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Are Energy Drinks Healthy?

Seems as though some people are discovering ill effects from routinely consuming energy drinks.

By Carolann SherwoodPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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Homemade Fruit Smoothies — A healthy alternative to energy drinks offered in stores?

Branded Energy Drinks, Are They Safe Long-Term?

There are countless energy drinks offered in stores everywhere. Some consumers are finding adverse side effects from long-term use of these branded energy drinks.

Energy drinks versus sports drinks, which is healthier?

As I was in conversation with one of the waitresses who serve us coffee in the morning at our favorite restaurant, a question arose: "Are energy drinks safe to consume long-term?"

The waitress, I will call Sharon (not her real name), informed me that she was on the waiting list for a liver transplant. Sharon was in her early thirties and looked healthy. I had to find out why someone who seemed so healthy needed a new liver. Given the fact that my passion is health and wellness, what she told me I had never heard of before, or even thought about as being bad for the body. I had never researched the subject or the pros and cons of this product.

Sharon told me that when she was in her teen years and for about 15 years as an adult, until the last few years, she enjoyed energy drinks and drank at least four a day versus water, juice, and other hydration drinks. She told me she was not a coffee or tea drinker, just energy drinks and sometimes plain water.

She told me that the liver filters out everything we put into our body, and the energy drinks she has consumed over the years damaged her liver to the point that it was not removing the harmful toxins from the body anymore. Thus, she needed a new liver. She told me that she was coming to the time where if she did not receive a new organ soon, she would die.

She had advice for everyone: "Do not drink energy drinks, they are very harmful to the body. They do live up to their promise of giving people energy, but this comes at a high cost."

When I got home that morning, I had to do some research on energy drinks and this is what I found out from informational sites established as .org, .edu, or .gov. Medical websites also had some excellent information, such as Mayo Clinic, WebMD, Brown University, tellmed.org, and newhealthguide.org.

What all these resources had in common was that they all came to the same conclusion that energy drinks are not healthy for the body.

*Do not get sports drinks confused with energy drinks, there is a difference.

I did read that energy drinks that are considered a food source by the FDA, could contain whatever the manufacturers wanted to put into these drinks. Most energy drinks contain the following ingredients.

I read this as meaning: "Ingredients in sports drinks may not all be listed on the label?"

  • Caffeine
  • Ginseng
  • B vitamins
  • Taurine
  • Sugar
  • Guarana
  • Green Tea Extract
  • Green Coffee Extract
  • Ginkgo Biloba
  • Carnitine

Energy drinks are appearing on store shelves in abundance. Each year, new energy drinks appear on the market. In our ever-present fast world, many of us beg for just a bit more energy to get through the day.

Some energy drinks contain an excellent source of nutrition while providing energy. Other energy drinks contain too much sugar and artificial ingredients, additives and preservatives.

What I found in my research of reputable websites is that these drinks can harm your health and body's function. It is highly recommended to consume adequate nutrition through consuming a balanced diet versus energy drinks.

A person stands the risk for some very adverse side effects, from continually relying on energy drinks, such as:

  • Pre-diabetes from the sugar content
  • Heart palpitations, putting one at risk for further heart problems
  • High blood pressure
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Increased perspiration with a chance for an irregular heartbeat
  • Dehydration as caffeine is considered a diuretic, which removes fluids from the body
  • Nausea and upset stomach, due to the caffeine increasing stomach acid

Never mix an energy drink with alcohol.

If an energy drink has no caffeine listed on the label, the drink usually contains Guarana. This ingredient is equivalent to caffeine and can still cause some problems for the person.

Sports drinks, a healthier alternative to energy drinks contain:

  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Electrolytes
  • No sugar
  • *No caffeine (Guarana)
  • Taurine

Every person has to make his or her own choice about what to eat or drink, and weigh the consequences. As a family, each of us decided to stop drinking energy and sports drinks. We have each found healthier beverage choices. I prefer to drink filtered ice water with a shot of real lemon and a packet of Stevia.

The internet has many websites carrying the pros and cons of energy drinks that people can easily research. It is my personal opinion that energy drinks, consumed every day are not good for the body, but one energy drink once in a while may be alright.

I know that the waitress was sincere in her advice not to drink energy drinks on a routine basis and I trust what she said about her liver disease. She told me that she passes this information on to everyone who will listen to her advice.

Healthy Energy Drinks at Home and on the Go

Make your own healthy energy drinks at home by using ingredients you enjoy, pure extracts, quality protein powders, soy milk, coconut water and much more.

It is a safe option to mix your energy drinks at home by using all the fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables you like. Use a blender to combine ingredients. Find favorite energy drink recipes on the internet.

Make Your Healthy Energy Drinks at Home

Use fresh or fresh frozen fruits and vegetables combined in your blender. Use foods you enjoy eating into all your energy drinks at home. This is a safer energy drink option.

recipe
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About the Creator

Carolann Sherwood

Professional nurse for over 40 years

Owned a children's daycare, eight years

Owned an upper scale clothing resale shop

A freelance writer

Editor since 2010 on a writing platform site

A published author, "Return To The Past" available on Amazon

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