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frs energy drink powder

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, let’s get you up to speed with an overview of the FRS healthy energy formula:

FRS Healthy Energy Drink

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 two ingredients I really don’t care for are acesulfame potassium and sucralose, which are artificial sweeteners, 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).

I’m not a fan of the artificial coloring either (why does this powder need an artificial color anyway?), but overall, it’s similar to many other powdered drinks.

Mixing It Up With a Taste Test

frs energy powder packet

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.)

pouring frs energy powder

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

frs energy powder drink

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.

frs energy powder drink

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.FRS.com

Product Review Details
Company: FRS
Product: FRS Powdered Energy Drink Mix
Reviewed by: Coach Levi
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Date last updated: 2008-04-30
Obtained Product: Purchased at retailer.
CoachLevi.com Advertiser: No.

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14 Comments
  1. Coach-

    Check out a new product called AquaJoe. It’s a powder scoop/holder/dispenser for athletes. It works with any drink powder. You can see a video of it on aquajoe.com

  2. I have seen the AquaJoe, and while it’s interesting, it’s not very useful in this situation – FRS powder already comes in convenient single-serving tubes which are very easy to carry along.

  3. Hey you should check out FIVA… its very similar to FRS but gives you the antioxidant equivalence to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables at the same time. I am a long distance runner and I love it.. I take it everyday!
    thanks

  4. My Fiva review is right here.

  5. i have not tried it but i have ordered it.. i, like Lance, am a cancer survivor and i need the energy..however i do not like the fake sugar Why not have a low cal variety and a regular one..some of us are skinny and need the calories. I will give it a try for the energy, but the fake sugar is a no no as far as i am concerned..stay away from artifical stuff is how i feel now to stay cancer free.. thank you diana

  6. @Diana

    I agree, I’d like to see an all-natural version of each FRS product. Until then we’ll have to stick with the all-natural cans and liquid concentrate.

  7. the orange is all natural? it comes in cans and concentrate did you read the label? softchews have sugar in them, only need two if you hitting a river or hiking backcountry they are easily stored. I like that they do have some all natual, sugarfree, and some with sugar. different needs for different workouts. backcountry hike you want your calories. short river runs, not really. what i do is add it my protien shake if i need calories. I drink it for quercetin. works great for me. I have tried tons this so nice to be able to add it to anything!

  8. Coach Levi: I’ve started FRS Low-cal Orange…ingredients indicate only 3 grams of sugar; does that include the white grape juice and orange juice ingredients? I know grapes are loaded with sugar and being pre-diabetic. I don’t want to overload ono sugar!
    Thanks for a great web site!!

  9. @Bev

    Yes, the 3g sugar is the total sugar. That’s all from the juice concentrates, as the low-cal Orange liquid does not contain other sugar.

  10. I almost fell for this until I looked closer at the terms:
    Any company that offers you a free trial… and then says, oh ya but you only have to pay shipping and handling… and then puts you into monthly automatic delivery and billing that probably takes months to get cancelled – has to be a load of crap. If thier product was any good it would sell itself! Shame on you Lance for selling your soul.

  11. @JimE

    I don’t like the free trial either, but I do like the product. Just pick some up at GNC and you don’t even have to hear the words “free trial.”

  12. I’ve tried several “energy vitamins/supplements” and I did find that using the FRS powder/chews worked the best for me. I don’t like swallowing pills and the powder/chews were extremely convenient. The major difference I noticed in my health was that my night vision was improved. Road signs were much clearer than before FRS. I did cancel out of the auto delivery and it only took one email.

  13. I used the powder and chews for two weeks and currently have very sharp pains in my stomach as well as no increase in energy. Canceled my membership today and wont be coming back. Do they even test this stuff before they release it on the open market?? Unreal.

  14. @Eric

    It’s probably a reaction to the sucralose. (It’s common for artificial sweeteners to cause stomach issues.)

    That’s one of the reasons I don’t recommend anything containing artificial sweeteners.

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