In 2012 Lisa Goldbaum—a journalist, wife and devoted mother of two—came to a startling realization: empty calories defined her family’s meals, with her children becoming heavily inclined toward processed sugars, artificial flavors and hydrogenated oils. Nutrition placed second after convenience, and healthy habits had gone by the wayside

Credit YummyHealth

Of course, Goldbaum’s epiphany wasn’t singular. It’s one that’s shared by mothers pretty much everywhere, each and every day—and rightfully so given that approximately 17 percent of kids and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese (an increase from 5 percent in 1974), affecting about 12.7 million children, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In her attempt to help her family get on a healthier snack track, Lisa became frustrated in her search for suitable options as most so-called “healthy” snacks she found contained as much sugar and processed starch as the regular commercial varieties. To directly address this concern for her own family and others, Goldbaum took it upon herself to develop new kind of snack—one that that would satisfy a child’s penchant for sweets in a way that also delivers all-natural goodness. With this, the YummySnack Bar was born.

The YummySnack Bar serves as an alternative to traditional candy such that it promotes healthier snacking. First, the bars are comprised of wholesome real-food ingredients, including rosemary extracts, almond butter, sea salt, milled flaxseeds, and soy. Gluten, starches, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, artificial flavors and preservatives have been completely eliminated, leaving only a careful blend of proteins, fiber and Omega 3s. With the understanding that nutrient-rich snacks typically won’t tempt children, each YummySnack Bar boasts rich dessert flavor options like chocolate, brownie, peanut butter, coconut and cookie dough to appease even the pickiest of palates. These flavors offer the sweetness of candy but without the high calorie aftermath—there’s only 8 grams of sugar in each bar.

With the YummySnack Bar having resonated with moms and other waistline-watchers in the marketplace, the bars have become part of a larger line of products offered by Goldbaum’s YummyHealth company, which also now offers healthfully-engineered chips available in pizza, nacho and cheddar flavors.

My hat’s off to Lisa Goldbaum for doing her part to address our nation’s growing childhood obesity epidemic one reimagined candy bar at a time.

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