Does anyone else remember Jolt? If I hadn’t already told you my age, you know it now.

I remember getting one of these electric yellow beverages out of the vending machine in middle school, and most likely paired it with a Nutty Buddy — for a “well-rounded snack” before 8th grade B team basketball practice. Thankfully, I’ve learned just a little bit since then about how to better fuel my body since my middle school days. (But I do long for that young lady’s metabolism.)

A dear friend of mine recently gave me a popular Tik Tok energy drink to try, for research purposes only, and I’m going to be honest, it is still sitting in my fridge. If you’ve visited this little space more than once, you’ve probably already been able to decipher my thoughts on energy drinks.

These beverages contain more than 25 ingredients — in 12 ounces no less. No thank you. Most also have 200 milligrams of caffeine in one slim can. For reference my beloved small, iced oat milk latte has about 85 grams of caffeine. An average cup of coffee has around 95 grams of caffeine, and your typical 12-ounce caffeinated soft drink has around 30.

Instead of telling you all the reasons to steer clear of these beverages, I would hope just the few things I mentioned above might be encouragement enough. I thought today I’d provide you with healthy alternatives and some of the benefits for each.

Without further ado, wonderful, natural, healthy, and delicious alternatives to energy drinks:

• Matcha — Oh, my goodness I love a good, iced oat milk matcha latte. For matcha that isn’t already sweetened, you usually have to find a cool local coffee shop. If you are ordering a matcha latte at a more popular chain-based coffee shop (I think we all know the one, I’m talking about) replace regular milk with a nut or oat based alternative and, based on what size you order, ask for one to two less scoops of the matcha.

If you are not familiar with matcha it’s a finely ground powder of specially grown green tea leaves. Matcha is high in antioxidants, has been shown to aid in reduction of redness associated with skin conditions such as acne or rosacea, and is packed with a host of vitamins like A, B, C, E, and K. To save dollars and make sure you are getting the health benefits of the real deal, when buying matcha look for ceremonial grade. The consistency should be a very fine powder, ideally stored and sold in an airtight tin. The matcha should also be a really vibrant green.

• Tea — I love trying different flavors, especially decaffeinated blends. You know I love a good cup of Sleepytime tea with a shot of apple cider vinegar (with the mother) and a drizzle of local honey. I drink this religiously every night, even packing it up on the road.

• Kombucha — Did you know kombucha naturally has a little kick of caffeine? It has just around 15 grams. I love it as a little afternoon treat/pick-me-up. Make sure when purchasing you check out the sugar content. I always go with the green or ginger varieties as they naturally have less sugar than the fruit flavor based ones.

• Iced coffee or latte — My go to coffee drink order, when not making at home, is an iced, oat milk latte. No syrups, no whipped cream, just really great espresso and yummy oat milk over ice. Keeping it simple saves your waistline and wallet.

• Fruit-infused water — I love doing this myself and do I even need to tell you all the reasons you should be drinking water? I’m sharing one of my favorite, fun, yummy drinks when I want a little afternoon treat/refresher, but don’t want to spend five dollars for a small beverage that I can easily make at home for so much less. I like my money where I can see it, in my closet.

• Canned sparkling water — LA Croix, Spindrift, AHA, Waterloo, Bubly, just to name a few of my personal favorites. Buy whatever brand you prefer, just make sure to check the ingredient list. Look for no-added sugars, artificial flavors, or sweeteners and low sodium. I’m fine with the ones that have a little bit of sugar (two to three grams) from natural fruit juice.

Here is a recipe from the blog 40 Aprons for another healthier alternative to energy drinks:

Ingredients1 cup unsweetened strawberry sparkling water like Perrier or Bubly

1/2 cup coconut milk from carton unsweetened if on Whole30, vanilla is great otherwise

InstructionsPour freeze-dried strawberries in a serving cup, then pour strawberry sparkling water over. Stir well and let sit for a couple of minutes to steep. Add ice to glass then pour coconut milk over. Stir and serve.

Author’s notes: You can use about a cup of any other strawberry flavored sparkling water. You can also use fresh strawberries in place of freeze-dried, but the pink drink won’t have as much of a strawberry flavor.

Remember the average adult should have no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Too much caffeine can cause a host of problems from affecting your sleep to irregular heartbeat. I truly believe a cup — or two — of coffee a day and an afternoon plain latte, from time to time, can be beneficial for your health. However, I feel a beverage with more than 25 ingredients and a big jolt of caffeine just can’t be that good for you.

Jessica Barnett is a Southwest Virginia girl married to a Greeneville native, a mom, personal trainer, certified fitness nutrition specialist, runner, herbivore and ice cream lover. To learn about working with Jessica, prospective clients may email jcbarnett616@gmail.com.

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.