If there is one sports drink company that stands out from the rest, it would have to be Hammer Nutrition. They pride themselves on (and aggressively sell) the fact that they use healthy, high-performance ingredients in all their products.

You won’t find high fructose corn syrup or table sugar in any Hammer products. Instead, Hammer uses maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate, along with healthy sweeteners such as stevia and xylitol. They also leave out citric acid (which could possibly upset your stomach.)

But… you certainly pay a premium price for all this. I never purchased a large quantity of Hammer HEED for this very reason, but I have had the opportunity to grab a surplus of free samples from some mountain bike races, so I am going to review it today.

Hammer HEED Nutrition Facts and Info

On paper, Hammer HEED is as close to perfect as an energy drink can be. It contains an “all-complex carbohydrate formula” (mainly maltodextrin) for a consistent and long-lasting energy supply, plus two sweeteners - stevia and xylitol - which are actually healthy. For electrolytes, HEED supplies a “full-spectrum, all chelated mineral, electrolyte profile” which beats the pants off most drinks containing just sodium and potassium.

Here are the actual ingredients:

Maltodextrin, Xylitol, Natural Flavor, White Stevia, Sodium Chloride, L-Carnosine, Glycine, Calcium Chelate, Magnesium Chelate, Potassium Chelate, L-Tyrosine, Vitamin B6, Manganese Chelate, ChromeMate brand Chromium Polynicotinate

Compare that to the label of your other sports drinks and you’ll wish you had HEED instead!

Not only is it healthy, but it should fulfill your caloric needs on rides up to two hours. You’ll probably put about two scoops of HEED into each 20 oz water bottle, giving you about 400 calories on a two hour ride (in which you consume two bottles.)

As you can see, things sound great so far. But how does it taste…

Hammer HEED Taste Test

Aside from the nutrition aspect, the unique flavor of HEED attracts a lot of riders. While I kind of like the super strong/sweet Gatorade flavors, many people find it too strong to drink while riding, or it gives them stomach problems. That’s why HEED has a very light and mild flavor, even when mixed at full strength.

I will say that again - HEED is very light and mild. It is nowhere near as strong as Gatorade, and it’s even lighter than other cycling-specific drinks (Powerbar Endurance drink is pretty light, but it’s strong compared to HEED!)

HEED is just tasty enough that it makes you want to drink it. I doubt it would be sweet enough to make you sick, even if you have a sensitive stomach.

I have tried the Lemon Lime and Mandarin Orange flavors, and Hammer recently released a couple new flavors - Mild Melon and Subtle Berry (strawberry.) If you just can’t stand any flavor, you can even get unflavored HEED!

First, Lemon-Lime. HEED’s Lemon Lime flavor is probably the best lemon-lime sports drink I’ve ever had. I actually haven’t had any recently, but if I remember correctly, it was like a light lemonade with a hint of lime. It tasted awesome after a hard mountain bike race.

Recently I’ve been using the Mandarin Orange HEED, because I got a handful of sample packs. It tastes pretty good and does taste a lot like mandarin orange; it certainly doesn’t taste like most “orange” sports drinks. It is much more mild than those drinks, and I think it was even more mild than the Lemon-Lime HEED.

Other than that, it’s kind of hard to describe because Hammer HEED does have that unique taste and texture that’s not quite like any other drink. Mandarin Orange is almost creamy, but not thick or slimy.

As for taste, I preferred the Lemon-Lime. I’d love to try the Mild Melon, though. I have this feeling that that would be a good flavor for HEED.

My Hammer HEED Experience

When first opening HEED, there was no doubt it was composed of maltodextrin. It was a real fine powder that looked and smelled like maltodextrin. That worried me because maltodextrin is hard to mix - it clumps and turns into a pasty substance.

Luckily HEED mixed up a little easier, but it was still hard to get well-mixed. I usually let it sit overnight after mixing in water. It doesn’t foam or clump too bad, but getting the perfect mix takes some time.

What matters more though is whether this stuff works or not. I used it before, during, and after workouts and races, usually on days when I wasn’t consuming other bars or drinks composed of simple sugars.

Unfortunately, I didn’t notice anything spectacular. HEED fueled my endeavors and kept me hydrated, all without stomach problems, but PowerBar Endurance formula does the same thing for me. I’ve had the same basic results with Hammer gel - it works just fine, but being a perfect drink/gel on paper doesn’t necessarily mean it will work well in real life.

Based on these experiences, I am willing to use and recommend Hammer Nutrition products, but I just can’t agree with all the Hammer aficionados who think it’s the best drink ever.

My final verdict is…

Personally I drink lots of Gatorade (I like the strong flavors and love the fact that it’s cheap) and whatever other drinks I find on sale. I also enjoy PowerBar Endurance, since it can be purchased on sale at a decent price, and provides more electrolytes and calories than Gatorade.

However, Hammer HEED has a decent taste and a very light sweetness that is still good. If you absolutely hate strong drinks like Gatorade, I recommend you try HEED. The taste is lighter, but it’s not a watered-down, bland taste. (If you’re unsure about flavor, go with the Lemon-Lime.)

I don’t see myself converting to HEED though. It didn’t impress me that much. Some day I’ll give it another shot, but I’m not sold on it.

Official website: www.HammerNutrition.com

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]

Want an energy drink that works for you? I’m pretty sure that’s the premise behind all energy drinks (which energy drinks ask you to work for them?) but Function Drinks go by the motto, “Function: Make your drink work for you.”

Developed by physicians* and based on proven science, these drinks are supposed to help you function in a certain way. For example, the “Vacation” drink contains ingredients to make you feel happy, like if you were on a vacation. The others are named in the same fashion, and promise benefits from lighter weight to younger looking skin.

*By reading the website, I’d say these are helpful physicians, as opposed to the type that just like to prescribe prescription drugs so they can get bonuses from the big pharmaceutical companies.

While somewhat gimmicky, I do think these drinks have some health benefits, so they’re worth a look (especially if you need an alternative to a drink such as Mountain Dew or Red Bull.)

Today I will be testing the Vacation, Youth Trip, and Light Weight versions from Function. Each one contains a mix of healthy ingredients, vitamins, and minerals, with just one exception…

The Light Weight formula aimed at dieters contains sucralose to cut calories to 5 per serving (10 per bottle.) I do not recommend artificial sweeteners. The other formulas are 50 calories per serving (100 per bottle) and use natural cane sugar, which I can recommend.

Taste Tests

Since it sucks to drink healthy stuff if it tastes bad, let’s see how these drinks taste…

Vacation (Pacific Coconut)

Vacation has a very sweet coconut flavor, and the texture makes me think of coconut milk (since this is a milk/water mixture.) I really liked it at first, and I still liked it after drinking a couple bottles!

Active ingredients consist of the green tea-derived polyphenol L-theanine (which reduces mental and physical signs of stress and anxiety) and a plant-derived amino acid called 5-HTP (which helps your brain to full replenish healthy stores of serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for mood.)

I would say I felt slightly better after drinking it. Nothing crazy though. It’s not like I was instantly transported to a stress-free beach vacation, but it sure didn’t make me feel worse!

Vacation contains 50 calories per serving, which isn’t bad, especially since it uses “natural evaporated cane sugar” as the sweetener, which is cool. Cooler still is how you get 100mg of Magnesium per serving - that’s 25% DV. (So one bottle of this gives you 50% DV for Magnesium.) And… 20% DV for Zinc in each serving.

Overall I think it tastes great, although the flavor is probably hit or miss, as some people could be turned off by the milk/water mixture.

Light Weight (Dragonfruit)

This definitely tastes like Dragonfruit, or at least what I’m used to dragonfruit drinks tasting like. The flavor was good at first, but there was a hint of artificial sweetener. That’s too bad, because dragonfruit is good stuff when paired with real cane sugar.

Instead, this uses sucralose to cut calories to 5 per serving. I guess they would have to do that to compete with Propel, G2, Lifewater, low cal FRS, and any other “fitness water” type drinks for dieters. (All of which I dislike.)

As you may have noticed, I don’t like artificial sweeteners, but I drank this anyway to test it out. That first sip had the great dragonfruit taste, but after that, it wasn’t very good. And the more I drank, the more I tasted the artificial sweetener tinge. I’d rate this somewhere between “not good” and “bad.”

The other ingredients are logical though. EGCG is a grean tea extract proven to increase calories burned per hour and promote lean body mass. Gymnema extract limits the absorption of calories your body takes in from fat and carbohydrates. And red wine extract resveratrol amps up your energy production, increasing your total calorie burn.

Youth Trip (Acai Grape)

Acai berries are awesome, so I couldn’t pass up an acai grape flavor. This one smells great, and I could really smell the acai.

The first few sips were awesome. There’s definitely an acai taste, with hints of a ‘grape Kool Aid type’ grape flavor. It was pretty good overall, although after drinking half a serving (4 oz) I really wasn’t into it anymore. For some reason the flavor got old pretty quick.

But again, the natural ingredients look good. Function uses an all-natural combo of anti-oxidants, including grape seed extract and rutin (from buckwheat), which has been scientifically proven to protect your skin from harmful UV rays, and to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

(I guess some people will try anything to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, which seems to be all the rage these days.)

My final verdict is…

I like the premise behind these drinks, especially because they follow through with fairly healthy, natural ingredients.

As for taste, I enjoyed the Vacation’s coconut texture and flavor and would gladly keep drinking it. I would avoid the Light Weight though, because the artificial sweetener taste and aftertaste is unappealing, and the Youth Trip was alright, but not something I’ll be going back for.

In the end, the Vacation (coconut) gets my recommendation for something cool to try, while the rest of the drinks fall into my “yet another energy drink” bin.

Official website: www.functiondrinks.com

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]

Are you looking for where you can buy FRS energy drinks? These days you can buy FRS online or in a few select retail locations.

The most popular route is the free trial offer where you can get a 14-day free trial of FRS energy drinks just for paying a small shipping charge. You can get that online at www.healthyenergy.com.

But I can understand if you don’t want to order online. You may prefer to just go to your local store and pay in cash.

If that is how you prefer to buy, then take a look in the following retail stores:

• Albertsons
• Am/Pm
• Smart & Final
• Target Superstores
• GNC
• Save Mart
• Food Max

Those retailers should stock some FRS products. So there you go, that’s where you can buy FRS healthy energy drinks.

P.S. Here are my FRS reviews if you need to know more:

• FRS Liquid Concentrate
• FRS Powder
• FRS Cans
• FRS Health Chews

Now that I’ve had some time to put FRS through the paces, I can compare it to ACT, which I’ve used for a couple years already.

(For a longer introduction, see my FRS Overview and my ACT Long-term Test, which contain all the details about each of these energy drinks for healthy eaters.)

Now, on to the direct comparison…

FRS vs ACT - Price

FRS costs about $2.50 per can if you get a little 4-pack, but if you were to order a case of 24 cans, it would be about $2 per can (including shipping.) ACT costs $1.92 per can (including shipping) if you order two cases from their website, so the bulk prices are fairly similar.

FRS powders cost about $1.50 per packet, while ACT packets cost closer to $1.25. If you get ACT powder in a canister, it’s about $1 per serving.

Overall the price is similar, but FRS can be found in smaller quantities (or even a free trial) while ACT has to be purchased in bulk to get the good prices.

FRS vs ACT - Taste and Texture

I actually like both of these drinks, but each one is totally different.

FRS is like a fruit juice, especially the cans and liquid concentrate. The powder is a little bit closer to a typical energy drink, but overall, FRS is like drinking orange juice.

ACT, on the other hand, tastes like a typical energy drink. In the cans it has a light texture and some carbonation, and a quirky berry flavor. It’s kind of like a cherry soda versus FRS being more like a cherry juice.

FRS vs ACT - Flavors

FRS offers about four different flavors, some of which come in “all natural” and “low cal” versions. These flavors include Orange, Lemon Lime, Peach Mango, and Wild Berry. And each one is good!

ACT was limited to one flavor (berry) for a while, but recently came out with a new flavor (tropical.) The cans are still limited to the berry flavor, though, so if you’re looking for flavor options, FRS has you covered.

FRS vs ACT - Ease of Use

Both FRS and ACT have cans, and both are easy to drink. Both have powders, too, although the FRS powder is much easier to mix than ACT. The ACT powder takes a lot longer to prepare because you have to mix it in warm water and let it sit for a while.

Not to mention how FRS comes in the “health chews” which are super easy to eat. I’d say FRS is the clear winner in the “ease of use” battle.

FRS vs ACT - Testimonials

If you browse their websites, both contain a lot of testimonials, even from pro athletes. But ACT has lesser-known pro athletes and a relatively unknown cyclist, while FRS has a very well-known Tour de France champion in their corner.

Here’s what FRS says about that deal:

“Lance’s relationship with FRS is more than an endorsement deal, it’s a partnership. After carefully reviewing the science behind the product and meeting our management team, Lance Armstrong has joined our Board of Directors and chosen FRS to be the exclusive beverage he represents worldwide. FRS aligns with his lifestyle choices and what he believes in. Power your life with FRS.”

FRS vs ACT - Carbs and Calories

FRS comes in all natural and low carb varieties, so you can limit your calories if you choose, but the low carb variety contains sucralose, which is an artificial sweetener and something I try to avoid. In cans, the all natural has about 130 calories, while the low cal has about 25 calories.

ACT only has one formula, but it is still low in calories (25 per can) without the need for artificial sweeteners. That way you can drink it without worrying about calories or the possible negative side effects of artificial sweeteners.

FRS vs ACT - Healthy Ingredients

FRS contains a blend of the antioxidant quercetin and green tea extract which contains lots of catechins, along with numerous vitamins and minerals (including important B vitamins.) Researchers have found that EGCG (the primary catechin in green tea) is 100 times more potent than vitamin C against free radical damage. So that is awesome, but FRS still contains ~ 200% DV of vitamin C for good measure!

ACT contains some vitamins and minerals, too. A serving has a whopping 450mg potassium and just 20mg sodium, along with 100% DV of Vitamins C, B16, and B12.

But ACT contains a lot of ‘energy’ ingredients: Guarana, Green Tea, Panax Ginseng, Stevia extract, L-arginine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, and Tyrosine.

So it seems they are both fairly healthy, although FRS has a lot more antioxidants,vitamins, and minerals, while FRS has some interesting ingredients and energy supplements that aren’t found in FRS.

FRS vs ACT - The Energy Boost!

Hands down, FRS offers the best energy boost of any healthy energy drink of sports supplement I’ve used. A glass of FRS in the morning provides an uplifting feeling that lasts all day. It’s not a blast of energy, but it seems to last forever.

ACT provides a little bit of an energy boost, but it’s not as powerful. However, it is still better than getting a big rush and crashing in 30 minutes.

Pulling an all-nighter or taking a long road trip? Then go with FRS.

Need a slight pick-me-up in late afternoon or evening? Use ACT. (I can use ACT later in the day without it affecting my sleep.)

The big reason I still use ACT, though, is that it seems to have better recovery benefits. Used after a hard workout, I manage to feel good the next day!

FRS vs ACT - The Results

Let’s see… both are expensive and come in a variety of forms, and are relatively healthy. I will keep using both on occasion: FRS each morning and maybe during a workout, then ACT afterwards for recovery. (However, it’s harder for me to get through a day without FRS.)

FRS is easier to get (and offers a free trial,) so it’s much easier to get some FRS.

FRS has an all-day energy boost, slightly better than ACT. I like the fizziness of the ACT though. Also, I can take ACT in the evening after a workout to aid recovery, and I’ll feel better, but I can still get to sleep. With FRS, I make sure only to take it early in the day because I don’t think I could get to sleep afterwards.

So…

Need an all-day energy boost? FRS.

Want a decent tasting energy drink that is also healthy? ACT.

Have to choice just one? Honestly I’d have to go with FRS. That could change in a few years or even a few months, but for now, FRS is my go-to drink.

Learn more about FRS: www.healthyenergy.com

Learn more about ACT: www.DrinkACT.com

FRS Healthy Energy is getting more and more popular every day, but some people aren’t in the loop, and they’re always asking me what this FRS stuff is.

You can see I have already explained my thoughts on FRS Healthy Energy, but if you don’t even know what it is, keep reading. For those of you who have missed out so far, here is a brief explanation as to what FRS is…

“What is FRS Healthy Energy Drink?”

FRS is a healthy energy drink.

First, the “healthy” part. FRS contains all natural ingredients, such as cane sugar and grape juice concentrate (both natural sweeteners,) and antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, and green tea. One of those antioxidants is Quercetin, and the other is EGCG from green tea extract. Both fight off harmful free radicals that are present in your body.

Second, the “energy” from FRS. While most energy drinks are chock full of caffeine and other stimulants (in excessive quantities,) FRS goes a different route. They put so many healthy antioxidants in the drink that it doesn’t need stimulants. See, the antioxidants keep your body functioning properly and fighting off any free radicals that would normally sap your energy. So by stopping the free radicals, your body is free to create a steady stream of energy.

That’s FRS in a nutshell!

To learn more, take a look at the FRS website, www.healthyenergy.com.