I had first heard about ENERGYbits from my sister who had sampled them. She seemed to like them but she said they were too pricey for her. I saw them once and I wasn’t too intrigued about swallowing the recommended thirty to forty bits, which is a serving. They also looked like pills and smelled funny. A couple months later, since I was following ENERGYbits on Twitter, they asked how my training was going and one thing led to another and they offered me a sample to try. I was eager to try them since I kept hearing great things about them on social media. A big thing to note is that they are not pills or a supplement. They are bits of real green food (algae that is harvested and air dried).

According to energybits.com:

 ENERGYbits® have just ONE ingredient – organically grown NON GMO spirulina algae – a super food endorsed by the United Nations and NASA as the most nutritionally dense food in the world. Spirulina has been a favorite of gold medalists for decades. They are made from 100% organicallly grown, NON GMO spirulina algae and loaded with 40 nutrients. The tabs have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) all for just one calorie per tab.

ENERGYbits® Health Benefits

• Helps improve physical energy
• Helps improve endurance
• Helps reduce fatigue
• Helps speed athletic recovery
• Helps reduce brain fog
• Helps build muscle
• Helps improve mental focus
• Helps reduce hunger
• Provides natural nitric oxide
• Provides a replacement for greens 
• Provides a replacement for  protein
• Helps fight free radicals with high concentration of antioxidants
• Helps balances body functions and is100% alkaline
• Helps improve skin, hair, nails, bones and eye health
• Helps improve mood
• Healthy snack on the run
• Raw food, great for vegans or those who hate greens
• Safe nutrition for anyone of any age, from children to seniors

Nutritional highlights of Spirulina:

• Ten times the amount of bio-available protein as steak
• Contains 64% protein compared to meat (22%)
• More beta carotene than carrots
• 48 times more iron than raw spinach
• 12 times more iron than beef liver
• Richest source of antioxidants – necessary for health, and anti-aging
• Richest source of vitamin A (which helps your eyesight)
• Richest plant source of GLA (an Essential Fatty Acid similar to Omega 3)

Below is the sample size I received. It’s about 2.5 servings. The picture on the right shows a serving of thirty tabs in the front tin.

So the first time I tried them, I took thirty bits about fifteen minutes before I went for an eleven mile run. They weren’t too bad to swallow. I just took a few at a time and followed them with water. You can chew them but I didn’t want to. I’ve read about people chewing them and having green teeth lol. They do smell fishy but it doesn’t taste like anything when you swallow, so I would recommend swallowing them. I felt good throughout the run and my energy was great. But for some reason I got a side stitch around mile 8. I don’t think it was due to the ENERGYbits. I had been getting them lately. But I still got a great time on my 11 mile run. I felt like my energy was good during the run despite the side stitch but was eager to see how I’d do using the bits on another run.

Then the next time I took the ENERGYbits was last Saturday, for the Oregon Half Marathon. I took thirty bits about twenty minutes before the race started. I felt great especially at the beginning through the middle of the run. It wasn’t until after mile eleven when I started losing steam. I think if I had used more bits throughout the race, I wouldn’t have felt like my legs were tiring. But I felt good and energized for most of the run. It wasn’t like a burst of energy but was just steady. I was running fast and it didn’t even feel like it. It wasn’t until towards the end, when my legs felt heavy that I knew I was running slower. But I PR’d on my half time!! My previous record was 1:53:00 and I got 1:51:10. My experience with ENERGYbits has been great overall. I think I’ll be buying a bag. I want to experiment more with running with just bits. I used gels during the race too, but I’m thinking the bits are a lot better, especially since they are all natural. There are no chemicals, fillers or artificial ingredients. The only downside to ENERGYbits is the cost. They are expensive. A bag of 1000 bits costs $115. Ambassadors have codes that you can use for 30% off, so would be $80.50 per bag or $2.44 per serving if you use thirty bits as a serving. The price isn’t too bad if you consider how much some gels are and other types of fuel.

What do you think? Have you tried ENERGYbits or Spirulina algae?

Disclaimer: I did receive a complimentary sample to try but my opinions are my own.