Recently I was contacted by Green Goddess nutrition and asked whether I would be happy to try and review one of their products, the ‘Mum on the Run’ Powder. After confirming that this was safe to use whilst breastfeeding I was happy to agree. The product is a blend of organic superfoods know for their energizing and mood boosting properties… and being the mother of an almost nine month old baby who still wakes every two hours at night to feed, I need all the energising I can get!!

What is ‘Mum on the Run’?

 The product comes in the form of a superfood powder that can be used in smoothies, added to yoghurt, porridge or other cereals or mixed with other ingredients to make homemade Energy balls (more on those later!) The powder has four ingredients all of which are organic, vegan and gluten free. These are Raw organic cacao powder, Organic Lucuma, Organic Maca and Organic banana powder. I have inserted a photograph of the back of the pack so that you can see the nutritional content of the powder but I thought I would do a little of my own research into the ingredients aswell. The information I am about to share I have gathered myself.

Raw Cacao Powder: This powder is made by cold pressing unroasted cocoa beans. It’s basically the healthiest form of a chocolate fix that you can get! The cold pressing removes fat from the product and it contains four times the antioxidant power of a standard bar of dark chocolate! Raw Cacao is also know to be the highest plant based source or Iron. It also provides protein, Calcium, B vitamins, Magnesium and Sulfur.          Lucuma: Pronounce Loo-koo-ma this is a South American fruit known for being a ‘Superfruit’. This is because it is a source of powerful antioxidants, fiber, again B vitamins, Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron and 14 trace minerals.                                                                   Maca: Maca powder comes from the root of a South American cruciferous plant (in the same family as Broccoli and Radishes). Again this is another plant classed as a Superfood. Not only does it provide B vitamins, Vitamin C and Zinc plus Amino acids and calcium. It is also known to be a natural mood lifter. In addition studies have shown that Maca can reduce the effects of Cortisol on the adrenal glands therefore reducing stress levels.            Banana Powder: Banana powder provides a more concentrated source of nutrients than fresh bananas. It is high in potassium, B vitamins, fiber, Vitamin A and Magnesium.

Ways to use ‘Mum on the Run’:

So along with the powder came a recipe for ‘Mum on the Run’ energy balls, which I made (I have provided this recipe in an earlier post for anybody who wishes to try them.)  Containing Hazelnuts, dates and desiccated coconut among other natural ingredients these were delicious. The recipe yielded me twelve 35-37g energy balls that can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks (not that mine lasted that long!) and were really good as a healthy, ‘pick me up’ snack through the day. My Fiance who is notoriously fussy when it comes to eating anything remotely healthy even said that they tasted good so I would definitely recommend giving them a go.

I also made my ‘Mum on the Run’ powder into a makeshift mocha with coffee. I haven’t posted a recipe on this as it was super simple, I just mixed a teaspoon of my normal, everyday coffee (Douwe Egberts instant for anybody wondering!) with a heaped teaspoon of the powder then added a couple of sweeteners and mixed with just boiled water and milk as I usually would. The ‘Mum on the Run’ powder does not contain any sugar or sweeteners so it doesn’t have a sweet taste hence why you might need to add some sweeteners or Flavdrops to the Mocha depending on your taste.

I also just blended my powder with coconut milk to get an idea of the taste of the product by itself. It has a rich, chocolatey taste and the flavour of the banana powder does come through aswell. It was definitely not unpleasant by itself but I have a very sweet tooth so I find it preferable to blend fruit in aswell such a ripe banana and mixed berries to add natural sweetness and make a smoothie.

Effects on energy levels:

So here is the big question, did it help my flagging energy levels? Well I definitely think it helped, yes. I seemed to get through my bbg workouts better when I was using it anyway (but this could be because I am on week 10 now and THEY ARE KILLING ME!) As the product doesn’t contain huge amounts of caffeine it didn’t produce a dramatic, pre-workout style rush of energy it was more of a healthy pick-me-up, especially the energy balls. When you look into all the individual ingredients and their health benefits it’s definitely a healthy supplement to any busy mums diet and helps to ensure we are getting all the essential nutrients that are particularly important for our Energy Levels such as iron and B vitamins. I would also like to point out here that I have taken a breastfeeding multivitamin since I had my son, which contains both iron and B vitamins so I do not think that I have ever been deficient in either of these. If your body is lacking in these you may notice a more dramatic effect on energy levels on using the powder. The amount of superfoods in the powder with their numerous health benefits is also very impressive. When it comes to the powders claims of being a ‘mood booster’ I do not feeling that I can honestly judge this as I do not (usually) suffer with low mood and treat exercise as my mood booster!

If you are looking for a product that provides an instant and massive energy boost this powder may not be for you. But if you are looking for something healthy and natural to supplement your diet and give more subtle benefits to energy levels then this is a great product to use.

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