Tag Archives: energy drinks

Sugar Consumption Decreases as Americans Drink Less Soda

Maybe it was the recession or maybe the public started listening to the health professionals’ pleas, but either way, added sugar consumption has actually decreased in the United States.

Research has been continually held to track the added sugar consumption in this country. These stats refer to extra sugar used to sweeten foods, not naturally occurring sugars like fructose in fruit. One of the biggest culprits of added sugar consumption is found in soda. The quarter drop in sugar consumption was due majorly to the decrease in soda consumption.

The experts believe that the initiatives to remove sodas and sweetened drinks from schools had a large effect on the numbers. Also, the multiple campaigns to make consumers aware of the extreme amounts of sugar in small amounts of soda are believed to have been effective.

The study also leads the experts to believe that people were simply not able to afford as many calories as they were in previous years due to the economy. Hopefully, as the recession ends, this will be one number that will stay low and not increase.

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Posted on August 11, 2023 by Lacy

Teen Soda Consumption is Down

There’s potentially good news in regards to teens and their soda consumption. In 2024, 24 percent of teens in the U.S. drank at least one soda on a daily basis, which was down from 29 percent the previous year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data on 11,429 high school students from across the country. Each of them filled out a questionnaire.

When other sweetened drinks were considered, the teens who drank at least one of those drinks each day was raised to more than 60 percent. However, even with that sharp rise when considering all sweetened drinks, the number is down from 1999, when it was more than 75 percent.

Now for the potentially bad news…

Since awareness of the health dangers of sweetened drinks has risen over the years, some experts are concerned that teens’ knowledge may have skewed the results, since they could have been deceptive in their answers. Or I say, maybe the movement of removing soda from schools is working. (more…)

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Jason

We Love CLICK All-Natural Espresso Protein Drink

Confession: I am a coffee drinker. I can manage a french press myself. I drink it black. Despite a Starbucks in my family tree, I don’t find the coffee sold at that chain store up to my standards. I was skeptical about trying CLICK Espresso Protein Drink.

According to press releases, “CLICK is the brainchild of Greg and Beth Smith, a Fresno, California couple who owned a small chain of women’s fitness centers. The Smiths were seeking a delicious, healthy beverage for their members in response to the growing wall of sugar based energy and espresso drinks on the market.” The 15 grams of protein per serving is designed to provide sustained energy, in addition to the “two shots of espresso” or 100-150mg of caffeine per serving.

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Posted on June 14, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Sheet Strips: An Energy Boost at the Tip of Your Tongue

Listerine Strips have been around for a long time: those minty paper-like strips that you place on your tongue when you just don’t have time to use mouthwash. Now the same sort of packaging is being used for an energy boosting product.

Sheets is a brand of energy strips that are individually packaged and dissolve quickly after you place them on your tongue. At this point, there are just two flavors to choose from: Cinnamon Rush and Berry Blast. Makers promise more flavors in the future.

So what is it in Sheets that gives its users a boost of energy? There’s as much caffeine as what is in the average cup of coffee. It’s also loaded with vitamin E, B5, B6, and B12. But let’s make no bones about it, it’s the caffeine that gets you going. (more…)

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Jason

Energy Drinks Harmful to Children

Walk by any group of teens hanging out together and you may very well see a wide assortment of energy beverages being consumed. It’s not unexpected, since more than half of all teens have reported using these stimulants. The next time you take your child to the doctor, be prepared to discuss these beverages, thanks to a new research study released online today in the Journal Pediatrics. The study, conducted by the  University of Miami School of Medicine, shows how very harmful these drinks may be to this age bracket.

The study was conducted by running targeted searches of Google and the medical database PubMed. The research team pulled a total of 121 references to energy drinks, including RockStar, Monster, or Red Bull. Two-thirds of the references were discovered to be in scientific articles. Among the findings:

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Posted on February 14, 2024 by Carmen

Energy Drinks Linked to Alcohol Abuse

Energy drinks have long been a source of controversy, but lately they have come under fire, particularly an alcoholic brand Four Loko, following reports of hospitalizations and even deaths tied to the pick-me-up drinks.

Now there’s a study that links regular energy drink use to alcohol abuse. The study found that college students who consume energy drinks at least once a week are more than twice as likely as their peers to show signs of alcohol dependence. This can include symptoms of withdrawal and the inability to cut back on drinking.

The most interesting, and maybe controversial, part of the study is that the drinks don’t have to be mixed with alcohol to lead to alcoholism. (more…)

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Jason

Relaxation Drinks Take Shot at Chilling You Out

Energy drinks have long been popular with people needing a mid-day pick-me-up. And while Red Bull and Rockstar may not be knocked off the top of the heap, there’s a possible new trend arising that takes consumers in the opposite mental direction.

People can now “chill out” to relaxation shots. Some of the products hitting the market include such catchy names as Snoozeberry and iChill. But there are 350 total relaxation drinks on the market, according to Agata Kaczanowska, an analyst with the research company IBISWorld. While I guess I’m not really looking for them, I’m surprised that I am unaware of this stuff, when there are so many on the shelves already.

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Posted on July 5, 2023 by Jason

Fuel for Olympic Champions: Nutrition and Meal Planning for Team USA

The closest I ever got to the Olympics was the USOC training center in Colorado Springs where I received sports nutrition training. As I write this, The USOC dietitians are in Vancouver with Team USA making sure they are well hydrated and fueled while they go for gold.vancouver olympics

But what exactly do Olympic athletes need to eat? You probably heard the stories of Michael Phelps chowing down on 10-15,000 calories a day! It sounds like a dream come true. Believe it or not, many of the winter sports require smaller body sizes to excel. It’s no wonder there is concern for eating disorders to develop among athletes.

For example, the ski jumper must be tall and thin so their goal is to have a low BMI – 5′ 11″ and 140 pound male (model thin). Suzie Parker Simmons, a sports dietitian at USOC, says that ski jumping is problematic because the sport requires strength, power and low weight. “Because it’s a power sport, endless hours of fat-burning running [to reduce weight] is counterproductive athletically—explosive power for ski jump demands fast-twitch muscle fibers, not the slow-twitch fibers developed by endurance sports. That means caloric restriction, not extra exercise, is the primary means of keeping body weight low.” (more…)

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Rebecca

FRS and 5-Hour Energy Drink Comparison

frs energyEnergy drinks are just about as popular as sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced waters. In fact, you can’t walk into a convenience store or gas station without rubbing elbows with energy-boosting pills and potions as you pay for your newspaper, soda or slushie.

DietsInReview.com compared two of the best-selling energy drinks on the market: FRS and 5-Hour Energy drink.

Here is a look at how each of them stacks up.

FRS

Claims: Strongly promoted and supported by Lance Armstrong, FRS Healthy Energy, which stands for “free radical scavenger,” contains antioxidants rather than sugar and caffeine to give you a surge in energy. Most notably is its addition of the antioxidant quercetin, which is found in the skins of apples, berries and grapes.  According to FRS, quercetin works by naturally triggering the body’s ability to produce more real energy. FRS also contains green tea and vitamins C and E. The product claims to help enhance physical performance, aid in muscle recovery and provide sustained energy and concentration.

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Posted on February 4, 2024 by heather

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

coconut waterIt’s that time of year, particularly for those in the colder northern climates, when people dream about relaxing on the beach on some remote tropical island with a fruity cocktail in hand. One of the more popular images is of drinking from an open coconut on the patio of a beachfront hotel.

If you have ever opened a fresh coconut, what you saw was a thin, opaque liquid that has a slight almond flavor. Coconut water, not to be confused with coconut milk, is the clear liquid inside young (green) coconuts.

As the coconut matures, the coconut water is gradually replaced by the coconut meat. Coconut water is consumed fresh, because once it’s exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its nutritional value, and begins to ferment. (more…)

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Jason

Fever: A Hot New Wellness Beverage

fever drinkEnergy drinks are selling like wildfire. People who prefer to get their perk from a soft drink rather than a coffee cup are downing energy drinks in droves. But, now there’s a new twist on pick-me-up beverages: stimulant drinks. On the surface, it doesn’t sound much different. But, stimulation beverages are designed to enhance sexual desire and performance, balance the central nervous system and create a feeling of euphoria.

Ahh, happiness in a bottle.

Fever is a little different than the average energy boosting drink. In fact, it seems that Fever Beverage USA is marketing their drink with bolder ambitions – as a “wellness beverage” that promotes a “feeling of pleasure and euphoria” and is supposed to naturally enhance your bodily functions throughout the day. (more…)

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Jason