{Taste Test Tuesday is a bi-monthly feature on Make Healthy Easy where I review a new food, product, or service to help you decide if it's worth it.}
Spirulina and chlorella algae products are popping up everywhere. But what are they and are they healthy? Here's a review of Energybits brand algae and why I think they are all that and a bag of chips. Read to the end for discount code.
About a year ago, I received an email from a company Energybits, which sells spirulina and chlorella algae tabs, to review their product. I get A LOT of these kind of emails. So once I saw the words "energy", "tablet" and "algae" I was ready to hit DELETE because those words just turn me off.
But for some reason that I can't remember (after all, Ben was 6 months old so I don't remember a lot of about this time), I kept reading and even decided to "be professional" and respond with - can I have more information? I realized that I had started to see chlorella and spirulina algae appearing in more food products lately and I didn't know much about it. Maybe I could learn a thing or two to help me advise you all on this new trend.
And so my relationship with Energybits began.
Being that I have little extra time to think about new things, I was still breast feeding, and the fact that I am always VERY skeptical about new, trendy supplements, I had a lot of questions for Energybits and did not move very fast in our email conversation. But the contact at EnergyBits was so patient with me and I realized very quickly that they weren't out to get me to just buy a ton of their product. They really wanted to educate me and make sure I knew all about what I might put in my body.
So you may be thinking, ALGAE? REALLY? Is it really necessary for health?
Well, I'm not 100% sure about that necessary part but I do think it's a valid source of superior nutrition. After a YEAR of communication and information sharing, I'm finally writing a review and sharing what I learned (and am still learning) about Energybits algae:
- Algae is technically a food and not a supplement. This is the best way to get most any form of nutrition.
- The algae in the EnergyBits line of products is 100% non GMO, organic (by Japanese standards), and grown in Taiwan. Taiwan is known for the highest quality algae and for producing a very pure product.
- There are no fillers or other ingredients. It is 100% pure algae. (This is uber important.)
- Spirulina algae (in EnergyBits) naturally contains all the B vitamins, many minerals (over 40 total vitamins and minerals), and omega 3 fatty acids.
- Spirulina algae is a complete, plant-based protein, meaning it contains all 8 essential amino acids. This makes it very unique.
- Algae has been researched, mostly in animal studies, and shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic properties. There is potential for proven results to be found for sports performance, energy, metabolism, and disease prevention.
- Algae is a concentrated source of chlorophyll, the green pigment found in plants. While not all of the benefits of chlorophyll have been proven, it is thought to help with anemia, relive constipation, support a healthy pancreas, and reduces inflammation.
- Algae is a sustainable source of protein and nutrients due to the small amount of space needed to grow and lack of resources it requires. This would be a big win for the environment and for the future of feeding our world.
It is important to mention that there have been some concern over the safety of spirulina and chlorella algae due to contamination and potential interactions in the body. (See reference #2) And this is why I am so impressed with Energybits as a company and the high quality product they sell. Specifically, here's what I mean:
- They source their algae from Taiwan who use more advanced processing that ensures there is no lead or other contaminates.
- Their algae is air dried to ensure none of the natural compounds are damaged.
- The Energbits tabs do not have a capsule or any other substance in them but algae. The small size enables them to be easily swallowed so that taste is not a barrier for consuming them.
- All this company does is sell algae; nothing else. They believe 100% in their product line and truly want to everyone to benefit from this super food.
- I believe they have done absolutely everything possibly to give us a pure, safe and beneficial form of algae.
I know the passion behind this company because I personally had the pleasure to meet the founder and CEO, Catharine Arnston, this past summer in Boston. She is a legit, committed, hard working, honest, business owner and health warrior. I only had a few minutes with her due to my schedule but I so wish we could've chatted longer.
And now you may be wondering, How do I use these Energybits? The convenient and easy to swallow tabs can be taken:
- 15-20 minutes before exercise (my personal favorite) as a fuel source
- After exercise (See Recoverybits too) to aid in recovery
- In the afternoon or other time natural and caffeine-free energy is needed (my second personal favorite)
- Before a meal to help take the edge off your hunger and prevent overeating (see Skinnybits too)
- Any time of the day
I really think this is something all athletes should consider as an addition to their nutrition performance plan.
So lastly, I want to share with you my personal experience taking Energybits. I first received some free samples to try and they literally sat on my counter for a good two months or so. To my credit, I was still nursing Ben and was very weary about anything willy nilly I put in my body. But I finally tried a handful before a run one morning. I drank some water, swallowed some Energybits, and hit the road. About 10 minutes in to my run I felt my body wake up and energize, differently than what normally happens. I felt great and had an energized run.
I continued to experiment with the Bits, trying them before workouts, in the afternoon during my work time, as fuel during an exhausting conference I attended, and even in leu of coffee in the morning. I had positive results for all these "trials", meaning I had energy and felt great. I can't tell you whether these affects were placebo or not, but I've talked with other registered dietitians who have tried them and experienced similar benefits. I've since used an entire bag (that I purchased) and was very sad the day it was empty.
Which brings us to cost. The Energybits product line is extremely high quality as they have gone through many steps to ensure purity and nutrient preservation. Yes, you can find cheaper forms of algae, but I can pretty much guarantee you DO NOT KNOW what you are actually purchasing and putting in your body. It's likely much lower quality and potentially contaminated -- scary stuff.
So I'm not going to lie, this is not cheap stuff. But from my personal experience and what the research suggests, I think it's completely worth it. And to help you take the plunge and buy your first bag of Bits, I've got a discount code for you for 30% off!!! Woot woot!! Use JENNARD at checkout.
I am ambassador for Energybits so when people use this discount code, I can earn free product. I hope that after reading this post you see that I really believe in this product and am not just trying to make money, which I don't anyways.
So now let's talk. What do you think about algae? What have you heard? Are you interested in trying Energybits? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and if you have any more questions.
To our health,
Jenna
References:
1. Bioactivity and Applications of Sulphated Polysaccharides from Marine Microalge. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3564169/
2. First Detection of anatoxin-a in human and animal dietarty supplements containing cyanobacteria. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19520132