Caffeine is not a free pass · 4 min
Energy drinks are a soda with a job
A 200 mg can is a tool, not a breakfast. Sugar, sweeteners, and a marketing department do not make it a vitamin.
Shop the Drinks aisleRead the milligrams
Coffee is honest: a mug, a number you roughly know. Many cans hide two coffees plus sugar or a sweetener stack. Teens and a 300 mg ‘focus’ drink are a mismatch. If you train, caffeine has a dose. The rest of the can is a soda.
Zero is not clean
Aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame K, caramel colour, phosphoric acid. A zero can still scores poorly on processing. Water, sparkling water, unsweetened tea: the keep. The can is a sometimes.
The afternoon crash
If the can is how you start the day, the recipe is using you. Swap the daily one for coffee or tea. Keep a can for the 4 a.m. drive, not for homework.
The extras we mean
On our shelves
Real packs. Tap one — the score is the same as the rest of the shop.
