Today’s question is about getting the energy you need to work a full time job and still have a life, but doing so without caffeine…

i work a full time job.workout 3-4 days a week and play professional softball 2 weekends a month. is frs stuff for me because i hate the crash of red bull or any caffine thats out there. if so what do you recommend for me?

thanks,
Softball Sam

Hi Sam,

As for drinks to look at, I have an article about caffeine-free energy drinks that may help you pick something.

When it comes to FRS, I had no instances of an energy crash, but it does contain some caffeine. It’s not like a Monster energy drink, but you’d have to try it yourself to see what you think.

If you want to stay away from energy drinks completely, you could try supplements. One thing I’d recommend is just taking a B Complex or Vitamin B12 supplement each day. That gives you the same active ingredient as a caffeine-free energy drink, but at a much lower price.

There is more information on B vitamins and antioxidant supplements in my article about possible FRS energy drink substitutes.

Last but not least, make sure you get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy diet. If you’re not doing that, adding any sort of energy drink is a poor solution.

More information on this can be found in my article, 3 Simple Ways to Get Energized – For FREE.

While I am not one to live off crazy energy drinks, I do try them on occasion, especially if I find one that looks relatively healthy. One I tried is called Awake Good Morning Energy, which is 100% juice plus some energy ingredients. It comes in an “orange tangerine” flavor.

Yes, since it is juice-based, it is very high in sugar. However, most of the sugar is naturally-occurring in the fruit juice, and there isn’t a ridiculously high amount of caffeine, taurine, or similar ingredients. That, plus the fact that I found it on sale at Big Lots for 50 cents per can, made it worth trying!

Health & Nutrition

With typical energy drinks, we’re just trying to find something that’s not too unhealthy. With Awake, it’s really just a mix of fruit juice concentrates plus a few other things, so it’s off to a good start.

Juices include apple, orange, tangerine, lemon, pineapple, and passion fruit.

Then you have:

Essentra – 125mg
Taurine – 100mg
Caffeine – 80mg
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate – 15mg

Caffeine will give you a mental boost, the two amino acids are claimed to give you energy and/or help you burn fat, and Essentra is supposed to alleviate stress, reduce fatigue, and improve mental clarity while restoring energy levels.

Here is what the Awake website says about Essentra:

Essentra® is a unique, patented vitalizing and rejuvenating extract derived from a natural botanical called Ashwagandha, a powerful adaptogen that provides restorative nutrition for enhanced mind and body performance. In addition to increasing stamina and overall energy throughout the day, it has been standardized to consistently shield the body against the negative effects of stress by balancing and harmonizing the body’s systems. It helps to reduce fatigue, improve immune system functions, sharpen focus and eliminate your energy “peaks and valleys.”

That adds up to 180 calories in a 12oz can. That’s a little high, and what really takes the cake is most of those calories are from sugar – there’s 50g sugar in the can! It’s all from the fruit juice, but still, that would lead to one crazy sugar rush!

To end on a positive note, this is no added sugar or sucralose!

Taste Test

I think the tangerine and pineapple are the most prominent flavors. Orange kind of blends with the tangerine, and I do taste the apple some, but those flavors are subdued whereas the pineapple and tangerine give it that bite.

On some sips I also notice a little sour note from the lemon juice. I think I could taste the passion fruit when I consciously looked for it, but since passion fruit isn’t a staple in my diet, I didn’t really notice the flavor above any others.

Awake has a juicier texture and sweeter, less tangy flavor than the Guru Juicy tangerine flavor.

Overall the taste is good. As for texture, it’s just like drinking a tropical fruit juice mix. You can’t tell there is anything else in there.

With no carbonation and no artificial sweeteners to leave a bad aftertaste, it’s all good. I could probably drink this every morning and still enjoy the taste (not that I’d make this sugary drink a daily occurrence.)

Energy Boost

I drank a can of Awake in the morning, around 8:45 AM. It gave me a little energy boost.

Not a crazy energy boost, and not jittery; plenty for me because I don’t drink much caffeine.

The boost lasted at least till the afternoon, at which point I had a rare cup of coffee and was awake till the wee hours of the morning! I think that was the coffee, but at least I can say this isn’t one of those energy drinks that lasts 15 minutes and then results in a big crash.

My final verdict is…

If you like tropical fruit juice, and you don’t mind getting 50 grams of sugar in a single drink, this could be for you.

It’s still 50g sugar hitting your body very quickly, though, so I wouldn’t make it a habit.

Official website: www.awake-energy.com

One day I was casually walking through the beverage aisle, passing the typical cases of fruit punch, blue raspberry, orange, grape, and other ordinary drinks, when I spotted a cucumber drink!

It happened to be the cucumber flavor of Press Cocktail Soda, about which I knew absolutely nothing, so I did what anyone else would do – I bought a case to try it!

(There were a couple other flavors of this, but I had to go with the cucumber flavor, because how often do you see a cucumber soda?)

On the way to the checkout I did glance over the box and it said it’s not soda nor tonic water. Since I like drinks that are not soda nor tonic water, I figured I’d enjoy this.

Little did I know what I was getting into… After already buying a case, I went online to do some research. Here’s what I found on the company’s Myspace page:

Our vision is clear: to establish Press as the choice cocktail mixer for the sophisticated consumer. A reinvention and modernization of club soda and tonic water, Press grabs the attention of both young and mature consumers with its sleek image, crisp flavoring and nutritious recipe. As a mixer with a premium spirit, or even served alone over ice, Press is the unrivaled beverage standard. We didn’t invent the Press, we just perfected it.

Apparently I am a sophisticated consumer with a modern, nutritious drink that will be great when used as a mixer or just poured over ice. Great!

I guess I was totally oblivious to the whole “mix it with alcohol” idea because it clearly states “cocktail soda” on the can… and cocktails are mixed drinks… Duh! I thought it was just an exotic, healthy soda from a boutique brand.

Anyway, let’s move on to the taste.

This smelled and tasted like a mix of cucumber and honeydew melon. I like the smell quite a bit, and the matching flavor is enjoyable.

At first, it was very carbonated – way too many bubbles for me! But I let it sit opened in the fridge for a few hours, and then it was much better. The carbonation level was then on par with a regular soda.

Overall it had an interesting flavor, and it turned out to be refreshing.

I didn’t test it as a mixer (I don’t keep a fully stocked bar at home,) but I bet it would be pretty good for that. For gin and tonic drinkers, a “gin and cucumber press” might be up your alley.

But the nutrition information is kind of sketchy…

Since it’s soda, I don’t plan to keep drinking it. It looks a little bit healthier than soda until you read the ingredients list and see “42 HFCS” on there. That is another name for the evil known more commonly as high fructose corn syrup!

If it wasn’t carbonated, I’d consider drinking it more often, because the flavor is good. But carbonated beverages aren’t really for me. And it’s certainly not a health drink.

(I don’t like carbonated beverages, even if they contain green tea.)

My final verdict is…

The fresh cucumber taste of this drink is pretty good. I bet you could mix up some good drinks with it. Not that I’ll be using it though, for any purpose.

It’s not a sports drink, energy drink, or health beverage. It’s not healthy in any way. So you might as well avoid it.

Official website: drinkpress.com

Let’s look at caffeine content in energy drinks today…

Hi Coach Levi,
How much caffiene is in the low cal berry FRS drink? Are there energy drinks on the market with no caffiene? Thanks so much for taking the time to answer!
Grace

Hi Grace,

A can of wild berry FRS will have 48mg caffeine while a cup you mix yourself (the powder) is 35 mg.

FRS has a fairly low caffeine content compared to other energy drinks, so it’s not a bad choice, considering an actual energy drink without caffeine is hard to find…

But, there are a few to check out:

First, the ACT Energy Drink I have reviewed is said to be caffeine free, because it doesn’t have any added caffeine. But it still uses guarana seed as a stimulant, and guarana contains naturally occurring caffeine.

For more information, take a look at this FRS vs ACT comparison.

Next up, there is actually a decaf version of 5 Hour Energy, which has a low 6mg caffeine. See the 5 Hour Energy decaf page for more info.

One of the more interesting choices is Adina Coffee Energy, which does not contain added caffeine, since it is based on coffee beans. Coffee beans are high in antioxidants and contain natural caffeine, so that’s pretty cool.

Take a look at the Adina World beverage site for more info.

Next is the XS Energy Drink, which has a Tropical Blast flavor that is caffeine free. The energy boost comes from the “high powered adaptogenic herbs mixed with potent levels of B-vitamins and key amino acids,” although it seems the caffeine-free version does away with most of the herbs.

See more at XSblast.com.

Another drink that looks like a typical energy drink is the E10 Energy Drink, but it’s actually caffeine-free and contains a selection of vitamins and healthy nutrients to give you an energy boost.

Learn more at the E10 energy drink website.

Moving on, I’m pretty sure “Cranergy” from Ocean Spray is low in caffeine, only containing the natural caffeine from the added green tea. I don’t know how much energy you could possibly get from green tea and cranberry juice (plus a few vitamins,) but if that’s your thing, here is the Cranergy website.

Finally, I’ll end with a little-known drink called SEA2O that takes the organic/natural angle to energy drinks. The website says it is 100% organic, caffeine-free, and high in fiber and antioxidants.

(It’s available at Amazon.com but you have to take the plunge and buy an entire case at once.)

And that is it! If anyone knows of more caffeine-free energy drinks, please list them below in the comments section.

While no one seems to care about normal drinks such as Powerbar Endurance, I get a barrage of questions about every drink from FRS. This is just one email…

I would like to know the ingredients in the FRS products for my Doctor. I went off it, not realizing how much energy I was getting, & I threw away the box with the ingredients on it. Thanks. AJ

So, to make things easier on me, I’m going to list out all the FRS ingredients for all the different formulas right here:

FRS All Natural Concentrate:

Water, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Orange Juice Concentrate, Inulin, Citric Acid, Natural Orange Flavors, Quercetin, Ascorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Locust Bean Gum, Green Tea Extract, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E) Caffeine, Niacinamide(B3), Natural Lemon Flavor, Beta Carotene (for color), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride(B1), Riboflavin(B2), Cyanocobalamin(B12).

FRS Low Cal Concentrate:

Water, Mango Puree, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Inulin, Citric Acid, Natural Peach Flavors, Quercetin, Ascorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Locust Bean Gum, Green Tea Extract, Modified Food Starch, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Sucralose, Caffeine, Niacinamide (B3), Natural Lemon Flavor, Beta Carotene (for color), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Cyanocobalamin (B12).

FRS All Natural Cans:

Water, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Inulin, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Lime Flavor, Quercetin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Locust Bean Gum, Green Tea Extract, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Caffeine, Niacinamide (B3), Natural Lemon Flavor, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Cyanocobalamin (B12).

FRS Low Cal Cans:

Water, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Inulin, Boysenberry Concentrate, Blueberry Concentrate, Red Grape Concentrate, Quercetin, Natural Berry Flavor, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Locust Bean Gum, Green Tea Extract, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Natural Blueberry Flavor, Sucralose, Caffeine, Niacinamide (B3), Natural Lemon Flavor, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Cyanocobalamin (B12), Red #40.

FRS Antioxidant Health Chews:

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Palm Oil, Soy Lecithin, Quercetin, Ascorbic Acid, Camauba Wax, Corn Starch, Glycerin, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Carrageenan, Green Tea Extract, Niacinamide, Mono and Diglycerides, Caffeine, Sucralose, Calcium Lilicate, Yellow 6 Lake, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Cyanocobalamin.

FRS Powdered Drink Mix:

Polydextrose, Citric Acid, gum Arabic, Natural Flavors, Quercetin, Ascorbic Acid, DL-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit E), Green Tea extract, Acesulfame Potassium, Calcium Silicate, Caffeine, Sucralose, Niacinamide(B3), Panax Ginseng Extract, Locust Bean Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(B6), Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Riboflavin(B2), Thiamine Hydrochloride(B1), FD&C Blue #2, Cyanocobalamin(B12).

There you go – a list of ingredients for each FRS product. (Just remember, sometimes ingredients change slightly, so always see a current box or can for the latest updates.)

And one last time, let me point out that I recommend the all natural liquid concentrate first and the all natural cans second. The others may taste pretty good but they contain corn syrup and/or sucralose, two ingredients which I don’t recommend.