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An Energy Drinks Roundup?
NecroWraith asks: "Ok, I'm sure most folks on Slashdot have something they eat or drink that helps you stay awake far beyond what your body wants you to for, whatever reason: late night gaming sessions; late nights at work; or late nights in the pub. The big one now is energy drinks. I swear I see a new one on the shelf every week. Rockstar, Red Bull, Monster, Hansen's, Jolt, Red Jak, Lost, Sobe, Bawls, Amp, MDX, the list goes on. So, what have you tried, and what do you like? What tastes best? What works best? Which one is the best deal?"
I don't know if I'm the only one, who thinks like this, but I think a lot of computer jockeys, including myself are fat enough from sitting in front of a computer without needing a drink full of sugar. I just started going to the gym about two months ago, and that gives me more energy than those drinks.
2. Sugar
3. Water
"Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
Cohen
Monster energy drink is my favorite of the bunch. I just wish I could find a chep source of them.
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
Well, I don't know about the US, but in the UK, I've tried 3 types.
Red Bull - Way too expensive, certainly not worth the price, especially with all the alternatives available.
Blue Bear - It used to be great. You could get it in 1.5 Litre bottles for £1.50 or something like that. It is sold in Spar, but they've discontinued the large bottles now, so you have to get the measly 250ml cans.
Kick - This one's from Tesco. Well worth it. My friend once bought 10 bottles (1 litre each) at 50p each (I think there was an offer on - they're usually £1 each) for a small LAN party I was hosting. Certainly did the job well, and at a great low price.
I can't really say anything about the taste, as they're all about the same to me - a sort of fruity, fizzy flavour.
43rd Law of Computing:
Anything that can go wr
fortune: Segmentation violation -- Core Dumped
is BAWLS. It's fruity and delecious, for all your late nite computing needs However, in a pinch, you can't beat good old coffee, and a snack of choco-covered coffee beans.
Red Bull is my regular drink. I actually use the alias "Redt Toro" when I take an editing credit. When I was in New Zealand they had a drink called "V" that actually tasted good that worked as well as Red Bull. Kind of a light citrus taste. Red Bull doesn't taste the greatest but it works. The sugar free Red Bull is pretty disgusting though. Wish they sold V in this country.
Water. And lots of it. I stay awake late nights by giving myself mini workout sessions in during load times or when my brain is feeling stressed from programming. The water keeps me feeling fresh.
It's also required that I walk back and forth to the bathroom multiple times during the course of a night.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
My steps for success:
1) Coffee
2) Code (while sipping coffee)
3) Coffee
4) Coffee (thinking about code)
5) Code
6) ???
7) Profit!!
No wonder I'm not yet independantly wealthy...
Developers: We can use your help.
If I drink any energy drinks, I go for Sobe every time. They beat most everything I have tried for taste, plus they come from a company that specializes in beverages based on natural ingredients. Most of their energy offerings include a full RDA of vitamin C and B complexes on top of the usual stimulants.
Drinks like Red Bull and MDX are mostly just pure sugar and caffiene. I can get that from coffee. And Rockstar tastes like carbonated cough syrup (although there may be some who like to guzzle the Robutussin DM).
There are alot of people who would like to be me. I just haven't met them yet.
Fiji Water -- get it cheap at Trader Joe's. The stuff tastes amazing, and it energizes me every time I drink it.
Half hour of strenuous working out helps, too, of course.
If you haven't tried Fiji, though, get some today. It is the only bottled water I buy, and it is the tastiest I've ever had. Water + body fat = energy waiting to be taken advantage of.
I can't have that at work because I don't need others commenting on my blue bawls.
Developers: We can use your help.
6) Bathroom break You'll need it after all that coffee.
Exercise.
Take your vitamins.
Stick with coffee and drink it in moderation (1-2 cups per day).
Drink water when not drinking coffee.
We computer people already spend hours sitting relatively motionless at our desks. Adding calorie intensive drinks to that habit isn't the smartest thing to do.
You only wish you had some of this... http://www.google.com/googlegulp/
Definitely Bawls...
It tastes good, comes in a pretty, decorative blue bottle, and the name can inspire an endless stream of juvenile humor.
Plus, mixed with orange juice, tastes just like a mimosa.
I have NO idea if it actually "works."
WWW
The best deal is red rain/rave. It goes awesome with vodka. Its well less than $1 CDN per can. Give it a shot. Doesnt taste as well as red bull but the caffine is there. What the heck...
"Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
I stopped taking all medications and all caffeine a few years ago. I find that I have more energy now and generally feel better than I used to. I will now take aspirin and if I were in need of medication for a serious issue, I'd take it, but I found that once I gave my body time to get used to healing itself for most things, I felt better. For example, I had problems with back pain and congestion/allergies and a runny nose. I found I adapted and was more likely to keep moving in spite of back pain when I stopped taking meds. I also found it was possible to focus and mentally relax many of the needed muscles and "release" the pain.
As for the sinus problems, when I went off meds, I had the "usual" problems a few weeks later, and just gave myself more time to rest. It took a few days, but then I felt fine. About a month later, I had sinus problems again, but they went away faster this time. That happened two or three more times, each time effecting me less and less and lasting less and less. My body had seemingly become conditioned to receiving meds to heal and soon learned to work the natural way. I started feeling better overall and found I had much more energy.
So I'd say my answer is what you don't want to hear: balanced diet and exercise, don't spend all your time in front of the computer (or only at the computer then the pub!), and don't continually push your body beyond what it tells you it can handle. If you do that, then when it comes time for those 48 hour coding sessions, you'll do fine and probably have more energy than most of your co-workers. You can be dependent on energy drinks and such or dependent on good health. I've picked the the latter. I'm not saying you should or have to, but I've found it is easier and works better all around.
A lot of the choices are available Here!
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Don't abuse your body. If you're too tired to stay awake, then go to sleep. Sleep deprivation is a form of torture [sorry, "information rending"], and it makes you a dangerous driver too. Drink water, it's good for you [if it doesn't have a lot of THMs] and it will keep hangovers away. It will also keep you up if you have to go pee.
Unless you're trying to stay up to entertain a woman [or man if you're a woman I guess], then staying up really late using drugs just isn't worth it.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
Golden Power tastes the same as Redbull, but has the advantage that you don't pay for a brand.
I've tried lots of energy drinks, but none really seem to give me energy. I can drink Bawls, Red Bull, Monster, Sobe, etc and still fall asleep =/ Although I am addicted to Red Bull's taste. I drink it like Coke.
I didn't even think about this until one time at work I bought one for a coworker that moonlighted as a teacher at the fire academy. The next day he said he was running circles around his cadets, and he said the only thing he did different was to drink 32oz of what he called my "monkey brew." He started drinking one every afternoon before he went to teach and swore it was the best energy drink he ever had.
We are the Borg...
V (aka vitalize) originally came from New Zealand, but I know you can get it in the UK and Australia now too. It has caffine and gurana, and it gives you a really nice kick. I don't know any sales figures, but walking down the street you see more people with V than with coke, or anything else.
You can get V Black now, which has a yummy cola taste, and double the taurine. Gives you a real kick.
www.v-energydrink.com
Current count is 30 different energy drink cans on display in my cube, from an ongoing sampling of every kind I can get my hands on.
Best:
- Venom: best tasting of the bunch, actual flavor balancing quasi-bitter with sweet (but not sickly sweet).
- Amp: essentially "Distilled Mountain Dew", good flavor with strongest keep-awake effect I've found.
- Source Burn: a fine general energy drink with a few vitamins.
- Monster Khaos: actually contains 70% juice, tastes good.
Of note:
- Avoid the 16 oz. cans; they tend to have more "stuff" than some bodies can comfortably handle. Von Dutch has the strongest unpleasant aftereffect feeling (tastes pretty good though).
- RockStar is reportedly made by the/a son of Michael Savage (nutrition expert and political pundit) claiming it's the best balance of "energy" ingredients.
- Red Bull is the standard to measure all others against.
So far my collection includes in no particular order:
Large cans:
- Raw Energy Fuel
- MDX
- Extreme Energy Shot
- Lost
- Von Dutch
- Rooster Booster
- Horse Power
- Hansen's Energy Delux
- Full Throttle
- Monster
- Monster Khaos
- Monster Assault
- Rip It
- FirePowerEX
Small cans (preferred size):
- Crunk
- Donkey Kick
- Rush
- Amp
- Rooster Booster
- Hansen's Energy
- KMX
- ROX (Austrian)
- Red Bull
- RockStar
- Hair of the Dog
- Source Burn
- Diablo (Canadian)
- Sobe Adrenaline Rush
- Liquid Z
- Glaceau SmartWater
SmartWater is actually the best: just water, distilled & selected electrolytes - just what your body ACTUALLY needs.
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
Why do you always have to embarrass me in front of my friends?
I don't drink coffee, I drink the occassional tea, and very little pop (or soda). I do drink 7-11 Slurpees....but I also drink lots of milk and water.
I've never had the need to drink some sort of stimulant to stay awake. Even in university when assignment deadlines were looming, I wouldn't bother drinking anything to stay awake - I knew I had to stay awake, so I did. I've always had the ability to stay awake (and alert, within reason) when I've needed to. It's a useful talent!
I do remember one guy in U that popped a bunch of caffine pills during an all-night assignment work session. He didn't feel them do anything, so he took a bunch more. Still didn't feel anything, so he took more....well, when they did finally kick in, I don't think I've ever seen someome look as 'manic' as he did for the next day. Talk about bug-eyed.....
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Rockstar, Red Bull, Monster, Hansen's, Jolt, Red Jak, Lost, Sobe, Bawls, Amp, MDX, the list goes on
I'm sure these drinks may be fun to drink once in a while, but don't fool yourself-- most of these "energy drinks" are pretty much the same thing --- sugar water with varying levels of caffine. There are other ingredients for taste. Sometimes they have ginsing, ginko-biloba, or some other herb-of-the day as an extra stimulant, but largely the herbs are there for show, and that extra energy boost is from the sugar-- and it's A LOT of sugar.
If you drink these things because you feel tired all the time, it's probably because you're drinking too much sugar and aren't getting enough sleep.
I've had to cut out pretty much all soda and other high-sugar drinks out of my diet-- they give me energy for about 30 minutes, and then I crash. It was a riot during parties... "Drink soda. Talk talk talk. Crash. Need to go home." Not to mention the teeth rot.
My favorite energy drink? A good night's rest. Second favorite energy drink? Coffee, no sugar.
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
not "energy drinks" per se, but I like these to keep me going for all night coding sessions:
1) Coffee - use Millstone Foglifter or Columbian Supremo beans
2) Cherry Vanilla Coke
3) Tropicana Twister - various flavors
4) plain old h20
Of the actual "energy drink" brands, I like the taste of the Monster stuff, but I rarely drink 'em.
// TODO: Insert Cool Sig
They were good for a short-term boost, but in the long term they made me much more tired. Never mind the times I tried Pro Plus to get more revision time... the only thing red bull and similar drinks are good for is as a mix with vodka.
:) I subscribe to the 'everything is okay, or even good in moderation' school of thought, rather than the 'abstinence is best' hookum.
These days I eat reasonably healthily, I do drink caffeine, but only a couple of cups a day (usually tea) apart from when mixing coke with alcohol
I have a reasonable amount of water, or decent squash, every day. Often I have a pint of milk.
Better to have a decent breakfast with slow release energy at the beginning of the day than to snack on food and energy drinks throughout the day. A bowl of porridge is a lot cheaper too. Shame I get up too late to actually make use of this wisdom.
Similarly, exercise is good for you, if you find the time for it. Gyms are boring as hell though, so try running or team sports... hell make your garden neater or repaint the house.
Why would you need energy drinks? You underweight or something? Drink some body building protein shakes then.
If you want to stay awake, then so far modafinil appears to work for many people. But I'm not sure of the side effects. Use at your own risk.
Japanese green tea keeps me awake (too well sometimes), and it doesn't seem to be causing significant premature deaths among the Japanese.
Do note that not getting enough sleep is hazardous to your health.
I find that plenty of sleep helps keep me up.
But seriously, I had serious problems waking up in the morning until I decided to give up caffeine. After a few days of headaches, I found that I didn't have as much problems with my energy. I've read that using caffeine to keep awake ends up hurting in the long-run. For me, it seemed to be true (but who knows due to a large number of variables), so it mightn't hurt fo you to try.
My favorite is Elements (I think it's by Snapple). It's not carbonated (which I believe kills the overall experience of an energy drink) and not as sweet as the others like Red Bull or Monster. Since I'm a lightweight (130 lbs), a half-bottle of this stuff will send me flying for the next 4 - 6 hours. If I only want a quick pick-me-up, say for an hour or two, I'll just water it down.
"Happily lived Mankind in the peaceful Valley of Ignorance." -- Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Nobody will see this, but I heartily recommend Starbuck's Doubleshot.
That shit is crack.
If you want to stay constantly awake and avoid the ups and downs then you need to eat less refined food. The refined food gets digested fast and your body's blood sugar levels rocket then plummet shortly after making you feel tired.
Foods which are digested slower will keep your blood sugar more constant.
This is largely the basic of the Gi diet and I've tried it and it works.
You can't take time from your sleep, you can only borrow it. You will make up for it sooner or later whether it be in a few days, or a few years. Your body will start deteriorating as you get more and more reliant on these stimulants to keep yourself awake. The best bet is to do what the parent says, and get off your ass.
Sig: I stole this sig.
When I was helping my dad with his on-site telecom jobs, sometimes I'd be able to use the soda fountains there.
Well, at this one site, they had mountain dew, but the CO2 and water weren't hooked up. Mmm....Mountain Dew syrup. That was a buzz.
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Thai Red Bull, Shark, M-150, it's all good.
I would go with Red Bull, Vodka and splash of OJ for recreation. There is nothing better than being energetic and drunk at the same time. Usually the Bull wears off first and then I am just really drunk trying to get my wife's friends to flash me.
For taste Bawls is the best and it does provide a good burst of energy.
I am still a diehard coffee drinker. There is nothing like starting a pot of coffee when everyone is the house is going to bed. That is quaility ME time.
Jack Bauer urinates and produces Red Bull.
Sorry just still psyched about 24 being back on.
30% Troll, 50% Underrated, 10% Interesting
Score:5, Troll
Instead of caffein, I prefer nutritional supplements that give you energy without the jitters.
One of my favorites is Vibe
Seriously, this stuff gets sucked into your bloodstream almost instantly and gives you a rush for hours, without ephedrine, caffein, or any other stimulants... it's freakin amazing...
If you need web hosting, you could do worse than here
These drinks remind me of the good old days in the late 90s rave scene. Parties often employed kiosks selling freshly blended energy drinks of varying capacities. The most popular vendors in Toronto were Liquid Ecstasy and Liquid Adreneline. These vendors, offering drinks ranging from $5 to $25, would blend legal stimulants (red bull, ephedra, caffeine, etc.) with fresh fruit. These smoothies were really delicious and invigorating, and would wake you up with the combination of the stimulants, natural sugar, coldness, and thickness (like a milkshake - they took 30 minutes to drink). It was also a lot easier to dance without all that cash weighing you down!
Refreshingly addictive!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_tea
Property is theft.
My drink of choice is Diet Pepsi with some Emer'gen C Raspberry mixed in. It's really good. Seriously!
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
This ID created purely to suppress JonKatz's articles.
.sig a while, have you?
Had that
Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
The company that I work for has 2. There is a new product called G-Force that is made for bars, and will be on tap, and it is a competor for the ones mentioned above. Also there is the Van Gogh Double Espresso Double Caffine. Its a caffinated vodka, and it tastes really nice. Personally, I hate most energy drinks. They are just too sweet, and I don't like the taste of gensing. I mostly stick to soda/coffee.
One never knows when one might need a rotten tomato... - King's Quest IV: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
What I do if i need to keep awake is to take an AMP and mix it into a 32oz Lemon-Lime Gatorade and sip on it through the day or whatever (or a Red Bull and a Fruit Punch Gatorade, just a matter of taste and availability). It works well because all those energy drinks are full of B vitamins. B vitamins aid in the metabolization of carbohydrates, so by taking the energy drink full of B6 and B12 and mixing it in with the sugar laden Gatorade, you get a good even alertness throughout the day when you need it.
Slate had a half decent article on energy drinks.
http://www.slate.com/id/2126591/
The writers favorite was Rockstar-- provides energy, doesn't taste that bad, no vitamin or caffeine headache.
Beaver Buzz! Caffeine puts me to sleep so that doesn't work. The active ingredient is niacin, or vitamin B. Best stuff around. So go ahead, stuff that beaver!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_matei cle/_a000195-000644.htm
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That phrase you here in all the alcohol commercials could probably be applied to energy drinks, too.
Red Bull has actually been banned in several European countries because of stories such as the one where a man with a heart condition drank four cans of Red Bull, then went to play basketball and died (sorry, no link, this was a couple of years ago.) This wasn't the smartest thing the man could have done, but clearly, energy drinks aren't the sort of thing you want to depend on, because their effects on the body are not always beneficial.
Personally, I tend to rely on getting an adequate amount of sleep and eating 3 square meals a day to try to stay energized. Of course, swimming 6000 yards a day doesn't hurt my metabolism either. However, if I'm up late writing a paper for English or History, I'll take a Monster with me to school the next day. Monster is my favorite out of all of the energy drinks out there--it tastes more like a soda and lacks the bitter/medicine taste of some of the other energy drinks out there and it's got a lot of stuff in it that's actually good for you, like B anc C vitamins. Most importantly, you really get a kick out of it, and you can feel it.
I must say that Monster's 16oz serving size is a bit much though. Whenever I've chugged one in 5-10 minutes I've felt almost feverish from all of those nutrients going into my system all at once. I try to drink it over the course of an hour, preferably with a meal, so it doesn't hit my body all at once and kick me into overdrive and eventually into a complete energy crash later in the day. When I can, I split half of the can with somebody.
Bawls is a decent choice too. You get a small kick out of it because of the small serving size. As for the others--Red Bull, Sobe Adrenaline, Rockstar, Full Throttle, etc.--they all make me crash after two hours.
Energy drinks are great, but not as a primary means for survival. I don't drink them for the sake of drinking them, I only use them as pick-me-ups, which is usually once a week or less. Put your personal health and fitness first, and use energy drinks as a backup.
I drink energy drinks all the time, and try new ones every chance I get. My verdict: Definitely 'Venom', though I can never seem to find it any more. The taste was incredible, with a bit of a bite to it. It always snapped me awake instantly, due to the taste. I drink a 24oz Rockstar just about every day now, but I think that the Jolt in the green can is pretty damned good too, thanks to the very mild taste, albeit a bit dangerous. Those lids will just -blow- off sometimes when you open them. Prolly something to do with elevation, as I'm at approx. 6800ft here. Coca-Cola's 'Full Throttle' is pretty good too, but a tad too sweet for me to drink regularly. Tastes like gummy worms, I swear...
Unpleasantries.
I loved this stuff when I first tried it in CA, now they have it here in OH. Look for the large white can. Excess sugar brings me down, but I can handle the small sugared can of Redbull, which is OK. Monster has a diet version which peps me up just as well as the Rockstar, but has a strange floral taste. The Diet Rockstar is just very tangy. For me, not an evening drink though, they really work too well and interfere with sleep.
The sacred and the propane
GAYFUEL
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09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 is the magic number.
I don't know about energy, but if you're the typical geek who doesn't eat right, check out Emer'gen-C packets. I tend to mix the Strawberry with the Super Orange. Tastes pretty good too.
r oducts.mdb,tbl=products,DB_code=107,DBCOMP=ABS,tem plate=/products/returntitle.htm
r oducts.mdb,tbl=products,DB_code=46,DBCOMP=ABS,temp late=/products/returntitle.htm
Strawberry: http://www.alacer.com/cgi-bin/dbsearch.exe?mdb=/p
Super Orange:
http://www.alacer.com/cgi-bin/dbsearch.exe?mdb=/p
I wish caffeine-containing drinks were forced by U.S. law to put their caffeine content on the package, so we as consumers could make intelligent choices.
in lieu of that, does anyone know a definitive place where one can find that information? Ideally it'd be a web page with a simple "Name / Serving size / mg Caffeine per serving" table.
Tom Geller
I have a 1 year old son (second one coming soon), a busy job and in the evenings study further part time. Needless to say I have to be wise about how I get and spend my energy. Although there's always room for improvement, I think I'm pretty happy with a couple of simple "tricks" I've learned through experimentation and time.
The so called energy drinks might give you a high for a short while but you'll be crashing down soon enough. I've recently switched my usual carb loaded lunch with a glass of whey protein. It is amazing how much more energy I have late afternoons, where I used to feel tired and peckish. Other than that, eat a high fibre breakfast cereal and a multivitamin in the mornings, a fresh, healthy dinner (no instant meals) early in the evenings (at least 3 hours before bed time).
And get regular excercise - even on a busy schedule, 30 minutes before or after work is not that much compared to how much you'll get back out of it!
Hey, you left out Coke's new product, Tab Energy!
It's as if millions of Y-chromosomes suddenly cried out in terror...
If you google energy drink reviews my site comes up, whoopie something i can actually post about with knowledge on slashdot. http://www.bandddesigns.com/energy energy drink reviews Which I have run for years and it reviews about 150 energy drinks. I have tried about 175 and my thoughts My favorites overall: Go Fast, Monster Khaos, Monster Assualt, Rockstar, redbull sugar free There are tons of horrible drinks out there... avoid ones that are just high in sugar if you want energy your looking for caffiene, taurine, b vitamins, and perhaps some of the other herbs... I would warn to avoid most of the powers or tablet based drinks which tend not to be as effective, and many of the redbull knock offs are very good and half the price, but you need to look around because I have tasted some drinks that are like goat urine. I liked the flavor of guarana based drinks like bawls, but have found them to not give you as much energy, they do seem however to have a smoother effect that doesnt have a sudden crash like many of the other drinks like redbull. I also like some of the more natural and harder to find drinks like gorilla juice which is like a pumped up lemonade, which tastes nothing like the overly sugar added drinks that many of the others go for. I have even got to do some fun consulting for some small energy drink companies and was written up in investors business daily for an interview about the energy drink market. (Hansens makers of monster has done very well in the stock market earning up 300%)
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I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead
You are in a maze of twisted little posts, all alike.
The universal name for .5 lemonade and .5 iced tea is an Arnold Palmer. So much so that you can pick up a bottled Arnold Palmer at the local 7/11's in my neighborhood. It was the drink of choice of the golf pro, Arnold Palmer.
http://www.google.com/googlegulp/
Most energy drinks are a mixture of the following:
* Caffeine
* Sugar
* B-vitamins (1: Thiamin, 2: Riboflavin, 3:Niacin, 12, )
* 1 more substance (at least in the can I most recently looked at). I can't remember the name, but it's normally produced in the body unless you are an infant (where the normal source is breast milk).
The concentration of B vitamins can be between 50% to 200% of the RDA, depending on the drink.
Check out the Vitamin facts, B-vitamin groups, or check out a nutrition textbook.
Energy drinks are just sugar + caffeine to people on correct diets. Why pay over 2x the price for what is essentially Mountain Dew or sugary coffee?
Eat the normal 4-5 small meals a day with no snacks, and take a multivitamin supplement. Do some exercise. You'll get a much better effect.
--
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I'm surprised nobody has mentioned http://www.jonessoda.com/
There is nothing like opening up a can of whoopass when you need it. http://www.jonessoda.com/files_new/energy.html
Nathan
This'd be a baaaad idea at work, but try sparks - orange syrup, carbonation, caffeine, ginseng...and malt likker. Wakes ya up and gets ya drunk, all at once. It's the definition of a pregamer.
Probably makes yer testicles shrivel up like raisins, but what the hell. S'tasty.
I drink a Monster every day.
It's somewhat amusing (or perhaps disturbing?) that the top scoring comments on this thread are mostly people saying: don't drink that crap, do/drink something healthy!
Well, let me join them. I've been doing some contract work at a place that happens to have a Whole Foods conveniently nearby. I sometimes stop by there and check out their juice. So far I've found that Arthur's 'Green Energy' smoothie works best for me. (I'm not sure how widespread this brand is; it may or may not be fairly local.)
So, yeah, you may want to look for a healthfood store rather than a 7/11.
I love the fine print for Goole Gulp:
From time to time, in order to improve Google Gulp's usefulness for our users, Google Gulp will send packets of data related to your usage of this product from a wireless transmitter embedded in the base of your Google Gulp bottle to the GulpPlex(TM), a heavily guarded, massively parallel server farm whose location is known only to Eric Schmidt, who carries its GPS coordinates on a 64-bit-encrypted smart card locked in a stainless-steel briefcase handcuffed to his right wrist.
-Valiss
VPX Redline. Just don't drink it. I thought it is just another energy drink, but it really screws you up. If you wanna try it, make sure it is a friday night. Don't drink it on an empty stomach. This drink just makes you shivering.
Come on people, redline, the only drink that makes you lose weight because you it makes you TWITCH so much. Check your GNC.
1. Coffee - Even decaf snaps me out of a funk 2. Monster Khaos - Less carbonation than the other Monsters and great taste. Like the core ingredient of Monster + Orange Juice. 3. Water - Never too much. I only drink this between sets when I am working out. I check my weight before and after working out and if I am the same weight, that means I am drinking enough. Someone brought up a good point: high fructose corn syrup. A really simple diet for anyone to try is to cut out HFCS and Partially Hydrogenated Oils which are mostly in processed foods. It makes you pay attention to the ingredients... you will be surprised what foods has this junk in them. Quick check on Monster Energy's website Sweat off the brow. No HFCS but they do have fruit juice concentrate. Oh well.
ChozSun
ChozSun.com
For those who aren't aware MDX comes in a sugar-free version which tastes much better, in my opinion, than the version with sugar.
--- I do not moderate.
If I need to stay up a few extra hours I have found that a pot or two of tea helps greatly. The energy increase is slight and prolonged instead of intense and quickly fading. All of the sugar in the energy drinks makes me sleepy (something with insulin and whatever that makes you tired after a big meal). A nice Yuannin/Darjeeling blend has become my standard for all nighters. As soon as the first woody sip I am reminded of nights past...
The real way to get more energy is to make sure you are taking vitamins (it is difficult to eat a really balanced diet), and do a small amount of exercise. A few pushups and situps in the morning, and a bit of walking during the day do wonders (I have the advantage of going to college, so I can wander around campus between classes). I have found that waking up an hour early, and then spending the hour drinking a pot of tea and breakfast also makes the day better. As tempting as hitting snooze is, putting my shower off and doing things that require no mental or physical effort (put water in the kettle, weigh the leaves, drink a glass of water, toss a bagel in the toaster and preheat the pot right before the kettle boils, set the timer for four minutes and let the tea steep, add cream cheese to the bagel, eat and drink). It is a good way to gradually wake up (the caffeine helps too).
HAL 7000, fewer features than the HAL 9000, but just as homicidal!
Royal Jelly is what the queen bee eats... one of the most complex sugars... I eat a teaspoon for a jolt...
Get Monster in the blue can. It has very low calories and only a couple grams of sugar and it actually tastes good!
Definitely my favorite of the bunch and it manages to keep you up without the sugar the other ones use. Granted it might not be AS effective has a sugar-filled drink but I'd rather keep the weight off.
How many fulltime jobs can one man have?
What about this synthetic hornet drink? Saw this on a National Geographic special on giant hornets in Japan - Hornets from Hell. The substance is produced in giant hornet larvae saliva for the adult females so they can gather food. Adult giant hornets (and maybe hornets in general, I don't know) don't eat solid protein because they cannot digest it--they only eat VAAM. http://www.vaam-power.com/
Hansen's is the usual mix of caffiene and sugar, b-vitamins, etc., but it also includes a good dose of the amino acid Taurine. I've found that this last ingredient really helps take the edge off of the caffiene, so I'm alert, but not jittery.
Of course, you listed it on your "I've already tried" list, so YMMV.
I've actaully been able to pick it up by the case. Go to their website and call them, they'll tell you who is the local distributor. I've gotten cases for paintball tournaments that I've hosted for $32.00 (24pack).
I'm not addicted, I can stop any time I want...
This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
dont you? ;)
(im talking about the drink you perv)
Menya zovut Shnur
Like others have said, get out of your chair and exercise. Doesn't mean you have to join a gym you can always go for a 1-hour walk, ride a bike for a couple of hours, or whatever you like to do EVERY DAY. Just get off of the couch.
For those days when I feel like my arse is dragging (we all have those days), I like Xcess Energy Drinks. All they are is liquid vitamin B12 with flavoring (the rootbeer is great!). No jitters from caffine or herbal additives, you don't feel burned out afterwards, and it is absorbed by your body in minutes.
If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
Red Bull was the first popular "energy drink". It is closest to universally available and universally known, and has endured the longest - ergo, Red Bull is the defacto standard "energy drink". Others may taste better/worse, have more/less kick; Red Bull is a stable standard.
I'd like to deem Amp or Venom as the standard, but availability is iffy.
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
I drink that too, but the problem I have when I'm on the road alot is getting the fresh lemons. You can get bottled "lemondade" but it's like 13 percent juice, then corn syrup and other crap.
My solution is to cut a bottle of unsweetened Iced tea with an equal amount of water and add 1 to 2 packets of lemon/lime Emergen-C. Unsweetened tea is relatively easy to find and Emergen-C is easy to pack around with you. Really kicks ass as an energy drink.
Here's the text of the review of Redline, though.
Quite Possibly the Most Powerful Energy Drink Ever
October 7th, 2005 3:34 pm
Seriously, the drink may mean the end of this blog. In the before time, conversations generally went a little something like this:
So, whats a good energy drink in terms of strength?
Well theres a lot to choose from, based on caffeine content, taurine, ginseng, green tea extracts
Well what if Im just interested in caffeine content?
Well just go to The Caffeine Database and look around!
The point, probably lost, is that theres a lot of drinks, in varying sizes and caffeine contents, that also contain a lot of other things.
So then this new thing came out. Its called VPX Redline Fat Burner. Amazon is lacking a little information, so heres a little more:
Check out this freaky scientific VPX breakthrough: RED LINE®: is the only matrix ever developed to shred fat through the shivering response in the body. By shivering the body burns huge amounts of stored bodyfat for energy in an effort to keep the body warm. Thats not all! In addition to shivering, youll also be sweating up a thermogenic storm. The combined mechanisms of these two processes results in unparalleled fat loss!
What fun. Now, its pretty obvious looking at the ingredients that theres caffeine. But get this: all of the aforementioned goodness, and the serving size is FOUR ml. About one TENTH of an ounce. The whole bottle has 240 ml, or 60 servings. Basically, a bottle of this, less than the size of a normal can of coke, WILL kill you. This is nothing to be playing around with.
I have friends. Not just normal friends, mind you. The kind of friends that voluntarily live on the streets. The kind of friends who, when drinking, race to forgetting. The kind of friends who take caffeine pills, ephedrine pills, and asprin.. all at once. One, in particular, drinks and consumes over a gram of caffeine daily, to stave off the headaches. So you know this is a serious review:
oh yeah, its definately 90% caffeine. the aftertaste is unmistakeable. the best part is that since i didnt have my normal dose this morning, i probably wont actually feel sh*t.
[10 minutes later]
the caffeine kicked in a lot faster than i expected. though in retrospect, it normally does when its in syrup form and tastes like ass.
feel oddly cold too. took me a minute to realize that while i still was warm, it was that shiver reflex kicking in. its a lot like when
you get a chill at the back of your neck, but somewhat continuous.
So whats in this magical bottle of awesome? Caffeine, Green Tea, Yerba Mate, 5-HTP (5 hydroxy-1-tryptophan), cAMP, Yohimbe, Evodiamine, and Vinpocetine. And a few other things.
I know, I know, so heres some more info:
cAMP is cyclic adenosine monophosphate. It supposedly sparks many intercellular processes. Whatever that means. Increased concentrations supposedly raise thyroid horomone levels, and help fat burning (would help explain why its in a fat-burning supplement).
Yohimbe is a bark extract from a tree in Africa. Its considered a natural aphrodisiac, and sold here to treat imotency, dialate pupils, and stimulate fat loss. It can also mess with your blood pressure, so watch out.
Evodiamine is derived from some Chinese fruit called Evodia Rutaecarpa. Supposedly burns fat.
Vinpocetine is an alkaloid derived from some periwinkle plant. It is used in Europe, Japan, and Mexico to treat crebrovascular and cognitive disorders. Some people claims it elevates metabolism, but with no proof.
And the interesting one in the group: 5-HTP. I made sure to spell it out, so the smart ones in the group have already figured out the key: Tryptophan. It
that is japanese green tea, with a great taste and quite a load of caffeine.
the only drawback is the insane price
Conservatism: The fear that somewhere, somehow, someone you think is your inferior is being treated as your equal.
Nothing is better than coffee at waking me up; or continuing the crack out session. Hands Down! The aroma, the taste, the essence; alerts the sense. However, when I am on my way into that afternoon meeting and I am looking for a bump, what do I do? I pop a Foosh Energy Mint. These shockingly powerful mints are highly caffeinated [100 mg Caffeine per mint] and extra minty. They also contain Vitamin B12 complex as well as a little hint of ginseng. These stong, sugar free mints keep me going all night long without the nasty crash of a sugar buzz.
The weird thing is, I have no problem staying awake all day without coffee. But I develop a strange craving for some by mid-afternoon. Not because I feel worn out or sleepy, I just crave it. I never use coffee to stay awake when I should be sleeping, like a lot of people do, and I hardly ever drink it after 3:00 PM.
I'm obviously addicted to it in some manner but I don't depend on it for wakefulness -- I achieve wakefulness by SLEEPING enough. So I guess it's a holdover from back when I WAS using it to stay awake.
Energy drinks are sort of a taboo with me, though (besides Red Bull like I mentioned). I feel like I'm getting a drug fix when I drink one. At least with coffee I can pretend I'm doing it for the enjoyment.
Massive Energy Review database is here:
http://www.bandddesigns.com/energy/
Red Bull was first (1984!) and has by far the greatest sales and global reach, being a weakened clone of Krating Daeng from Thailand and starting in Austria. I wish I could try some of the read Thai drink...
Nothing beats a iced red bull on a chairlift after a few runs. Nothing. Small can size is good to carry around and the right dose. In America, bigger usually means better, but when you are talking caf. and sugar injections, a moderate dose is better. Sugarfree Red Bull is astoundingly similar to sugared Red Bull, as the bitter aftertaste masks the artificial sweeteners.
There's a review of various energy drinks on Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2126591/
That's why I said "unless entertaining a woman". In that case, hopefully you don't need any drug or extra substance to help you stay "up" late. Not that I'm dissing Viagra mind you. There's no Viagra drink yet right? I kid.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
IME, caffeine doesn't work. It just makes one jittery, and after enough makes one feel ill.
Dextroamphetamine - it keeps one awake, functioning, and without any of the nasty hallucination/addiction silliness of methamphetamine.
Worst effect is an increase in chewing gum consumption.
It will kick your ass into next week. http://www.lightningdrink.com/
Chuck Norris needs to come out with a competing product.
sudo eat my shorts
I went cold turkey on caffeine about a year ago.. I became way to reliant on it and at one stage I even had a "fit" because of a Caffeine overdose.
:-(
It contributed massively to my continuing downhill hill slide in the general health area.
Coffee is a diuretic, diuretics cause you to lose water from your system, the less hydrated you are the more sluggish and lazy you feel, after a while (if your lucky) you wake up and realize that you stopped exercising a long time ago and now your an unhealthy fat fucker.
You can do one of two things..
Sue Starbucks (not gonna win)
Get up off your lazy fat arse and go exercise _every_ day
Bet ya most people sue
The stuff is subtle and dangerous, consumers beware.
"Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far
You need one of these for your collection: here's a picure of something I drank in Prague.p g
http://www.allengrace.co.uk/images/semtex_small.j
It said on the can that it contains
4000 mg/l taurine
320 mg/l caffeine
in a 250 ml can - so it's something like on a par with Red Bull. From memory it had a much more chemical-y flavour.
Accept no substitute! 'Nuff said.
Creative misinterpretation is your friend.
They're a bit harder to find - often a store will only have the sugared version.
Of the ones I've tried (I've tried a lot over the past few months), I can't tell any difference in their actual ability to give me energy. They don't help if I'm totally exhausted (very late at night), they don't make me feel super-tiptop-shape (they are a bit overhyped in this regard.) They DO help me feel a bit more human (more so than caffeine only) if I'm a bit borderline. (Such as any time before noon.)
A list of most of the ones I've tried, one or two are missing - all of these are only the low/zero carb variants (I'm diabetic, so the high-sugar versions are out of the question):
Bawls - Tastes great, but it's very expensive, hard to find, and doesn't give me any more boost than Mountain Dew (that is to say, almost no boost at all.)
Rockstar - Works, but tastes like crap.
Red Bull - Actually, I've only had a small amount of the normal non-low-carb version once at a bar. It tasted like crap and I didn't go near energy drinks for over a year because I assumed they all tasted like crap. From what I recall, it was the same taste as Rockstar.
Von Dutch - UGH HORRIBLE. Even worse than Rockstar and Red Bull. The only energy drink I haven't even been able to finish an entire can of. No wonder it was on clearance where I bought it.
Full Throttle - One of the easiest non-RedBull energy drinks to find, it has a sharp citrusy taste that is somewhat (but not very) similar to Mountain Dew, except with a bit more bite to it. Probably my third favorite as far as taste goes.
MDX - One of the more readily available energy drinks, and typically cheaper than most others. Taste is very similar to Mountain Dew, except a much smoother taste with less bite. My second favorite in terms of taste.
Monster - Also a fruity/citrusy taste, but extremely smooth. Not even remotely close to Mountain Dew though. By far the most delicious of the energy drinks I've tasted (even if it didn't give me any energy, I'd probably continue drinking it just because it tastes so damn good.), and it also does a good job of making me feel human in the morning.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I've had the low-carb version of SoBe No Fear. I didn't like it, but I don't like the taste of iced tea in general. If you like iced tea, you might like No Fear.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
In fact, in many cases, I would consider the guafenesin (expectorant) more important than the suppressant.
The suppressant suppresses the symptoms, the expectorant actually helps somewhat in dealing with the root cause. When looking for cough syrup, I always try to buy expectorant-without-suppressant (guafenesin).
Actually, Sudafed Sinus is great if you have a cold - pseudoephedrine for nasal/sinus decongestant, and guafenesin to soften up lung and nose/sinus mucus. (The combo of PE and guafenesin works far better than either one alone on clogged sinuses.)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I drink XS on a regular basis, which around one can per day in the morning. Only brand that I know of that comes in 8 different flavors, two of which are caffeine-free. It's not sold in stores, so the only way to find it is to come in contact with someone who does.
Guarana is just an alternative source of caffeine. Bawls doesn't have any of the other vitamins usually found in energy drinks. While they haven't been proven to actually do anything, my general experience is that Bawls is no more effective than any normal run-of-the-mill caffeinated drink such as Mountain Dew. (At least in terms of energy. It DOES taste really good, but not enough to warrant the significant difference in price given its lack of performance energy-wise.)
If you're going to spend the money, look into something else. Some people love Monster, some hate it. From what I recall, it was kind of similar in taste to Bawls, so if you like the taste of Bawls you might like Monster. (I LOVE the taste of Monster myself.)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Why not just jump right to amphetamine? I mean its why figher pilots use to stay up?
As a side bonus, depending where you live, its probably easier to get then bawls.
I am a major coffee drinker, I use 300ml mugs or larger and drink about 5-6 mugs a day. Once in a while I detox where I only drink tea for a couple of weeks to make sure that I am not very badly addicted. Actually it is time to do that again, this means tomorrow I'll fall asleep in the office! I hope my manager won't notice.
nothing beats fresh pressed ground coffee with a touch of Baileys poured in... Yum yum....
Starbucks doubleshot actually works, 2 cans and you're up for sure.
Another alternative that I've found is sunflower seeds. The combination of the salt and the activity of opening the shells in your mouth keep you awake!
I've driven 1500 miles in a day. I haven't found any energy drinks that can keep up!!!
Ah, America, obsessed with caffeine, meth and energy drinks, while Europeans bask on the beach for at least a month every year.....
welcome to the wonderful world of the programmed neoslave...welcome to America.
eat shiat and bark at the moon
V is one of our homegrown energy drinks. Maximum recommended dosage is 1.5 350 millilitre bottles. I drink 2 a day. One for morning tea and one at lunch.
You forgot "Dickens Cider." This is a real drink. You have to say the name to get the joke.
The mark of a mature person is not creating arbitrary criteria for considering others mature.
Lighten up, people. I agree that exercise and nutrition and balance is important. For me, balance includes the occasional bender and the occasional all-nighter. It's good for you.
When I go to a LAN party and I know it's going to go late, I bring with me a couple of starbucks double shots in a can, and some peanut-butter & honey sandwiches, made with dark or whole grain bread. Peanut butter for the protein, honey for the sugar and the flavour. It tastes great, goes well with coffee or tea of any kind. I can go for a long time on this, and it seems to kick my brain into overdrive. Store the sandwich in a cooler so the honey doesn't run.
I've also used the PB&H sandwiches for snowboarding cuz the food at the resorts is usually crappy and overpriced.
Surprised nobody has mentioned Slurm ;-)
Here in Australia my favourite is Red Eye (Extreme, Platinum, Classic, Gold, Passion)
Also recently found Bickfords "Double Shot Cafecino" cans of iced coffee are quick easy and highly caffienated.
But yeah, use them in moderation, and not at all if you are pregnant.
smile, it makes everyone else wonder what you're up to
There are a million of them. Here are some notables from my list:
- Sum Poosie (you can find these on ebay now)
- Sysmo
- 69
- JetSet (www.drinkjetset.com)
- Who's Your Daddy (limited trial on east coast now)
- RedBull
Hey Roc!
My favorite energy dring was always Whoopass from Jones Soda. I bought some from Thinkgeek a few years ago, and it's been around ever since. I always keep a few cans in the fridge at my office. But mainly I drink coffee - I used to brew it (which was way too wasteful) or buy it from Dunkin' Donuts, but last fall I picked up a Keurig single-serve coffeemaker and it simply rocks. A week ago I bought a second one for the office, too.
If you buy the coffee from your local Bed & Bath or Linens n Things, you can use the coupons that are in the paper almost every week to lower the price of coffee even more. Otherwise just get it from Amazon every once in a while, or directly from Keurig.
For regular energy drinks, though, I stick with Whoopass (and an occasional dose of the Bawls mints). Thinkgeek was cheaper for shipping than buying it directly from Jones, but last time I looked they weren't stocking it.
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
Technically Coca-Cola isnt an energy drink but it keeps me going all day at work :)
If someone came up with a drink that had all the energy drink bits from drinks like Red Bull and V but the flavor and taste bits of Coke, I would probobly drink it.
Just avoid the new Coke Zero (or whatever they call it)
A little known energy drink that I love is Rip It. It's the size and strength of regular energy drinks, but only half the price: $0.99. It also has a decent taste. The official site is http://www.ripitenergy.com/
Just plain old ordinary lemon juice. Nothing added. And don't chug it, just sip. It should take you about an hour to finish off a 32-oz glass. Then you go for a refill. Other juices that work include white grapefruit, lime, or a mixture of lime and cranberry.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
We do not need energy drinks. The best energy drink is knowledge. You first have to cease consuming chips (French fries), coffeine, soft drinks, et cetera. Then you must scientifically design your diet. I base my diet decisions on science, id est, I study how the brain works and what it needs, and then I take care to keep it happy by feeding it well. In this site you can learn some basics. Personally, I take a lot of antioxidants, for example by consuming foods rich in vitamin C. I also try to walk a little every day or so. A tip: If you are a vegetarian nerd, like me, you must study your diet and ensure you take enough DHA omega3 fatty acid. If not, then you can try consuming sea vegetables or take vegan DHA supplements. Disclaimer: There is no health advice in my message, I am just a compsci grad, not a dietician!
On a similar note, Starbucks Doubleshots aren't that bad either, and are made of much more natural stuff than a lot of the other energy drinks.
In Soviet Russia, backwards is everything.
"Having not read the warning label I drank the whole bottle within 5 minutes. Within 10 minutes I was blacking out behind the wheel & shaking uncontrollably. I pulled over at a gas station I was having difficulty in swallowing and could not stand, breathe or see straight."
Yea, the whole bottle of concentrate is 30$ after a 50% off at Amazon. I doubt some one is going to spend 60$ on a small bottle of concentrate to chug it. This is probably the stupidest urban legend I've read in the past month.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Its sugar free and loaded with B Vitamins and herb things. It even has an "American Made" Label :D
Great for road trips and working long nights!
The non-diet version makes me quezy from all the sugar :X
The Diet version seems sweet enough, not sure what sweetener it has(if any) but it tastes great (Citrus Based flavor) and doesn't have a nasty aftertaste like others.
Full ingredients are listed here:
http://www.rockstar69.com/new_html/diet.html#
I have to agree with some of the H20 Posts here.. a lot of people don't drink enough water
You might be getting sleepy due to the air quality in your car. crack a window open. Turn the stereo up.
are insane!
http://www.greatbigstuff.com/newcupsaucer.html
http://www.baronbob.com/giant-teacupandsaucer.htm
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Give credit where credit is due. This one belongs to Warren Zevon (1976).
Natural remedies... BAH!, "homeopathetic"... The answer is: Four (4) Penquin mints washed down with a cold Bawls... Take them like a man, don't chew 'em, swallow them whole.
I am on medication which means that I can't touch anything with guarina (Red Bull is one.) Herbal remedies are not necessarily harmless (if they were, they wouldn't be worth taking!) A woman was having mysterious admissions to hospital until she mentioned a herbal remedy she was taking 30 mins before, and hadn't thought it relevant. For a guarina case history: http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/community/viewtopic .php?t=555&start=75&sid=54e45d1358c3e5028cc990ef4e ca02fd
Hansen's Energy Pro tastes good. My wife can't stand the taste of most energy drinks but like Hansen's. If you can find it by the case at a wholesale club it is cheaper than most others. I like Red Bull for the energy rush and because of the Vitamin B. I can't stand the taste of Monster - One sip and I poured the rest out. Jones Soda Co. makes soem of the best tasting e-drinks. Check Target for these. I consume energy drinks because I teach gifted middle school kids and I want to have at least as much energy as they do!