If you're like me then you've probably lived your whole live longing for that sugar fix on a daily basis whether you consciously seek it out or just find yourself munching on sugar laden junk food for no reason. That's because sugar is addictive just like any other drug. In fact, experiencing a "hit" from sugar, whether it be via a candy bar or your favorite sugary drink, has the same effect on the human brain as cocaine and other drugs of abuse do [1]. Both cause a surge in the brain chemical known as dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for producing pleasure sensations deep within the brain.
Consuming sugar is not necessarily a bad thing when done so by seeking out natural foods such as fruit, baby carrots, or other products made by Mother Nature. The problem we face today is that sugar is literally added to everything we eat including bread, ketchup, sweetened beverages, and even baked beans. Yes, that's right - baked beans! Refined and added sugars have become a major problem over the last few decades in the western diet, and it's only adding to the ongoing healthcare crisis we're seeing today.
Six in the morning comes way too early for that annoying alarm clock when all you want to do is sleep another 15 minutes. But, unfortunately, that's the last thing you can afford to do at least if you want to make it to work or class on time. And then once you've made it to your desk those eyelids feel like they're anchored down with 12 lb bowling balls. All you want is some energy. So what do you do?
Energy drinks to the rescue!! Right? How about not right. While those 2-oz shots or 16-oz beverages may pack a punch in getting you back on track in the middle of a dreaded Monday morning they are simply a quick fix that carry potentially harmful health effects.
What's In Those Drinks Anyways?
The two major ingredients in most energy drinks are caffeine and sugar which is why you get a "rush" not long after swigging down one of these puppies.
The average amount of caffeine contained in a 16-oz energy drink is approximately 150-200 mg. A 12-oz soda contains approximately 40-50 mg of caffeine and a 6-oz cup of coffee contains approximately 100 mg of caffeine. Keep in mind that the caffeine content of energy drinks, soda, and coffee all vary depending on the brand you drink. Not only do energy drinks contain caffeine but they also may contain ingredients such as guarana or yerba mate which are additional sources of caffeine.
Sugar is also a favorite ingredient for manufacturers to add to energy drinks. The original 16-oz Monster energy drink contains 54 grams of sugar. The original 16-oz Rockstar energy drink contains 62 grams of sugar. Both of these drinks contain more than Mountain Dew which is considered to be one of the highest sugar containing sodas on the market. A 12-oz Mountain Dew contains 46 grams of sugar.
But what about the sugar free versions of all those energy drinks? Well, they may be sugar free but that doesn't mean they don't try and compensate for that with artificial sweeteners. Most sugar free versions of energy drinks use one or more of the following artificial sweeteners - Acesulfame K or Ace-K (Sunett or Sweet One), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low), or Erythritol.
So What's So Bad About Energy Drinks?
While energy drinks have been shown to significantly increase focus and attention in subjects [1] these effects only lasted about 90 minutes [2]. So energy drinks are clearly only quick fixes for the fatigue that we may be feeling due to lack of sleep, lack of exercise, or even poor nutrition. There are also some health risks that may be associated with consuming energy drinks especially if you opt for drinking more than one on a regular basis. Let's take a look at what a few of these are.
1) Caffeine - This substance is a central nervous system stimulant and when used in moderation is not harmful to the human body. According to the Mayo Clinic moderation would be considered 200-300 mg/day of caffeine. This would be equal to one 16-oz energy drink. One drink won't overload you on caffeine but if you drink another one or add in a few sodas or a cup of coffee on top of that you can easily get more caffeine than you need. In all actuality, the human body has no biological requirement for caffeine [3]. What it does require is sufficient sleep. In fact, one study showed that napping 60-90 minutes improved memory function more than a 200 mg dose of caffeine did [4].
Acute caffeine consumption has been found to lead to insulin resistance [5] which is not welcome news for diabetics who love their energy drinks. Regular consumption of high amounts of caffeine have also been found to be a risk factor for chronic daily headaches [6]. There are also cardiovascular concerns that have been raised with high caffeine intake.
One other area of concern with caffeine in energy drinks was brought to light in the fall of 2010 when the FDA banned caffeine in alcoholic energy drinks as discussed in a recent JAMA article. The ban was put in place because the combination of caffeine and alcohol led to drinking higher volumes of alcohol, prolonging the drinking sessions, and a higher prevalence of risky behaviors including sexual assaults and DUI's [7]. The article also spoke of a possible risk between the consumption of energy drinks and alcohol dependence and prescription drug abuse regardless if energy drinks were mixed with alcohol or not [7].
2) Sugar - There is obviously a tremendous amount of sugar in many of these drinks. And it comes in the form of simple sugars too which have been shown to lead to a spike in blood sugars also known as a "sugar high" followed by a crash when the blood sugars quickly fall back again. This can lead to fatigue, lethargy, and headaches. In a study done on college students who regularly consumed energy drinks there was a significant dose related effect associated with these "jolt and crash" episodes so the more drinks that were consumed the more likely a "jolt and crash" episode was to occur [3]. Not exactly what you were looking for to get you through that Monday morning.
3) Artificial Sweeteners - Those zero calorie or low carb energy drinks might be appealing for those "health conscious" individuals out there looking for a better option than the sugar packed original energy drinks but don't be fooled because the artificial sweeteners they contain do not exactly promote health. In fact, artificial sweeteners such as saccharin have been shown to increase appetite due to their sweetness leading to the consumption of more calories for individuals at their next meal [8]. Sucralose has also been reported to be a possible trigger for migraine headaches in some individuals [9].
There is a lot of controversy over whether or not artificial sweeteners pose harmful health risks and one of the biggest reasons for this is that there are no long term studies to determine this in humans. Many of the short term studies have been sponsored by the food industry. Until long term studies that are performed by third party independent testers without the potential for bias come forth it's really hard to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt if artificial sweeteners are bad for you or not. What is interesting is that much of the talk in the medical community focuses on whether or not these substances pose health risks instead of whether or not they actually promote positive health outcomes. That in and of itself speaks volumes to the fact that if you are trying to achieve optimal health then consuming artificial sweeteners isn't going to help you get there.
To Summarize
Energy drinks have become wildly popular in recent years especially with the younger generation of adolescents and college age kids. Their contents may improve your ability to function and stay alert in the short term but they also come with many downsides that far out weigh any benefits they may give. Their high caffeine and sugar content don't bode well for your overall health. And the artificial sweeteners in the low or no calorie versions aren't exactly the picture of health and vitality that some are led to believe.
You're best bet is to drink what we all require to stay alive - ice cold, refreshing water! Or if you need to add some flavor to your life then try some green tea, a smoothie, or 100% fruit juice. And if it's really a boost of energy that you're looking for then nothing beats getting back to the basics by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and developing better sleeping habits.
If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our dailyFacebookandTwitterposts! Also, don't forget to sign up for Our Free Online Mailing Listto get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!
We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com.
Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!
References:
1 van den Eynde F, van Baelen PC, Portzky M, Audenaert K. The effects of energy drinks on cognitive performance. Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2008;50(5):273-81.
2 Smit HJ, Cotton JR, Hughes SC, Rogers PJ: Mood and cognitive performance effects of "energy" drink constituents: caffeine, glucose and carbonation. Nutritional Neuroscience 2004 , 7:127-139.
3 Malinauskas BM, Aeby VG, Overton RF, Carpenter-Aeby T, Barber-Heidal K. A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students. Nutr J. 2007 Oct 31;6:35.
4 Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Kanady J, Drummond SP. Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps and placebo on verbal, motor and perceptual memory. Behav Brain Res. 2008 Nov 3;193(1):79-86.
5 Lee SJ, Hudson R, Kilpatrick K, Graham TE, Ross R: Caffeine ingestion is associated with reductions in glucose uptake independent of obesity and Type 2 diabetes before and after exercise training. Diabetes Care 2005 , 28:566-572.
6 Scher AI, Stewart WF, Lipton RB: Caffeine as a risk factor for chronic daily headache: A population-based study. Neurology 2004 , 63:2022-2027.
7 Arria AM, O'Brien MC. The "high" risk of energy drinks. JAMA. 2011 Feb 9;305(6):600-1.
8 Rogers PJ, Blundell JE. Separating the actions of sweetness and calories: effects of saccharin and carbohydrates on hunger and food intake in human subjects. Physiol Behav. 1989 Jun;45(6):1093-9.
9 Patel RM, Sarma R, Grimsley E. Popular sweetner sucralose as a migraine trigger. Headache. 2006 Sep;46(8):1303-4.
So you're in the supermarket and you pick up a box of "all natural", "organic", "wheat" crackers that looks like another stellar healthy pick on your part. I mean you do love your heart and want to lose weight so you're definitely not looking to buy anything that puts you back in the doctor's office anytime soon, right?
You take this box of crackers and turn it all around and upside down until you finally find the nutrition facts label somewhere on the side. Now you're cruising with high hopes! You look at it and it's only 130 calories per serving... check! Only 7% total fat... check! No cholesterol... check! Only 1 gram of sugar... check! And the ingredient list... well there's about 15 items on there and very few of them are things that you've ever actually heard of so you'll just bypass that section. And voila!! Into the cart goes the crackers and on to the next victim on the shelf. Sound familiar?
So how'd you do? Was that really a healthy choice? Were those crackers really made from whole grains? Did you check how many crackers per serving and then think of how many crackers you eat during each sitting and then calculate out the rest of the percentages of total fat, sugar, sodium, etc.? Of course not. I've never seen anybody shop with a calculator as they wander up and down the aisles. Have you?
While reading a nutrition facts label may seem a bit overwhelming and confusing at first it really is pretty easy to get the hang of with a few basic guidelines. With some simple tips below and some great video clips by registered dietitian Jeff Novick you'll become a master at reading a nutrition label.
Basic Rules For All Products
Jeff Novick RD has two main rules when analyzing the nutrition content of the food you buy. These are a must so make sure you commit them to memory to keep you going down the right path for each of your shopping trips.
Rule #1 - Never ever believe anything on the front of the package... ever!
Rule #2 - Always read the nutrition facts label and ingredient list.
Guidelines For Analyzing Nutrition Facts Label
I'm going to break this up into cholesterol, fats, sodium, and carbohydrates/sugars. Protein will not be discussed because as long as you're not living completely off of soda and glazed donuts then it's virtually impossible not to get enough protein in your diet. If you want more information on protein then feel free to visit my protein page.
Cholesterol
Everybody is into low cholesterol these days. This isn't a bad thing. High cholesterol levels have been linked to many different chronic diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and more.
Here's what you need to know about cholesterol. We do not need to consume any cholesterol from dietary sources for purposes of promoting health. Our body makes all the cholesterol it needs to maintain itself. Plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts/seeds, legumes) contain NO cholesterol. Animal-based foods (meat, dairy, eggs) always contain cholesterol and consuming these foods does not promote health. With that in mind here's a very simple guideline to follow when looking at a nutrition label...
**If it contains any cholesterol then it contains animal-based foods and it's best to put it back on the shelf**
Fats
We all need about 2-3% of our total calories to come from essential fats (alpha-linolenic acid & linoleic acid) in our diet for basic survival purposes [1]. The government or USDA says that we can consume up to 35% of calories from fat. This upper limit of 35% has been put in place since 2005 by the USDA and prior to that it was set at 30% starting from 1990 to 2005. This level is far too high. During this same time frame the obesity epidemic has continued to grow out of control. It's time we turn to the experts in the field of health and nutrition who really know what they're talking about in regards to this topic.
Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn have reversed the incidence of chronic diseases (including heart disease) in their patients with a more effective and proven set of guidelines regarding fat intake in a person's diet. They have all had their patients follow a plant-based diet with a fat intake of around 10%-15% of their total calories. This approach works well to both prevent and reverse chronic illnesses. Jeff Novick talks about keeping your fat intake to less than 20% of calories for packaged foods which is more in line with the aforementioned physicians.
Simple tips to follow in regards to fats...
- Check the calories per serving to calories per serving from fat and keep this to 20% or less. For example if your product has 100 calories per serving than 20 calories or less should come from fat.
- Check the ingredient list for bad fats. Avoid saturated animal fats (lard, butter, chicken fat, etc.), saturated vegetable fats (coconut oil, cocoa butter, palm oil, palm kernel oil), and man-made saturated fats (margarine, shortening).
- Look in the ingredients for the term "partially hydrogenated" oils which are the same as trans fat and you should put these products back on the shelf.
Sodium
Everyone knows how dangerous too much sodium is for us. Even so, the average American consumes anywhere from 3,000-4,500 mg of sodium per day. Human beings have been known to function just fine on as little as 585 mg of sodium per day [2]. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for America recommend that we consume an average of less than or equal to 1,500 mg of sodium per day for optimal health with an upper limit not to exceed 2,300 mg per day [3]. Most Americans consume almost double this amount! Our intake of excess sodium has been shown to increase the risk of several different cardiovascular diseases including heart attack and stroke. Needless to say, we need to tone it down when it comes to our sodium intake.
Follow these tips on how to lower your sodium intake...
- Keep your calories per serving to sodium ratio at 1:1 or lower. So if you are looking at a product that contains 100 calories per serving then it should have 100 mg or less of sodium per serving.
- Retire the salt shaker. Instead, opt for the many different varieties of no salt seasonings available such as Mrs. Dash, Spike seasonings, etc.
Carbohydrates/Sugars
It seems as though everyone is on a low carb craze as of late but carbohydrates are not necessarily bad. Our body's primary source of energy is carbohydrates. The important thing to realize is that you need to cut out the carbs but rather avoid the bad carbs (refined carbohydrates/sugars) and eat plenty of good carbs (fruits, vegetables, whole grains).
Let's take a look at some helpful tips when considering carbs/sugars on a nutrition label...
- Don't pay attention to the amount in grams of "total carbs" or "total sugars" on the nutrition label. You're only interested in what kind of carbs or sugars are in the product. Look at the ingredient list to find this out.
- Choose products that contain whole grains. It must say these exact words to be considered a whole grain product - "whole" as in whole wheat, "rolled" as in rolled oats, "stone-ground" or "cracked". If it says anything other than these exact words such as "wheat flour", "enriched wheat flour", etc. then it's not whole grain. These are the same as white flour which is a refined carbohydrate. It's nutritional value has been stripped of it so these products should be avoided.
- Natural sources of sugars from fresh fruit are ok but avoid added or refined sugars. These include evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, brown rice syrup, honey, dehydrated honey, molasses, etc. You can find a more extensive list here (FYI-I'm not endorsing this article in whole and only providing it for the list of hidden sugars in foods).
- If you find any of the added/refined sugars mentioned above in the first 5 ingredients on the ingredient list then this product contains a high amount of unhealthy sugar and should be avoided. Remember, food manufacturers are required to list ingredients in order of highest to lowest in terms of the weighted amount in the product. The higher an ingredient is on the list the more of this a product contains.
Now take a look at this excellent video by Jeff Novick on the basics of nutrition label reading:
I'd like to also provide one more resource for you to get your nutrition facts straight. The following website is a great tool for looking up nutrition facts for nearly any food that you might eat.
I hope you have learned how to master reading a nutrition label by now and that it leads to much smarter and healthier choices when you find yourself wandering around your grocery store. Don't forget, the healthiest foods are the ones without labels at all and can be found in your produce section and these should fill up most of your grocery cart. Good luck everyone and happy shopping!
If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our dailyFacebookandTwitterposts! Also, don't forget to sign up for Our Free Online Mailing Listto get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!
We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com.
Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!
References:
1 Davis BC, Kris-Etherton PM. Achieving optimal essential fatty acid status in vegetarians: current knowledge and practical implications. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3 Suppl):640S-646S.
2 Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. 2005; 6:269. Available: www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10925&page=269.
3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Washington, DC: U.S. June 2010.
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