Energy Drinks Cause the Jitters
Energy drinks and health in the same sentence? They are usually loaded with caffeine, artificial sweeteners (Aspartame Controversy, Taurine and to make everything seem OK, artificial vitamins. This cocktail is toxic and has already started to cause serious health problems.
More and more people that consume the traditional energy drink regularly or even daily have already or are destined to eventually suffer from stomach, kidney, liver or heart problems. Not to mention the effects these chemical cocktails can have on one's teeth (premature enamel degradation) or skin (dehydration related blotching).
An entire new generation is coming into adulthood without their parents' coffee routine, but with a morning, afternoon or evening energy drink. Sometimes all three. Many spend hours online gaming, instead of exercising, which accentuates the problem with energy drinks, introducing type 2 diabetes and other sedentary diseases.
Why should we worry about this new breed of stimulants? One could say that a cup or two of coffee every day has never caused serious health effects. This is because coffee gets its buzz from natural coffee beans. Not from the chemical laboratories that produce synthetic caffeine.
Just like with any other product found in nature, the caffeine in the coffee beans comes with many by-products which are not easily separated from the pure caffeine elements. natural caffeine comes with fibers and other organic substances which reduce the absorption of the caffeine into the bloodstream.
In most energy drinks, the caffeine is synthetically produced in a factory, usually in India or China. This synthetic caffeine has one advantage over natural caffeine: it is extremely potent. All of the natural byproducts that come with natural caffeine from coffee beans or Guarana are not present with laboratory caffeine. It is also much cheaper to produce than natural caffeine, another great thing, from the manufacturer's point of view. Unfortunately, from a consumer's point of view, this concentrated caffeine blast is absorbed into the bloodstream almost as soon as it hits the stomach.
Natural caffeine, on the other hand, is more gradually absorbed into the body. It is also less potent and therefore less toxic than artificial caffeine. There are two distinct advantages that come from a more natural stimulant (whether it be tea, coffee or Guarana). The first is that the period of heightened alertness will be longer. Instead of the huge instantaneous rush you get from energy drinks and then the commensurate crash an hour later, you get a sustained feeling of alertness for a few hours and the effect tends to wear off just as gradually.
Secondly, continuous exposure to synthetic caffeine over saturates our nervous system. If this excessive exposure continues, our nerves go haywire. This is Mother Nature's way of telling us to be careful. Our hands may quiver, nervous habits develop; our body starts to show signs of stress not different from those related to anxiety or depression. Not recommended for anyone.
With natural caffeine or guaranine, the body can more easily flush out the excess quantities and not overtax the nervous system. But even with natural caffeine, one must use moderation. It is best to stick with one regular cup of coffee or tea (not the large Starbucks which is really like 6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffees don't contain any of the chemicals used in large farming operations. Whole Foods Markets has a wide variety of these.
Two natural energy drinks that I like are GURU Energy Drinks from Canada and Syzmo from the US. They are made exclusively with natural caffeine from Guarana and/or coffee. The big plus for GURU is that its Organic and doesn't have added vitamins. Syzmo is excellent quality but much more expensive, and the taste needs getting used to. GURU has an all natural low-cal energy drink sweetened with Stevia called (GURU Lite), which is an added bonus (see my post on Benefits of Stevia: (ref: For Dollars (will) Authorize (FDA)).
With cold teas; naturally brewed products provide anti-oxidants in addition to the natural caffeine. A brand I like is ITOEN. They have some unsweetened products with a unique taste that grows on you after a while. Teas Teas.
Shopping for an Espresso Machine? Here's a selection at affordable prices:
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De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker List Price: $140.00 Sale Price: $69.00 Used From: $68.99  |
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Enjoy delicious espresso made your way with De'Longhi's pump espresso and cappuccino maker. You can choose to brew ground espresso or E.S.E pods with the unique patented dual filter holder. The choice is yours, making your espresso truly made to order... |
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Mr. Coffee ECM160 4-Cup Steam Espresso Machine, Black List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $34.89 Used From: $29.99 |
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Makes delicious espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes. Powerful milk frother. 4-Cup capacity: 20-ounce. Per shot. Removable drip tray. Easy to pour decanter. Removable frothing aid. On/off indicator light. |
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Urnex Cafiza Espresso Machine Cleaning Tablets, 100 Tablets List Price: $18.13 Sale Price: $12.69 |
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Cafiza espresso machine cleaning tablets, 100 1.2g tablets per jar |
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Capresso 303.01 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine List Price: $59.99 Sale Price: $59.19 Used From: $47.64 |
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Experience the full taste of espressos, cappuccinos and lattes. The Capresso 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine features an exclusive Coffee/Steam Selector that makes it easy to control both brewing and steaming, allowing the user to adjust coffee strength to their personal taste... |
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Espresso Tamper 50 & 60 Mm Sizes Cast Alloy Hand Coffee List Price: $7.99 Sale Price: $5.00 |
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Description: This sleek cast aluminum alloy Coffee Tamper fits beautifully in the hand. This was designed by a professional barista to tamp down espresso. You will love it in your kitchen or coffee bar and it also makes an ideal gift for the discerning coffee drinker!! One side is 50mm the other is 58mm Color: aluminum Content: cast aluminum alloy Measurements: 50mm top diameter and 58 mm diameter on the other side, and 2... |
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Tags: artificial caffeine, caffeine, coffee, dangers of caffeine, diet, drugs, energy drinks, fitness, health, healthy drinks, healthy energy drinks, lifestyle, natural caffeine, natural energy drinks
January 18 2009 08:24 am | coffee