As a parent, I try to provide a healthy and clean environment for my kids. While there are some factors that are out of my control, food is one that I can influence (sometimes to their dismay). I’m always looking for the “new kid on the block” in the world of natural, preservative-free, healthy and most importantly tasty food.
A few weeks ago I happened to chance upon Happy Tummys nutrition bars for kids, at a store. The packaging was so inviting and bright that my children picked two boxes immediately, almond date and peanut butter raisin while I decided to pick the remaining two flavours, apple cranberry and malty banana.
Now just because these bars are meant for kids, that wasn’t stopping me! I tucked in quite readily and took a bite of each bar (yes only one, cross my heart…). The malty banana was chewy and the right amount of gooey and I enjoyed it immensely. However, my kids found it a little tough to chew. Leaving them at room temperature for a tad longer would’ve probably done the trick. Each flavour is exactly what it claims to be and each bite makes you feel, if possible, healthier! We were hooked for sure!
Once in a while, the universe beckons, lo and behold, I got to meet the creator and founder of Happy Tummys, Divya Sethi. We got chatting and she graciously answered my questions. After living aboard for a substantial amount of time, Divya, her husband Rajat with their infant son in tow decided to settle down in the Motherland. Once here she was struck by the scarcity of local healthy snack options for kids and the imported ones were filled with preservatives and are not at all pocket friendly.
Divya took it upon herself, much to the delight of parents like me, to start her own line of healthy snacks for young ones and voila, Happy Tummys was born. She painstakingly created each recipe in her kitchen; these nutrition bars are free from sugar or artificial sweeteners, preservatives essentially all natural. She completed several successful trials before launching them nationwide. And talk about putting your money where your mouth is, her son eats them every day!
A pack of five bars is priced at 225 rupees and one can also buy a set of three mini bars for just 59 rupees, which is excellent for those who wish to sample first. Happy Tummys plans to launch more snacks including savoury ones in the near future. Now, some young ones (and grownups) may take some time acquiring a taste for these bars but I have a feeling they’ll soon succumb to these scrumptious and nourishing treats.
My own brood eat a bar daily (they reluctantly share them with me) and we enjoy getting creative. I break my favourite apple and cranberry bar into small pieces add some fresh fruit and milk and a just like that, a whole and most delicious meal is created. My son loves mixing a banana with the almond and date bar and my daughter adds pieces of the peanut butter and raisin bar to popcorn. Divine!
These days I gift packs to friends and family. After all, there is no better gift than that of tasty and nutritious food.
