“Making Conscious Choices: The Truth About Energy Drinks and 5 Alternatives for a Healthy Boost”

Do you ever reach for an energy drink out of convenience when you feel a slump coming on? Then you probably want to know how to make the most conscious choice possible.

Energy drink is a soft drink with caffeine, which increases your alertness and concentration. Exactly how much caffeine it contains varies per brand. On average, this is between 30 and 80 milligrams per can (of 250 milliliters). The maximum, laid down in the Commodities Act, is 350 milligrams per litre, so 88 milligrams per can. For comparison: a cup of coffee contains about 60 milligrams.

Taurine, guarana in B-vitamins

In addition, energy drinks often contain ingredients such as taurine (a substance that occurs naturally in your body and is important for your heart and nerve cells, but which is also said to increase alertness) and guaraná (a plant whose seeds contain caffeine). Various B vitamins are also sometimes added to the drinks, such as vitamins B12, B5 and B6. Your body needs this to release energy from food.

6 sugar cubes per drink

The Nutrition Center advises not to drink energy drinks, or only in exceptional cases. Because just like cola and other soft drinks, energy drinks contain a lot of sugar: about 6 sugar cubes per can. A large amount of sugar is not good for your body and these fast carbohydrates also cause an energy dip. It causes a rapid rise in your blood sugar level, but then a rapid fall.

Are natural ingredients better?

For these reasons, more and more energy drinks are coming onto the market that are claimed to be healthier. These are usually made from natural ingredients and contain much less to no sugar. The sugar comes from, for example, fruit. However, you miss the fibers and therefore they can still cause a spike in your blood sugar. Also be careful with light drinks: they also contain acids that can affect your teeth.

5 alternatives to energy drinks

Beet juice

Beets contain various B vitamins, but also a lot of nitrate. This opens your blood vessels wider, allowing your muscles to receive oxygen more quickly. An energy boost before your strength training or other workout.

Thee

Black and green tea lower blood pressure and thus the risk of stroke. And they contain caffeine.

Matcha

A green tea powder from Japan, which is also called a ‘superfood’ because of its many antioxidants. 1 gram of matcha powder contains about 30 milligrams of caffeine.

Homemade power smoothie

Blend banana, cocoa, oatmeal and almond milk and you have your carbohydrates, B vitamins, minerals such as iron, healthy fats and the happiness hormone serotonin.

Coffee

Don’t forget the good old coffee, without sugar of course.

Text: Mara Ruijter / Beeld: GettyImages

Editor’s note

Philips Viva HR1855/70 – Juicer