Energy drinks have been in the news, with the government considering banning them for sale to young people, as some have become addicted to high-caffeine drinks that contain refined sugar, are expensive and sometimes contain stimulants like L-carnitine, taurine and guarana.
Designed to increase attention span, energy drinks increase heart rate and blood pressure, and cause serious health problems, if consumed excessively (like students cramming for exams).
Some young people have even ended up in hospital with serious dehydration, anxiety, insomnia and heart irregularity or even heart failure. In Sweden and Lithuania, such drinks are banned for under 15s, and other countries have taxes to reduce consumption.
NHS says no more than 200mg of caffeine a day for pregnancy (1 cup of coffee or 2 cups of tea – chain stores coffees are stronger, so adjust or omit). Over-consumption of energy drinks can lead to stomach ache, hyperactivity and weak bones (too much caffeine can interfere with absorbing calcium).
Purdey’s Natural Energy Drinks
Do not take guaraná (an Amazon plant) or ginseng (a Korean/Chinese plant) for high blood pressure, nor the former for a host of medical conditions – ask your GP before consumption.
Purdey’s is widely sold in shops, in glass bottles or cans. Sweetened with stevia, these are made from sparkling water, fruits and botanicals in three flavours:
- Raspberry & rose (with magnesium for electrolyte balance)
- Grape & apple (with ginseng)
- Dark fruits (guarana)
Natural Ways to Get More Energy
Have a life laundry. If you have stressful jobs, homes, commutes, relationships, friendships etc, it pays to sort these out first, to create a relaxing lifestyle. Seth Godin once wrote ‘Instead of wondering when our next vacation is, we should set up a life we don’t need to escape from’.
Look at your diet. Go for natural, whatever you eat. Lots of fresh (or even frozen/tinned) fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, herbs and spices. Buy a cookbook or just find natural foods at the store, and make something up, rather than eating refined foods that give little energy.
Drink water. Dehydration is a common issue of tiredness. If you just gradually build up to the recommendations (different for everyone, but as a rule, you should be drinking a 650ml reusable water bottle filled up twice to three times daily, depending on weather and exercise).
Serious dehydration is dangerous so see a doctor (for mild dehydration, you can drink a can of 7Up (for sugar and salt) then eat a big bag of salty pretzels to make you thirsty enough to keep drinking lots of water or squash until rehydrated).
Give up alcohol. As above, this causes dehydration, and also makes you tired. This is a biggie. If you’re a serious alcoholic, see your doctor as coming straight off alcohol can be dangerous. Otherwise, gradually reduce or give up alcohol until you start to feel more energised.
Don’t over-exercise. We all need some exercise. But if you overdo it, you can get dehydrated. A gentle walk for 30 minutes is fine, but hours of addictive running etc can send you into feeling exhausted or dehydrated, or both.
Try to relax and rest. This is obvious. Take time to simply ‘do nothing’. One of the biggest contributors to feeling tired is stress.
If after all the above you still feel exhausted, get a blood test from your door, to check that you don’t have a medical condition like anaemia or underactive thyroid.
Iron Supplements in Sustainable Packaging
Dr Vegan Iron Supplement is sold with a metal tin for the first order, then buy refills in sustainable pouches. Ideal for people with anaemia or feel tired, this is combined with vitamin C, for better absorption.
Although plant-based sources of iron exist, sometimes they are not as well-absorbed, so this is a good supplement for vegans (avoid tea and coffee for 30 minutes, as this hinders absorption).
Before taking supplements, check with GP if pregnant/nursing or you have medical conditions or are taking medication. Keep supplements away from young children & pets.
It’s not always true that vegans are low in iron, as you can get good plant-based sources from dried fruits, leafy green veg, legumes, nuts, seeds and tofu (especially if you don’t drink caffeine and take plenty of vitamin C through fresh produce).
However some people do find it difficult to get enough iron, and this makes people feel very tired. Other people who benefit include women with heavy periods and people with thinning hair (speak to your doctor).
Dr Vegan UltraEnergy is a plant-based supplement in compostable packaging, formulated by experts. Made from B vitamin complex for sustained energy, this also can protect from fatigue and supports heart health and brain function.
The History of the Original ‘Energy Drinks’
Lucozade (invented by a Newcastle pharmacist) is packed with glucose (sugar) and Ribena (originally created in 1938 as a free source of vitamin C for children and pregnant women) is also high in sugar.
Liverpool City Council once ran a health campaign saying the former was a worst offender for sugar (the only good thing being it was often used as a diabetes emergency drink – but it’s been reformulated to also contain artificial sweeteners, so advice is now amended).
Another reason to not buy Lucozade is that it is (like packs of Pringles) one of the most difficult items to recycle, due to lots of different plastics and materials in one item.
One Devon woman who went litter-picking for something do during lockdown, famously came across a Lucozade bottle that had been lying in the gutter since the 1990s. The brand applauded her and said this was a good story to encourage people to recycle?
This personal trainer says one bottle of Lucozade is like eating two packs of jelly babies (full of sugar and contributing the obesity epidemic). He suggests adding fresh lime juice to sparkling water, for the same effect.
How to Get Things Done (with fatigue)
Rest-Do Days is a practical guide to finding a balance between resting and doing, so you can recharge your energy, while doing things important to you. Using concepts from occupational therapy about pacing, this approach is from the author’s own personal experience of living with chronic illness, and working as an occupational therapist.
She learned how to adapt her rest-activity balance, keeping an eye on what (or who) is controlling her decisions, and focusing on what she wants to do in life.
This book is not a quick-fix, but includes ways to think on what is most important for each day, and working with your own situation, as it changes. It’s aimed mostly at people with degenerative diseases that involve high levels of cyclical fatigue with no present expectation of a cure: including MS, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, vasculitis, Parkinson’s and other chronic autoimmune diseases.
Dr Wendy Bryant has worked in a wide range of health and social care settings as an occupational therapist, then an academic and Brunel University and University of Essex. She retired from clinical practice, and continues to teach, awarded a Fellowship by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
