Blissful Thinking

This is a funny story. I discovered these date, nut and chocolate confections called Bliss Balls at the local Whole Foods and my husband and I became addicted to them. Pretty soon I’m bringing home four packages of 8 Bliss Balls (which really are blissful) and we’re popping them a couple times a day. Luckily (we justified) they’re relatively healthy (dairy free, wheat free, mostly raw, mostly sugar free) and they pack a great carb punch for post workout (or pre, or in-between) snacks. The only problem was, as with any addiction, it can get a little pricey. So, when I found out they were locally made by New World Natural Foods, I e-mailed them to see if I could buy them ‘direct’ or even ‘in bulk’. I sheepishly added in my e-mail that the reason I am eating so many is that I am training for Ironman Canada.

I immediately got a response from the company who not only told me that I could buy direct, but also that they would be interested in sponsoring me!

So, the following week we picked up some organic granola, organic almond butter, assorted chocolate Bliss Balls, and assorted Live Bars. It took less than a week to give away everything to the hungry athletes around me. I didn’t want to go back to them too soon but now I’m in withdrawal. Probably a good thing, as I’ve been cutting back my workouts due to leftover fatigue from the Half Iron race and I wouldn’t want to turn into a ‘bliss ball’ myself!

My husband and I pondered some of the fun things you could do with a “Bliss Ball” sponsorship, but now that we have a baby we decided it would have to remain clean cut and thought “Powered by Pure Bliss” might be a good slogan for a bike jersey. We’re open to suggestions from the wider triathlon community out there!

For now, New World Natural Foods are available across Canada, but their stuff is SO good, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before it breaks into the US market. In the meantime, if you are in Canada, you can find them at Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Sweet Cherubim bakery (Vancouver) and other retailers. It’s worth the journey!