Welcome to my very first PRODUCT REVIEW.
Today I am reviewing a product that is actually quite near and dear to my heart ;P If you were a client of mine, or heck even just a member of the gym I worked at in Maple Grove, MN then you know I had a bit of a love affair with Crystal Light Energy - Grape. I literally called it "Purple Crack"....
The appeal was the caffeine. I was working loooong days: teaching multiple fitness classes a day, training clients, managing a gym, and working with clients outside of the facility on my off time. I was doing all this while trying to workout myself and have a bit of a life {though that didn't happen much lol}
Anyways, it definitely did the job when it came to increasing my energy!
Let's dive into the good stuff...
CAFFEINE
The package lists the caffeine content as 30 mg per serving which doesn't sound too bad. However, there are 2 servings per packet, so you are actually getting 60 mg of caffeine per packet.
60 mg of caffeine isn't anything to write home about. In one 8 oz cup of brewed coffee, there is anywhere from 95-165 mg of caffeine.
The reason I mention this is because companies tend to make the serving sizes of their products dependent upon the nutrition facts at that serving size. They want your eyes to look at the Nutrition Facts and see numbers that don't look too bad. Most judgement calls on foods are made without even looking at the serving size. {this is a whole other topic of conversation...}
So, all in all... the caffeine content is pretty reasonable. You would see an increase in energy and could see benefit during your workout if used as a pre workout.
INGREDIENTS
Now here is where things start to get interesting. As you can see on the packet I have pictured below, there is a little bubble stating "NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS." Great!!
Not surprisingly, if you turn the packet over and read the ingredient list you will see plenty of artificial ingredients. This is marketing at it's worst {or best if your the business selling the product}. You will see artificial ingredients.... but not actually artificial GRAPE flavor. Crazy right?
So... let's get into the ingredients.
- CITRIC ACID // This acid is used for flavoring and preserving foods. It used to be made from fruits, but recently has been created using black molds. It is much cheaper for companies to use black mold to produce citric acid rather than using fruits. Unfortunately, the package doesn't give you much information. {I always assume a company is trying to save money.}
- MALTODEXTRIN // Artificial Sugar.
- ASPARTAME // Artificial Sugar.
- CAFFEINE // Source of the caffeine is unknown.
- LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL FLAVORS // Guys, it says its a naturally flavored drink mix.... 2% ?!?! ewww
- MAGNESIUM OXIDE // Anti-caking agent - helps foods from clumping together.
- ARTIFICIAL COLOR {RED 40 +BLUE 1} // Man made colors that are not found in nature. {made in a lab}
THE TAKE AWAYS
>> Companies will put what they want on a label. You have to take action and check the ingredients + serving size yourself!
>> There are artificial sugars in Crystal Light Energy.
>> Overall, I would say that Crystal Light can be used in a healthy diet. It has proven to be a great substitute to higher sugar drinks like soda and juice. Like anything of this nature, I would highly recommend to have this in moderation.
The frustrating thing is that its hard to know what you are actually consuming when you purchase something. This seems to be intentional from the companies. It is unfortunate, as we deserve to know what we are putting into our bodies! Just be sure to do your research, or ASK someone! Remember, you are not expected to just KNOW everything about fitness + nutrition. There is no shame in asking someone who knows.
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As most of you know, I am currently living in Rawai, Phuket with my husband. An absolutely gorgeous island in the south of Thailand. I've been living out of my suitcase now for almost 9 full months - which is way easier than I thought it would be. But... I found a zip lock bag in the bottom of my suitcase with a stash of my "Purple Crack" the other day. A few mornings later, I was a bit tired as I got ready for my morning workout. So I mixed in a Purple Crack into my 1.5 liter water bottle. I kid you not the flavor brought back memories lol. It gave me the little kick I needed to power through my workout and I had energy throughout the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. The only thing I realized, was the fact that I bloated like crazy afterwards and I had some stomach pains that I haven't had in quite a while!
My stomach is really sensitive. Here in Rawai, mostly everything I eat is natural + fresh. My body was not used to this artificial sugar mix. I was actually pretty shocked. So needless to say.. I personally may have to break up with my Purple Crack. Taking care of my body is important to me. Bloating and pain is a sure sign that your body is not responding well to a certain food/ingredient. Be sure to listen when you experience this!
I hope this helps you in your fitness + health journey!
XO, Brittany
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