This marks the inaugural product review on Running from the Runs. To give you some background on how this came to be -
energybits has been all over Twitter for the past few months engaging with health and fitness bloggers, sports enthusiasts, #runchat, #fitblog etc. I first took notice when they followed me and through various Twitter chats we mutually engaged in. What really caught my attention was their call-out to bloggers offering samples in exchange for a short post with your thoughts on the product. And what is the product?
energybits are made from spirulina algae, a super-food full of vitamins, minerals and protein. The catch? It is algae, definitely green and does smell like a fish tank. However, being a non-coffee/tea drinker, I have dreamed of the day I might find something to boost my energy and carry me through the morning, a workout, a run or a rough day. In addition, I am not what you might call a natural carnivore - I do not love protein, but know I have to find ways to get more into my diet. So, it was a pleasant surprise when my "bits" arrived in the mail - with no shortage of literature on energybits and their other products.
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| The very comprehensive sample package I received, complete with literature! |
For this post I wanted to give you a general overview of the product based on the literature and share my very early opinion, but I definitely intend on following-up with a second post once I have had the opportunity to thoroughly test them out.
Here are some quick facts:
- The only ingredient is algae - there are no additives
- 1 calorie per bit
- 12 bits is equal to one serving and they recommend 20-30 a day minimum
- A bag of 1,000 bits costs $115.00 on their website
- You can either chew or swallow - I recommend swallow (see fish bowl comment above)
- According to their literature, a serving contains approximately 64% protein as compared to meat which contains approximately 22%
- Increased energy and endurance
- Improves digestion (this will be interesting from an IBS perspective!)
- High in antioxidants
- Curbs hunger
Paula over at the
Big Green Pen has written an informative and well-researched post about them as well. It would be worthwhile to check out her post as she has some great links relating to algae.
I have had the opportunity to test drive them twice in the past week. The first time was Sunday after a meeting as I was heading to the gym. I took them when I arrived at the gym and hoped that would be enough time for them to kick-in. One recommendation, have a tissue nearby after you have taken them as there will be a little forest green residue on your fingers. Swallowing them was not a big deal at all and for someone as finicky as I am, I would anticipate that most of you can handle it just fine! In terms of energy level - I did not notice a huge difference at first, but I did make it through the workout and when I got home I certainly felt energized. I think there is likely a need to determine how soon you should take them before exercise.
The second time I tested them was on Monday morning and, again, I did feel slightly energized. I do have a confession to make though - I did happen to eat a piece of dark chocolate each time I tested them, so I am a little unsure as to what effect the chocolate may have had (70% dark). I promise that next time I will keep the chocolate far away to ensure I have an accurate picture of how the energybits are working!
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| As you can see, they are very small, which makes them easy to swallow! |
Stay-tuned for the follow-up to this post to find out how the rest of my energybits experiment has panned out!
Have you tried energybits, spirulina or other algae-related products? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!
