Top 5 Natural Energy Boosting Drinks without Caffein

Many commercial energy drinks like Red Bull contain harmful ingredients like caffeine, high amounts sugar, high fructose corn syrup, additives, and red dye #40. Caffeine can be so dangerous in high quantities that 5-Hour Energy drinks were linked to heart attacks and convulsions in United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) investigations after complaints were filed. You can of course find healthier versions of energy drinks at natural grocers and health food stores but many of these are pasteurized to prolong shelf life. Pasteurization decreases the nutritional value of even the most wholesome ingredients. This includes flash pasteurization, although this better than other forms of pasteurization.

You can easily make your own natural energy drinks at home for much healthier alternatives to those commercial energy drinks. These can be taken on the road in an insulated thermos to give you energy at work, school, during a work-out, or after a work-out. These are also great to take on hikes! Below you will find suggestions for 5 natural energy drinks that contain easy to find ingredients and are super easy to make.

Banana and Wheat Grass Smoothie

3-4 ripe bananas
2 cups cold water (add more for a thinner smoothie)
1 tablespoon wheat grass powder (or fresh if you have it)

Bananas give a great deal of instant energy. One or two bananas give you enough energy for a strenuous work-out. Bananas are very high in potassium and also the B complex vitamins that are perfect for restoring depleted energy and increasing energy when you need it. They are also a significant source of fiber. Bananas make a great tasting smoothie plus they contain trypotophan and this can help put you in a great mood!

Like Spirulina discussed later in the article, wheat grass is another superfood that contains a wide variety of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. You can never go wrong with adding either to a smoothie. Both are also two of the most alkalizing foods one can eat. This is important because the modern diet has so many acid forming foods that throw the body into an acidic state that can make it more susceptible to diseases like cancer and more prone to infection.

Blue Green Coconut Water

8-16 ounces coconut water
1/2-1 teaspoon spirulina powder

This natural energy drink is one of the easiest homemade natural energy drinks you can make plus it is one of the healthiest. Best of all, you don’t even need a blender to make it! You can use fresh coconut water from young fresh coconuts (hard to come by unless you live in the tropics) or canned coconut water. Note that this is not the same as the liquid you get from an older brown coconut. If you buy canned coconut water, try to get organic. Coconut water is one of the best natural electrolyte replacements because it contains a very high potassium content, far more than Gatorade and other sports drinks, plus many other minerals.

Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is sold in powder form in most health food stores. You can also often find this powder in the bulk section of most supermarkets. Spirulina is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It is 60-70 percent protein, containing all 8 essential amino acids in perfectly balanced proportions. Beef, by comparison, is only about 22-24 percent protein Spirulina also contains chlorophyll, a molecule that is very similar to hemoglobin and works to build up your red blood cells and helps you carry more oxygen. This helps your tissues become more oxygenated. Spirulina contains a wider range of micronutrients than any other known food source. These include antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and several bio-available pigments other than chlorophyll.

If you don’t have coconut water on hand, you can still get the benefit of spirulina powder by mixing it with water. Try to use filtered alkaline water to help keep your body’s pH in balance. If you don’t like the taste of the spirulina powder (some sources have a stronger taste than others), you can also buy spirulina capsules or tablets and just take these with water.

Kale and Banana Smoothie

3-4 ripe bananas
2 cups cold water (add more for a thinner smoothie)
1 cup ice
1 small bunch of kale

Bite for bite, kale is said to be one of the healthiest foods you can put in your mouth. Blending kale into a smoothie is a great way to get all the health benefits it has to offer absorbed very quickly into your system. This includes a great deal of energy from high concentrations of iron and other minerals. In fact, calorie for calorie, kale has more iron than beef. This is why it is sometimes called the “new beef.” If you want this drink to be less bitter, remove the mid-rib and stems from the kale before you blend it as this is the most bitter part. However, these sections are perfectly edible so they do not need to be removed and they will add some more fiber. Also note, kale is usually sweeter in the cooler months.

Carrot and Parsley Juice

5 medium carrots
1 red or green apple
1 small bunch of fresh parsley

This is a good natural energy drink for when you just need a little pick me up. It has a very refreshing in taste. Be sure to de-core the apples in these recipes because apple seeds are slightly toxic.

In conclusion, natural energy drinks are relatively easy to make and are much healthier than commercial energy drinks like Red Bull. Your body will respond very well to these! If you have some favorite vegetables and fruits, you can modify the recipes above and add those too.

Green Drink

3 – 5 kale leaves
1 lemon (you can include part or all of the peel)
2 green apples
3-4 celery stalks
1 small knob of ginger

This is a great power combination that you’ll love the taste of and you will be coming back for more! The apples balance out any bitterness in the greens and the lemon provides a bit of zing. If you are really adverse to a bitter taste, peel the lemon and add only the outer layer of the peel. The inner peel is the most bitter part. Ginger is excellent for increasing circulation. 

It is also great for mental energy as well as physical energy. Lemon is the most alkalizing food you can eat. This helps the body maintain a healthy pH balance that will give you much more energy. Celery is known to lower blood pressure. It is also good at replacing electrolytes and re-hydrating the body after a workout.

Source: epyk.com