Monday, December 31, 2012

$3.24 A Shot? For Energy?

Okay, someone clue me in.

Just prior to Christmas, I saw a TV ad that suggested that an appropriate gift for Christmas would be a multi-pak of  "energy" drinks. You know, the ones that sell for around $3 a pop and promise to keep you chugging along for hours?

I had an energy drink just a few minutes ago. It was a half-glass of orange juice and it cost me about fifteen cents. Is the stuff in those cans really worth 20 times the price?

I decided to try one. Bought one at my neighborhood convenience store, took it home so I could have it when I woke up in the morning, before I sullied the experiment with juice, hot chocolate or any other "wake up" beverage.

$3.24 with tax. About five gulps. I chugged it down and slogged outside to handle my pre-breakfast chore of graining, haying and watering six equines and feeding, walking and cleaning up after two dogs and a cat. (Animals eat and drink before the human at my house. The human gets to complain loudly and bitterly about it, but that's the rule.)

Then I came in, made myself an egg and sausage burrito and started working.

And waited for that expensive shot of "energy" to really kick in. I mean, for that price, I kind of expected to be tap dancing and yodeling my way through my morning.

Well, I didn't find myself nodding off over the laptop, but then, orange juice or 25 cents worth of hot chocolate seems to have the same effect. (I don't like coffee.) 

This particular energy drink advertises itself as having no sugar, but a small amount of sugar--such as you might add to a small cup of hot chocolate, tea or coffee--really isn't all that bad for you. (If you guzzle heavily sugared anything-- coffee or soda or tea-- all day, that obviously might make a difference, but if you actually need to do that, you've got a bigger problem than worrying about your weight.)

Besides, many of these "energy drinks" actually do contain sugar. Fairly significant amounts of sugar. Plus a list of additives that I, at least, have never heard of.  I prefer the orange juice and the burrito.

I'm not going to say that these drinks are unhealthy. But you might want to at least check how much caffeine you're getting if you chug more than a few a day, since a number of them contain more than 160 milligrams per drink and the Mayo Clinic thinks consuming more than 500 milligrams of caffeine per day is not such a good idea. (They put that number at 100 milligrams for adolescents and kids.)

Nor am I going to say that they don't work. My point is that there are much cheaper ways to raise your energy levels. A good night's sleep. (Yep, quit nodding off with the TV on.) A decent breakfast, with juice or fruit to give you a slower, steadier sugar boost, combined with some protein and carbs. A half-cup of your favorite coffee or a half-packet of hot chocolate,  brought to work in a "keep it hot" container--30 cents--and half of a banana or apple--35 cents. A brisk walk during your break, either around the block or up and down the hallways.

Or you can pay a premium price for energy in a can. One $3 drink each day equals a yearly cost of  $1,095. Two drinks? $2,190. That's a big hit to anyone's budget.

Especially when you can get the boost you need from much cheaper sources.






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