I thought I’ve seen it all when it comes to trail food in grocery stores, but that was not the truth. As an avid hiker, I always love to bring good trail food to keep me energized as I’m taking a hike. But, I realized I always reached out for the typical granola bars, Clif bars, or the salted nuts with trail mix in it.
That’s when I discovered this company called Peak Sherpa. They produce this product called Energy Balls (as of June 3rd, 2019: I found out the company renamed these as Energy Bites)! The company actually sent me their products and as I got the box delivered, I was excited to find out that there are 4 different flavors of their Energy Balls: Cranberry Pecan, Almond Butter Chocolate Chip, Mango Coconut, and Chocolate Almond.
First off, what are Energy Balls?! Energy Balls was based on the creation of Tsampa, staple food of the Himalayans. Tsampa is food that has been relied on for many centuries by the people of the Himalayas and Sherpa mountaineers. It is roasted flour, which is usually roasted barley flour and sometimes wheat flour.
They are a great source of fiber, probiotics, and protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and a source for great long-lasting energy that some trail food simply do not fully apply to. This trail food is also twice the protein and 1/3 less sugar of a typical energy bar.
Peak Sherpa’s Energy Balls ingredients consist of all those good nutrients. If you look into the ingredients, they consist of what makes a product have long-lasting energy. Each package contains 8 Energy Balls and the package is very innovative, which I think makes it also hygienic for outdoors athletes to just grab one on the go. But my favorite feature of the packaging? It would have to be the resealable seal! You can just peel it off and peel it back on and this won’t be a hassle to open at all.
These snacks are just amazing to devour. First off, I love the texture, they’re smoothed out and easy to bite into. I love how they’re not a full granola bar that will be half eaten or less and I’d have to save them for later. These individual round-shaped pieces are always good for grabbing and a good edible size to even finish and chew at the moment.
The company, Peak Sherpa, is wonderful as they donate 1% of their revenue to food banks with a priority in homelessness. As someone who is very supportive of companies with missions to help others, I approve of this. The thought of creating Tsampa balls was an “Aha” moment for the Tibetan-American creator/founder at 14,000 feet. I can relate to having many “Aha” moments (especially my blog posts) when I’m hiking too and what better way to combine those moments with fueled energy like this food?
Mango Coconut Energy Balls
The Mango Coconut flavor would have to be my least favorite, personally, but one of my close friends here loved it as a few of us tried it together. The Mango Coconut Energy Balls have a very tart taste that can be distinguished in mangoes and a toasted coconut taste to it. Since the ingredients list that there’s dried apricots, you can also taste a hint of other fruits in it than just the mangoes. We tried this while we were hiking a trail in Skyline Regional Park.
Chocolate Almond Energy Balls
This is my second favorite flavor out of the four! It has the perfect tasty combination of mild chocolate and nutty almond, which are my go-to flavors when it comes to anything sweet. The cocoa used in these energy balls is distinguishable. I tried it while hiking the Marcus Landslide trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Balls
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip is my most favorite flavor of the Energy Balls. I’ve always loved Almond Butter, so I knew before opening the package that I was going to thoroughly enjoy this. It tasted more like almond butter to me than chocolate chip, but there is definitely a hint of chocolate when you take a bite. It gave me good energy while hiking the peak of Dixie Peak in Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
Cranberry Pecan Energy Balls
The Cranberry Pecan is a refreshing taste in energy food. It tastes nutty of pecans and almond and very mild sweet cranberry but with a short citrusy hint. This one was more bearable to taste and enjoy than the Mango Coconut flavor. Thanks to some energy from these, I was able to hike to the very top of Arrowhead Point in just 30 minutes!
Last Thoughts
I have noticed while hiking that these Energy Balls have given me more motivated strength to keep on going. So, the energy it claims to give is on point. They also didn’t result in me crashing after as some energy bars, and especially energy drinks, have done for me.
I also feel that I can keep eating this trail food without feeling full on my stomach right away, so they’re light in terms of feeding yourself! That’s a win-win for me because I do not like that feeling of hiking with a full stomach.
Since where I live in Arizona is always scorching hot, I believe these Energy Balls have a good amount of sodium at 260 mg! Anything with a good amount of sodium is good for your body when you’re outside in the heat to prevent signs coming on to heat exhaustion, which I once suffered from through one of my hikes and I know how important sodium is now.
Disclaimer: I was not asked by the company to create this review nor receive any monetization from this. I genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed their products and recommend them on my personal behalf.
The flavours sound tasty. As an avid hiker who is also a vegetarian, I rely a lot on snacks that are high in protein – especially when embarking on an extended camping/hiking trip. I’ll have to give these a whirl!
Oh yeah, snacks high in protein are right for you then! I would say these are packed just the right amount of protein in it and you sure will like them a lot especially its flavors. I wasn’t sure how they would be upon receiving them but I was more than delighted when I gave them a try. I can’t wait to order more of them in the future.