If you have looked at the ingredients in FRS Healthy Energy, whether it be the FRS liquid concentrate, FRS cans, or even the FRS powder, you’ll see it contains caffeine. If that concerns you, read this…

Dear Levi,

Thank you kindly for the reviews of energy drinks, specifically the FRS Healthy Energy one, but I have one concern. I have high blood pressure so I have to greatly limit my salt intake and avoid caffeine. FRS contains caffeine. Can I still drink FRS if I have high blood pressure?

Sincerely,
Decaf Dorothy

Hi Dorothy,

Thanks for the question, because the caffeine was also one of my concerns when I first read the FRS ingredients. I was kind of disappointed that FRS needed to include extra caffeine, as I’ve seen plenty of people get jittery and bounce off the walls after consuming one or two typical energy drinks, which are usually LOADED with caffeine and other stimulants.

However, someone with high blood pressure could experience worse affects than feeling jittery!

According to the Mayo Clinic, various studies have shown a link between caffeine intake and high blood pressure. The results differ, but they usually lead to the recommendation that you limit your caffeine intake to no more than two cups of coffee per day.

The good news, then, is that a serving of FRS contains much less caffeine than that. FRS chews are equivalent to 1/4 cup of coffee, FRS liquid concentrate and powder are equivalent to 1/3 cup of coffee, and the FRS cans are equivalent to 1/2 cup of coffee.

So you could probably have a serving of FRS each day, along with a cup of green tea, and you’d still have consumed less caffeine than if you had a single cup of coffee. If you have high blood pressure it might be better to consume no caffeine at all, but FRS and/or green tea would be a great replacement if you already drink coffee.

Remember though, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on this website! My best recommendation is to print out a brochure from the FRS website and take it to your doctor, who can make a recommendation based on your unique situation. This is even more important if you are on any medications!

You can’t have an energy drink without having a cool looking can, so I was pleased to see that FRS Healthy Energy comes in these fancy cans.

The cans are neat and FRS offers a wider variety of flavors in cans, but as you would expect, the cans command a much higher price than the FRS powder or liquid concentrate. That’s the price of convenience. But there is nothing like opening a fresh can and enjoying a smooth, consistent texture, no stirring required.

What sets these drinks apart is that FRS is non-carbonated - the can actually says “shake well.” It was kind of scary to shake a can and then open it, but the geyser of foaming soda was nowhere to be seen! (There was a bit of fizz since the contents are under pressure, but that happens with any can.)

Enough about how the cans look, let’s get down to business with the health benefits…

Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Before we get into the nitty gritty details, let’s review what it is that makes FRS so great from a “healthy energy drink” standpoint. FRS contains potent antioxidants, namely quercetin and catechins, which fight off free radicals and other toxins that sap energy from your body. This way your body can use its energy to the fullest.

So for the most part, FRS is an energy drink filled with healthy ingredients. This is not Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, or any of those other crazy drinks filled with insane levels of guarana, creatine, taurine, caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

FRS comes in 11.5 ounce cans, in “all natural” and “low calorie” versions. The natural version has 130 calories per can, while the low calorie version contains a mere 25 calories and 2g carbs, thanks to the use of sucralose.

All Natural Lemon Lime ingredients: 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), Natrual Lemon Flavor, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride(B1), Riboflavin(B2), Cyanocobalamin(B12).

Low Calorie Wild Berry ingredients: 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.

Despite caloric and sugar content differences, both varieties of FRS energy drinks contain powerful antioxidants, namely quercetin and catechins, which fight off free radicals, boost your immune system, boost metabolism, and of course, boost your energy levels. On top of that, the ingredients provide 280% DV of Vitamin C, 270% DV of Vitamin E, 130% DV of Thiamin, 130% DV of Riboflavin, 100% DV of Niacin, and 130% DV of both Vitamins B6 and B12.

The cans actually contain the highest levels of nutrients of all the FRS products, specifically the “all natural” orange and lemon lime flavors. The all natural lemon lime contains 325mg Quercetin and 110mg Catechins (compared to just 250mg Quercetin and 100mg Catechins in the FRS liquid concentrate.)

Whether you go with all natural or low calorie can, you still get the same amount of antioxidants as 3 servings of blueberries, 8 servings of red onions, or a whopping 10 servings of raspberries.

The FRS Flavors Taste Test

Overall, the FRS in cans tastes good. It has a strong flavor and it goes down smooth - it’s more like a juice than a typical energy drink. The only thing keeping it separate from juice is the slight fizz it has from being in a can. It’s not carbonated, you can still tell it came from a can.

The consistency is smooth like that of the FRS liquid concentrate, and the taste and texture are very, very similar to the Del Monte Bloom Energy I reviewed earlier.

Low cal Wild Berry: While this contains boysenberry juice, blueberry juice, and red grape juice, I think it tastes most like raspberry juice. It has a fairly realistic raspberry flavor; it’s creamy like a raspberry sorbet. (This also tastes the most like Del Monte Bloom Energy of any of the FRS flavors.)

Low cal Peach Mango: The peach mango is a pretty good flavor, and it is nice and creamy like orange juice. However, I love mango drinks so I’m very picky, and this is nowhere near the best mango flavor out there. It’s not the worst by any means, but you can tell that is uses artificial flavors and sweeteners.

If you are buying 100% on taste, go with Honest Ade mango instead. But if you are looking to FRS as an energy drink, this stuff works wonders and still tastes better than most energy drinks.

Low cal Orange: This low calorie orange was interesting, as it does taste somewhat like orange juice, but the fizzy texture out of the can made it seem like I was drinking a very weird orange juice. That’s not the worst though - you can really taste the artificial crap in this one.

This was the worst of the low cal flavors - it smells weird, tastes bad, and the aftertaste is terrible! You just can’t get rid of that artificial sweetener after taste! Avoid low cal orange at all costs!

Orange: The orange flavor is a lot like the low cal orange, although it is a tad better (and less bitter.) The big difference is that the natural orange goes down smooth and leaves no after taste. While it’s not going to win any flavor awards, it grows on you after a few sips and it’s really not bad.

Lemon-Lime: This was a great flavor, easily my favorite. As with the FRS powder, the lemon-lime taste isn’t the most natural out there, but I enjoyed it in a different, more “typical energy drink flavor” kind of way.

The texture is perfect though - nice and smooth. Also, there is no aftertaste! It goes down smooth, unlike the lo-cal versions! (That’s the biggest thing - how it lacks the artificial taste and totally lacks the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners.)

Overall it’s clear the natural flavors taste good and the low calorie versions have an artificial taste.

Energy in a Can?

As expected, the FRS in cans gave me a similar energy boost to all the other FRS products.

FRS provides all day energy. It doesn’t give you superhuman strength, (wouldn’t that be great?) but it gives you plenty of energy to get through your work day and your workout, and still have some energy left over to spend time with your kids.

The cans were comparable to the liquid concentrate as far as taste, texture, and energy levels. It’s something I could drink in the morning to start my day, or perhaps after a hard workout to give me a big boost.

It’s too much like juice to drink during a ride or run, though. The thought of drinking juice during a workout makes me sick. I think it would be like drinking milk during a workout.

So my on-bike needs will be filled by the FRS energy chews, but the cans taste great and provide energy, so there’s a place for them, too.

My final verdict is…

The cans (at least some flavors) taste the best out of the FRS product line. The texture is better than the powder and even the concentrate, it’s always mixed perfectly, and the taste is great. (As it should be for $2.50 per can!)

I kind of like the powder for the biggest energy boost for some reason. I think it’s part psychological, as in I expect energy drinks that work to taste a little odd - kind of like cough syrup, where the worse the taste, the better it works. Whatever it is, the thinner, water-based texture of the powder is nice for during your workouts.

But the cans are the way to go if you want a smooth texture and nice flavor that you can drink for pleasure. Especially when the preparation consists of nothing more than popping the tab! Just make sure you get the right flavor…

Official website: www.healthyenergy.com

Free Trial link: www.healthyenergy.com/tryfree

(You can get a free can to try as part of the FRS free trial.)

Along with energy drinks in cans and in powdered form, one of the latest trends is doing energy chews. Clif Bar introduced the Clif Shot Bloks, Jelly Belly entered the market with Sport Beans, and there are also things called Sharkies energy chews.

Not to be outdone, FRS (which also does cans and powders) created their own version of energy chews. The FRS antioxidant health chews take the tried and true FRS energy drink formula and condense it into these bite-size chews, perfect for “on the go” workouts such as cycling.

A bag contains 30 individually-wrapped chews, so you just stick a couple in your jersey pocket and you’re good to go!

FRS Healthy Antioxidant Formula

I discussed the FRS ingredients quite a bit in the FRS liquid concentrate review, so read that if you want to learn more. But here’s a quick recap…

The real secret behind FRS is not giving you more energy, but by fighting off everything that saps your energy, and their strategy works perfectly.

It’s all about the flavonoid antioxidants (especially quercetin and catechins) that are found in FRS (in large portions.) A serving of energy chews gives you the same amount of antioxidants as 2 servings of blueberries, 6 servings of red onions, or 7 servings of raspberries!

Not to mention how these contain 100% or greater daily values of Vitamins C, E, B6, B12, Thiamin, and Riboflavin! That allows your body to fight off toxins easily so you can save your energy for more important things.

Energy Chews Taste and Texture

These “antioxidant health chews” are neat little things. They look just like a little Starburst candy, and they are even individually wrapped so you can carry as many (or as few) as you like.

As for the taste, they do taste great! It’s not exactly like candy, but it’s really close, and it’s far better than the taste of most energy bars.

These also require less chewing than energy bars, which is great - there’s no reason to put extra stress your jaw muscles when your quads and hamstrings are on fire!

The FRS chew consistency is a lot like the Airheads candy bars. If you haven’t had Airheads, it’s hard to explain, but it’s a very close match. (Somewhat like Starbursts, but not quite.)

I got the lemon-lime flavor and it was good, just like their lemon-lime drinks. I would go with lemon-lime over the other option, which is orange.

Energy Chews = Energy Boost

These definitely gave me energy during my tests. My first test was having a powdered drink mix (before) and three of these chews during a 2.5 hour kayak trip and I felt great (before, during, and after!)

Afterwards I started using these on bike rides in place of energy gel. These provide that quick pick me up boost that I usually get from GU gel, but I think the FRS energy boost lasts longer.

The first ingredients are sugar and corn syrup, so that’s probably where the quick pick me up feeling comes from. I’m happy with the sugar, because if I’m exercising, I probably need the calories and carbs. The rest of the ingredients are good except for sucralose, an artificial sweetener. I’m not sure why that’s necessary when real sugar is the first ingredient.

Having only 20 calories in each chew (40 calories per serving,) these aren’t to be used as your only fuel on long rides, but they give you enough energy that you’ll feel good the whole time.

Energy Chew Drawbacks

The problem with these chews is that they do get a bit sticky in your pocket (especially if it’s a warm day) so they become harder to unwrap (just like how warm candy sticks to its wrapper.)

It’s not actually hard to unwrap these, but if you were riding your bike, you’d need two hands to unwrap one of these. I would recommend unwrapping these only on a smooth road with no traffic. Definitely don’t try it while mountain biking!

In cold weather these would probably be better. In the summer, try to refrigerate these before your ride. (That also helps with Powerbars on warm days.)

If these were more like gummy bears, you could put them straight into your jersey pocket without the wrappers. But as they are, they would stick to your jersey just like getting gum in your hair.

My final verdict is…

If it wasn’t for the sucralose, these would get a very high recommendation. They’re good enough that I’ll keep using them despite the use of artificial sweetener, though. So they still get a high recommendation (because man, it’s so hard to find anything without sucralose these days.)

If you need energy, these are for you! While I don’t like sucralose, I can’t argue with the results - these taste good and just plain work!

I suggest using them during exercise, especially if you also use an FRS energy drink before the workout.

Official website: www.healthyenergy.com

Free Trial link: www.healthyenergy.com/tryfree

P.S. You can actually get a free, full-size bag of these as part of an FRS free trial offer, so click the free trial link to check that out.

As much as I love ‘ready to drink’ sports drinks for their smooth textures and consistent flavor, I can’t argue with the convenience, cost savings, and space savings offered by powdered energy drinks.

While the powders might be hard to mix or maybe they taste chalky, they are usually palatable. Today we’ll be looking at the powder packets from FRS healthy energy (specifically the lemon-lime flavor,) and we’ll see if it measures up.

But first, in case you missed the previous review of FRS liquid concentrate, here’s an overview of the FRS healthy energy formula:

The FRS energy drinks contain powerful antioxidants, namely quercetin and catechins, which fight off free radicals, boost your immune system, boost metabolism, and of course, boost your energy levels. What they do is actually destroy everything that makes you feel tired, therefore allowing your body to regain and utilize its natural energy.

It goes against the strategy of most other energy drinks (i.e. fill your body with tons of artificial stimulants,) but it works well.

Here are the actual ingredients:

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

One 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!

On top of that, the ingredients provide 15% DV of Vitamin A, 200% DV of Vitamin C, 200% DV of Vitamin E, 100% DV of Thiamin, 100% DV of Riboflavin, 100% DV of Niacin, and 100% DV of both Vitamins B6 and B12.

The one ingredient I don’t care for is the sucralose, which is an artificial sweetener, but that’s the only way they can keep the calorie count down to just 10 calories per packet (and still have it taste good.)

Mixing It Up With a Taste Test

First of all, these packets are really neat. Instead of the typical square packet, these are tubes - they remind me of pixie sticks! (You know, those tubes of flavored sugar… those sure were good!)

The first time I opened one, though, I wasn’t pleased! Even though it has a nifty tear tab, I ended up ripping the tube and almost spilling all the powder on the floor… so I decided to use scissors. But after some careful thought, I got it the second time!

If you hold both sides of the tear tab, basically covering the tube with the width of your fingers, then twist in one strong, straight motion, it should open just fine. The key is to twist the tube into two pieces, rather than just trying to rip the top off.

(It should look just like the picture above - the corner rips off smoothly, leaving a nice pour spout.)

But other than the good looks, it’s just like most other powders, except that it mixes a bit better. You can actually mix it with a spoon in a cup of cold water and dissolve most of the powder. It still looks grainy and there will be some clumps on the bottom, but it did better than I expected.

If you want to do a better job, mix it in warm water and then refrigerate it, or shake it in a water bottle. (I can’t complain about this because virtually every other powdered drink is the same. There is one and only one powder I’ve seen that mixes easily and that’s Emergen-C.)

Either way, it tastes good. It was hard for me to believe (even as I was drinking it,) but despite the chalky appearance, you don’t taste the powder at all. It actually goes down smooth!

It has a pretty typical energy drink taste with the thin, water-like consistency. So it’s totally the opposite texture of the FRS liquid concentrate. It’s not like juice at all. I guess it’s a little more on the Gatorade side, but with more bite, like Red Bull or Monster energy drinks.

Energy Drink = Energy Boost

My first test of the FRS powder was before a kayak trip. I used one packet around 12:30 PM. Within 10 minutes, I felt fully energized. There wasn’t a big kick like a caffeine buzz, rather, you just notice that you have energy.

Then I kayaked from around 1:30 to 4:00 PM, and I had three FRS energy chews along the way. Granted it was a casual pace, but I felt great the whole time. I was paddling nice and strong and wasn’t sore afterwards.

Then I was energetic, wide awake, and alert all through the afternoon and into the evening!

On subsequent uses, I didn’t have that “wide awake super energy” feeling all day, but I still got the moderate energy boost. FRS doesn’t give you super-human strength, so you won’t achieve new physical feats, but you’ll be less sore and tired after your usual workouts.

Not that it doesn’t improve workouts slightly. I think it does let you workout a little longer and harder, but what I really love is how I can do something after a workout instead of just taking a nap because I’m too tired to do anything else. The energy just sticks with you (mentally, at least) even if your muscles are physically worn out.

My final verdict is…

As with the FRS energy chews, the powdered drink mix keeps the calories low thanks to sucralose. I’d prefer plain old sugar and the extra calories that come with it, but I understand lots of people just prefer “low calorie.”

So if you want to avoid artificial sweeteners, you’ll have to avoid this. But if you want a convenient energy drink (in powdered form) that’s fairly easy to mix, tastes pretty good, and provides all day energy, this could be the stuff for you.

It’s also great if you like the energy boost from FRS but don’t like their other products that have a consistency like fruit juice. This gives you that boost and it tastes like you’d expect an energy drink to taste!

Official website: www.healthyenergy.com

Free Trial link: www.healthyenergy.com/tryfree

(You can get a free box of 14 packets in the free trial offer.)

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