Take these results with caution though—there’s a lot of confounding factors that can influence results, like what you put into your coffees.
It’s entirely possible, or even plausible, that the sugar in a Frappuccino undoes the heart-healthy aspect of a cup of joe.
But what of “alternative” milks?
Things like almond milk and oat milk have pushed aside cow’s milk in many coffee shops and home fridges because of their supposed health properties, or because they don’t upset the tummy in the same way dairy can.
While alternative milks can have the benefit of lower fat and sugar contents, they’re not all made equally.
Some can have more sugars due to flavorings or lack essential vitamins and nutrients that dairy milk has.
Plus, most alternative milks are considered an ultraprocessed food due to their inclusion of flavorings and emulsifiers.
So just remember, that “alternative” doesn't necessarily mean “better.”
The rise of alternative milks might be contributing to the increase in iodine deficiency.
Dairy milks can provide up to 57% of people’s daily recommended iodine intake, and alternative milks just don’t have that.
But in terms of health issues, that is a pretty easy one to overcome.
But what if you want an energy boost but simply don’t like the taste of coffee?
There’s a special treat option for you too, and the rise of the wellness industry has provided new opportunities for these traditionally questionable products to rebrand in exceptionally creative ways to fit into the public’s quest for better health.
Take energy drinks for example. While Red Bull has long aligned itself with high energy action sports, the partnership made sense: High caffeine gets your heart racing the same way skydiving from the stratosphere would.
Their competitor, Monster Energy, was similarly associated with extreme sports.
Now, Monster appears to be embarking on a new era: In April they listed a job opening for a brand director of health and wellness.
But they might already be too late to the game. There are already a number of energy drink brands that market themselves in the wellness space, boasting ingredients like biotin, lions mane mushroom, cordyceps, L-Theanine and ginseng.
If you’re wondering where you’ve heard the term “cordyceps” before, it might have been on a nature documentary.
That’s the fungus that infects the brains of insects and turns them into zombies.
There are over 750 types of cordyceps out there, and only 35 have been shown to have even a potential benefit to humans when ingested, so using the blanket term “cordyceps” without specifying which is really just a buzzy marketing term.
L-Theanine is another popular ingredient.
An amino acid found in tea leaves, many companies claim benefits from increased focus to relaxation.
While there is some preliminary evidence to show promise for L-theanine, it’s of course too small and too inconsistent to hang your hat on.
One ingredient that we have much more conclusive data on is caffeine, and people might be unintentionally getting a lot more of it now that energy drinks are masquerading as a health supplement.
Whereas an average cup of coffee has between 100-200 mg of caffeine, many energy drinks range from 160-300 mg.
If you don’t realize that your drink has any caffeine, let alone that much, you can easily blow past the FDA’s safety limit of 400mg per day.
And it’s an even greater risk for kids. Those under 12 should have no caffeine, and those 12-18 should be limited to
Now, of course, caffeine itself isn’t all bad.
It can increase dopamine and give you a little mood boost.
It makes you feel more alert by, essentially, preventing you from feeling sleepy and helps reaction times.
But there seems to be something particularly special about the combinations of caffeine and other ingredients in energy drinks, and by “special” I mean “bad.”
Researchers have begun to worry about how abuse of the drinks might contribute to cardiovascular issues, seizures, gastrointestinal issues, dental issues, and even poor mental health.
The drinks have even been suggested as the cause of severaldeathsin young people.
Energy drinks specifically have been shown to have an impact on heart rate that’s not seen with coffee or caffeine alone.
This can become particularly dangerous in people with certain heart conditions, and sometimes kids are too young to have a condition diagnosed, which could put them in danger they aren’t even aware of.
Though caffeine (in moderation) can be helpful to athletic performance, many energy drinks, like Celsius, have marketed themselves as a companion to workouts, despite the fact that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends against the use of energy drinks before, during, and after strenuous activity.
Energy drinks aren’t the only special treat pivoting to wellness—soda is going for a makeover as well.
Brands like Ollipop and Poppi bill themselves as healthier alternatives to traditional soda, though some of their health claims are rather dubious.
Ollipop boasts benefits to digestive health, and with about nine grams of fiber, one can is nearly equivalent to the average American’s daily fiber consumption anyway (though only about one thirdof what the WHO recommends).
They list a number of buzzy sounding ingredients like Kudzu root and Guar fiber that contribute to their claims of prebiotic benefits, though the amounts included are proprietary, which makes it hard to figure out if they are included at levels that have clinical significance.
Poppi also rose to prominence as a prebiotic soda, but the amount of prebiotics in a can of Poppi tends to be below what’s used in experiments that show benefits to the gut microbiome.
Their “gut-healthy” formula also boasts the inclusion of apple cider vinegar, a popular cure-all product whose numerous health claims have little to no evidence to support them.
The lack of scientific rigor did not go unnoticed. A lawsuit claiming Poppi’s health claims deceived customers was filed last May. While Poppi has defended the integrity of their product, all claims that is supports gut health have been removed from branding on cans or the website.
But no amount of controversy seems to be enough to deter Big Soda from wanting a piece of the pie: PepsiCo recently acquired Poppi for nearly $2 billion
I’ll give credit where credit is due: both brands have a significantly lower sugar content (about 5 grams per serving), which is certainly preferable to the 40-ish grams of sugar in a can of Coca Cola (well over the 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men of added sugar the American heart association recommends as a daily max).
Excessive added sugar intake has long been known to contribute to various health problems
So, it’s always perplexing when a brand that’s built around health and wellness includes products with startling amounts of sugar.
Erewhon is a chain of grocery stores in the Los Angeles area known on social media for being a health food store with outrageous prices. But part of their appeal is an ethos that promotes the idea that filling your body with the best ingredients will make you the best version of yourself.
And it would seem that, for a lot of people, the best version of themselves includes $20 smoothies with 80 grams of sugar.
Well, suspected at least. Erewhon isn’t exactly forthcoming about the nutritional content of their celebrity-endorsed smoothies.
And while much, if not all, of the sugars likely come from the fruits included in the smoothies, it’s a good reminder that the supposed “health food” is basically a Jamba Juice with collagen, sea moss, and a bigger price tag.
Oral rehydration therapy is a staple of global public health.
Mixtures of salt, sugar, and water and do wonders to combat dehydration (usually due to diarrhea or vomiting).
It’s also been shown to be more effective at restoring fluid deficits after exercise than sports drinks or water alone.
So it makes sense that it can help you rehydrate after a bender, but unfortunately dehydration is only one aspect of a hangover and rehydration packets won’t cure it all.
For the health conscious, there are also options for sugar-free hydration, but, like most things in the wellness sphere, a potentially good thing is ruined by the phrase “proprietary blend” which means I have no way of looking up the efficacy of claims.
And for those who like the simple pleasure of a sparkling water (you classy minxes) rest easy—research has shown that carbonation has no impact on the amount of hydration you receive compared to still water.
You just get the added bonus of burps.
I think the main takeaway should be that a little treat is just that: a treat. So instead of fretting over the best way to be “bad,” let yourself enjoy it in moderation.
Unless you’re a teenager who wants energy drinks, in which case you should moderate yourself down to zero.
