Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Monkey Nutrition e-bomb and Primal23

Here’s the latest fitness kit I’ve reviewed this week – Monkey Nutrition E-Bomb and Monkey Nutrition Primal 23.

Last time I posted a Monkey Nutrition review (their whey isolate, Primal26), it seemed to get picked up by a ton of Google searches (and still does!) so it seems you lot like reading Monkey Nutrition reviews! Here’s another for your delight and delectation.

The little chimps at Monkey seem to know me pretty well by now: they sent me two of their newer products: E Bomb (which is an energy formula in capsule form) and Primal 23 (which is a flavoured egg white protein powder).

E-Bomb “8 Hour Energy Formula” comes in capsule form (60 per tub) and is safe for tested athletes (like me) to take. Most of the ingredients are “ancient herbs”, including maca and ginseng, renowned as energy boosters which will give a pick-me-up but not a horrible crash. It’s also packed with B-vitamins in hefty quantities, so is a good choice for dieters who might be flagging in energy and immunity. It’s sugar-free. You can take one or two a day. I started off with one but on training days I now take two: one in the morning before training and another just after lunch to get me through that horrible (and hot) mid-afternoon slump. It really does do what the Monkey guys said it would: a quite noticeable boost, but no crash afterwards. I have been careful not to take one after about 4pm, as I sleep badly at the best of times and I don’t want to risk it keeping me awake.

Chief Monkey (er… gorilla?) told me “Most energy products focus on caffeine, which – if used in excess – can have a negative impact on health. Although we have included some caffeine in E-BOMB, the main focus is on the B-vitamin complex and plant compounds that give a sustained release of energy whilst having many positive effects on the body’s hormonal responses.”

Verdict: E Bomb is The Bomb as far as I’m concerned!

Per capsule:
Vitamin B-1 (thiamine hcl) 1.5 mg 100%
Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) 1.7 mg 100%
Vitamin B-3 (67% niacinamide/ 33% niacin) 30 mg 150%
Vitamin B-6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride) 40 mg 2000%
Folic Acid 400 mcg 100%
Vitamin B-12 (as cyanocobalamin) 500 mcg 8333%
Biotin 100 mcg 100%
Pantothenic Acid (d-Calcium pantothenate) 10 mg 100%
Magnesium (oxide) 100 mg 25%
L-Taurine 100 mg
Acai (4:1 concentrate) 100 mg
Caffeine Anhydrous 100 mg
Spirulina algae (Herb Powder) 5 mg
Tongkat Ali Root (Herb Powder) 5 mg
Korean Ginseng (7% Extract) 5 mg
American Ginseng (Herb Powder) 5 mg
Rhodiola Rosea (3% Extract) 5 mg
Maca (Herb Powder) 5 mg

I was also sent Primal 23 egg white protein powder in chocolate (it’s also available in vanilla). One scoop gives the same amount of protein as about 9 egg whites. Egg white powder is a useful alternative to whey or other protein powders, although it does differ slightly (as all protein sources do) in terms of nutritional stats, amino content and mixability.

Egg whites are used as the benchmark for all protein formulas in terms of bioavailability, and Monkey say Primal 23 offers higher levels of nitrogen retention than any other protein source (including whey) – a good choice if muscularity and recovery are your goals.

What I liked about Primal 23: it gave me a “sweet” egg white option. Usually – if I’m consuming egg whites and not whole eggs – I use liquid egg whites. I can sweeten them before cooking them, but obviously it’s still going to end up as an omelette type texture. Primal 23 gives me a way to take egg white protein but as a cold liquid – a useful alternative. It’s also a useful product if you want to consume egg white protein, but don’t want to use/buy/store liquid egg whites and also don’t fancy splitting your own yolks and whites.

What I didn’t like about Primal 23: it left me very hungry. I substituted one of my bedtime egg white snacks with a serving, and made sure that the nutritional stats were the same (same calories, same protein). But I woke up starving a couple of hours later. I must point out that I’m currently dieting down for a bodybuilding comp, so my over all intake is lower than normal. I’m not saying that the Primal 23 itself was responsible for my hunger. But I don’t normally wake up hungry when I have cooked egg whites. I’m not sure why this swap had that effect.

I mixed it with water, and it mixed up just fine. You could also add it to oats (I’d imagine?), perhaps try using it in protein pancakes or other baking, or add it to a PWO shake containing carbs.

It’s sweetened with Stevia, which most people find very gentle on the digestion because it’s a plant leaf extract rather than a chemical sweetener.

Per 30g scoop:
Total Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 290mg
Potassium 290mg
Total Carbohydrate 2g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 0g
Protein 23g

Monkey Nutrition don’t put their ingredients or batches through anything like the Informed Sport programme but they were extremely helpful with my endless questions about E-Bomb, and told me: “We can be sure that these products are safe from banned substances”.

Thanks, Monkey Nutrition people!

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Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Monkey Nutrition e-bomb and Primal23 is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.