Guarana, a small but powerful seed
Guarana is a seed from a shrub traditionally cultivated by the Satéré Maué people in the Brazilian Amazon. It is known for its anti-fatigue properties: it is in fact one of the foods richest in caffeine, three to four times more than coffee !
Guarana is highly prized in Brazil, both as a drink, as a stimulant and as a traditional remedy. It arrived in Europe with the first settlers. In the 19th century in France, guarana extract was already used to make a stimulant drink. Today it is used by athletes as an anti-fatigue aid, in weight-loss diets as « fat-burning » and to temporarily improve physical and mental performance.
The key ingredient in energy drinks
Guarana is one of the ingredients most prized by manufacturers for making energy drinks. However, be careful: these drinks can prove harmful to health : very high in sugar, they can contribute to excess weight, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Beyond guarana itself, which is in itself a healthful ingredient, they contain synthetic substances such as taurine whose long-term effects on the body are unknown. Furthermore, they can cause short-term palpitations or even heart problems if consumed in excess.
Guaraná Antarctica, to avoid
Brazilians are very fond of this guarana soda : it is the second best-selling soft drink after Coca-Cola and one of the 15 best-selling soft drinks in the world! Guarana Antarctica is the best-known brand in Brazil; it has been around since 1921. Its caffeine content is low (0.9 mg / 100 ml) although one of the selling points of guarana soda is that it is an energy drink.
Guarana Antarctica en 1922 ©Capture d’écran Youtube
Brazilian Guarana Antarctica and its peers (Guarana Jesus, guarana Fanta…) are especially packed with sugar: a can contains 36 grams, which is already 148% of the recommended daily sugar intake! They should therefore be consumed with the utmost moderation and avoided entirely for children.
That doesn’t mean you should avoid consuming guarana. To fully enjoy the benefits of guarana, it’s better to take it in powder or capsule form, in its natural state. Preferably choose organic guarana to ensure it is free from pesticide residues.
Guarana health drinks
It is possible to drink guarana and enjoy its “energy boost” effect, while benefiting from its health advantages, by rediscovering the original guarana drink consumed by Native Americans. The çapo is indeed a ritual and medicinal beverage obtained by mixing guarana powder with water.
Consuming guarana powder
The healthiest way to consume guarana is to take it in powder form, mixed into a glass of water.
Guarana should be consumed in the morning to best benefit from its energizing properties and avoid insomnia. Likewise, to prevent sleep problems or unwanted side effects, no more than 5 grams should be consumed per day.
Those who do not like its bitter taste can mix the guarana powder into juice, a smoothie, or yogurt.
Recipes for homemade guarana drinks
You can make your own energy\ndrink at home with guarana powder. For this, blend a beet, the juice of two organic oranges, a teaspoon of guarana and a little\ngrated cinnamon or ginger.
Another little energy bomb for athletes : blend a banana, a teaspoon of guarana, almond milk and acerola or cherry juice, with ice cubes. Delicious before going for a morning run !
You can also make a fat-burning drink by warming a large cup of green tea, to which you mix in a teaspoon of powdered guarana and freshly blended pineapple juice.
Let your imagination run wild and create guarana cocktails to make the most of its various benefits ! Either way, skip the sugar and favor honey, agave syrup, or naturally sweet fruits like pear or banana.
Read also | Our tips for choosing the best guarana
Which guarana drinks help you stay in shape?
There are also guarana drinks on the market that can be enjoyed for a natural boost. We always opt for organic guarana drinks, preferably without added sugar.
For example, Spirtonic is a powder made from spirulina, guarana, acerola and spices to mix into juice. You can enjoy the benefits of these three superfoods for a real energy boost ! The brand Matahi also sells juices that blend baobab fruit, an energizing superfruit, with guarana seed and lemon or ginger, for natural energy drinks. Finally, the start-up Nossa ! offers an “Energy” juice made from organic guarana and açaí, another super fruit from the Brazilian Amazon.
One precaution to take, however, whether it’s homemade guarana drinks or commercial cocktails : never mix guarana with ephedra. Indeed, a scientific study has shown that this fat-burning concoction can cause significant side effects: irritability, increased blood pressure, palpitations… Ephedra is, moreover, banned in Canada, but it is sometimes sold on the Internet in certain weight-loss dietary supplements.
