Homemade energy drinks are a great alternative to store-bought energy drinks, which can be full of sugar, caffeine, and other harmful substances. If you need a boost to get your day started, or just need a little pick-me-up after a workout, these drinks are great options. Many of these drinks are designed to restore electrolytes and to give a boost when needed.

Check out the following homemade energy drink recipes, and next time you’re feeling sluggish, choose one and give it a try!

1. Chocolate Energy Drink

This homemade energy drink contains chocolate, a delicious and natural source of caffeine. Orange peels give it a refreshing twist, making this a great mid-day snack.

Get the recipe here!

2. Orange and Coconut Energy Drink

With orange, coconut, and honey, this refreshing energy drink is perfect for an after-workout boost or a great addition for a hot summer’s day. It even includes a bit of flaxseed for an extra dose of vitamins and minerals!

Get the recipe here!

3. Orange Wheatgrass Smoothie

Wheatgrass has long been considered a healthy addition to any energy drink. High in vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, and manganese, this orange wheatgrass smoothie recipe is a creamy, sweet, and refreshing introduction to wheatgrass and all of its benefits.

Get the recipe here!

4. Spirulina Energy and Detox Milk

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that adds a powerful, energetic punch to your drink. The algae is available in pill or powder form and is widely available online or in health food stores. This almond milk-based drink offers the benefits of spirulina with the great taste of almond milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, making this one of the healthiest homemade energy drinks on the list.

Get the recipe here!

5. Green Tea and Chia Drink

This simple homemade energy drink recipe gives you a boost when you most need one. The chia seeds are rich in protein, antioxidants, fatty acids, and Vitamins A, B, D, and E. You also receive the added benefits of a healthier immune system and a cardiovascular boost.

Get the recipe here!

6. Sunrise Energy Drink

Kick start your morning with this delicious, vibrant carrot and orange drink. No artificial sweeteners or sugar is added. Despite the name, this drink is great anytime during the day.

Get the recipe here!

7. Orange Flax Smoothie

This smoothie will smooth out the rough edges of your day with the creaminess of blended peaches, carrots, and orange juice. Rich in Vitamin C, this drink is a great way to rev up your day and offer a splash of color when you need a little motivation.

Get the recipe here!

8. Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie

This yummy addition to your day will get you past that run-down feeling and through the rest of your projects. Another bonus is that there will be no crash from an artificial sweetener or added sugar. Almond milk, the base of this recipe, is also a great source of protein to keep you feeling fuller longer, making this one of the best homemade energy drinks.

Get the recipe here!

9. Tropical Paradise Energy Drink

Get a boost and a taste of the islands with this tropical energy drink. The recipe calls for a hint of coconut water, as well as orange, banana, mango, and pineapple. The natural sugar of the fruits, combined with the refreshing benefits of coconut water, will offer a great energy boost after a workout or a long day at work.

Get the recipe here!

10. Maple Cranberry Sports Drink

All natural maple syrup serves as the sweetener in this high energy drink. You’ll also love the flavorful tartness from the cranberries.

This homemade energy drink provides a mix of carbohydrates to fuel your muscles. It also contains electrolytes to help replace what your body loses through sweat. The drink is, however, high in sodium and should not be used by someone with high blood pressure.

Get the recipe here!

11. Apple Lemon Ginger Juice

This great drink not only energizes, but it detoxifies as well. The drink is tart, thanks to the apple, and spicy due to the ginger, making it an exciting experience for all of your senses.

Get the recipe here!

12. Green Tea-Fruit Drink

No sugar or artificial sweeteners here to make you feel sluggish. The mix of green tea and fruit is refreshing and energy-boosting, making this one of the best homemade energy drinks for a quick power-up.

Get the recipe here!

13. Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Energy Drink

This very tart drink will energize your day. You receive a great many benefits from unleashing the raw energy of cranberries, along with apple cider vinegar, which can help you absorb nutrients and get your digestive system moving along.

Get the recipe here!

14. Apple Carrot Beet Ginger Juice

Re-energize and revitalize with a cup full of this homemade energy drink. Power through your day with a powerful energy boost from beets and ginger, and vitamins from apples and carrots.

Get the recipe here!

15. Chia Fresca

Chia Fresca is traditionally made with only chia seeds and water, but this recipe offers a flavorful, nutritious boost with lime juice, honey, and Himalayan pink salt. All together, those ingredients make for an energy-boosting combination that is sure to keep you pumped throughout the day.

Get the recipe here!

16. Citrus Sports Drink

This sports drink is full of citrus goodness, with the added benefits of coconut water. This drink will cool you off after burning through some calories and offer an energy boost provided by the natural sugar of maple syrup.

Get the recipe here!

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re looking for a revitalizing drink for after a workout, a soft energy boost for an afternoon slump, or a kickstart drink to begin your day, these homemade energy drinks fit the bill. Choose one and give it a try next time your energy levels are low.

More Energy-Boosting Recipes

• 20 Juice and Smoothie Recipes for Energy and Vitality
• 8 Natural Energy Drinks That Can Give You A Boost Without Caffeine
• 25 Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas to Energize Your Day

Featured photo credit: Jonathan Riley via unsplash.com

When it comes to energy levels, the solution is relatively simple. Make sure you get ample sleep, exercise regularly, and have a well-balanced diet. But as much as those things are simple, performing them on a regular basis can be difficult.

Worse, you could be doing these and still find energy levels draining quickly.

Fortunately, there are several options out there to help you with pushing back fatigue and tiredness. Most of these solutions stem from supplements. These little pills pack all kinds of helpful nutrients to get you through the day. Below we’ve selected some of the best energy supplements available.

Before getting to the list, here are some of the criteria that we used to determine what are the best options to offer you:

• No fillers – One of the big issues with supplements is that they contain needless fillers in them that provide you with no benefit. We’ve checked many of these products to ensure they are from natural and pure sources and that these companies don’t put in fillers.
• Improve mental functions – Fatigue isn’t just a physical thing, it’s mental too. The supplements we recommend help you in overcoming both sides of fatigue.
• Metabolic benefits – These supplements are known to help burn energy stored in fat while preserving energy in your muscles.
• Energized without the side effects – When people think of energy, they also keep in mind the downsides like crashing, jittering, irritability. These are known side effects for energy boosters, but they’re not part of these supplements.

Now let’s dive into the 9 best energy supplements for fatigue.

1. Fish Oil

One of the best energy supplements on the market is fish oil. Fish oil supplements are able to provide a wide variety of benefits to individuals. It’s essentially the supplement to be using if you’re looking to improve brain or heart function or both.

We recommend Infuel Fish Oil as they make a perfect blend of fish oil and Omega 3 healthy fats which directly support development of our brains, eyes, nervous system and maintaining a healthy heart. All of these feeds into our energy levels because these supplements provide us with essential fats that our body can use. Furthermore, stronger brain development is an invaluable tool to fighting off fatigue.

2. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is one of the most important medicinal herbs in the Indian Ayurveda and it’s one of the world’s oldest medicinal systems. Over the years of its study, researchers have been able to uncover that Ashwagandha is able to increase our body’s resilience to both physical and mental stress.^[1]

Because stress is one of those aspects that drains our energy levels physically and mentally, it stands to reason that having supplements of this nature can provide us with more energy. Beyond that, there is also research that suggests we can alleviate fatigue associated to exercise with this too.

NaturaLife Labs supplement of Ashwagandha comes to mind as a reliable source. It’s organic, vegan, and gluten free. Each capsule provides 2,100 mg with nothing but ashwagandha root powder and extract, making it highly potent compared to other brands.

3. Rhodiola Rosea

Another notable herb grounded into supplement form is rhodiola rosea. It grows in cold, mountainous regions and is used as a natural substance to enhance our coping abilities with stress.

From that research, there have also been a small collection of studies that looked into the physical and mental fatigue aspect too. Out of the vast majority of those studies, there was evidence of rhodiola rosea enhancing both physical performance and easing mental fatigue.^[2]

Out of the various brands that provide this supplement, Bronson’s Rhodiola Rosea is a great fit. It’s gluten and soy-free and provides 1000 mg of 100% natural rhodiola rosea. These are also safe for vegans and vegetarians alike.

4. CoQ10

CoQ10 stands for coenzyme Q10 and is something that our body makes naturally. They are found in all of our cells though our heart, kidneys, and liver have the highest levels of this. What CoQ10 does though is produce energy for us and also protects themselves from oxidative damage.

So why bother with having specific supplements of these? Well as we get older, things start to decline and our cells may not be able to produce as much energy as before. If we want our body cells to stay in shape, providing these supplements can help.

One of the best ones out there to look at is Nature Made’s CoQ10 vitamins. These supplements are gluten free and only contain soybean oil, gelatin, glycerin, water, and soy lecithin, making them ideal for most individuals. They also provide great benefits to those who take Statin as statin drugs are known for reducing CoQ10 levels. This replenishes them and doesn’t conflict with the use of those drugs either.

5. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B is a typically good vitamin to have. But if you’re looking for the best energy supplements in this category, B12 is the best. B12 is all about helping your body transform food into energy that you cells can then use.

Beyond that, studies have found the vitamin helps with the body’s nerves and blood cells. It also prevents a type of anemia that can render you weak and tired.

A lot of people are deficient in this area which is to be expected since not everyone is eating a lot of animal proteins like meat, fish and dairy products. It’s particularly bad amongst vegans and vegetarians.

Fortunately, there is a good option for everyone to get their vitamin B12 they need — Naturelo’s Vegan B12 vitamin. Their protein is solely plant-based and provides a high among of B12 – 1000 mg per capsule. The main source of their B12 vitamin comes from Spirulina which is a rich, plant-based source of natural B vitamins, protein, and various minerals, giving you a clean supplement to boost your energy levels.

6. Iron

Our body also needs iron in order to function too. With a lack of iron we develop anemia which can then lead to sensations of weakness and fatigue. Iron is essential because it fights off that by providing red blood cells carrying oxygen to the body’s tissues.

Overall, iron is able to help you with fighting back fatigue because of this essential function. The only issue is that a lot of iron in food sources stem from meats and seafood.

When looking for a pure and helpful supplement to look for, Naturelo Iron is the one. This particular supplement is appealing because it also provides you with vitamin C. Vitamin C is able to prevent iron deficiency so it pairs nicely with the iron supplement. Along with purse ingredients made from iron-rich whole foods and great absorption, you’re able to combat fatigue easier with these supplements.

7. Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural hormone that our brain produces that puts us to sleep. When we wake up, there are very low levels and it goes up over the day. But if you’re trying to stop feeling tired why would a supplement that produces this sleepy drug be helpful?

Well, melatonin also serves as a way to fight off insomnia. Many people have sleeping issues because of high amounts of screen time (which disrupt the cycle of releasing melatonin). This insomnia leads to people feeling more exhausted physically and mentally.

So by increasing your melatonin through a supplement, you’ll be able to get sleep when your body actually needs it. This process alone will be able to recharge you and energize you.

And it’s not like you need a lot of melatonin in your body for it to work. Take Nature’s Bounty Melatonin. They provide 3mg of it per capsule and it’s more than enough for individuals to fall asleep to. Best of all, these supplements are suitable for vegetarians as well.

8. Tyrosine

Tyrosine is an amino acid that our body naturally produces as well. They are essentially the drugs behind making the chemicals that send messages from our body to the brain. Those chemicals are believed to decrease when we are in mentally or physically demanding activities. This leads to us being unable to concentrate and eventually feeling tired physically and/or mentally.

As such, being able to supplement our tyrosine levels will be able to help us fight off feeling tired and mentally exhausted. And one particular brand that can assure this is Swanson Tyrosine. Their Tyrosine supplement is Non-GMO and each capsule provides 500 mg, a healthy amount to keep you focused and mentally energized.

9. L-Theanine

The last on our list is L-Theanine. It’s an amino acid that is actually commonly found in tea and mushrooms. Considering the fact that tea – and coffee – are able to keep us energized, it makes sense that L-theanine provides similar perks.^[3]

What’s also nice about this particular supplement is that it also works well with coffee. Coffee has caffeine which naturally boosts our energy levels as well. The problem is coffee also provides side effects like nervousness, irritability, restlessness and a crash after a power boost. L-theanine with coffee though seems to prevent those side effects.

One particular supplement of L-theanine we found beneficial was Nature’s Trove L-Theanine. They use natural ingredients and are made in the US, GMP NSF Certified and Kosher Certified. They’re also suitable for vegetarians as well.

Final Thoughts

Life does have a way of taking a toll on our bodies and there will be days where we are completely drained. There are several ways for you to combat this with working on a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting a proper amount of sleep.

But for those looking to maintain higher energy, these supplements will provide a good opportunity for you to maintain higher energy levels and give you the natural boost that you need.

More on Energy Boosting

Featured photo credit: Aditya Saxena via unsplash.com