Have you ever turned your head at a restaurant only to see a fat guy wolfing down a big burger? Did it leave you a little less excited about what you just finished ordering? Or did it make you remember the diet you “resolved” to stick to? While I often have the same response, I feel it twice as bad whenever I see anyone guzzling down and energy drink. Many marketing dollars have been spent on these energy drinks to make us think they will help us “improve performance”, “look and feel better”, but the truth is pretty dire.
All it takes is a quick look at the nutrition label to resolve that these drinks have absolutely no business in your body. This is especially true if you have any concern about your health and your weight.
Reason one is the absurd amounts of sugar these drinks have. Think about it. A Rockstar contains up to 102 grams of sugar in a single can. If you look up the USDA’s daily recommendation you will find that they urge you to consume no more than 22 grams of sugar per day if you ingest 1600 calories per day. A Rockstar has over 4X the amount of sugar you should take for the entire day!
Reason number two to avoid energy drinks like the plague is the amount and types of stimulants they contain. Although it varies depending on the brand and type of drink, typically you’ll find uaranine, taurine, caffeine, and/or ginseng in these energy drinks. With a quick google search you’ll find that large amounts of any of these chemicals has been shown to cause: seizures, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart palpations and insomnia among other side effects. And don’t forget that each of these stimulants is considered extremely addictive.
Although energy drinks are wildly popular here in the US, other countries aren’t so keen on them. Did you know Red Bull was banned in France after an 18 year old athlete died from drinking 4 cans? Since Red Bull exceeds the amount of caffeine French laws allow in a consumable product, they have banned the drink. Denmark and Norway have also followed suit and also ban the drink.
The third and final reason you should put down the energy drink is because it is a diuretic. What this means is it causes fluid loss. In fact most nutritionists are most concerned with this side effect because the typical American doesn’t drink nearly enough water as it is. Only 34% of Americans drink the 64 ounces of water per day recommended by the USDA. However any nutritionists will tell you that you actually need much more water than that.
Do you know what the first sign of dehydration is? FATIGUE. If you are tired all the time there is a good chance that one reason is you are just not getting enough water into your body.
I sometimes watch these energy drink commercials and laugh to myself because they lead you to believe professional athletes drink this stuff nonstop. I can’t imagine Kobe Bryant guzzling an energy drink and then feeling up for the game 7 final of the championship. Digging into the research further you’ll find that drinking energy drinks while exercising is especially dangerous because the combination of sweating and the fact that energy drinks are diuretics leaves you dangerously exposed to dehydration.
Especially if you are trying to lose weight and get healthier, the best advise myself and any other energy expert out there could give you is put down the energy drink, and instead pick up a water bottle. You will have more energy, you will be more focused, and will see an increase in daily performance.
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