One of the worst things for you nutritionally that exists on the market is ironically sold under the pretext of being healthy. This awful little product is known collectively as “energy drinks” and while not everyone on the market  is horrible for you, you better know exactly what is in them before you crack one open. 

Many of these drinks rely on wild antics and marketing to sell their products to impressionable youth as if these are some sort of drug. In reality, many of these are just dangerous due to the high amount of sketchy ingredients that are included in them. If the ingredients list on your energy drink looks like a CVS receipt, then I can guarantee you there are things in that drink that can have terrible long term effects. 

One of the worst culprits is the sheer amount of sugar placed in some of these drinks that can only be described as obnoxious. Many of these energy drinks have well above 50g of sugar which is about the same as 14 teaspoons.  Sugar creates 100% artificial energy that is merely transient as it slowly destroys your insulin sensitivity and packs on the pounds. The only situation that might be acceptable is if you are in the middle of a marathon, not sitting behind your desk or living a normal daily lifestyle. 

Another dangerous combination is the extremely large amounts of not just caffeine, but caffeine combined with numerous other stimulating ingredients, especially in large quantities.  To be clear, caffeine is a proven ergogenic aid IF taken properly.  For one, this doesn’t mean copious amounts just to get through the day.  While taking large amounts may improve sports performance, you do not need to take 300-500mg (or more) in a single dose on a casual basis.  If you need this amount of caffeine just to “function”, there is a problem and energy drinks are only making it worse.  Still, oftentimes these drinks will include caffeine, ginseng, guarana, and ginko biloba all in one drink!  This is not real energy as you are drinking stimulants which will inevitably cause a dependence.  

A lot of these energy drinks on the market are LOADED with one of the biggest killers of your gut biome. That’s sucralose. This artificial sweetener has several side effects and dangers.  The  side effects may include: increase in weight gain, diabetes, increase your risk of irritable bowel syndrome and crohn's disease, and can lead to a leaky gut. Also, sucralose can increase inflammation within your body 

Therefore, when looking a healthy energy drink, consider the following guidelines;

  1. Know why you’re drinking it.  There’s a big difference between sitting at your desk and getting ready to complete a heavy training session. There’s also a big difference between being too tired to get through the day and just wanting a little extra focus to optimize performance or studying. 
  2. You don’t need 50+ grams of sugar.  The only situation where this might be somewhat reasonable is if you’re getting ready to compete in a marathon.  Even then, there are better forms of carbs for energy.
  3. Find a drink with an appropriate amount of active ingredients.
  4. Look for a drink that uses nootropics or caffeine sources such as yerba mate or green tea. 
  5. Simply grab yourself a FITAID ENERGY! 

What’s your favorite flavor of FITAID Energy? Tag us on Instagram! @FITAID