice, and organic lemon juice. Depending on the flavor, these drinks have between 7.5 grams and 15 grams of sugar per 12-ounce bottle. The company uses amber bottles to protect the live probiotics from exposure to harmful light, which would degrade them, according to the website.

Zorb Products

Screenshot captured from thezorb.com website

Zorb Products sells a patented ceramic disc that attaches via adhesive to the back of cellphones to protect our bodies from the electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation the phones emit. “Studies have shown that extended exposure to electromagnetic radiation near our bodies and heads can lead to headaches, dizziness, brain fog, sleeplessness, nausea, heart palpitations, free-radical damage, and even more,” states a video from the company. The disc, known as “The Zorb,” renders the radiation waves harmless by converting them into far infrared frequencies; essentially, the Zorb absorbs the harmful EMF radiation, without affecting the cellphone’s performance, according to the company’s website. The Zorb consists of 20 oxide minerals baked into the ceramic. One can also use the disc with electronic tablets (e.g., iPads), cordless phones, laptop computers, wifi routers, and baby monitors, according to the company. The disc’s protection lasts for up to three years to five years depending on usage, states the website. The company also sells the Super Zorb disc (five times the size of the regular shield) for EMF protection in the car or office or use with larger electronic devices like desktop computers and large televisions. It also offers a Zorb Pendant, Zorb Nano face wand, and a bracelet, water stick, and pyramid made of shungite.

One Kombucha

One Kombucha of Pompano Beach, Florida, sells USDA-certified organic kombucha drinks formulated to energize and harmonize the body’s chakras, or energy points. The company brews different blends with herbs and spices to nourish one of the seven chakras. For example, the Grape blend feeds the crown chakra. The other blends are: Triple Berry Fusion (third eye), Original (heart), Ginger Lemon (solar plexus), Apple Spice (sacral), and Hibiscus Rose (root). (There currently is no blend for the throat chakra.) I had a cup of the root chakra blend and it was deliciously refreshing and thirst-quenching. The company uses stainless steel containers to ferment its kombucha; stainless steel is superior for fermentation, said a company representative. I found One Kombucha to be among the excellent kombucha brands I have run across at festivals in Florida in late 2018. The rep said the company will be launching new flavors and is transitioning to a new website: www.kombucha.com.

Kamsa

Kamsa of Doral, Florida, sells panela water, a hydration drink featuring unrefined sugarcane extract for sustained energy. The inspiration for this drink is the beverage the Kamsa Indians of southern Colombia have used for centuries to help them state hydrated in the high temperatures and humidity of the Amazon rainforest, according to the company. Unlike refined sugar, panela—which other cultures call rapadura—retains its anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals, according to the company. (I have heard panela/rapadura referred to as the one type of sugar that actually is good for one’s teeth because of its mineral content). Kasma currently comes in four flavors: Deep Forest Hibiscus-Mixed Berry, High Mountain Citrus, South Island Mango-Peach, and Wold Tropics Pineapple-Coconut. In addition to their natural flavor infusions, the drinks contain natural sea salt, lemon juice concentrate to help regulate acidity levels, and a small amount of organic stevia, according to the company. I tried all four flavors and really liked them. All were clean- and fresh-tasting; the pineapple-coconut variety was my favorite. All blends, but the mango-peach have 18 grams of sugar per 16-ounce bottle. The latter has more: 38 grams.

Dec 1 2018 South Florida Veg Fest