18 August 2009

guarana...it's what for dinner!

guarana...the other, *other* caffeine

Have you not heard of it? All of the energy drinks use guarana, a natural form of caffeine. It comes from a plant in the Amazon. Guarana products are really, really popular in Brazil. Did I mention "really?"

I like guarana because it is an easy-to-take form of caffeine. At the end of the day... or rather, the beginning... it is still just caffeine. Not better for you than any other form; just different. So they say.

I bought my guarana at Whole Foods. Each tablet contains 900mg of guarana extract, which factors out to about 200mg of caffeine. Or two cups of coffee. So they say. Here's a caffeine comparison list.

The warning label says not to take caffeine if you are nursing.
So I really *shouldn't* take it at work! ;D

Once upon a blog, I quit drinking coffee and all caffeine products. But it only made me more vexed. So now I drink coffee, and take the occasional energy drink, and/or guarana. It works for me. Really, I am not a purist.

I'm not in a race to lose weight. It's challenging, but it's not a competition.
It's all good. Everything in moderation, my little ankle-biters! It's all good.

16 comments:

  1. I love caffeine. I take mine instant espresso and green tea style ~~ but not together. that's *wrong*
    Sometimes it keeps me up all night ... but that just leads to dancing ...
    and that burns calories and brings about smiles so it's all good. :D

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  2. Dancing is good! Smiles is good! Caffeine is good!
    It really is all good.

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  3. I drink a 1/2 pot of coffee every morning. I've tried numerous times to quit, but I figure my grandparents both made it into their 90's and drank coffee, so how bad could it be? Isn't that the ultimate goal in all of this - to live a long, amusing, healthy life?

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  4. I like the taste of good coffee. LIKE it. And, I drink two cups in the morning and then done.

    There are some thing we must do/have/enjoy as we go through our daily rounds.

    Life can be a true GRIND otherwise.

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  5. You are totally right, Anne... I like to think of weight loss like the tortoise and the hare. The hare starts off too quick and quits... while the tortoise goes slow and strong... and wins the race.

    I'm so the tortoise! lol

    Love your blog!

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  6. LOL @ you shouldn't take it at work!

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  7. I have not fondly been called an ankle biter in a while, you little whippersnapper you. lol.
    I quit coffee for about a week but I have two now every morning with no coffee creamer which is a huge plus. I am a tortoise but this is the best I have done in a long time...slow but sure.

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  8. I avoid caffeine and spent two weeks in hell going through withdrawal. This is good to know if I ever change my mind.
    xo

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  9. Cinner - I went with the always affectionate "ankle-biter" as a loving nod to Mrs. Doubtfire *click the link!*

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  10. Allowing only 1 caffeine drink per day had not helped my disposition one bit. Altho' I was promised it would assist in weight loss. What a load of cr**!!! At any rate, I did laugh uproariously at the "Don't take while nursing" disclaimer and your response to it. I thought that was wonderful.

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  11. I love a good coffee. I don't need more than one or two a day, but I would never cut it off completely (except when I was pregnant and drank some divine decaf).

    A word about Whole Foods. I don't know where you or your readers stand on the health care debate in the US, but if you think that it's shameful that the US is the only country in the western world where a large chunk of the population has no health care coverage...boycott Whole Foods. The CEO is a right-wing maniac whose stand on health care is slightly to the right of Attila the Hun (see his rant in the Wall Street Journal--need I say more).

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  12. Oops! I think right wing maniacs are so....maniacal!
    And the people who work there are such hippie- chicks that you would never have known it. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/15/foods-ceo-provokes-customers-boycottt-store-health-care-view/
    Thanks for the information, New Me.

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  13. i quit coffee since my heart was poundin' outta my chest all night, but found after that my heart didnt quiet until i cut my fat intake from 70 to around 50%. too much fat intake too soon. maybe coffee wasnt the culprit i thought it was. i do miss it :( *sniff*

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  14. amazing insight you have, rachel...always on the cutting edge!

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  15. I couldn't survive without caffeine this is an interesting product!

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  16. My old friend, Guarana. We meet again ...

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