I am an avid cyclist and workout regularly at a health club when I can’t get out on the road. To keep myself hydrated and replenished with important electrolytes I had been using Gatorade or Gatorade 2 as my energy drinks of choice. Recently, a friend of mine, best interests in mind, pointed out to me that Gatorade contains High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Oh no! He knew I was a conscientious objector to HFCS. How had I missed this? What could I turn to instead? I checked on the internet for organic energy drinks or energy drinks without HFCS . Several cited coconut water as a good solution, but I am not a fan of coconut water and prefer a more robust taste. Several others promoted specific energy drink options, but I couldn’t find these brands at my local Whole Foods or Safeway. A little more research turned up a simple homemade solution. I’ve tried this out over the past two months and, with a couple of small adjustments come up with a satisfactory solution.

Online Search results for Organic Energy Drinks:
Scheckter’s Organic Energy Drink
FRS Energy Drinks
Note (and disclaimer): Promotes the consumption of Quercetin as beneficial. I don’t know whether this is a real benefit or not.

Post on Organic Energy Drink Products (2010)

Homemade Energy Drink

I found a recipe on the internet for a homemade energy drink using all natural ingredients. It is simple to make, just before use, and, with a slight modification on my part, easy to stock up on in advance. Once mixed it will keep in the refrigerator for one day.

Here is the basic recipe:

2 Tablespoons of honey
1 liter (quart) of water
250ml (1 cup) of fresh organic fruit juice (your choice of orange, cranberry, blueberry, lemon or lime)*
1/4 Teaspoon of salt (this provides the electrolytes you need so don’t use lite salt)

* – I made the above recipe a few times and found it very satisfying after a few long bike rides. The problem with it, though, was the requirement of fresh fruit juice. So I chose to purchase organic frozen cans of fruit juice. Our local Whole Foods stocks frozen cans of orange juice and cranberry juice. I open a can, dole out 1/4 of the concentrate in 250ml (1 cup) of water and I’m good to go. The rest of the can keeps well in the freezer for weeks.