From gut health to menopause relief, these female founders serve up solutions - slideshow

Being a full-time entrepreneur may often be one of the most unpredictable ways to make a living, yet more women than ever are dipping their stilettos into those unsettled waters. Most love the independence of being their own bosses, plus the perception that they may possibly be filling a niche is a thrill for many.

In the case of the food and beverage industry — a space wide open for innovation — female founders are serving up products with healthier halos, such as these offerings I recently featured on FOX-Chicago 32. But it doesn’t stop there. Whether they’re industry experts or not, they’re totally involved with the development of their concepts, ensuring their visions are not sidelined.

For example, Truth Bar founder and CEO Diana Stobo set out to develop a prebiotics-and-probiotics infused snack bar 10 years ago because she believed there were too many sugary protein bars on the market. “We eat too much protein that’s not bioavailable,” she said during an interview at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California. “We eat way too much sugar, and we don’t eat enough fiber,” thus her reasoning for launching the Truth Bar line, all in dark chocolate enhanced by flavors like Raspberry Coconut, Lemon Coconut Cake, Peanut Butter Crunch and Vanilla Cake Batter.

Related:‘Unhealthy’ plant-based diet shows no benefit to diabetes risk

The former chocolatier — and also nutritionist — believes her expertise sets her products apart from competitors. Blending her skills with raw chocolate, knowledge of gut health and flavor profiles has helped her to create a unique, plant-based snack bar that is also appealing to consumers, she said.

“It's not easy to get all those rich ingredients into one tiny 45gm bar, but we did it,” Stobo said. “We worked really hard with a nutraceuticals company to develop these products. [This is] the easiest possible way that you can take your probiotics and your fiber each day.”

In this slideshow presentation, I spotlight 12 female-owned products that similarly take a “better for you” approach. From GoodSAM’s new low-sugar Pineapple Slice Chips — sourced from female-helmed small farms in South America and West Africa — to nonalcoholic, ready-to-drink beverage brand Kul Mocks and the menopause-focused Tea Botanics, innovation was at an all-time high at Expo West.