How to Choose an Energy Drink

It’s more than just a matter of taste

Trying to pick an energy drink is like being told you’re only allowed to sample one item from a smorgasbord. The fact that you don’t know if the energy drink you choose will be tasty or even provide the lift you’re looking for goes to show that perhaps more people should be consulting the nutritional labels on drinks – especially at $3 a can.

After all, many of the energy drinks out there don’t taste much better than pond water, and since each definitely has its own distinctive taste, how do you know if you’ll even like the one you choose if you don’t read the ingredients? Often, picking a drink that meshes with your taste buds and your quest for energy doesn’t always go hand in hand. It’s kind of like drinking coffee for the high when you absolutely hate the taste.

The ingredients of each drink vary from brand to brand, particularly when drink manufacturers sacrifice taste for a good high. Your reasons for buying that energy drink will depend on whether you’re seeking a quick kick in the pants or a drink to replenish your electrolytes after a long-distance run. Either way, you may end up choosing a foul-tasting drink. For example, if you’re seeking a quick burst of energy, the drink you choose might be extremely high in sugar and caffeine – and that isn’t always a tasty combination.

Regardless of your intention, you’ll need to understand how the various ingredients work to know which drink to choose. This can lead to a lot of research on your part or a lot of comparison drinking. Like most types of performance-enhancing substances, you’ll never really know which ones work the best for you unless you try as many of them as possible. This will need to take place over time, because if you drink too many in one sitting you may resemble a zombie by the time you’re finished.

Once you’ve narrowed down your choices by ingredients, you’ll still face being bombarded by a variety of drinks that come in some pretty fancy packaging. If your friends and family enjoy energy drinks you can always ask them for a recommendation on some of the different brands available.

You can also try to do some comparison shopping through magazines and right here at eDrinks.net.Check out our product reviews on hundreds of energy drinks, enhanced waters and sports drinks. We provide a full list of ingredients, nutritional info, a brief description of the taste and even a Buzz Factor, which rates the energy in each drink.

The final factor that will probably influence your energy drink choice will be the cost. I’m sure we can all agree that there’s no point paying an arm and a leg for a drink that tastes bad and doesn’t give you the rush you wanted.