Knowledge is king when it comes to foods and beverages. Do you know what goes into an average energy drink? OK you are one of the educated drinkers, but for those who just drink, an average energy drink contains carbonate water, corn syrup (or other sugars), taurine, man-made vitamins and caffeine. Some have alcohol. I know you can't think there is much benefit from drinking this or maybe you think it's not so bad.
Surprise. It's bad. One of the worst ingredients is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This gut-fattening ingredient will insure that the empty calories will add directly to your belly fat. You probably know that HFCS has no nutritional value and is classified as empty calories. You can compare HFCS drinks to drinks with sugars but they both generate a fat belly.
There are additional problems with artificial sweeteners. Research has discovered that people who ingest artificial sweeteners consume fewer calories with that drink but crave calories later in the day and ultimately consume more calories than they planned.
You could make a general rule regarding artificial sweeteners and man-made chemical substitutes. They are all BAD for your body. Natural and whole foods are the best foods.
Surprise. It's bad. One of the worst ingredients is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This gut-fattening ingredient will insure that the empty calories will add directly to your belly fat. You probably know that HFCS has no nutritional value and is classified as empty calories. You can compare HFCS drinks to drinks with sugars but they both generate a fat belly.
There are additional problems with artificial sweeteners. Research has discovered that people who ingest artificial sweeteners consume fewer calories with that drink but crave calories later in the day and ultimately consume more calories than they planned.
You could make a general rule regarding artificial sweeteners and man-made chemical substitutes. They are all BAD for your body. Natural and whole foods are the best foods.
Let's consider the caffeine in "Energy" drinks. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and gives people a boost. Caffeine really doesn't provide any energy. Always remember that energy comes from the calories produced from eating and drinking foods with carbs, fats, and proteins.
A little caffeine doesn't hurt you, however a better source of caffeine is green or oolong tea. Some people like yerba mate teas. Drinking tea instead of coffee provides you with powerful antioxidants. Teas avoid the artificially added caffeine and carbonation.
If you choose to reduce your caffeine consumption, you may try substituting tea for coffee several times a week. Good teas contain phytochemicals which moderate the release of caffeine. Since the tea generally contains less caffeine and it releases slower, you body does not experience the shock to your nervous system. Tea doesn't have taurine or alcohol which is a bad combination.
Now what about that so called magical blend of taurine and B-vitamins that they load into these energy drinks? First, the vast majority of those artificially added B-vitamins leave your body without any benefit! Vitamins are best obtained naturally from a REAL food source, not artificially added to some carbonated drink. Your body just doesn't use fake sources of vitamins and only efficiently digests natural sources of food.
Take a minute and brew some tea. I found the following recipe to make a delicious, home-made energy drink.
1. Use mixture of green tea, white tea, and yerba mate tea. Make a gallon. I like to add a little fruit flavor, so I'll use 1 tea bag of a raspberry or blueberry hibiscus tea, and then use 2-3 green and/or white tea bags, and 2-3 yerba mate tea bags, and mix with drinking water. If you like a slightly sweetened drink add a small amount of stevia to the batch of tea.
2. Buy organic coconut water from a health food store, or buy fresh
A little caffeine doesn't hurt you, however a better source of caffeine is green or oolong tea. Some people like yerba mate teas. Drinking tea instead of coffee provides you with powerful antioxidants. Teas avoid the artificially added caffeine and carbonation.
If you choose to reduce your caffeine consumption, you may try substituting tea for coffee several times a week. Good teas contain phytochemicals which moderate the release of caffeine. Since the tea generally contains less caffeine and it releases slower, you body does not experience the shock to your nervous system. Tea doesn't have taurine or alcohol which is a bad combination.
Now what about that so called magical blend of taurine and B-vitamins that they load into these energy drinks? First, the vast majority of those artificially added B-vitamins leave your body without any benefit! Vitamins are best obtained naturally from a REAL food source, not artificially added to some carbonated drink. Your body just doesn't use fake sources of vitamins and only efficiently digests natural sources of food.
Take a minute and brew some tea. I found the following recipe to make a delicious, home-made energy drink.
1. Use mixture of green tea, white tea, and yerba mate tea. Make a gallon. I like to add a little fruit flavor, so I'll use 1 tea bag of a raspberry or blueberry hibiscus tea, and then use 2-3 green and/or white tea bags, and 2-3 yerba mate tea bags, and mix with drinking water. If you like a slightly sweetened drink add a small amount of stevia to the batch of tea.
2. Buy organic coconut water from a health food store, or buy fresh
If you choose to reduce your caffeine consumption, you may try substituting tea for coffee several times a week. Good teas contain phytochemicals which moderate the release of caffeine. Since the tea generally contains less caffeine and it releases slower, you body does not experience the shock to your nervous system. Tea doesn't have taurine or alcohol which is a bad combination.
Now what about that so called magical blend of taurine and B-vitamins that they load into these energy drinks? First, the vast majority of those artificially added B-vitamins leave your body without any benefit! Vitamins are best obtained naturally from a REAL food source, not artificially added to some carbonated drink. Your body just doesn't use fake sources of vitamins and only efficiently digests natural sources of food.
Take a minute and brew some tea. I found the following recipe to make a delicious, home-made energy drink.
1. Use mixture of green tea, white tea, and yerba mate tea. Make a gallon. I like to add a little fruit flavor, so I'll use 1 tea bag of a raspberry or blueberry hibiscus tea, and then use 2-3 green and/or white tea bags, and 2-3 yerba mate tea bags, and mix with drinking water. If you like a slightly sweetened drink add a small amount of stevia to the batch of tea.
2. Buy organic coconut water from a health food store, or buy fresh coconuts to obtain the coconut water from the inside.
3. Mix a half of a glass of the white/green/yerba mate iced tea mixture and fill the rest of the glass with the organic coconut water.
This tastes really good! You now have all the benefits of a healthy energy drink without all the man-made chemical toxins
About the Author:
Now what about that so called magical blend of taurine and B-vitamins that they load into these energy drinks? First, the vast majority of those artificially added B-vitamins leave your body without any benefit! Vitamins are best obtained naturally from a REAL food source, not artificially added to some carbonated drink. Your body just doesn't use fake sources of vitamins and only efficiently digests natural sources of food.
Take a minute and brew some tea. I found the following recipe to make a delicious, home-made energy drink.
1. Use mixture of green tea, white tea, and yerba mate tea. Make a gallon. I like to add a little fruit flavor, so I'll use 1 tea bag of a raspberry or blueberry hibiscus tea, and then use 2-3 green and/or white tea bags, and 2-3 yerba mate tea bags, and mix with drinking water. If you like a slightly sweetened drink add a small amount of stevia to the batch of tea.
2. Buy organic coconut water from a health food store, or buy fresh coconuts to obtain the coconut water from the inside.
3. Mix a half of a glass of the white/green/yerba mate iced tea mixture and fill the rest of the glass with the organic coconut water.
This tastes really good! You now have all the benefits of a healthy energy drink without all the man-made chemical toxins
About the Author:
Viktor Kuhle is a scientist who researches nutrition and health related issues. To learn more about burning belly fat, get your free report when you visit our website. Check out these 5 tips to Get a Flat Stomach.