Coffee Vs Energy Drinks: The Battle To Keep You Awake
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Between attending class, studying for tests, and keeping up a social life outside of college, you may find yourself in need of an occasional energy boost. This will mean making an important decision which has been the center of some serious debate: coffee vs energy drinks. If youre looking for the refreshment that will provide you with the most energy as well as the best health benefits, then read on as we compare these two energy boosters.
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay
Instead Of Caffeine Go Natural
Many of us have developed a caffeine dependence on our daily cup of coffee. While we may deny it, without a cup of coffee or espresso, it may be tough to get through the day. What may surprise you, though, is the range of natural caffeine sources. While coffee is by far the most common source of caffeine in our society, its a good idea to vary your caffeine consumption on a regular basis. While many commercial coffees include a high sugar content, there are numerous organic, healthier sources of caffeine available.
While you may roll your eyes at the silly Zoolander adage, Water is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty, it is actually correct. Weve all heard how essential water is to our overall health, nutrition, and skin, but being hydrated may also help you feel more energised naturally and without the need of caffeine. As a general rule, Whipple adds, drink half your body weight in ounces every day. Mild dehydration has been proven to affect concentration, mood, and even performance on regular activities. If you begin to feel drained of energy throughout the day, swap your afternoon iced coffee for a large glass of water and a quick walk around the office to rehydrate and re-energize your body.
Black Tea Can Give Coffee Lovers Their Caffeine Fix Plus Other Health Benefits
What can i drink instead of coffee for energy. Just remember to control portion size, because the calories and carbohydrate can add up. Cup of coffee, according to the fda. Apples contain upwards of 13 grams of sugar, which gives you a natural energy boost as the sugar is slowly released throughout the body.
Department of agriculture , while energy drinks have about 74 milligrams, per the usda. Replace energy drink with caffeine and sugar drink and you have your answer. In these cases, it is best to replace these with the same amount of coffee.
The first step to increasing your natural energy levels is removing the artificial boost you get from caffeine. If its the afternoon and youre still feeling the effects of the night before, reach for green tea instead of more coffee. Many people turn to energy drinks such as monster and red bull.
Apple cider vinegar can serve as an energy boost and be your replacement for coffee in the mornings. That will give us energy in a more natural way, avoiding additives that are harmful to our health. Rooibos tea is praised for its ability to.
This is a significant difference for someone with acid reflux! If you find your energy flagging toward the afternoon, finding a quiet place to take a brief nap can transform the second half of your day much more effectively than another cup of coffee. While this may seem like a win for energy drinks, the opposite is true.
Root beer energy drink Root beer, Drinks, Nutrition
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Soda Water With Fruit Juice
Some people find the pleasing fizz of sodas difficult to give up. Mixing plain soda water with a little fruit juice and a squeeze of lemon or lime provides a refreshing alternative.
Some juices that work well are cranberry, raspberry and apple, and grape. However, as many juice products are high in added sugars, it is best to use fresh fruits or opt for 100% fruit juices, where possible.
commonly use ginseng root and ginseng extract to boost energy, improve memory and concentration, relieve stress and fatigue, and slow the effects of aging.
Anyone wishing to try ginseng as a tea or a supplement should read the product instructions carefully to ensure the correct dosage.
Work Out When You Wake Up
From counteracting feelings of stress and normalizing sleep patterns to improving your mood, working out in the morning releases endorphins that make you feel energized and starts the day on a positive, healthy note.
Put It into Practice: Keep yourself accountable by signing up for a class or working out with a friend.
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When To Avoid Caffeine
For most people, consuming moderate amounts of coffee is fine as part of a healthful, balanced diet.
However, experts advise certain groups of people to avoid caffeine where possible to avoid aggravating existing health conditions or reduce the risk of health complications.
For instance, a person should monitor their caffeine intake if they:
- are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
- have glaucoma or a family history of glaucoma
Ways To Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine
Brainpower is thus named for a reason: supercharged cognition results in peak mental performance. Active thinking, rapid mental processing, rapid recall, and mental clarity all require a healthy brain. However, long-term use of coffee and stimulants to enhance brain energy may result in crashes and decreased brainpower. For energy, Natures Choice Max Focus may be beneficial. These natural cognitive enhancers provide a variety of techniques to boost brain energy without the usage of stimulants. As a consequence, Natures Choice Max Focus is better for the brain while still providing outstanding benefits in terms of brainpower enhancement.
Caffeine gives energy, but mitochondrial energy enhancers help the bodys natural energy-producing pathways function more efficiently. And, honestly, it very well covers up the distinctions between the two even if caffeine does not offer the energy we believe it provides. No, its route is quite intriguing but less beneficial than the mitochondrial system.
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Coffee Vs Energy Drinks
Caffeine-infused beverages help me through my 18-hour days. I begin my day early, while the majority of people are still sleeping, and conclude it far after the majority of people have tucked themselves in for the night. However, my energy level occasionally decreases in the middle of the day and just after lunch . I generally attribute it to whatever I ate for lunch, although some of my acquaintances assert that it is due to the circadian cycle. Around this period, I used to drink coffee with as little sugar as possible. However, there are times when getting up, mixing up a cup of coffee, and waiting for it to cool is a bother. Occasionally, I require a short boost in between deadlines.
Energy drinks include a significant amount of caffeine possibly more than is safe for children. Numerous studies and millions of coffee consumers attest to caffeines health advantages. Caffeine may increase alertness, response speed, sociability, and physical endurance, as detailed in Caffeine: the good, the bad, and the maybe . However, there is a downside: addiction. According to the article, after less than a week of daily caffeine consumption, the majority of people may feel headaches, weariness, reduced alertness, and/or sleepiness. Dependent consumers reach for another dose in order to prevent these withdrawal symptoms.
Coffee Has No Dubious Ingredients
If I drink coffee, how will I get my daily taurine, ginseng, yerba mate and B12? you might ask. The good news is that you dont need most of those things in the first place. Some of those are there to add caffeine, and some of them are thrown in because they sound pretty good, even when theres no clear scientific evidence proving their effectiveness. Sure, B12 is a vitamin, but you probably get that from your diet already.
Part of being healthy is controlling what you put in your body, and you know whats in your coffee. Just coffee.
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How To Quit Coffee
Weve examined some of the detrimental effects of caffeine, but many of you probably already know that quitting caffeine is no easy task. If you wish to wean yourself off this stimulant, here are a number of tips and ways to help you on your way!
Consider What You Did Yesterday
“The way you feel in the morning is directly related to what you did the day and night before,” says Denny Hemingson, diet and lifestyle expert and functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner. “Did you eat a clean diet, avoid caffeine after 1 p.m., shut off electronics an hour before bed, and get seven to eight hours of restful sleep? Also, don’t overdo the alcohol since it’s proven to prohibit the body from entering the deepest stages of sleep.”
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Benefits Of Trading Coffee In For Natural Energy Drinks
If youve been looking to give up coffee, here are some reported findings of benefits you might notice after just seven days:
Reduced headaches after an initial withdrawal period
Reduced muscle tension and tightness
Better concentration
Feeling more alert in the morning without restlessness
Return to regular sleep cycles
Better awareness of hunger and fewer junk food cravings
More balanced, healthy response to stress
Meditate For A Few Minutes
Sometimes the best thing you can do to feel refreshed is to slow down. Stop for a few minutes to practice your breathing and focus your mind through a mini meditation. “Take five minutes to do some deep breathing and keep your focus on your breath,” advises Hemingson. “If your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath. It’s amazing what this can do for your mental energy and it readies you to take on the day.” And for more ways meditating is good for your mental health, check out this New Study Offers Scientific Proof That Meditation Can Help With Anxiety.
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Get Seven To Nine Hours Of Sleep
Yes, it’s a no-brainer, but the best way to ensure you’ve got a burst of energy without caffeine in the morning is to get enough sleep at night. In fact, a 2015 study published in Sleep Health: The Journal of the National Sleep Foundation found that adults ages 18 to 64 should get seven to nine hours of rest each night. So make sure you go to bed early to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
Other Energy Ingredient Options
Many energy beverage marketers continue to rely on caffeine, often added through ingredients that are inherent sources of the stimulant. The most common is coffee and tea. Often the coffee or tea serves as the base for the addition of other energy-boosting ingredients.
Monster Energy Co., Corona, Calif., now offers Caffé Monster, a line of shelf-stable energy lattes made with arabica coffee and reduced-fat milk. The drink comes in three varieties mocha, salted caramel and vanilla in a 13.7-oz sleek glass bottle. Energy comes from the caffeine in the brewed coffee, and added B vitamins and coffee fruit extract, as well as sugar and glucose.
Like V8 +Energy, Celsius Holdings Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., uses green tea in its namesake line of energy drinks. The company has clinical data that shows drinking Celsius before exercise may help burn up to 93% more body fat while providing energy. The drinks feature a proprietary blend of ginger, green tea, guarana and vitamin B-complex.
Of all the real teas traditional black, green, oolong and white green is the most concentrated source of antioxidants, an attribute that appeals to health- and wellness-seeking consumers. In addition to containing caffeine, green tea features polyphenols, with epigalocatechin gallate the most dominant. The bioactive compounds function as stimulants, increasing mental alertness.
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Blue Stripes Cacao Espresso
Even though Oded Brenner spent more than two decades shepherding Max Brenner: Chocolate By The Bald Man dessert emporiums, he never realized just how little of the cacao pod is used to create chocolate or how super of a superfood the sweets starting point actually is. To make a more sustainable, farmer-friendly, and healthy treat, he founded Blue Stripes Urban Cacao which finds uses for the shell, fruit, and beans.
Cacao Espresso is an organic chocolate cacao powder that contains 188mg per serving of theobromine, an alkaloid that imparts longer-lasting energy than caffeine without jitters. Mix it with hot water and milk or a milk alternative to create a Cacaoccino. The company also makes electrolyte-charged cacao water from the ghostly white fruit that surrounds the beans inside the pod. One option is flavored with cascara, the dried skins of coffee cherries, and itself another wasted bi-product of the process used to make a more popular beverage, which has been linked to stress reduction, improved memory, and better brain function.
Courtesy of Blue Stripes Urban Cacao
Be Prepared For Bumps
Even if you only have a cup a day, quitting coffee isnt easy, especially if its a longtime habit. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms including headache, fatigue, irritability, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating are more likely to occur when you quit cold turkey, but these symptoms are transient, peaking around one or two days, and subsiding after a week or so. If you experience discomfort, consider tapering your intake slowly over a week use acetaminophen as needed stay hydrated and substitute green tea for coffee toward the end of the week.
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I Quit Coffee 2 Years Agothese Alternatives Give Me A Boost Without The Crash
Delicious and nutritious.
By Sacha Strebe
When I quit coffee over two years ago now, I had no idea what I was in for. I was about to embark on the Sakara Level II detox when I found out that I couldnt have coffee on the five-day cleanse. Instead of freaking out, I decided to go cold turkey. It cant be that hard, were my famous last words because let me tell you, quitting coffee was hard, so very hardeven with the help of delicious healthy coffee alternatives.
If you have a caffeine addiction too or just want to know how to quit coffee, then be prepared for some very real side effects. Im talking headaches and body aches from the waist down for three days, 24 hours a day. Yeah, it wasnt easy, but the silver lining is it made me realize my sensitivity to caffeine. Im so much better off without it. It helped ease my anxiety, improved my sleep, and gave me glowy skin! Not to mention, I dont have the mid-morning caffeine crash anymore.
But that doesnt mean Ive given up coffee altogether. No way. My morning ritual depends on the ceremony of crafting the perfect cupwhos with me? Now, I just drink decaf. I even grind my own decaf beans in our Rancilio Rocky Espresso Coffee Grinder and pour the perfect shot in our Gaggia Classic Pro
Kyf #125 Diy Herbal Coffee Substitutes
If giving up coffee makes you feel deprived, substitute your morning cup of joe with a tasty, caffeine-free herbal coffee. By itself or blended with healthy fats, herbal coffee substitutes are a delicious and comforting way to start your morning without the caffeine. Via TraditionalCookingSchool.com.
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Make Coffee Your Morning Friend
One last word about drinking coffee for energy:
Its best that you only drink coffee in the morning. Thats because caffeine has a half-lifethe time taken by the body to eliminate one-half of the caffeineof about 5 hours. This means that if you drink a cup of coffee at 6 pm, youll still have half the caffeine from the coffee in your system at 11 pm. You can see how this might adversely affect your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
If you stick to drinking coffee only in the morning, then you will get the energy boost you need throughout the day, and youll still be able to sleep like a baby at night. I hope this article has helped persuade you that coffee is the best choice when it comes to choosing an energy drink that you can consume and enjoy on a daily basis.
Its likely that you drink a fair amount of tea or coffee every day. Even if you dont drink them daily, you probably dont stay away from occasionally sipping a cup of tea or coffee, as you fancy. Be it a cold winter day or a hot summer afternoon, these caffeine packed beverages are a popular choice. With the extra touch of additional ingredients for taste and health, your caffeine beverage now comes in a variety of creative recipes. Here, below, are 20 delightful tea and coffee recipes to jazz up your regular caffeine dosage and shake you free from your thirst.