are you drinking out of a salt shaker?

I recently tooka  Paradigms in Health course and got a perfect score in it, an A 100%. I’m currently taking a Human Nutrition course and we are again talking about daily nutritional intake/values. 

A fellow student in my current health class had this to say

“Up until last year, I was a MT Dew lover.  I would drink 3-4 20oz bottles a day.  When I would stop drinking for at least 1 full day, it actually tasted like its color, pond water.  I have been away from it since December now, I don’t even like the sight anymore.  Pepsi was my alternate, that stuff tastes nasty.  I wonder how I even began to like this stuff.  Now I stick to water and Xenergy to drink through out the day, and at meals I drink milk or water.”

I had this to say in response: I got curious and did some research. 

Xenergy drink

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 16 fl. oz. Servings per case: 12 cans Calories: 0

Niacin 40 mg (as Niacinamide)

Vitamin B6: 10 mg

Vitamin B12 10 mcg

Sodium 400 mg

Proprietary Blend 2.7 g: Taurine, glucoronolactone, caffeine, guarana extract, panax
ginseng extract, inositol, l-canitine.

from http://musclesurf.com/xenergy.html

And here’s for a Mountain Dew

http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/mountain-dew/soda

There are the nutrional value for the Xenergy drinks you are having.  Looks to me like all you did was trade sugar for salt. 

“Since the minimum physiological requirement for sodium is only 500 mg daily, Americans well exceed their sodium intake. However, athletes who eat mostly fresh foods and consume water (versus sports drink) during exercise maybe at risk for hypoatremia characterized by lethargy, confusion, muscle twitching, seizures and coma. Hypoatremia may also be due to excessive intake of fluid especially those experiencing renal insufficiency.”
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.html  

Only 500 mg of sodium is needed for an average adult.  One energy drink has 400.  If you drink that you can only allow another 100 mg of sodium.  Trust me that would be nearly impossible.  I hope you’re not drinking 2 or more of these a day.

In other words unless you are out sweating away those energy drinks like an athlete would…you are consuming a heck of a lot of sodium that your body cannot use.  Try water with lemon/lime squeezed in.  No sodium and free!!!!  Your energy drink might bring on hypertension.

That energy drink has caffeine in it too. 

Oh and again because I myself was curious I looked at the sodium content of milk.  Ut oh…one glass of milk added to 2 Xenergy drinks and one would be consuming a lot of sodium just via drinks..(400 mg in one energy drink, 127 more mg’s of sodium in one glass of milk……you’re over the daily recommended amount…AND that’s not even considering what you eat.  You didn’t say how many energy drinks you drink….but you can see how this is a slippery slope. Sodium Content of Milk (all varieties) can be found here http://www.annecollins.com/sodium_diet/sodium-milk.htmI’m currently drinking a FUZE refresh Bananna Colado beverage. http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/85244.html90 calories

0 sat fat

0 trans fat

23 g sugar

0 protein

tons of vitamin B, C, A, and E

And no caffeine.   Here’s the bad part of my chosen drink….  It has Fructose in it.    It is an A- food.  I try to stick to A beverage choices.   www.calorie-count.com has been quite accurate in my opinion when I compare the actual label to it..they are always 100% the same.