We all need a nice boost from time to time. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep, or maybe you’ve got to pull an extra-long shift. In either event, an energy drink can be a great way to give yourself that boost to make it through the day. That said, you might not want to pick up just any old energy drink: a lot of them are quite bad for your health.
Today we’ll be looking at a few organic alternatives to normal energy drinks. These are options that might not be healthy, per se, but they’re not as detrimental as drinks like Monster or Red Bull. Let’s start with some of the basics!
Black Coffee
The warm, bitter drink of choice for health-conscious people who need a boost is, of course, black coffee. If you don’t add any cream or sugar to the morning beverage, it’s got zero calories and it’s actually pretty good for you. There’s not really much to it, so all you get from black coffee is the caffeine content.
As you well know, one of the most concentrated and efficient ways to get caffeine is just through drinking coffee. So, if you want a good way to get energy without taking in a ton of sugars and other compounds from energy drinks, go with a nice, black coffee. If you’re looking for the boost later in the day and don’t want such a hot drink, you can go with an iced coffee or a cold brew, both of which are also fine for your health.
Black Tea
Maybe the bitter, intense flavor of coffee isn’t your cup of tea. Jokes aside, if you don’t like coffee, maybe you’ll like black tea. You can drink it hot or cold, just like coffee, and it offers caffeine and no calories. That is, if you take it without any cream or sugar. This might all be sounding pretty familiar.
In the case of sweetened tea, of course, that changes the conversation. Southern-style sweet iced tea has a tremendous amount of sugar added in, making it a decidedly different beverage. If you’re trying to watch out for your health, try to avoid ingesting that much added sugar! Black tea is quite good for you if you take it with nothing added, and it’ll give you a great boost of caffeine to get in gear.
Schekter’s Organic Energy Drink
Schekter’s is a true energy drink, in that it’s a canned concoction with a proprietary caffeine blend and an interesting taste profile. The basic flavor is a pomegranate taste, with hints of elderberry and lemon juice, giving the drink an unusual but good taste profile.
The energy from this drink is described as “clean” and “jitter-free,” coming courtesy of an all-natural caffeine blend in the drink. As such, this drink isn’t dissimilar from coffee, aside from the added sugars from the fruit juices in the recipe. If you don’t mind a bit of extra sugar, this is a good option.
Sambazon Amazon Energy Drink
Another “proper” energy drink, Sambazon Amazon Energy Drink is also marketed as all-natural and organic. The drink has a number of antioxidants, courtesy of the acai berry and acerola cherry in the recipe. The company proudly proclaims that it obtains the ingredients used in the drink from the Amazon Rainforest, using sustainable methods to source them.
The caffeine mix in the drink is obtained from guarana, green tea and yerba mate, and is supposedly a “cleaner” boost than some competitors. The amount of caffeine in one can is comparable to a double shot of espresso. That makes this a rather impactful drink, so it should help you tackle any challenges in your day!