Tested: FRS Energy Drink Concentrate

The sheer number of energy drinks out there really amazes me. There must be thousands of crazy, disgusting, unhealthy energy drinks around the world. But I take comfort in the fact that there is a handful of healthy energy drinks out there.

One of these healthy energy drinks is known as FRS (or Free Radical Scavenger) from New Sun Nutrition. It caught my eye because of FRS’ connection to the cycling world, and now I have had a chance to put it to the test!

Today I am going to review the FRS liquid concentrate, which comes in a 32oz bottle that provides 16, 2oz servings.

Recommended dosing is to mix 2oz concentrate with 6oz water to complete a nice 8oz glass. It even includes a nifty FRS measuring cup!

Mixing the FRS Concentrate

The first thing I noticed when mixing was that the concentrate is really thick and likes to stick to the measuring cup, and rinsing it out of the measuring cup without wasting any took too much effort. After that I decided to just dump the concentrate straight into my glass. That saved a lot of time and hassle! (Once you see 2oz poured from the measuring cup, it’s easy to judge the amount by sight, or you could draw a line on your glass or water bottle to make it super easy.)

The thing that’s awesome is how this does not leave clumps of powder at the bottom of the glass. Since this is a liquid concentrate, it mixes easily into one smooth drink. I mix it with a spoon, but you can get by without it - just dump the concentrate in first, pour water over it, and give it a little swirl. Or put it in a water bottle and give it a quick shake, whichever you prefer.

Also, the concentrate is so thick and strong you could probably mix 2oz of it with 16oz of water and still have it taste good. You’ll have to see what works for you.

FRS Concentrate Taste and Texture

Opening the bottle was kind of funny because this stuff looks and smells exactly like frozen orange juice concentrate! I was expecting some funky “energy drink” kind of flavor, but this taste was like a traditional fruit juice! The texture was just like orange juice, too, as it’s very thick (as opposed to thin and watery.)

I would say the taste is practically the same as orange juice but with a little bit of a bite at the end of each sip. It’s not bad, but if this was an OJ taste test, you could tell it is the odd man out. (I’d say it’s like drinking sweet orange juice and then the bite at the end is like a more sour, acidic orange juice taste.)

However, unlike real orange juice, this does not leave an aftertaste! Normally OJ leaves a thick, acidic aftertaste, but this stuff does not. That is awesome! No more disgusting “brushing your teeth after drinking orange juice” feeling!

Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

This is loaded with calories - 120 calories in the 2oz serving. (No wonder FRS does low-calorie options!) However, that just makes it even more like orange juice… I checked a can of frozen orange juice concentrate and a serving of that was listed at 140 calories, so FRS is on par with that.

The FRS is fairly filling, as you’d expect for the caloric content. You could use it as a quick, pre-workout breakfast (assuming you keep refueling if you’re doing a long workout.)

I’ve been drinking this in the morning on an empty stomach with no problems. Some people have trouble with orange juice being too acidic, and some energy supplements can be problematic on an empty stomach, but this didn’t bother me.

Now for the most important part… the ingredients that give you energy! It’s all about the flavonoid antioxidants (especially quercetin and catechins.) A serving of this gives you the same amount of antioxidants as 3 servings of blueberries, 6 servings of red onions, or 8 servings of raspberries!

Sure, I’d love to eat 3 servings of blueberries or even 8 servings of raspberries every day, but that’s not realistic! It’s much easier to get 250mg of quercetin and 100mg of catechins (from the green tea leaf extract) in one simple serving of FRS concentrate.

On top of that, the all-natural ingredients provide:

25% DV of Vitamin A
210% DV of Vitamin C
200% DV of Vitamin E
100% DV of Thiamin
100% DV of Riboflavin
100% DV of Niacin
100% DV of both Vitamins B6 and B12

The Energy Boost

With all these ingredients, I was expecting an insane energy boost… but it didn’t do much. I did notice it lift my mood some and make me feel a little more alert, but there wasn’t an energy rush.

But I went into it all wrong…

I was looking for an instant boost, but you don’t really notice the real energy boost till the end of the day. That’s because FRS lasts all day, delivering just enough energy to keep you active and alert without making you jittery.

So on a day you take this, you’ll go through the day like normal, but at the end of the day you won’t be worn out! Then when you look back on the day, you’ll realize you got a lot of stuff done!

For example, let’s say your routine consists of going to work, coming home and going for a quick ride, then laying on the couch and falling asleep. With FRS, you could put in a day at work, go for a hard ride, and then get some work done at home. It’s a simple concept, but after you see the results, you’ll swear by it!

Drawbacks to the FRS Concentrate

This FRS worked extremely well, although there is a drawback I noticed… the price. A bottle costs about $20, so if you use it once every day, you’ll need almost two bottles each month. That’s $40 per month! (I don’t like to put a price tag on my health, though!)

My final verdict is…

I’m extremely happy with my FRS concentrate. The taste is good enough that I could drink this on a daily basis for years, and the all day energy is so great that I could drink this even if it tasted terrible! The taste isn’t amazing enough that I want to drink it five times a day, but the energy boost is too good to pass up.

If you just want some health benefits for a low price, drink a couple glasses of green tea each day. But if you want lots of extra health benefits and the all day energy boost, FRS is well worth the price. (I bet you could even calculate it as a cost savings if you think about how much more work you can get done each day!)

Official website: www.healthyenergy.com

Free Trial link: www.healthyenergy.com/tryfree