Drink Purple Juices For More Pep

These days, you can’t walk into a convenience store without being overwhelmed by the offering of energy drinks. Of course, the big dabby of popular energy drinks is Red Bull, which originated in Thailand and is still the category leader. By 2006, it was sold in more than fifty countries, more than 3 billion cans a year were consumed worldwide, and sales had reached well over 2.5 billion Euros (about 3.9 billions US dollars). However, I think you can do better than caffeinated soda pop. Start by trying the following energizing alternatives.

NONI JUICE: A CROWD FAVORITE
Noni juice is made from the Morinda citrifolia fruit, and it’s a good energy drink when consumed properly. Don’t drink it straight because it’s far too expensive and somewhat bitter tasting. But do throw an ounce or two into a glass of water, or add it to a smoothie. (I frequently mix it with my green drink in the morning).

Like a lot of antioxidant-rich beverages – mangosteen comes to mind, as does the acai berry juices such as XanGo and Mona-View – people swear by it. Although there’s no rigorous science to back up noni’s use for energy enhancement (nor for any of the other exotic beverage mentioned above), thousand of fans can’t all be wrong.

AFFORDABLE AND HEALTHY FOR EVERYONE
This isn’t the place to go into the absolutely outlandish claims of some of the multilevel marketing products such as XanGo and Mona-Vie, which are basically extremely overpriced, albeit high-antioxidant, juices. But I will tell you this: You can make your own high-antioxidant, energy-enhancing juice mix for about one-sixth the price of any of these products, and it will be just as good.

Some of the juices I personally keep on hand for a high-energy boost include blueberry, goji berry, acai berry, cranberry, black cherry, and the aforementioned pomegranate and noni. The beauty of making your own (besides the enormous savings in price) is that you can ix and match to your taste. One recipe I like is 2 ounces (60ml) blueberry, 2 ounces (60ml) black cherry, 1 ounce (28 ml) goji, 1 ounce (28 ml) noni, and 4 ounces (120 ml) pomegranate juices mixed together with 10 to 16 ounces (285 to 475 ml) of pure (filtered or artesian) water. (Again, there’s no right and wrong here: just mix and match any way your taste buds dictate).

Three things are important here: One, get the brands that are pure juice, and skip the “cocktail” juices. The pure juices are more expensive (though not even close to the price of the multilevel marketing stuff), but they have no sugar added and aren’t diluted with cheaper juices. They’re also a tad more bitter. Real juice “cocktails” that are mostly sugar.

Second, dilute with water. You don’t need to drink them straight. (How diluted is put to you. Some athletes, for example, like to mix one part juice with five parts water. My friend Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., sips her “fat flushers” drink of crane-water all day long. It’s a mixture of one part pure cranberry juice and three parts water).

Third, feel free to sweeten these drinks with something such as stevia, xylitol, Lo Han, or even a drop of agave nectar (a natural sweetener). If that makes it more palatable for you, fine. You’ll be getting the health and energy benefits of some of the most nutritious fruits on the planet without the energy-robbing high-sugar content of the expensive commercial mixes.