Goli Energy Bites Review (Yet another “energy” supplement)

Goli Energy Bites may look like miniature candy bars, but they are in fact energy supplements that contain caffeine, guarana extract, and B vitamins. They pack quite the energy boost into one bite-size piece.

Goli Energy Bites

Goli energy bites contain caffeine; guarana extract; and Vitamins B6, B9, & B12, providing an energy boost and helping you convert food into cellular energy.

According to Goli, they are designed to:

• support cellular energy production
• support a healthy nervous system
• support heart health
• support a healthy immune system
• provide essential nutrients
• support overall health & well-being

Most of those claims rely on the B vitamins, which are indeed very important to your health. But I think the real, immediate benefits from the caffeine and guarana extract are what you’re after! And that is the daily energy boost or afternoon pick-me-up!

I’ve written about Goli’s bites already (see: Goli Bites: Multivitamins or Bite-Size Candy Bars?), but the Energy bites are my favorite and this is my detailed review.

Health and Nutrition

These energy bites are made with guarana extract, caffeine, and B vitamins, as advertised. But they also look like candy bars! So let’s make sure we know what we’re getting into…

Ingredients

Center (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Sustainable Palm Oil, Milk Solids, Egg Whites, Cocoa Processed with alkali, Natural Flavors, Salt, Vegetable Monoglycerides, Inositol, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Stevia, Calcium D-Pantothenate), Chocolatey Coating (Sugar, Sustainable Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Cocoa Processed with alkali, Milk, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Extract).

Perusing the ingredients list, it’s obvious this is a candy bar. Sugar is the first ingredient!

(Actually, sugar is in the ingredients list no less than three times!)

But there is also stevia, to boost the sweetness even more without adding additional calories.

Nutrition Facts

Each Bite contains:

Calories 25
Total Fat 1.5 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Total Carbohydrates 4 g
Total Sugar 3 g
Sodium 15 mg
Vitamin B6 1.7 mg
Folate (Folic Acid) 200 mcg DFE
Vitamin B12 24 mcg
Guarana Extract (10:1) 56 mg
Caffeine 20 mg

There are a few things that stand out to me.

They are surprisingly low in calories.

With sugar being the first ingredient, followed by fats and oils, I’m actually surprised each bite contains just 25 calories.

There is more caffeine than you think!

While the direct amount of caffeine is 20 mg, that is separate from the 56 mg of concentrated guarana extract.

My back-of-the-envelope calculation is telling me that each bite effectively contains 75 mg caffeine!

The bites have a good calories:caffeine ratio.

Finding a potent energy boost in a low-calorie format (outside of the obvious black coffee) is challenging. The Goli Energy Bites are a pretty good option.

You only need one or two bites to get a good dose of caffeine. Even with a potent two-bite dosage, giving you about 150 mg caffeine, that’s just 50 calories.

Energy gels would not be suitable for this. To get the same amount of caffeine using caffeinated energy gels (which usually contain just 25-35 mg each) would require 4-6 energy gels. At 100 calories per gel, that would mean consuming 400-600 calories!

Taste Test

Goli Energy Bites come in one flavor option: “Salted Caramel Chocolate”

These bites look and taste just like a Milky Way candy bar.

They taste really good!

If you like candy bars like the Milky Way or 3 Musketeers, you’re in luck.

You’d have no idea it’s a supplement. Unless you are paying really close attention, it’s indistinguishable from a candy bar.

The sheer amount of sugar plus the extra sweetness from the stevia do wonders to cover up any bitterness from the caffeine content.

I’ve had other energy supplements that are basically chocolate candy with added caffeine, and there are definitely some where it’s obvious you have bitter caffeine among the ingredients. But Goli did a great job here, crafting a delicious flavor experience.

Results (Energy Boost?)

I tested these Goli Energy Bites for about 6 months. Each one provided a fantastic energy boost!

My go-to usage is to take one in the morning and then a second one shortly after lunchtime. This provides a potent energy boost for the day, wards off that mid-afternoon slump, and wears off in the evening so as not to interfere with my sleep.

Your results may vary.

Interested in more specifics? Continue reading below…

How I tested

I began testing the Goli Energy Bites by using them in place of my morning coffee (typically about 16 oz).

I tried four dosages:

• 1 bite in the morning
• 1 bite at lunchtime
• 1 bite in the morning, 1 bite at lunchtime
• 2 bites in the morning

I found that a single bite was sufficient to give me an energy boost right away. On some days, that single bite was enough.

But if I wanted all-day energy similar to what I got with my coffee, I needed two bites.

Two bites at once worked, but spacing out the two bites provided the most balanced energy boost.

About the “suggested use”

The label has a clear warning:

Suggested Use: 1 bite as needed. Do not exceed 5 bites per day.

Remember, each bite contains about 75 mg caffeine. So two bites would be equivalent to a 16 oz cup of coffee.

Consuming more than 5 bites in one day would put you over the suggested daily limit of 400 mg caffeine intake.

My test results

I was very pleased with the Goli Energy Bites. Here are my findings:

• They provided an energy boost every time. Some energy supplements work the first day and that’s it. But these kept working consistently.
• It’s easy to get the dosage you prefer. Each bite is roughly equivalent in caffeine-content to a small cup of coffee. Depending on your caffeine tolerance, you might want just one bite, or maybe 2-3.
• You can’t taste the caffeine. As I mentioned, the chocolate caramel flavor overpowers any bitterness from the caffeine.
• No need for bathroom breaks. Since it’s solid food, not some 24 oz can of energy drink, you don’t have to pee every five minutes. Excellent for road trips!
• No stale coffee breath. Normally I prefer to sip some coffee, but there’s no denying that it dries out my mouth and my breath is not pleasant for those I’m talking to. But that’s not a concern with these bites.

If you’re trying to avoid coffee and energy drinks, but still want caffeine, these Goli Energy Bites are great.

My final verdict is…

These quickly became one of my favorite energy supplements, and I highly recommend them. They provided me with long-lasting energy – without the jitters.

They’re especially great for times you don’t want to be drinking multiple cups of coffee (and have the multiple bathroom breaks that come with it) but still want the energy boost.

Unfortunately, it seems the Goli Energy Bites have been discontinued. If you happen to find them somewhere, stock up!

Official website: www.Goli.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com