Energy drinks are a great way to get a little pick me up during the day, but just one can contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar and nearly 3 times the amount of caffeine you find in one cup of coffee. These can both lead to serious issues over time and it leads us to ask the question, are these energy drinks really worth our health?
The Impact Energy Drinks Have on Our Bodies
As we have already stated, energy drinks contain a lot of caffeine, which is the key chemical that causes you to feel refreshed and awake. However, when you consume caffeine too frequently you can become very dependant on it. This dependency can become nasty when you go too long without consuming more caffeine and it will often lead to withdrawal headaches and migraines.
Not only do energy drinks contain a lot of caffeine, but they have a high sugar content. The risks of sugar are pretty well known nowadays, as they cause insulin overloading in the pancreas, which can lead to massive health issues such as diabetes and coronary heart disease. Therefore, it's common sense to keep sugar intake at a safe level, an idea that energy drinks don't quite fit in line with.
So, these are the 2 main concern ingredients in energy drinks, but they both require constant abuse to become a genuine issue.
Energy drinks are known for keeping people awake but many people will feel a high in their energy levels and then a sudden low, which makes people consume more energy drinks than they should. When a lot of energy drinks are consumed, your body will find itself on a constant yo-yo effect and your energy drink will do the complete opposite effect of giving you a boost. In the long-term energy drinks will cause you to depend on them for a quick boost and are not the answer for increasing your energy levels every day.
The Juice Solution
Energy drinks aren't healthy and you should try to enforce healthy options, for example, getting enough sleep, eating foods that are unprocessed and regular physical activity exercise.
Good snacks to consume during the day include nuts and dried fruit because they contain healthy fats, but be sure not to overindulge on these snacks, as they are very high in fat and can still make you put on weight. Try swapping crisps and sweet treats for a bag of mixed nuts to beat the hunger.
Another possible alternative to energy drinks are fresh green smoothies and juices. These serve as an excellent source of chlorophyll, which helps oxygenate the blood and provide extra energy. The juice recipe below will give you a big energy boost to get through the day:
- 1/2 Cucumber
- 2 Stalks of Celery
- 1 Handful of Kale
- 1 Handful of Spinach
- 1 Handful of Blueberries
- 2 Handfuls of Raspberries
- 1 Apple
- 1 Tea Spoon of Lemon Juice
- 1 Small Chunk of Ginger
Leafy greens are filled with chlorophyll, but certain types of juicers really struggle juicing these fairly dry leaves. If you are looking for a juicer to get the most juice out of your greens then you need to look at single or twin gear slow juicers. These types of juicers slowly crush your greens making them release all their enzymes. A great juicer we would recommend is the Hurom H-AA 3rd generation slow juicer, as this is easy to use and produces a great yield.
Finally, carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and pasta release energy slowly. These types of foods will keep you fuller for longer and keep your energy levels up. Potatoes are a very versatile and are a healthy choice when boiled, baked, mashed or roasted with only a small amount of fat or oil, this does not include chips that have been deep fried!
Rice and grains, such as couscous and bulgur wheat, can be eaten hot or cold and add a great twist to salads. Wholewheat or wholegrain pasta are healthier alternatives as they contain more fibre which our bodies digest slowly.
It can be hard to resist just grabbing a can to boost your energy, but when abused these energy drinks can have a bad effect on your body in the long term. If you swap out your energy drink for all the ingredients we have listed, you will find that you feel much better in yourself and have the energy that you need to live a healthy balanced lifestyle.