Sometimes, we all need a little extra boost to help us accomplish our goals. You may start your day with an early morning coffee ritual. Or you might prefer to grab a sugary energy drink at lunch to combat the dreaded 2:00 pm slump. Others might mix up a cup of pre-workout before hitting the gym and chasing those gains. Whatever it is, most of us have a go-to concoction to help stimulate our brains and bodies. But, what if there was a simpler way to quickly get some extra energy? Modern wellness companies might have found the answer to that question with energy gummies, but how well do they actually work? Keep reading to learn more!
What Is An Energy Gummy?
Holding one in your hand, an energy gummy doesn’t look or feel all that different than the various other types of Haribo-esque gummy bears and worms you can find hanging on the shelves at your local candy aisle. That’s because they’re essentially made of the same stuff — a combination of gelatin, starch, and some kind of sweetener (most typically some form of corn syrup).
What separates an energy gummy from your run-of-the-mill candy is the addition of a stimulant. The active stimulant in an actual energy gummy will vary depending on the brand. Many manufacturers utilize caffeine for this purpose, but you may also encounter more natural options that comprise lots of b12 vitamins and amino acids like L-theanine.
Can I Take Energy Gummies Instead Of My Morning Coffee?
For many Americans, the ritual of starting the day with a steaming cup of mud is sacrosanct. But could we replace coffee with a simple gummy?The answer will totally depend on your personal preference. If you love the taste of coffee and enjoy fixing it yourself or stopping at the nearest Starbucks, you might not be the best candidate to make a switch. However, if coffee is a purely practical beverage for you, gummies could be a great way to make a change in your routine. Natural gummies can help you ween yourself off of caffeine with energizing vitamins and proteins, and caffeine-rich energy gummies could help you streamline your mornings.
How Much Caffeine Can Be Place Into A Gummy?
Java junkies may feel skeptical about swapping out their favorite morning breakfast drink — can you really get a comparable amount of caffeine into a sugary confection? Let’s break it down to find out. The typical cup of standard black coffee comes with right under 100 mg of caffeine. Of course, this will vary depending on the type of bean used and the brewing method, but let’s take this as a general figure for comparative purposes.Most caffeine-based energy gummies currently on the market contain somewhere between 40 mg and 100 mg of caffeine. This means you could easily replace coffee with gummies if you wanted to maintain similar caffeine levels.
Can A Gummy Replace Preworkout?
If you’re a gym rat, you know how widely popular pre-workout drinks have become in the fitness community. But is it better to use energy gummies instead of pre-workout? Pre-workout supplements and mixes come in various forms, but they all serve a similar purpose — they provide a boatload of energy so you can work out harder and longer. Often, pre-workout drinks utilize caffeine, combined with other common gym supplements like creatine or protein powder. Occasionally, pre-workout manufacturers use harder stimulants like ephedrine or methylhexanamine, but the FDA has made an effort to ban these substances.
While energy gummies might not come with some of the extras found in typical pre-workout supplements, they do contain plenty of caffeine, which can help you get in the zone and feel the burn!