Energy drinks are one of the most consumed beverages there is. According to a recent survey, around 47% of the respondents consume energy drinks several times a week. It is most common among young adults and is consumed all around the world. The energy drink industry is a multi-billion industry. There are several famous energy drink companies. And they appeal to all kinds of people.
Energy drinks are being advertised for athletes, gamers, college students. Just the average overworked American. But manufactured energy drinks are often known to put people in hospitals. Mainly because there are plenty of ingredients that aren’t all healthy and natural that go into it. But what if you could create your own all-natural energy drink?
Energy drinks aren’t all entirely the same. Each energy drink has different ingredients. But several key ingredients are present in almost every single energy drink. These are sugar, caffeine, taurine, guarana, B vitamins, and ginseng. All of these ingredients can be store-bought, except for guarana. All you’ll have to do is mix these ingredients, boil it in water, add your preferred flavoring, carbonate it, and put it in a recyclable plastic bottle. Now that you know how to make it. Let’s discuss what each ingredient is and what they do.
Sugar
Everybody loves sugar. Almost everything we consume has sugar in it. There are three types of sugar: sucrose, fructose, and glucose. Sucrose is made up of fructose and glucose, it’s essentially table sugar and it’s taken from sugar canes or sugar beets. Glucose is the building block of carbohydrates and is usually extracted from cornstarch.
Fructose is the sugar present in fruits, honey, agave, and other root vegetables. Each sugar is absorbed differently and serves different purposes. Glucose is needed for energy. Fructose gradually increases your blood sugar and is converted into glucose by your liver. Sucrose gets broken down inside your body into glucose and fructose.
Caffeine
I think everyone is well acquainted with caffeine. Everyone knows caffeine is what you need to wake up. And too much caffeine can be a bad thing. But what is it exactly and how does it keep us awake? Caffeine can naturally be found in teas, coffees, and cacao plants. When it enters your body it stimulates your brain and nervous system. What it does is stops the adenosine in your body from working. This is the neurotransmitter responsible for making us feel sleepy. Aside from keeping us awake, it also increases our adrenaline and dopamine.
Taurine
Taurine is something we’re a little more unfamiliar with. It’s an amino acid that is known to increase sports performance. Unlike caffeine, there is little issue with taurine. There are no known harmful side effects of taking it. Our bodies actually naturally produce taurine. But don’t worry the taurine in our drinks don’t come from humans. They come from meat, fish, and dairy. It can also be created synthetically which is what they use when it comes to vegan products.
Guarana
Guarana is a plant that contains even more caffeine. It’s like coffee and tea leaves that naturally have caffeine in them. The only difference between coffee, tea, and guarana is that guarana has double the amount of caffeine. So aside from adding just regular caffeine in energy drinks. Manufacturers go ahead and add even more caffeine in the form of guarana.
B Vitamins
There are several types of B vitamins. Together they are known as the vitamin B complex. And they are in charge of making sure that the cells in our body are functioning properly. If one has a B vitamin deficiency they will constantly feel fatigued, be constipated, lose their appetite, lose weight, and feel a lot of “pins and needles”.
Ginseng
Ginseng is another plant, well, it’s an herb. They’re known in several Asian countries to improve well-being. There is a lot of contradicting information when it comes to ginseng. A lot of it’s said health benefits were proven wrong or discredited. Such as treating erectile dysfunction or getting sharper cognitive function. But the other health benefits do seem to be true. The effects of ginseng include increased energy, reduce inflammation, and lower blood sugar.
Now that you know the common ingredients found in energy drinks. You can try creating your own energy drink at home. And it’s not that difficult. Plus this method is much more natural and healthier than manufactured energy drinks from factories.
