Be Healthy and Awake in 2011

When most people ring in the New Year they do it with resolutions, many of which will be to live healthier. If you are one of those people who want to be healthier this year, here are some tips on staying healthy without giving up your daily jolt.

White Tea
There are a wide variety of teas, many of which have caffeine and other herbal helpers. White tea is the best all around because it has one of the highest levels of antioxidants with enough caffeine to keep you going. The best part is that it is non addictive caffeine, which means if you miss a day you’re not going to get a massive headache from a lack of caffeine.

Black Coffee
Coffee is actually very healthy when used in moderation. There is also little difference between the amount of caffeine in 8 ounces of coffee and an 8 ounce latte. It is important though to make sure that you are not having a lot of coffee every day. Try to keep it down to one or two cups of caffeinated coffee a day.

Another way to be healthy is to cut down on all the extras. If you’re drinking regular coffee don’t add the sugar and cream. Try instead adding skim milk or getting a café au lait which is half coffee, half steamed milk (ask for skim of course) and half the cost of a latte. If you need a latte then don’t add flavors because even if you are asking for sugar-free flavors, there are still a lot of calories in the syrup. Also be sure to ask for skim milk because most chain coffee shops will just use 2% if you don’t specify and many independent shops will use whole milk. This of course is delicious, but can really pack on the fat. The healthiest thing to do is just drink plain black coffee.

Energy Drinks
If you find yourself in need of a quick pick-me-up, I would suggest 5-hour Energy. It is low on sugar, high in vitamins, and leaves you without a crash. I use this most often when taking the 5-hour drive to visit the in-laws and it works great! One of the side effects is called a Niacin Flush. This happens when your body is exposed to high levels of vitamin B3. As B3 moves through your blood it makes your skin hot and gives it a tingling sensation. Although this sounds bad, it is actually your body flushing itself of harmful toxins. I only experienced this the first time I used it and I was just fine. You should also be aware that drinking these multiple times a day or even multiple days in a row may be very harmful to your body because of all the energy supplements.

Soda
If you want to be healthy, you should just stop drinking it, even diet. The worst part for me is the acidity found in soda. Whether you are drinking regular, diet or sugar free, there is acidity in the pop that will attack your teeth. I have very weak teeth so this is the biggest problem for me. Pop also has a lot of empty calories that just go straight to your stomach. And don’t be fooled into thinking that if it has cane sugar it is better for you. Sugar is sugar whether it’s coming from cane or corn. Don’t believe me?

12oz. can of Coca-Cola
Corn Syrup
140 calories
39 grams sugar

12 oz bottle of Boylan Cola
Sugar Cane
160 calories
40 grams sugar

Basically, no difference.

Well there you have it. I hope this helps to kick start a healthy new year that you can stay awake for!