How would you like to design your own energy bar?

I don't want to stress over food. It's when I'm famished that I find myself binging so I always carry an energy bar. You'll find them in all my bags, my car, and office desk.  

My Hubby travels a lot and packs his own food. He cannot afford to be in a place without his special meals: no gluten, no sugar, and all weighted and measured. He sometimes pre-packs over 9 meals. It's 'easy' when he can drive his car but it gets really challenging when he has to fly for hours because airport security will not allow him to bring his food aboard.

I wanted my hubby to enjoy the same convenience that energy bars give me, but it was tough to find 1 that met his dietary needs. Then we found Element Bars.

Choty's Chi Nutrition Facts.

We discovered Element Bars while binge-watching Shark Tank. We went on their website and each customized our own bars.

Hubby created a classic bar based on Date Paste and Almond Butter. The family liked his bar. It had the consistency of a Power Bar or a very chewy brownie.


I made an Endurance Bar with a Light Crunch base.

9 things I discovered about Element Endurance:

1. Website was very easy to use. We designed 2 bars and checked out in 20 minutes.
2. You can name your bar, buy wholesale and resell. I named mined "Choty's Chi" and no, I'm not reselling.
3. There were enough ingredients to mix and match, and lots of information about each ingredient. 
4. Nutritional facts change as you update ingredients.
5. No sugar added in my Choty's Chi yet it was still mildly sweet, probably from the fruits I added. It's just the way I like it.
6. They taste better with age. I ate one right after it arrived and it tasted almost bland with a hint of cinnamon. After 1 week, it tasted sweeter and more flavorful. The raisins were more distinct.
7. It was pricey, 2.99 USD for a 2.4-ounce bar x 12 per box vs. 99 cents for a Clif Bar of the same size 
8. Delivery takes a while: 20 days to get it. 
9. One bar was enough to fuel my 1.5 hours of running plus 2.5 hours of socializing.

Although I enjoyed customizing and consuming my bars, I don't think I'll be buying them again for endurance purposes because they're out of my budget. I would consider buying them if I had special dietary needs, or as a gift.

For Hubby, it wasn't satisfying enough.

Have you tried a customized bar? How was it?

Ingredients for Choty's Chi.

Hubby's Facts.