Energy Drink Reviews

Just how safe it is to drink energy drinks? Earlier it was the aerated drinks, and when people came to know about its dangers, now the ploy is to lure the gullible by offering an assortment of health drinks. They market them like magic potions giving instant energy and health benefits. Media professionals are invited and pampered at the time of launch and they in turn sing hosannas for these multinationals.

The recent entrant into the fray was an energized caffeine drink. When the makers pronounced its ingredients it was apparent that there was no need for a biochemist to formulate this drink, every guy off the street could make it. The energy ingredients of the product available in the market are ginseng, B-vitamins and, guarana. The energy drink manufacturers come up with names for these energy boosters that send even the scientists crazy. The marketing ploy worked, and in America alone the sales went up to a great high for this octane elixir. This had made them not stray from the recipe that launched decades ago.

Its ingredients include sugar, caffeine, guarana, ginseng and taurine. A simple analysis of the content would reveal what these energy boosters supply to the body in spite of the marketing pitch. Does it energize you or sharpen your mind, lets have a look. The first ingredient in the energy boosting drink is the caffeine found in coffee. If you are a regular coffee drinker, then an addition of caffeine in this drink which is equivalent to the caffeine in two 8 ounce coffee cups can cause nausea, sleeplessness and headaches. A research team from Finland says that if you are a person with high blood pressure, three cups of coffee can spike the BP up to 14 points.

Next is the glucose which measures up to 50 to 60 gms. Sucrose in energy drinks is a combination of fructose and glucose. Our body functions on glucose and supplementing glucose can definitely boost energy. But the sleep deprived fatigue cannot be compensated by anything. The addition of glucose can increase the blood sugar level and insulin which is not commendable.

Guarana, a South American shrub whose seed contains 4 to 5 percent caffeine whereas the actual coffee bean contains only up to 1 to 2 percent in comparison. This as such is not harmful but can cause problems if consumed profusely.

Ginseng is an extract from the root of the ginseng plant. Though it has little effect on physical performance, some say it boosts brain power. Small amounts are deemed to be safe.

Taurine, the most common amino acid in your brain acts as a neurotransmitter. It is a chemical messenger and facilitates the communication of cells with one another. This is also fine in small doses but can cause harm if taken in large doses. But its energy boosting element is still not proven. So next time you take this energy drink think that you have yielded to the ploy employed by the super brains of marketing professionals.

Robert Kokoska

How should you refuel your body after exercise? We seem to be surrounded by commercial recovery foods and fluids. These recovery foods and fluids offer a combination of carbs and protein, but are they the best for exercise recovery nutrition?

If you are an athlete who exercises one or two times a day to the point of total exhaustion, you most definitely need to focus upon adequate recovery nutrition. A few examples of this type of an exerciser would be swimmers preparing for competition or even high school males and females preparing for any type of sport competition.

For those athletes who need to focus upon an adequate recovery nutrition plan, you will be better off planning in advance the right foods and fluids to replace calories, carbohydrates, protein, fluids and sodium. Your best choices are probably not a commercially prepared plan.

If you are tired, time is an issue and are without a planned ahead nutrition recovery plan, the simplest solution is to drink less water and more cranberry, grape or any other of your favorite fruit juice. Juices provide the fluid, carbs and calories you need right after strenuous exercise.

If you need to lose weight and restrict calorie intake you are better off to fuel your body appropriately in daytime to ensure your ability to perform during strong workouts. Enjoy a light dinner and fewer evening snacks. The worse thing you can do is restrict calories during the day and exercise on an empty stomach.

If you exercise solely for good health and fitness three or four times a week for 30 to 60 minutes per session, you can be less focused on recovery nutrition. Your body does not become depleted during fitness work-outs. You also have plenty of time to “naturally” refuel before the next work-out.

What is a good recovery nutrition plan?

Since muscles rely on carbohydrates, the athlete should plan to replenish depleted blood sugar and muscle glycogen within 30 minutes of post-exercise. It may require some concentration and definitely some planning to refuel your body with the appropriate carbohydrates after an intense work-out. Athletes who weigh 100 to 200 pounds need 300 to 600 calories of carbohydrates repeatedly every two hours for six hours. Now….the worse thing you can do is not plan ahead to have the appropriate carbohydrates on hand and grab a donut, a hot dog, a burger or chips right after your intense work-out. These things will not refuel your blood sugar and muscle glycogen and your muscles will of course not recover from the demands of strenuous exercise. If this type of eating continues your health will suffer some dire consequences. Be wise and plan ahead with the appropriate carbohydrates. Some quick sources would be an instant breakfast drink (I use these for myself often and always feel an instant healthy boost of energy). Fruit smoothies are excellent sources of carbs, fluids and protein.

Dehydration is indicated by scanty, dark urine. Thirst is a poor indicator of whether or not you have had enough to drink. If you become severely dehydrated you may need 24 to 48 hours to totally replace the loss. To combat severe dehydration sip on an enjoyable beverage until your urine is pale yellow like lemonade. Fruit juices, smoothies and milk shakes are better than sport drinks. It is better to drink orange juice than Gatorade. Orange juice has much more potassium.

Your best bet is to prevent dehydration altogether. A simple way to determine how much fluid you need is to weigh yourself naked before and after an hour of hard exercise during which you drank nothing. A two pound per hour loss equals one quart. In this example you would need to drink 8 ounces every 15 minutes of exercise.

When you sweat during exercise you lose sodium. You would have to sweat hard for more than 4 to 6 hours before you would actually deplete your body’s sodium supply. An athlete exerciser can easily replace sodium losses with just a standard diet that offers 6 to 12 times the amount of needed sodium. A sodium recovery diet for athletes could consist of eating salty foods such soup, pretzels, salted crackers. Sport drinks are a weaker source of sodium as compared to soup, pretzels and salted crackers. Should not be too difficult to pack extra pretzels or salted crackers for your strenuous work-out sessions.

Muscles need time as well as adequate carbs and calories to refuel and heal. Take a day off after a hard workout to allow your muscles to recuperate. Daily hard exercise does not increase performance. It only increases your chances for injury.

Exercising to Lose Weight or to Become Healthier?

You really should try and separate exercise from weight loss. Think of exercise as something you do for enjoyment that will in turn make you healthier, fit and more able to withstand stress. If you need to lose weight, pay attention to your calorie intake and cut back a couple 100 calories a day for one year while you exercise for enjoyment. You should reap rewards both in how you feel as well as how you look. Taking a day off between work-outs is also recommended for the exerciser who seeks good health and fitness from their exercise routines. You need to allow your body to recover and heal. Overdoing it will not bring you faster or better results. You will probably end up with injury instead. However, you will not need to focus upon an exercise recovery nutrition plan. You can still use the advice given here for athletes, but in general, you will not suffer any dire consequences if you do not practice an exercise recovery nutrition plan.

Connie Limon
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/exercise-recovery-nutrition-plan-who-needs-it-75739.html

When purchasing any weight loss product, it is important to do your research. Many people are exchanging their opinions about Active 8 on DietBlogTalk.com

For an additional source, check out Active 8 on the very popular Sensational.com

Overview

Active 8 is really a collection of four formulas that are supposed to control hunger and caloric intake, inhibit the release of insulin, and release energy that is stored in the body in what the manufacturers refer to as thermogenesis.  The theory behind the development of the Active 8 formulas is said to be when 72 trace ingredients come together in harmony (does this sound to you like a song lyric from the 60s?), they can overcome the effects of consuming processed foods.  A perusal of the ingredients doesn’t list anything remarkable other than Garcinia Cambogia and possibly the use of chromium as well.

Ingredients at a Glance

The primary ingredients worth noting in the Active 8 formulas are magnesium, potassium, Garcinia Cambogia, chromium and Green tea extract. As far as those 72 trace ingredients, due to “trade secret” nature, the exact amounts are not given but the list begins with antimony and ends with zirconium.

Ingredients in Focus

A research study is mentioned on the website that was conducted on the ingredient Garcinia Cambogia.  Garcinia Cambogia is one of the potentially helpful ingredients in the Active 8 formulas because studies have shown that the ingredient may regulate the appetite.  The other ingredients, however, are not what you would hope for in a weight loss-enhancing supplement.

Positives

•    Contains Garcinia Cambogia

Negatives

•    Active 8 lacks a reliable appetite suppressant or strong thermogenic

•    The use of 72 trace ingredients is excessive and may not be necessary for weight loss or overall health.

•    Active 8 relies on Green tea extract, a caffeinated ingredient, to promote its ability to suppress the appetite.

Final Thoughts

Active 8 appears to be an adequate mineral supplement but as a weight loss supplement, it’s lacking the reliable ingredients that we’ve come to expect with modern research results.  The manufacturers include Garcinia Cambogia and that is one ingredient that shows up fairly often in the more reliable weight loss supplements, but it is always combined with more than just potassium and magnesium.

Shane Crafton
http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/active-8-protein-drink-725317.html

Are energy drinks bad for you? Mohammad sent us another video, this time questioning the health risks of pounding energy drinks to cram for tests? Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola talk about their experience with energy drinks.

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All energy drinks are not alike. Most of them are downright dangerous. Learn about ACT, the healthy energy drink that works all day and costs much less…

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