Everyone knows how it feels between lunch and the end of a workday when the morning sensory overload begins to slow to a steady pause.
While co-workers are reaching for another cup of coffee, or other caffeine-rich drinks or snacks, a better alternative might actually be an energy drink.
Why Avoid Caffeine?
While caffeine is a naturally occurring drug that is fine in moderation, the average person in the United States consumes more than he should, averaging 280 mg each day, which equates to just one of the following:
- Four dark chocolate Hershey bars
- Four cans of Jolt cola
- Four shots of espresso
- Six cans of Diet coke
- Eight cans of Coke Classic
- 24 oz of regular coffee
- One can of Cocaine energy drink
A Dartmouth medical school study conducted in 2007 found that caffeine prevents insulin from effectively drawing sugar to be used as energy. The result is that it becomes stored as fat and that one's risk for diabetes increases.
If this isn't enough, the high from caffeine is always followed by a crash that can leave one feeling the need for an even bigger boost than originally sought.
Which Energy Drinks are Caffeine Free?
Caffeine free energy drinks are not always easy to find. While coffee is often brewing for free in the office, the corner store is always stocked with Red Bull and Mountain Dew. And in some cities, such as New York and San Antonio, there are areas where a coffee shop is across the street from another coffee shop, and there's so much traffic that neither is hurt by the competition.
The following is a list of caffeine free energy drinks:
- ACE Energy Drink
- BPM Energy
- Dark Dog Energy Drink
- Lipovitan B3 Energy Drink
- XS Energy Drink
Be wary, though. Dark Dog and XS are only caffeine free in limited flavors, but one would be hard pressed to know without careful examination. For example, the XS flavors that are caffeine free advertise it on the cans, but are less obvious on the ones that contain it.
Without Caffeine, Where Does the Energy Come From?
Caffeine is a stimulant, but it is not an energy booster per se. The boost comes from an increased heart rate that is a direct effect of consuming the drug. Along with caffeine, energy is also derived from sugar and calories.
Energy drinks without sugar or caffeine seek to offer energy through B vitamins, as noted in the name of Lipovitan B3 Energy Drink. XS Energy Drinks offer a combination of B12 and C. In fact, XS has an excessive amount of vitamin B12 at a whopping 4900%!
While consuming 4900% of one's daily dose of B12 may seem like too much, Tara Kerpelman's Medill Reports article, "ABCs of Kids' Vitamins and Minerals," published for Northwestern University on February 4, 2009, explains that the excess vitamins taken in from these energy drinks are absorbed to the point they are needed, and passed through where they are not.
For this reason, caffeine free energy drinks should be consumed around the time of a workout when the body would benefit most from a more natural energy boost. Also for this reason, caffeine free energy drinks may be more preferable than Red Bull or coffee.
The market is currently flooded with beverages loaded with caffeine, but just as cola companies have Sierra Mist and 7-Up, the energy drink market has ACE, BPM, and several others.
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