Need more energy? Who doesn’t? I want more to have more energy, but I don’t want to slug chemically enhanced drinks like Red Bull, or Five Hour Energy, and I drink a lot of coffee already.
In the blogosphere, I keep reading about and seeing giveaways for Energy Bits. I entered about 10! I finally emailed and asked for a sample to review. Then I won a sample from Alison at Train Eat Repeat. So I tried about a weeks worth.
While on my quest to win, I checked their website. I wanted to know what the bits were made of. Well, they are 100% organic Spirulina, nothing else. So like me, you are probably wondering how that will that give you energy. Here is what Energy Bits has to say:
“[Energy Bits] have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64% protein which is three times the amount of protein in steak), over 40 nutrients, and are just one calorie per tab. Just a handful of 30+ bits will not only fill you up, they will meet most of your daily nutritional requirements, and all for just ONE calorie per tab. Even better, spirulina is a nitrogen based algae, and since nitric oxide opens up your blood vessels, taking our ENERGYbits® will give your brain and your body a steady and natural supply of oxygen and nourishment. That’s one of the reasons why they are such a great wake up and pick up.”
Our algae tabs are quickly becoming recognized as the easiest, fastest, safest and most natural way to lower blood pressure and heart disease and are even being recommended to patients by cardiologists. This is because ENERGYbits® and SKINNYbits® are 100% organically grown spirulina algae which is loaded with heart healthy Essential Fatty Acids like Omega 3 and GLA which reduce inflammation in blood vessels. This helps blood to flow easily and heals the blood vessels so blood pressure and the chance of heart attack or stroke are reduced.”
Energy Bits are purported to give you energy and many extra health benefits with no hit to the waistline. I am naturally skeptical, and Energy Bits are not cheap, so I was psyched to try them for free.
The directions say to swallow ~30 tablets per day. They are tiny. It emphasizes that they are 100% natural food and can be chewed, but that they are an “acquired taste”. Not surprisingly, they smell like a fish tank. I swallowed down a bunch with water. Being naturally curious, I went for it and chewed one. THIS IS A BAD IDEA! BLECH! It tasted terrible, left my teeth green and was generally icky.
That being said, I got over it, jogged over to pilates and took my class. I felt energized, had no headache from lack of caffeine and was less hungry after my class was over than I would usually be. Placebo effect? I am not sure, but considering they are all natural and have tons of vitamins and minerals and only one calorie per tablet. Seems worth a try. I used them all week, and I must say, I am sold. I was worried that their may be a lingering “fishiness” (the dreaded fish burp) like from Omega 3. I used these for running and before a 10 mile race with no ill effects – an it seemed like positive effects. All of my workouts were strong and I did feel less hungry in the morning before and after breakfast. Also, I had no stomach worries with this added ingredient. This happens sometimes, especially with running. I am completely swayed!
In addition to Energy Bits, the parent company Bits of Health sells a few other products made from two kinds of algae, spirulina algae and chlorella algae. They say, “each one does completely different things for your health and your body but both of them have the highest concentration of protein, antioxidants, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, iron and beta carotene in the world. Both are just ONE calorie per tab.” I am curious to try the other bits, too. They are Recovery Bits, Skinny Bits and Vitality Bits. Learn more at Bits of Health.
The only down side is that they are not inexpensive. There are other versions of spirulina that are less expensive. I asked why and received this response:
“Other algae producing companies (like [the one I mentioned to him]) are often mass distributors who sell hundreds of products at very low prices. They rely on volume not quality for profits, and in almost all cases, they have used inferior strains of algae, inferior growing or production methods, inferior faster drying techniques (that destroy the enzymes and the nutrition) and inferior packaging methods, etc. In a nutshell, you get what you pay when it comes to algae… As a result, you would likely need to take 4-5 times as much to get the same concentration nutrition. You also may run the risk of contaminants being in these lower quality operations unlike ours which is guaranteed pure. We hold ourselves to be the gold standard. Algae is all we do. We think people’s health is worth it.”
If I needed any more convincing, Energy Bits, a Boston based company, announced a fund raising initiative called “Go the Distance”. They will donate the distance of a marathon ($26.20) with every purchase made with the promotional code BostonStrong. The code also gives a 10% discount off each purchase. All funds raised are being donated to The One Fund which was set up by the Mayor of Boston and Governor of Massachusetts to help those most affected by this disaster.
And good news for you! Energy Bits is allowing me to offer a sample here! Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. I will select a winner on Wednesday, May 1. I will also have a review and giveaway of another new energy boosting favorite: Perky Jerky! Intrigued? You should be. It is awesome!
Thanks for checking this out! What do you do for more energy?
Please Note: Energy Bits sent me a sample to review and giveaway. I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.