For some people, eating is a simple endeavor. Calories in, calories out—whatever it takes to even the score at the end of the day. Good for them. I’m not one of those people. And, if I’m onto something here, neither are you. 

That’s because SANS bars come with baggage. Not the bad kind, though. Let’s be honest, these bars are honkin’. They’re delicious, sure, but I doubt that anyone eating a SANS bar is doing so on a whim. They serve a specific purpose. That purpose can be anything from fueling you through a high-octane adventure day to keeping hunger at bay while behind the wheel on a long drive when fast food sounds…less than appetizing. 

Point being: if you’re eating a SANS bar, you’re probably up to something exciting. Whether you’re short on time, energy, or both, these power-packed bars help fill in the gaps. Each empty wrapper is a sign that you’ve given your body what it needs to withstand the next big demand. So, that begs the question: where are SANS bars taking you? 

I’ll start. Once upon a time, I didn’t have such a good relationship with food. I pushed too hard on too little for too long. I went from ambitious trail runner and rock climber with more potential in store than I even realized at the time… which is maybe why I didn’t hesitate to throw it all away in the name of chasing a smaller body. 

Long story short, my body got smaller. It also broke down and stopped being able to support any of the adventures that used to bring me so much joy. I say “used to” because as my body broke, so did my spirit. I didn’t care about doing anything. My drive disintegrated entirely.

With help, I eventually realized how far I’d fallen from the person I had been, and still wanted to be—even if I’d forgotten for a while. I fought for a second chance at a more audacious existence, which required proving to my blighted body that I could treat it better. Food became my medicine. 

I’m back to living a life that I’m proud of. I stand on the podium at the country’s top ultramarathons, send 5.14 routes at one of the most notoriously challenging crags in the country, and revel in setting goals so big that I can barely say them out loud. I’m more resilient, in body and in mind, than ever. 

But it took falling back in love with food to get there. I wouldn’t be able to make it through one day of my current routine without putting back more calories than I used to eat in a week. It’s tough, both logistically and physically, to get it all in. I struggled to find efficient ways to stay energized. I felt like I was spending more time eating, digesting, and planning the next meal than actually getting to enjoy the actual adventures I was so intent on fueling myself for. 

I needed something truly substantial. Energy that went down fast and burned slow. I’d been wronged by too many wimpy granola bars that lost their edge faster than the last bite made it down my esophagus. 

I didn’t find a solution until SANS. I took a chance on one because of how refreshingly dense it felt in my hand, and hoped it wouldn’t do me dirty like all the others before. But just like I earned back the trust of my body, SANS earned back my trust in bars. I can rely on SANS to carry me through hours of output—minus the obsessive, inconvenient, time-consuming prep and planning that ate the whole day away (literally). No bonks, no sugar crashes, no flavor fatigue. Just easy energy to be spent on the things that make me me. 

Now, it’s your turn. What’s your SANS story? We’ll be featuring them here, as part of a new series on the people of SANS called “Raise the Bar”: stories about lives made more liveable thanks to high-quality fuel in low-maintenance form. If you'd like to share your story send an email to founders@sansmealbar.com.