The Modern Supplement Drink
We drink beverages to stay hydrated, for taste and enjoyment, and for some, a few extra calories between meals. So the question is, what’s next? According to beverage trends, people want more healthy function from their beverages. This expanding consumer demand is giving rise to a new kind of functional supplement drink. For some people, the aim is more energy and for others it’s a boost to their immune system. Whatever the function, the new consumer wants options that are aligned with their modern healthy lifestyles.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an entirely new demand, humans have been taking liquid health tonics for thousands of years with the hope that imbibing an elixir might offer some kind of healthy, = benefit. Coke-cola after all was originally thought to cure ills such as: headache, morphine addiction, and neurasthenia.
So what’s new about today’s healthy supplement drinks? Simply put, the definition of “healthy” is evolving and for many of today’s educated consumers, healthy means less sugar and more real ingredients made from natures oldest source of medicine, plants. In this post we’ll share at a few things to look for when shopping for healthy supplement drinks, specifically when you’re looking for supplements to boost immune system function and supplements for energy.
Ingredients to Consider for Immunity
In Hawaii, the Noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia) has been used as a traditional folk medicine for over a thousand years. Only over the last fifty years however has modern science begun to explore how noni might actually be able to naturally boost immunity. While western science catches up to indigenous Hawaiian knowledge by quantifying Noni’s many health benefits, modern Hawaiians continue to use traditionally prepared noni juice as a natural medicine to ward off unwanted illness.
Hawaiian Ola Noni Immunity contains no added sugars. Consuming too much sugar has been shown to suppress immune system cells responsible for attacking bacteria. According to web MD “Consuming as little as 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution (about the same as in two 12-ounce sodas) reduces the ability of white blood cells to overpower and destroy bacteria. This effect is seen for at least a few hours after consuming a sugary drink.” If you’re looking for immune boosting supplements, find an option with no added sugar, as a sugary option could further tax your natural immune response.
Healthy Energy from comes from Healthy Plants
At Hawaiian Ola we believe the best energy supplement you can take is one that is energized with organically grown plants. Hawaiian Ola Noni Energy is caffeinated with a blend of two caffeine sources: Organic Yerba Mate and Organic Green Tea. The benefits of using these plant based caffeine sources over isolated, synthetics are that they contain certain vitamins and phytonutrients that are found almost exclusively in plant based caffeine. The difference reported by users is that caffeine from plants provides a calm, gradual lift that lacks the sharp ups and crashes associated with beverages caffeinated with synthetics. Learn more about the difference.
Some products attempt to appear healthy by calling themselves “natural energy supplements” while using synthetic caffeine for energy. Here’s a tip that’ll help you spot the difference between plant based and synthetic caffeine sources. Caffeine that comes from plants will typically be listed on an ingredients panel by the name of the plant from which it was derived (green tea for example). Synthetics on the other hand will not list a plant name, rather they will list the name of the compound or chemical used to caffeinate the beverage (caffeine or gurana for example).
If you are one of the many new consumers looking for natural supplements that meet your modern standard for healthy living, remember these tips at the super market: Hawaiian noni has been used as a natural immune booster for over a thousand years, with sugar less is truly more, natural caffeine comes from plants not industrial labs, and spotting synthetics is easy if you’re a label reader that knows what to look for.