BodyBar Protein:
A Clean Snack Solution for Gut Health
BodyBar Protein was founded in 2021 by Ayarpi Reganyan, who struggled for years with inflammatory bowel disease (or ulcerative colitis). After doctors couldn’t find a solution to her autoimmune condition, she took her health into her own hands, first going entirely gluten-free and then eliminating processed foods, sugar and more from her diet. Combined with light exercise and a whole foods diet, Reganyan was able to get her health under control, even getting off the medication her doctors had prescribed for her condition. After experiencing firsthand how her health was directly impacted by what she was eating, Reganyan vowed to help others do the same. She launched BodyBar to be a between-meal snack solution free of junky ingredients, additives, artificial colors, and natural flavors, that everyone – not just those with an autoimmune condition – can feel good about eating.
BodyBar’s four nutritious bars are packed with protein, fiber, and prebiotics, they are gluten-free and made simply with clean, high-quality ingredients and zero added sugar or natural flavors. Each is also Certified Paleo or Certified Paleo Friendly by the Paleo Foundation. Varieties include Apple Cinnamon, Sweet Cocoa, Chocolate Brownie, and Strawberry Almond.
It took Ayarpi and her team approximately 2 years to perfect the recipe. It was very challenging to create a protein bar that tasted good without flavor enhancers, wasn’t chalky, had no aftertaste, and only had a few ingredients that worked well together. We chose each ingredient thoroughly; we wanted them to have exceptional qualities that would support the function of the gut and not just provide energy.
Ayarpi and her team avoided “natural flavors” because they are substances derived from manipulating plants or animals, used for flavoring rather than providing nutritional value.
The health and wellness industry, as well as the snack industry, is very saturated with protein bars claiming to have “clean and simple ingredients,” but the list of ingredients tells a different story. BodyBar has been working hard to bring awareness around non-nutritional ingredients that act as fillers and preservatives that don’t provide any nutritional value.
As an athlete and parent, Ayarpi knows the importance of feeding our bodies quality food because our bodies deserve the best.
In addition to creating protein bars, Ayarpi’s mission has been to bring awareness to digestive diseases. The BodyBar team supports the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation by sponsoring their fundraising events to further medical research. Additionally, Ayarpi is the ambassador of the Lyfeblub community, which provides resources to those living with chronic conditions.
Digestive diseases have many causes, but our food contributes greatly to imbalanced gut and digestive issues. 20 million Americans suffer from chronic digestive diseases, one of the most prevalent causes of disability in the workforce. What we eat matters; research shows that while genetics are a factor, the diet has emerged as impacting the inner workings of our gut.
With the knowledge Ayarpi has gathered from working in the health and wellness space since 2004, she has created a protein bar with essential core nutrients everyone can take. Our number one choice should be to eat a whole foods diet however, since that isn’t always an option, always carry a BodyBar with you.
