Why You Should Limit Your Consumption of Energy Drinks

Celebrities have made them famous - often photographed with a Red Bull in hand. While the safety of these drinks is widely debated, no one can deny they are full of sugar, extremely high in calories, and any beneficial vitamins or substances in them can be obtained more easily, cheaply, and beneficially from healthy foods. Here is a look at why regular consumption of energy drinks can not coexist with any healthy diet:

Energy Drinks Are Filled With Calories And Sugar: The typical sports drink contains a large amount of nutritionally-void calories. Red Bull for example contains 110 calories and 27 grams of sugar (almost 2 tablespoons). Drinking an energy drink is the equivalent of eating a pretty sweet snack. Wouldn't you rather eat the snack than drink it? Because maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is vital for fat-burning, an extra 27 grams of sugar does not fit into many healthy lifestyles or weight loss plans.

Energy Drinks Are Full Of Caffeine: Energy drinks are filled with extraordinarily high amounts of caffeine. A Coca Cola contains 35 milligrams of caffeine, which is relatively high. But Red Bull contains a whopping 80 milligrams of caffeine and some people do not stop at just one. Excess caffeine consumption has considerable negative side effects - including headaches, nervousness, irritability and insomnia.

Energy Drink's "Beneficial Ingredients" Can Be Obtained From Food: The "vitamins" contained in energy drinks can be obtained cheaply and easily from food. Since most sports drink costs about two dollars a can - (and cost more than that in terms of calories and sugar), it's best to get the "beneficial ingredients" contained in many sports drinks from the food you eat. Vitamin C and B vitamins are commonly found in energy drinks, but you can easily get these vitamins by eating an orange and lean turkey.

There Are Better Beverage Alternatives To Energy Drinks: Water is the best beverage for any healthy lifestyle or weight loss plan. Your body needs a sufficient amount of water for good heath and to meet your every day needs. Green tea will provide a bit of caffeine along with immensely beneficial antioxidants. You can sweeten green tea with Stevia or make it richer by adding fat free creamer if you need to. If you like and crave the sweetness of Red Bull or other energy drinks, substitute fruit juice. Doing so will save calories, sugar, and limit your caffeine consumption while ensuring your body receives benefits from what you drink - rather than paying a high cost for it.