I used to be one of those fat guys you see scarffing down a burger and sipping his energy drink. The burger is a subject for another time, but really. But the energy drink? That is the subject of this post. I’m often blown away at the great lengths some of these companies will go to deceive us into thinking energy drinks are “cool” and they will help “improve performance”. but honestly, it doesn’t take much to realize these companies are full of hot air.

The next time you pick up an energy drink, find the nutrition label and be prepared to be amazed. Especially if you are overweight and you are trying to get healthy these drinks have no business in your body.

Reason one is the absurd amounts of sugar these drinks have. Think about it. A Rockstar contains up to 102 grams of sugar in a single can. If you look up the USDA’s daily recommendation you will find that they urge you to consume no more than 22 grams of sugar per day if you ingest 1600 calories per day. A Rockstar has over 4X the amount of sugar you should take for the entire day!

Reason number two for avoiding energy drinks is the stimulants you’ll find that cause the “boost in energy”. Besides the “boost in energy”, these stimulants (uaranine, taurine, caffeine, and/or ginseng) have also been known to cause: insomnia, high blood pressure, arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), heart palpations, difficulty breathing, seizures, and anxiety. And each of these stimulants happens to be very addictive.

You might be surprised to find out that France, Holland and Norway have banned Red Bull and other energy drinks because of the amount of caffeine in them. The ban was initiated after a 18 year old athlete died from drinking 4 cans of Red Bull.

The final reason to avoid energy drinks and a major reason nutritionists recommend avoiding them is because they are considered to be diuretics. Energy drinks make your body turn liquids into urine at a faster rate. Interestingly only 34% of Americans drink the USDA recommended eight 8 ounce classes of water each day. Leaving us as a nation dangerously dehydrated.

Since fatigue is the first sign of dehydration, nutritionists will tell you that if you are feeling tired and weak much of the time, the simplest and cheapest thing to try is to drink more water.

I sometimes watch these energy drink commercials and laugh to myself because they lead you to believe professional athletes drink this stuff nonstop. I can’t imagine Kobe Bryant guzzling an energy drink and then feeling up for the game 7 final of the championship. Digging into the research further you’ll find that drinking energy drinks while exercising is especially dangerous because the combination of sweating and the fact that energy drinks are diuretics leaves you dangerously exposed to dehydration.

Especially if you are trying to lose weight and get healthier, the best advise myself and any other energy expert out there could give you is put down the energy drink, and instead pick up a water bottle. You will have more energy, you will be more focused, and will see an increase in daily performance.

James Richardsen is a memeber of myadrenalfatigue.com,a site that specializes in helping those suffering from low energy and fatigue. MyAdrenalFatigue.com helps you to increase your energy levels through natural techniques by focusing on your fitness physically,mentally,emotionally,and spiritually. All 4 areas have tremendous energy consequences.