V8 V-Fusion Energy blend

April 11, 2012 |

The very existence of the energy drink market in America, especially with its major consumer base of ages 14 to 34, indicates that something is really wrong with today’s America lifestyle. Furthermore, poor health of today’s young Americans contributes heavily into the troubled tomorrow of this country.  I have already reviewed a number of popular energy drinks earlier. Here is V8 V-Fusion Energy, the least chemically aggressive energy drink of all I know. This is “A pomegranate and blueberry flavored beverage blend of vegetable and fruit juices from concentrate with green tea extract and other natural flavors.”  This sounds good, but let’s looks at the diagram.

V8 V-Fusion Energy: Risk and NutritionV8 V-Fusion Energy: Risk and Nutrition

This 50% juice drink has low sugar content of 10 g per 8 OZ can, low chemical risk DDFI = 7/31 ~ 0.2 and the nutritional value  of DDNF = 31/19 ~ 1.6 which is not bad but lowered by the addition of sucralose, a chlorinated derivative of sucrose (sugar). By the way, this is the reason why V8 V-Fusion Energy drink will never appear on the Whole Foods Market shelves and also why I cannot recommend it to you.

So what the energy carrier in this V8 blend is? As you can see from the diagram, sugar of juices is the only ingredient which can serve as a fuel. Caffeine  is a psychoactive drug which stimulates  central nervous system and Vitamins of B group simply help utilizing the energy from sugar. That’s it, do not fool yourself. A small cup of coffee may do a better job; read Coffee Brain Boost article.

A better alternative. In the recent article, The Dangers of Energy Drinks it says that children who consume moderate amounts of caffeine before physical activity can have elevated blood pressure. A better solution is, as always, the natural solution: “Energy drinks are not safe, and do not improve performance,” Dr. Tozzi said. “Water is your best fluid in addition to a well-balanced diet. The well-balanced diet should be high in dark, green vegetables, because that’s your best source of magnesium, which is a muscle relaxant, so it will decrease muscle spasm and cramping.”

Bottom line. Yes, it’s good to remember that we are humans, and so we need nutritious food to live an active and healthy life. If you feel weak and depressed there are good chances that either you eat wrong stuff or your intestinal tract is obstructed by undigested remains so that absorption of the nutrients is diminished. As soon as you fix your diet and the lifestyle, your energy will come back to you.

Tags: , , , ,

Category: Energy drinks, Soft drinks

Comments are closed.