Energy drinks

[Nightshade]

Packed with sugar and all kinds of chemicals, no thanks.

Are you speaking from specific knowledge or making a sweeping generalization?

[Nightshade]

Look out for calloused penises, NS.
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0903/redbull.html

Friends, let’s get to the facts now. Dr. Edwards Googled this Red Bull – which is nothing more than “liquid sin in a fancy tin,” and he put it under a Bible Scope in the Creation Science Lab. Friends, he made a startling discovery. This so-called “energy drink” is carbonated bull urine, with lemon flavoring and enough crystal meth to get a whole housing project full of Negroes tap dancing up and down the streets until dawn.

[Big Kahuna Burger]

did you read the part where they locked them in a room naked with a bunch of red bull, ecstasy, and porn?

[Nightshade]

Yes. I forgot how goddamn funny that website is, the emails they get from people thinking that they're a real christian site are nothing short of hilarious.

[[xeno]Julios]

i like the guru line...

http://www.guruenergy.ca/guru_products_hybrids.html

[tnf]

funny that's the third time I've heard people think that taurine somehow implies derivation from bull urine and its meant to be a joke - the first two times people were serious.
Red bull is at least different in that it doesn't rely on high fructose corn syrup like most of the newer energy drinks do. Not sure if the sucrose/glucose syrup it uses makes a big difference...I need to look into if there is a difference in their effects in energy drinks.

I used to drink a red bull every morning before 7am. The key to avoiding the sugar crash after having one was to have ingested a fair amount of protein earlier in the morning. So I would have a protein shake in the morning along with some sort of solid food, then the red bull about 30 minutes later. Otherwise, a red bull in the morning without a protein source mixed in is a recipe for the shakes. The red bull was followed by water to help stay hydrated following the diuretic effects of the red bull. But I stopped the redbulls entirely and haven't had one in about 5 months. I did try one of those 5-hour energy shots today that are sugar free and taste like absolute shit. They are basically just a shot of b-12 (something like 8333% RDA value) - a bit of a joke if you ask me, but I was curious to see what if any effect this stuff would have on me. So far none.

So yea, my only recommendation to energy drinks is that you make sure and get a protein source in the mix too...doesn't have to be fancy, something like peanuts, beef jerky, a shake, whatever, will go a long way to helping prevent that horrible energy crash you can get.

[[xeno]Julios]

interesting - never knew about the protein interaction - does it interact with insulin or the glucose or what?

[tnf]

Here's a quick description of why -

"6. Supplement with BCAAs Many bodybuilders take branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) before and after training to prevent muscle breakdown. Here's a tip: also take them when your energy wanes. Supplement with 4-5 g of BCAAs at any time of day that you tend to crash. For some, that may be midmorning; for others, that could be mid or late afternoon. No matter the time of day when you tend to feel fatigued, the reason may be a drop in sugar levels. BCAAs help offset a crash by preventing the burning of sugars, allowing blood levels to remain stable. Again, stable sugar levels are correlated with growth and recovery."


This also speaks to why I think its helpful to get that protein early enough that there is time for breakdown into and absorption of amino acids into the bloodstream.

[[xeno]Julios]

thanks - this is useful info.

[tnf]

Remember too you've got that short window of opportunity to replenish sugar stores post workout so get some carbs in that post workout shake along with an easily absorbed protein source. wait why are we talking about exercise and diet without Iccy here?

[[xeno]Julios]

yea i have a protein/carb mix before and after the gym, and in general i get about 50 grams of protein in with each of my 5 meals.

[Dr_Watson]

don't know if they're on the market anymore, (since i think they had ephedra in them) but pills i'd get at GNC called "yellow jackets" used to get me though 14 hour days like a champ.

[Scourge]

I've never tried any. Coffee was never my thing either. Always makes me jittery. One of my sons drinks Full Throttle and Amp a lot and seems to like them. Then again, he doesn't do much.

[SoM]

ive tried a few, but never felt any better or worse, might just aswell have gotten water and paid less in the process...

[ek]

can't go past caffeinated power mints and dgc.

[ek]

Remember too you've got that short window of opportunity to replenish sugar stores post workout so get some carbs in that post workout shake along with an easily absorbed protein source. wait why are we talking about exercise and diet without Iccy here?

actually i would suggest a WPI+Creatine right after workout, followed by a small high protein, carb (high GI) meal no later then 15 min post workout, followed by another within 3 hrs of w/o. no crash!

[SOAPboy]

[Ryoki]

Oh yeah, that stuff sort of works.

[PhoeniX]

Lucozade, because it taste's nice too. Do you get it in the US/elsewhere?

http://www.lucozade.com/

[SOAPboy]

Oh yeah, that stuff sort of works.

Yeah. its basicly just soda with some extra shit in it. Which is nice, because you dont crash real hard after drinking it all day.

[SoM]

centrum

[vileliquid1026]

The boyfriend drinks redbull and vault religiously...
I haven't found one that I like yet and I've tried quite a few different ones. I only drink Vitamin Water now. Try that stuff?

[Grandpa Stu]

zipfizz is neat. you can get a powder to mix in with a bottle of water or a small liquid shot.

http://www.zipfizz.com/products.html

though i stopped drinking it because for whatever reason it was causing me to break out. not much of surprise though when you look at the ingredients list and see like 50 different things and not knowing what half of them are.

i pretty much stick to rockstar if i need a slight boost and sparks for weekend fun

[Big Kahuna Burger]

spark is the most disgusting thing ever created by man

[Grandpa Stu]

if you're refering to the orange top sparks then i agree completely. it's nasty.
however the black and blue tops are formulated way differently and i find they're actually kinda tasty.