Best Drinks for Energy and Health?
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If you take a look at the energy drink market these days, you’ll find that the shelves are flooded with dozens of different brands, all claiming that they uplift the mood and give you a boost in mental and physical energy. The sad truth however is that while some of them really do work, the effects are short lived and when you come “down” from the sugar buzz (yes one can of Red Bull packs as much sugar as roughly 11 Oreo cookies) you might end up feeling even worse than before.
What’s even worse about the commercial energy drinks found in the market today is the fact that the ingredients that go in there can be severely damaging to your health. These drinks contain excessive doses of caffeine and taurine that help increase the heart rate as well as blood pressure, which can lead to irritability and insomnia.
If reaching for the ever popular brands of energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster Energy is a part of your “pick me up” routine, then you should really start considering healthy alternatives that actually nourish your body, give you the vitamins it need to function at optimum levels, and above all, leave you feeling refreshed and recharge for more than just that one hour spike.
So What are the Best Drinks for Energy and Health?
Some better alternatives that you can make at home include:
- Green Juices and Smoothies
Spinach parsley and kale are the green leafy veggies used to make cold pressed green juice and these drinks are a great source of B vitamins, which essentially helps your metabolism stay healthy and active. Keeping your metabolism high enough, your body will be able to produce energy at faster rates, which leads to less fatigued and run down afternoons.
Smoothies are also great because you get to pack all the goodness of fruits and vegetables , without the added calcium from yogurt, into one delicious snack that will keep your body fed and energized throughout the day.
- Green Tea
Not only does Green Tea help reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, but it also has significantly less caffeine levels than coffee which makes it the perfect refreshing energy drink. Green Tea furthermore helps to promote your mental clarity and helps you keep on top of your game.
- Protein Shakes
One of the most common causes of fatigue is a lack of protein in the body. To make an energy re-charging drink, use a few scoops of a good quality protein shake and combine it with fruits, wheat germ or quinoa to give it that extra carbohydrate kick, and turn the protein into energy our body can use. You can also use milk, soymilk or yogurt to stretch it a little and make it into a perfect afternoon snack.
- Water
Essentially, this is nature’s perfect energy drink. Your body thrives on water and all of your metabolic processes within the body, can only take place in water. When you’re dehydrated, your metabolism starts to slow down and you begin to feel sluggish. If just plain water doesn’t quite cut it for you, then try adding some sliced up fruits or whole blueberries to it to give it some taste.
- Coconut Water
Coconut water has very high levels of minerals and potassium, which is a great way to boost your energy levels throughout the day. You can drink the coconut water plain or blend it u with some berries to make it a tasty smoothie.
- Kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented, pro-biotic tea which is often used in detox diets and really aids in lifting your body’s energy levels. It’s a mixture of brewed tea and SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) that has the power punch of organic enzymes amino acids and vitamins to lift and recharge you.
- Acai Berry Juice
The Acai Berry itself has some great nutritional values that feed your body, so it comes as no surprise that Acai Juice is a great alternative to boost your energy. It has a wide variety of B vitamins, potassium, protein and amino acids which all help to regulate your metabolism and give you an energy boost.
Our modern lifestyles are hectic. There’s work, and meetings cleaning, cooking, working out and then trying to just make it to 8pm in between the rat race. We’re all in need of a little pick-me-up some days and the most convenient way of getting that is reaching for the energy drink on the shelf.
But those drinks have the nasty caffeine content that we ideally don’t want to poison our bodies with. Apart from drinking natural juices, there are a few all natural energy drinks that you can opt for when you really want to just drink something straight from the can.
1. Runa Clean Energy Drink
This berry flavored energy drinks with its all natural ingredients has 121mg of natural caffeine and 650mg of antioxidants per can. The caffeine content comes from the Guavusa which is sourced from Ecuador and the Amazon forest, which has been called the “super leaf” or sorts due to its energy revitalizing properties.
For those who are on a calorie restricted diet, you can rest assured that this drink won’t harm your waistline, as it has only 75 calories per can. The Clean Energy drink has been organically certified and it just gives you that added piece of mind that you are feeding your body something nutritious, while lifting your energy levels at the same time.
2. SAMBAZON Organic Amazon Energy Drink
Here is an Acai Berry Juice that’s conveniently available in a can. We talked about the nutritional power of the Acai Berry a little earlier, and this drink really packs a punch. It’s a great source to get some organic sustained energy and the fact that it’s rich in antioxidants, contains 1000% RDA vitamin C and 100% vegan , just makes it that much more appealing. It has a great tasting flavor and can really help get you out of that afternoon slump the natural way!
3. Hiball Energy Sparkling Water
Like we said before, Water is nature’s most perfect energy drink. The flavored water from Hiball just makes the plain old water a little tastier and gives it that added touch of fizz. The drink is unsweetened, and it also has no carbs, no preservatives or any of those nasty artificial additives that you’d find in some other flavored waters.
The caffeine content comes from the Ginseng and the Guarana and the great taste is derived from the fruits such as wild berries, lemon and grapefruit that they use to add nutritional value and great taste to this refreshing drink.
4. Scheckter’s Organic Energy Drink
The organic green coffee and green tea extracts in Scheckter’s give you the energy boost that you’re after and really goes a long way! This tasty and refreshing drink allows you to stay mentally sharp and keep you on top of your game all day long. It has no taurine or synthetic caffeine and none of the nasty additives that commercial energy drinks have. It doesn’t give you jitters, and there’s no crash, unlike the effects that energy drinks like Red Bull provide.
Scheckter’s is really a great tasting alternative for energizing your body and the fact that all their ingredients are organically certified just makes it a super juice – to go!
5. EBOOST Natural Energy Powder
If you’re after something you can add to your bottle of water to give it a nutritional and energizing punch, then this is it! This natural energy powder is great for taking pre-workout or just as an energizing drink throughout the day. The effervescent powder blends easily with water to give you a powerful boost of antioxidants.
The formula contains green coffee bean extract, green tea, and Vitamins C, D and B12. It’s a low calorie, naturally sweetened, non-GMO, gluten free powder which is free from artificial flavors, colorants and sweeteners, making it a great option to recharge your energy levels with.
Life is demanding at times, and you should be able to sustain your energy levels throughout the day if you want to perform at your best. Having the knowledge over which natural super juices to choose is key. What’s also important is that you follow a healthy and balanced eating plan and stay active to avoid getting that sluggish feeling.
If all else fails, turning to our recommended energy drinks – available on the shelves – is an alternative way of approaching the energy slump problem. We especially love the Scheckter’s Organic Energy drink.
When you look at what goes in there, you can rest assured that you’re actually doing your body a favor by drinking this super juice. The best part? The taste! It’s light and refreshing and taste absolutely amazing!
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