Should You Make Homemade Energy Drinks?

In a time when energy beverages have gotten a bad reputation and the debate is raging strongly over whether any energy drink is actually good for you, healthier energy drinks are being overlooked.

It's a little known fact that between family, working, cleaning, a social life, kids, and everything in between, productivity and energy levels can be a bit on the low side for a lot of us.

We all could benefit from a pick-me-up to get through the day, and energy drinks have a way of giving us just that. But what about the health risks and side effects associated with these popular energy drinks? Is it worth the risk? Are we better off just making our own energy drinks at home, and what is a “healthier” energy drink, anyway?

Get comfortable and keep reading - we’ll tell you everything you need to know.

 

What is An Energy Drink?

Energy beverages are crafted to boost focus and help push you forward both physically and mentally. Your typical energy drink contains caffeine, the stimulant we all know and love, and usually in much larger quantities than what you would get from your regular cup of java. Depending on the brand, your drink may also contain tons of sugar, natural extracts, amino acids, and artificial or natural flavors.

 

The Health Benefits of Caffeine

Naturally occurring caffeine comes from coffee beans and tea leaves, and has been found, in moderation, to provide some noteworthy benefits, including:

• Alertness. Not surprisingly, moderate doses of caffeine have been found to increase alertness and decrease fatigue. 

• Athletic performance. Caffeine gives endurance exercisers a performance boost.

• Cognitive support. Researchers found that caffeine has the power to improve long-term memory. Other studies show that caffeine improves attention span, psychomotor performance, and cognitive function. 

• Headaches. Caffeine can be helpful for some types of headaches. 

But most of the caffeine commonly found in popular energy drinks today is not natural caffeine, it’s synthetic.

Does natural caffeine, which comes from plants, and synthetic caffeine, which comes from a lab, have the same effects?

Not quite.

Synthetic caffeine absorbs much faster through the digestive system, causing a quicker spike - and a more sudden crash.

 

Problems With the Synthetic Caffeine Industry

With caffeine being a heavily used ingredient in energy drinks around the world, supply and demand needs have grown past what natural resources can provide, making lab-manufactured caffeine the new default for a lot of energy drink companies.

Unfortunately, a lot of this synthetic caffeine is produced in labs with minimal regulation and oversight, in a country notorious for contaminants within lab-made products, China.

Synthetic caffeine undergoes many steps to be made into its final form, and generally, it’s exposed to harsh chemicals during production, such as methylene chloride, carbon dioxide, sedum carbonate, chloroform, and ethyl acetate. All of these ingredients aren’t quite the substances you want to be consuming when you’re looking for an energy jolt!

What is Natural Caffeine?

Natural caffeine provides generally longer-lasting, sustained energy.

There are around 60 types of plants that naturally produce caffeine. Beverages like tea and coffee are naturally caffeinated beverages whose caffeine comes from the plants they’re made from.

Not only does naturally-occurring caffeine provide longer sustained energy, but it also has its own exclusive antioxidant benefits, which help to support heart health and battle oxidative stress as a whole. Additionally, naturally sourced caffeine doesn’t have intense side effects like nervousness, insomnia, and flushed face as much as synthetic caffeine.

 

So, What Makes a Homemade or Natural Energy Drink?

A natural energy drink is a beverage that is made with naturally occurring caffeine and no artificial ingredients. However, most energy drinks on the market these days are not natural and are made using synthetic caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and a ton of other junk like artificial flavors and coloring.

These popular artificial energy drinks are terrible for many reasons. Here are a few of them:  

• Commonly reported side effects of artificial energy drinks to include insomnia, heart palpitations, chest pain, diarrhea, headaches, and irritability. 

• Artificial energy drinks have been responsible for countless visits to the ER yearly, and some of these have even been fatal. 

• Health concerns are steadily growing about the safety of these types of drinks. 

So, should you just skip the artificial stuff and make your own energy drinks at home?

Sure! Making homemade energy drinks is a great way to make 100% sure you are not consuming any harsh chemicals or artificial ingredients. However, the truth is that life can get a little busy, and finding the time to whip up an energy-boosting beverage is easier said than done, especially when we’re usually chugging energy drinks because we are running short on time in our day to get things done.

If you don’t have the time to create your own energy drink, reach for a clean energy shot, like the ones found at Proper Wild.

Proper Wild uses organic caffeine from green tea leaves to provide clean, long-lasting energy. Each shot also contains L-theanine to support focus and productivity with reduced jitters. With absolutely nothing artificial and zero grams of added sugar, these energy shots offer a clean, smooth, and natural taste, without the junk of your typical energy drink.

 

A Final Word

While energy drinks do prove to be extremely beneficial in moderation to improve focus and productivity, the truth is that most bottles and cans of this magic elixir are actually nothing but sugar water, synthetic caffeine, jitters, headaches, and a crash.

Now, we are not saying that all energy drinks are bad, but what we are saying is that they are definitely not all created equal.

Stay away from energy drinks that contain extreme doses of synthetic caffeine and large amounts of sugar -- your body will thank you.

Instead, go for our Clean All-Day Energy Shots, made with just the right amount of organic caffeine and absolutely zero grams of added sugar to provide you with calm energy that keeps you going all day long. Additionally, our energy shots are made with wholesome ingredients like organic fruit juice and L-theanine to give you a whole health package, not just a spike of being hyper. 

Don’t waste your time trying to fuss with ingredients to make a homemade energy drink, and don’t risk your health by drinking a chemical-cocktail dressed in bright, colorful cans. Stick with clean and simple ingredients backed by science, designed to maximize your productivity.