• Your one stop for college news and resources!

healthy

Energy Boost

How Do You Get Your Energy Boost?

Article written by Austin Goodwin.

In a society where people have an unlimited capacity to do work in the palm of their hands, college students face ever-increasing pressure to fill their cups to the brim with courses and involvement. With the mindset of “go, go, go,” it is easy to lose track of what makes you go. College campuses are saturated with energy sources between convenience stores loaded with energy drinks and coffee shops on every corner. While these energy drinks and coffees will give students an energy boost, it is important to understand exactly how these beverages affect a person’s overall health.

Energy Drinks

Brand strategists prioritize marketing energy drinks to college students, the most energy-deprived demographic. Students view these energy beverages, donned in sleek metallic cans and rich with modern design, as the one-size-fits-all solution to their lack of energy without considering the synthetic makeup.

Caffeine, i.e. survival juice. Most energy drinks offer the same amount or more caffeine than a coffee of the same size. Energy drinks have additional stimulants in their mix, like taurine, guarana, L-carnitine, and B vitamins. While these stimulants are legal, the doses of the stimulants in energy drinks are several times higher than what is consumed in a normal diet. It is unsafe for college students to subject themselves to such highs and lows long-term, and should opt for a balanced alternative.

The plague of energy drinks is sugar, most averaging over 50 grams of sugar (12 teaspoons for reference). The sugar content varies between energy drinks, but the crash coming from a sugar-induced insulin spike and subsequent crash from the stimulants wearing off leaves students feeling worse than they did before drinking one. Choosing “All Natural” mixes that energize water and other beverages provide an energy boost without the crash experienced with energy drinks.

College students may find themselves chasing energy drink crashes with another drink. The cycle of ups and downs for the body is dangerous both mentally and physically. Add in the jitters that come from an unbalanced energy boost and it becomes difficult to concentrate. Students may consider a sugar-free variety, but the hidden effects of artificial sweeteners are unknown to most.

Artificial sweeteners

While artificial sweeteners like sucralose are calorie-free and sugar-free, they can still spike blood glucose and insulin levels, leading to energy crashes. Additionally, sucralose itself as a primary sweetener can alter digestive bacteria in the stomach, leading to long-lasting complications with nutrition and medicine absorption. Making drinks “sugar-free” by pumping them with synthetic ingredients doesn’t mitigate the negative effects, despite how “sugar-free” is marketed as a safer alternative.

Coffee

College students looking for their energy boost and caffeine fix but not wanting the negative effects of energy drinks choose America’s favorite morning beverage to get them through study sessions and classes. The warmth of coffee on a cold winter day or a long, lonely night adds an emotional effect not found with energy drinks.

The caffeine content in coffee for a home brew is around 100 mg, so college students can drink larger amounts of coffee than energy drinks and stay within the caffeine limit. However, coffee is an appetite suppressant and a diuretic; lack of hydration and balanced dieting can lead to jitters and headaches from the caffeine spike. Finding ways to energize and hydrate is a more ideal way to energize without the negative after-effects.

The bitterness and lack of flavor from a recommended plain black coffee is a detractor, which is where specialty coffee beverages at coffee shops gain their luster. A coffee loaded with caramel, chocolate, whipped cream, and sweetener tastes delicious, but adds more sugar and a crash akin to energy drinks. Additionally, the added calories from a sweetened store-bought coffee or home-brewed coffee can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

Students should consider the negative effects of the beverages they consume for an energy boost. Coffee is less synthetic and safer in large amounts, but can be inconvenient. Energy drinks are more artificial and concentrated, but pose greater health risks. College students need an energy source that is clean, doesn’t make them jittery or irritable, and is free of a sugar crash. Coffee and energy drinks hold their value as energy sources and students should consume with their individual pros and cons in mind.

pureLYFT

A viable alternative to coffee and energy drinks is pureLYFT, which is Clean Caffeine extracted from unroasted green coffee beans offering the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. pureLYFT is all-natural like coffee, more convenient than an energy drink, packed with vitamins A and B complex, and lightly sweetened with Stevia Leaf. Whether students are using it at home, going out, in the gym, or in class, they can get the energy boost they need without the fillers they don’t.

 

foods high in vitamins

The Top 4 Foods High in Vitamins

Make sure you’re eating foods high in vitamins in order to get the nutrients you need without buying expensive supplements.

As a student, it can be so easy to stick to eating the same foods everyday. You know what you like, you know how to make it, so why not? Unfortunately, eating just instant noodles and pizza may cause nutrient deficiencies. You need to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need in your diet to keep yourself healthy.

The problem is, there are so many different vitamins and minerals all doing different things for your body. It can be hard to keep track on what you need to eat, and buying vitamin supplements isn’t always the cheapest option.

While you should be eating a wide variety of foods high in vitamins in order to receive the nutrition you need. Here are four things you can include in your diet to easily get a wide range of nutrients.

Dark leafy greens

Leafy greens like spinach and kale provide you with lots of different vitamins with very little hassle. These can contain vitamin K, vitamin A, iron, calcium, folate, magnesium and omega 3. These nutrients support healthy eyesight, strong bones and brain health among other things. Include leafy greens in a side salad or whizz them up in a smoothie in order to get this range of essential nutrients.

Fish

It’s no secret that oily fish like tuna and salmon are great for getting your recommended dose of omega 3. This fatty acid is vital for brain and cardiovascular health, and is thought to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. As well as omega 3, fish can contain vitamins K, D and B, iron and potassium. Fish may not be the cheapest food to buy fresh, but there are plenty of tinned and frozen products that can give you the same health benefits.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are another food group high in vitamins. Packed full of nutrients, nuts and seeds make a great snack for eating on the go. Most of them have high levels of B vitamins such as selenium and niacin, and can also help you get omega 3. Peanuts and cashews are great contenders in nutrition, and almonds famously contain high levels of vitamin E. Sunflower seeds have high levels of  vitamin E for immunity and healthy clotting, and B vitamins support a healthy metabolism and prevent anemia.

Fruit

There’s no denying it: the easiest way to increase your levels of vitamin C is to eat fruit. The good news is that all fruits and a lot of vegetables contain good levels of vitamin C. Pineapples, oranges and strawberries are all high in vitamin C, as well as bell peppers, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Vitamin C helps to keep skin, bones and cells healthy. Scurvy—a disease caused by lack of vitamin C—isn’t just for pirates. Up to eight percent of the population could have scurvy in the present day.

Further reading: Get More Greens in Your Diet