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 ingredients to realize that if you are low in energy, the last thing you should put into your body is an energy drinkespecially if you are already 15+ pounds overweight like I was.
The number one reason to stay away from energy drinks is that they contain absurd amounts of sugar. Your typical Rockstar energy drink has 102 grams of sugar in just one can. According to the USDA, the recommended daily amount of sugar you are to consume is based on the total calories you consume during the day. For instance, if you are on a 1600 calorie diet daily, you are to consume no more than 22 grams of sugar per day. Ouch! A Rockstar will put you 4 times over the recommended daily amount... and that's just for a single drink. And if you are concerned about your weight, put this equation into your head. More sugar equals more weight.
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.
You might be surprised to find out that France, Holland and Norway have banned Red Bull and other energy drinks because of the amount of caffeine in them. The ban was initiated after a 18 year old athlete died from drinking 4 cans of Red Bull.
The final reason to avoid energy drinks is that they put you at risk of dehydration because they are considered to be diuretics. What this means is they accelerate the rate at which urine is produced which in turn reduces the amount of water available to your body. Americans are already dangerously dehydrated as a nation as only 34% of people say that they drink the daily 64 ounces of water recommended by the USDA. Any nutritionist will tell you that 64 ounces is just a starting point and that the average person needs more water than this. Because fatigue is the first sign of dehydration, it is recommended that you monitor the amounts of fluids you are taking in if you feel chronically tired or weak. You may be interested to know that drinking more water is one of the little known quick cures for fatigue.
Since fatigue is the first sign of dehydration, nutritionists will tell you that if you are feeling tired and weak much of the time, the simplest and cheapest thing to try is to drink more water.
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. - 29964
All it takes is a quick look at the ingredients to realize that if you are low in energy, the last thing you should put into your body is an energy drinkespecially if you are already 15+ pounds overweight like I was.
The number one reason to stay away from energy drinks is that they contain absurd amounts of sugar. Your typical Rockstar energy drink has 102 grams of sugar in just one can. According to the USDA, the recommended daily amount of sugar you are to consume is based on the total calories you consume during the day. For instance, if you are on a 1600 calorie diet daily, you are to consume no more than 22 grams of sugar per day. Ouch! A Rockstar will put you 4 times over the recommended daily amount... and that's just for a single drink. And if you are concerned about your weight, put this equation into your head. More sugar equals more weight.
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.
You might be surprised to find out that France, Holland and Norway have banned Red Bull and other energy drinks because of the amount of caffeine in them. The ban was initiated after a 18 year old athlete died from drinking 4 cans of Red Bull.
The final reason to avoid energy drinks is that they put you at risk of dehydration because they are considered to be diuretics. What this means is they accelerate the rate at which urine is produced which in turn reduces the amount of water available to your body. Americans are already dangerously dehydrated as a nation as only 34% of people say that they drink the daily 64 ounces of water recommended by the USDA. Any nutritionist will tell you that 64 ounces is just a starting point and that the average person needs more water than this. Because fatigue is the first sign of dehydration, it is recommended that you monitor the amounts of fluids you are taking in if you feel chronically tired or weak. You may be interested to know that drinking more water is one of the little known quick cures for fatigue.
Since fatigue is the first sign of dehydration, nutritionists will tell you that if you are feeling tired and weak much of the time, the simplest and cheapest thing to try is to drink more water.
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. - 29964
About the Author:
James Richardsen is a memeber of myadrenalfatigue.com,a site that specializes in helping those suffering from low energy and fatigue. MyAdrenalFatigue.com helps you to increase your energy levels through natural techniques by focusing on your fitness physically,mentally,emotionally,and spiritually. All 4 areas have tremendous energy consequences.
