Do you energize?

Do you enjoy your energy drinks?

A lot of us do.

I wanted to tell you about the effect caffeine and energy drinks can have on our metabolism. We call it an altered metabolism. And it can have the exact opposite effect you may be looking for.

We often drink caffeinated drinks, and energy drinks to wake us up, or give us a boost, or even to stave off hunger.

Did you know that excessive energy drinks have been known to lead to an increase in your susceptibility for kidney stones? I know, it’s crazy right?! But it’s true; an increase in our intake of energy drinks has led to a rise in kidney stones. And what do I mean by excessive, you want to know? More than 3 of those really small, teeny, tiny, little cans in 1 week is considered to be excessive.

Now I’m not judging you on the amount of energy, or caffeinated beverages you consume. I’m not here to judge you for anything you do; so, let’s just get that out of the way now. I want to provide you with some information so you can make educated decisions.

Energy drinks also have this way of leaching B vitamins from your body’s stores. And one of the reasons we drink them is because they have all those added supplements, right?

Now caffeine has this way of altering our metabolism so that it slows way down. That’s not what you think of when you’re feeling a caffeine buzz though. We’re thinking our metabolism is cranking up into high gear and burning extra calorie! But it may not be.

If you’re feeling slow and sluggish in the mornings, why not reach for a nice crisp apple with your morning joe? Apples have pectin which has a way of waking us up. I love a nice crisp apple in the warmer mornings (more so than these cooler ones) because it gets my brain moving a little faster. It also gives your metabolism something to work with.

One of the reason caffeine can slow our metabolism is because we often don’t eat while we’re consuming caffeinated beverages in excess. Our bodies are pretty darn smart at knowing there’s no fuel, so it banks the fire we call metabolism down real low. We end up holding on to a lot more of the “energy” we call calories because our bodies don’t want to starve.

I’d like to suggest to you that an extra glass of water for every caffeinated drink you have, and something worth while to eat, might get you going in the energy direction you might be looking to go.

Something to think about.

Thanks for visiting,

AnnaLisa