Healthy Beverage…No More Energy Drinks

A study published recently by Frontiers Health has exposed some health risks to drinking energy drinks, some already known..some unknown. It is well known that energy drinks increase heart rate and blood pressure. Energy drinks (ED) can have up to 400mg of sugar per ounce which far exceeds a cup of coffee which contains 95mg per the whole cup (8oz). In addition to caffeine, EDs contain high fructose corn syrup and sugar. Both of these suppress the immune system, while stimulating the adrenals and pancreas while the body finds its way back to balance. We haven’t even gotten to the stimulatory herbs that the EDs contain which stimulate the heart. In addition to the sugar and high fructose corn syrup, many of these beverages contain chemical sweetners such as aspertame which are known neurotoxins. Neurotoxins contribute to weight gain, anxiety and depression.

With all of these ingredients put together, consuming an energy drink essentially puts the body into fight or flight. Chronic consumption of EDs will contribute to chronic insomnia and mental imbalances such as those listed above.  If a person needs an energy drink to get through the day, it’s time to ask oneself, “why can’t I function without this stimulation?”. We all get tired sometimes and it’s ok to moderately use caffeine. However, the EDs have so many stimulatory ingredients at such high amounts, that dependence on them will contribute to long term health problems such as high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and diabetes.

If you depend on an energy drink to get through the day, it is time to get help in restoring your own natural energy. To find out why you are lacking energy, blood tests may need to be done to check thyroid function and other hormones such as Testosterone which help with stamina.

There are healthier beverages that one can choose to help get through the day, and with a healthy lifestyle can turn your body back into a young race horse. Herbal beverages such as this one breaks down fats to unleash the energy stored in your body. They can also help with digestion so that you can get more energy from your food.

If your energy level is 8/10 but you consume one energy drink a day, I would cut your energy ranking by half. Your unmasked energy would then be a 4/10…which means your body is not functioning like it could be. Naturopathic doctors are great at uncovering the cause to chronic fatigue, whether it be hormones, lifestyle, stress, or a little of all of it. Detoxing and freeing yourself from cravings will allow you to make healthier long term choices in food and beverages.  Now your choices will be based with the intention of re-fueling versus stimulating.