Raw food and energy balls have both become big healthy food trends in the last few years. Raw energy balls are a popular healthy quick fix snack for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon boost and it’s easy to make them vegan by using plant-based ingredients.
Here, we take a look at a few different vegan-friendly energy sources, explore what ‘raw’ actually means and share a delicious raw vegan energy balls recipe, packed with healthy ingredients.
What are the Best Vegan Energy Sources?
Although vegans eliminate all animal products from their diet, there are still plenty of vegan-friendly energy sources.
Unrefined carbs are a good source of slow-release energy, releasing their energy slowly throughout the day, helping you to stay feeling fuller and more energised for longer.
Examples of unrefined carbs include:
- Black beans
- Brown rice
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Sweet potato (with skin on)
- Whole grain bread
Another option is our Sport Organic Plant-Based Energy Protein, which comes in a tasty blackberry flavour and can be used to create energising pre-workout drinks.
This plant-based energy protein formula is made using clean, organic ingredients, including 85mg of caffeine from coffeeberry and 200mcg of whole food vitamin B12, alongside a unique nitric oxide mix of organic vegetables, including kale, spinach and beets.
What Does ‘Raw’ Mean?
Raw doesn’t just mean uncooked – although it does mean that a product or ingredient hasn’t been heated above a certain temperature. Raw also means that a product is unrefined and hasn’t been treated with any pesticides or other chemicals.
You’ll see the label ‘raw’ on many Garden of Life products, including protein powders, microbiome formulas and multivitamin supplements. The whole food ingredients in our raw products haven’t been heated above temperatures that could denature the proteins they contain, helping to keep their maximum nutritional value intact.