Inspired by homemade remedies that had been passed down by his father in India, an LSU professor and neuroscientist has channeled his interest in the health benefits of certain foods to create a snack bar packed with “superfoods,” that, according to an LSU announcement, is taking off around Baton Rouge/
Launched in December at the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator, Joseph Francis makes four flavors of his Pranam Superfoods “antioxidant bars.” They are already being sold in eight stores in Baton Rouge and seven others elsewhere in Louisiana.
The snack bars are made with quinoa—rather than oats, a more common base ingredient for such products—and a mixture of antioxidant-rich fruits and nuts. They are sweetened only with honey. All ingredients are organic, gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
“Every single ingredient that we have added in our Pranam bars is a functional food or a superfood,” Francis said.
The bar evolved from a drink that Francis made in his kitchen at home using blueberry powder and some spices. Francis eventually decided on making snack bars with similar ingredients and soon enlisted the help of the Food Incubator scale up his recipe and mass produce them. Read the full story from LSU.
