Shanti Bars are the Real Deal

It's really astonishing how many of my snacks and replacement meals are consumed in bar form. My sister and I have this conversation on a regular basis. You can guarantee that you'll find Kind bars, Lara bars, and a number of other brands in my pantry on any given day. I'm always on the hunt for new ones, and I prefer ones that are as full of real ingredients as possible, ones with a good ratio of fats, carbs and protein, and ones that aren't loaded with sugar. These can be big caloric loads, or small ones: you have to just read the labels carefully. 

I recently came across a Florida-based company called Shanti when I was doing a story on maca, an adaptogenic herb that's often used for hormone balancing and endurance, and fell in love with their products. I'm not being paid or compensated for this in any way; I'm just sharing something I enjoy. The company is woman-owned by Lauren Feingold and Ashanty Williams, two food-savvy, active women, and based in Florida. The bars use real ingredients and are gluten free, vegan, kosher and non-GMO/organic. They're nutrient dense, raw and paleo. That's a lot to say, right? I guarantee that they have a bar for whatever flavor profile you like, or whatever nutritional or energetic (or both) needs you have. Shanti bars are different in that they are goal-oriented; whether your aim is to boost energy, libido or immunity, decrease inflammation or detoxify in general, there's a bar for that. 

Shanti energy bar in with goji, sweet berries and hemp.

The anti-inflammatory protein bar, for example, contains turmeric, goji, mango and cardamom. Spirulina, sweet greens and hemp help in the detox energy bar. Coconut, almonds and maca drive the fat-burning energy bar, whereas lemon, tahini, hemp and chia form the base of a protein bar geared toward immunity. The energy bars typically have seven or eight grams of protein, whereas the protein bars boast 17 grams, and clock in around 220-260 calories, with about five grams of fiber and about 11 grams of sugar (no added sugar here.) 

All of these goals would be for naught if the bars didn't taste good, but thankfully, that's not the case. Shanti bars are substantive, they get the job done and they taste like the ingredients: nothing more, nothing less. You can order them online at their website or you can find them at Bed Bath and Beyond, or in select locations of Whole Foods Markets in Florida. For what it's worth, they're also U.S. Soccer star Hope Solo's bar of choice. 

This immunity formula with hemp, lemon tahini, hemp and goldenberries was one of my favorites, along with the anti-inflammatory bar with turmeric.

What's your favorite bar these days? There are so many of them to choose from!