“Red Bull gives you wings”
“The massive hit that improves you a bit” (V Energy Drink)
“Feel the thrill” (Monster Energy Drink)
Sound too good to be true? That’s because it is. Not only are energy drinks packed full of sugar and synthetic ingredients, their promised buzz will send you crashing once your body has begun breaking it down. And then you’ll need another one, right?
A quick glance at the ingredients of these chemical-laden caffeine bombs reveal so much about the quality of the product. The marketing experts within these brands make the ingredients sound good for you, so you are tricked into thinking an energy drink is a healthy option for a pick-me-up.
The break down of a common energy drink consists of:
Caffeine (about 80mg)
Taurine
B-group vitamins
Sugars (about 10g per serve)
Alpine water
Sounds okay right?
Except that the taurine is a occurring amino acid, which we get plenty of in our food. And there has been no research done into the long-term effects of supplementing with this, especially from a synthetic source.
“B-group vitamins” again are sourced synthetically, so are hard for your body to breakdown and assimilate. If you are not vitamin B deficient, you will just urinate all these vitamins out, they won’t be boosting your energy at all.
Sugar, well we all know what that is and how excess of it can negatively impact our health. You can listen to our podcast on The Sugar Sin here.
Okay, so now we get that energy drinks aren’t the best option for our morning pick-me-up or 3pm slump buster, what are some healthier options?
1.Organic coffee, with plant-based organic milk.
Yes, your caramel latte with extra sugar is not any healthier than a Red Bull (even with skim milk).
Reduce your toxic load by choosing a cafe (or make at home option) that uses organic coffee beans. Not only are these usually ethically sourced, coffee crops are on of the most heavily sprayed. Find or suggest to your local to go organic and pick a plant-based milk that doesn’t have nasty fillers or added sugar (we love CocoQuench).
Try to limit yourself to one per day, and don’t consume after lunchtime. Also, you need to drink double the amount of water - so one coffee equals two big glasses of water to re-hydrate!
2. Maybe you’re actually just thirsty.
Feeling sleepy? Notice your energy dropping?
You might just be thirsty! Fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration.
So get hold of some filtered water (or even better, alkaline water) and start sipping!
Need more of a pick-me-up? Add fresh lemon, cucumber or mint!
Use this tonic if you are feeling tired and overwhelmed by day to day tasks so that you can spend less time yawning and more time doing the things you love.
The herbs may help provide a natural and sustained enhanced energy curve without a drop of caffeine, meaning you can leave those sugar-filled energy drinks behind.
4. Satiate with a snack
Craving that quick sugary kick?
Choose something that will give you slow burning energy and keep the rest of your body energised too.
Apple with nut butter or tahini, carrots and hummus and flax crackers with avocado are all good options, quick, easy and tasty too!
5. Book a naturopathic consultation
There may be an underlying cause! We can make lifestyle and diet changes that suit you, find a suitable supplement or herbal tonic to meet your needs and get testing done if required.