5 Energy-Boosting Drinks—Besides Coffee—to Beat the Afternoon Crash

If you’re feeling that late-afternoon slump, most experts suggest that coffee isn’t the answer to your fatigue—especially if you want to get a good night’s sleep that evening. But it’s still possible to enjoy a little pick-me-up late in the day that doesn’t involve a venti cup of brew—just opt for a healthy take on an energy drink.

How to Choose a Healthier Energy-Boosting Drink

There are plenty of options out there for energy-boosting drinks, including all those ingredient-packed, enjoy-from-the-shelves options that are heavily marketed. But you should keep a few guidelines in mind to choose your energy boost wisely.

Go as natural as possible

Keep it simple and choose drinks that don’t have too many ingredients, says Theresa Gentile, MS, RD, CDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “The extras likely aren’t providing any benefit.”

Skip the pre-packaged energy drinks

Red Bull and other canned or bottled energy drinks take up a big part of supermarket shelves now, promising to provide a quick energy boost through a variety of ingredients—including caffeine, taurine, ginseng, guarana, carnitine, choline, B vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12), vitamin C, vitamin A (beta carotene), vitamin D, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium), sugars (nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners), tyrosine, and L-theanine, Gentile says.

But only two of those are likely responsible for an energy drink’s pick-me-up properties. “The quick boost in energy one might have after drinking one of these drinks is from the caffeine and the carbohydrate content,” Gentile says.

Gentile herself would not recommend indulging in these energy drinks. “Many energy drinks contain numerous ingredients that either have not been studied or evaluated in combination with other nutrients contained in the drink. Additionally, the absence of regulatory oversight has resulted in aggressive marketing of energy drinks targeting young adults and there is limited data on the safety of these drinks in this population.”

Don’t double down on caffeine

More isn’t necessarily better when it comes to caffeine—as anyone that’s gotten the jitters from a few too many ventis can tell you. Going overboard on caffeine can increase your blood pressure and heart rate—and leave you feeling anxious.

Don’t mix alcohol and caffeine

Fans of espresso martinis may want to make sure to drink those in moderation, Gentile says. “Consuming them with alcohol could mask the effects of the alcohol, increase dehydration, and it could put extra stress on the heart, causing irregular heartbeats,” Gentile says.

Nutritionist-Approved Energy-Boosting Drinks