Maya Moore, Novak Djokovic and Tom Brady have all sworn off dairy in recent years, and they credit that decision with helping them feel and perform better.

Why are so many stars calling it quits on milk and its derivatives? And are they right to do so? Let’s take a look at their reasoning.

What is a Dairy Product?

First, let’s define the word “dairy.” A dairy product is any food produced from the milk of mammals. Dairy products can be made with milk from a variety of animals, including goat, sheep and buffalo. But inside the United States, dairy products are closely associated with cow’s milk. According to Dairy Management, Inc., cow’s milk accounted for nearly 95 percent of all American milk consumption in 2014.

Though cow’s milk and the products it is used to produce are still a gigantic industry in the U.S., overall dairy consumption is on the decline. U.S. cow milk sales tallied under 6 billion gallons in 2012, the lowest total in decades. Meanwhile, non-dairy alternatives such as almond milk have exploded in popularity.

But Isn’t Milk Healthy?

Based on its nutritional profile, cow’s milk looks like a fairly nutritious beverage. One serving of whole cow’s milk contains 103 calories, 2.4 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fats, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 107 mg of sodium, 13 grams of sugar, 8 grams of protein, 366 mg of potassium and 30 percent of your daily calcium. Skim milk is lower in fat, but a growing amount of research is finding whole milk might be the better overall option because the fats it contains deliver beneficial health properties. (That fat also helps promote satiety, helping you feel fuller, longer.)

“The fat content of milk is where many of its nutrients are located, such as vitamin A, vitamin K2 and omega-3 fatty acids. When you remove the fat to create skim milk, you’re removing a lot of those nutrients as well,” says Brian St. Pierre, a dietitian at Precision Nutrition.

RELATED: How 6 Popular Milk Alternatives Measure Up

Since milk has high levels of beneficial nutrients such as healthy fats, protein, potassium and calcium, why are so many athletes moving away from dairy products? For some, the answer lies in how their body digests lactose.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

According to the Mayo Clinic, lactose intolerance refers to a state where one is “unable to fully digest the sugar [lactose] in milk.” Lactose is the main sugar found in cow’s milk. Any product made with cow’s milk contains lactose unless it undergoes a special process to remove the sugar. If so, the product will be marked as lactose-free.

The most common cause of lactose intolerance is a condition known as primary lactase deficiency. Lactase is an enzyme produced in the small intestine that is crucial for breaking down lactose into glucose and galactose, two simple, digestible sugars. People with primary lactase deficiency experience a decrease in lactase production over time, often beginning at about 2 years old.

RELATED: Maya Moore’s Small Diet Change That Produced Big Results

A deficiency of lactase can cause what is known as “lactose malabsorption,” where undigested lactose passes into the colon, where it is broken down by bacteria, creating fluid and gas. This leads to the symptoms commonly associated with lactose intolerance—abdominal bloating, diarrhea, gas and nausea. The amount of lactose someone with lactose intolerance can tolerate before experiencing symptoms varies greatly, depending on the individual and the type of dairy product they’re consuming.

“About 40 to 60 percent of all adults are unable to tolerate the lactose sugar in [cow] milk, often causing some not-so-fun gastrointestinal issues,” says St. Pierre.

In fact, lactose intolerance is so prevalent worldwide that it’s considered the normal state for most adults and not an actual disease condition. However, people with European ancestry have been found to have an abnormally high tolerance for lactose.

“Those from European countries have evolved to handle dairy better than those coming from countries in Africa and Asia,” says Ryan Andrews, also of Precision Nutrition. The ability to digest cow’s milk into adulthood is known as lactase persistence, and it likely traces back to a genetic mutation which appeared in European dairy farmers over 7,000 years ago.

A few tests can be used to determine whether an individual is lactose intolerant. The aptly named “lactose intolerance test” gauges the body’s reaction to a high-lactose liquid via blood testing two hours after consumption. If your levels of glucose don’t rise, that’s a sign your body isn’t properly digesting and absorbing lactose. There’s also the “hydrogen breath test,” which requires you to drink a high-lactose liquid, then have the amount of hydrogen in your breath monitored. If your body doesn’t digest lactose, it will ferment in your colon and release hydrogen and other gases. If larger than normal amounts of hydrogen appear in your breath when tested, that’s a sign you aren’t fully digesting lactose.

For an athlete with a genuine lactose intolerance, the benefits of avoiding dairy are obvious. With no nasty gastrointestinal issues to worry about, of course they’re going to feel better.

Why Might An Athlete Who Isn’t Lactose Intolerant Feel Better After Cutting Out Dairy?

Many athletes and people in general have reported feeling better after dropping dairy, despite the fact they don’t suffer from lactose intolerance. There are a few reasons why this might be the case.

First, although it’s highly unlikely, they could have a milk allergy. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, milk allergies occur in 2 to 3 percent of children younger than 3, but 80 percent of those affected outgrow it before they turn 16. Unlike lactose intolerance, people allergic to milk have an adverse immune reaction to one or more constituents of the milk of an animal outside of lactose.

Second, for those who don’t suffer from lactose intolerance or a milk allergy, dairy could be slowing them down due to the presence of A1 casein, a phosphoprotein found in much of the cow’s milk produced in the U.S. According to Kamal Patel, director of research for the health and nutrition website Examine.com, recent studies on mice suggest A1 casein could cause inflammation in the gut.

An inflamed gut can lead to something called “leaky gut syndrome.” When the gut wall gets irritated or inflamed, it loses its selective permeability. A healthy gut allows only specific beneficial things—like vitamins and amino acids—to escape through the gut wall and into the bloodstream. A leaky gut loses this ability, often letting harmful things like undigested food particles, toxins and microbes escape from the gut and enter the bloodstream. That can throw the immune system out of whack and lead to a host of issues.

RELATED: Why Your Gut Might Be The Most Important Part of Your Body

Third, an athlete might feel better after dropping dairy due to dietary displacement. When you eliminate dairy from your diet, you have to replace their calories and nutrients with other foods. If the foods you add are nutritionally superior to what you ate before, you will feel the benefits of a better diet.

“If someone starts eating a bit less cheese, yogurt and milk and replaces those with veggies, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, they could be doing their body good by getting nutrients most dairy products don’t provide,” Andrews says.

Dietary displacement is why many people feel better on a gluten-free diet, even if they don’t have celiac disease or an actual gluten sensitivity. It’s not because their body is devoid of gluten; it’s because they’re now eating fewer highly-processed foods and more fruits and veggies.

I’m not lactose intolerant but I’d like to see how I feel without dairy. What should I do?

If you’re interested in seeing how you feel without dairy, Andrews suggests first cutting out dairy at certain times and seeing how you feel.

“If someone drinks a whey protein shake with whole milk for breakfast each day and gets congested, try a non-dairy breakfast instead and take note of how you respond,” Andrews says. This can be a good way of gauging dairy’s effects on you without cutting it out entirely.

If you do decide to go dairy-free, you can choose from several smart replacement foods to ensure you’re still getting the necessary nutrients.

“Dairy is highly advertised and promoted in North America, so a lot of people think it’s mandatory to consume. The idea of not consuming it can be a bit scary for some people at first, but it’s important to remember that not everyone across the world is consuming dairy every day, and it’s not an essential food to consume,” Andrews says. You can replace the nutrients lost by ditching dairy fairly easily. “Foods to include more of when cutting out dairy should include beans, greens, nuts and seeds to make up the missing protein and minerals.”

For those who want to consume dairy, Andrews suggests seeking out organic products made with milk from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals whenever possible. Check the Cornucopia Institute Scorecard to compare the various conditions under which different brands of cow milk are produced. The card scores each brand based on factors such as hormones and antibiotics used on the cows, health and longevity of the cows, and grazing and open land provided for the cows. All of those factors can impact the nutritional makeup of the milk the cows produce.

Of course, it’s also wise to opt for more nutritious (and less processed) dairy options like plain yogurt and kefir over ice cream and mozzarella sticks.

1. Midday Snacks

When athletes reach for a midday snack, they usually choose a high carbohydrate or fat option from a vending machine. These snacks are quick and easy but leave much to be desired in the nutrition department.

A cheaper and healthier alternative is to pack snacks to take with you to school. My favorite option is hard-boiled eggs, but foods like deli meat and canned tuna are also great. These snacks are super quick and easy, while offering 10-20 grams of protein per serving.

2. Cook in Bulk

After a long day of school and practice, few athletes have the time or energy to thaw, prep and cook a healthy meal. Most of the time, instead, they go for the quick takeout option or a “ready in 15 minutes” box meal. Both of these options tend to be less than ideal for your nutritional needs.

A good way to get your protein at dinner without spending an hour in the kitchen is to cook in bulk ahead of time. By cooking in bulk one to three days a week, you can have food readily available whenever you need it. Simply warm up your protein, add a side and you have a healthy meal ready in only minutes.

3. Daily Shake

In a perfect world, we would get all of our nutritional needs from the foods we eat. In reality, this is not always practical. Adding in a shake to your daily routine is a fast, safe, and effective way to up the amount of protein you are consuming. There are many options out there, but it’s important to find a quality brand with a good amount of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) per serving.

RELATED: 

• 5 Protein-Packed Recovery Shakes
• Why Protein Is Important for Athletes

One reason for the rapid rise in demand is the notion that Greek yogurt is significantly healthier than most other types of yogurt. But is this really true? Does Greek yogurt deserve its reputation as a superfood, or do the nutrition facts reveal that it’s little more than an exotic dessert? STACK investigates.

What is Greek Yogurt?

Traditional Greek yogurt is made by straining the whey out of regular yogurt. Whey is the liquid that remains after milk has curdled. The straining gives Greek yogurt a thicker, creamier texture than regular yogurt, but Greek yogurt also has less sugar and more protein.

However, the FDA doesn’t currently have regulations in place for what can and cannot be labeled “Greek yogurt.” This means that companies can use additional ingredients or alter the recipe while still marketing their product as “Greek yogurt.” Real Greek yogurt contains only two ingredients—milk, and “live and active” cultures. The more a brand adds to these two ingredients, the worse the yogurt’s nutritional value will typically be.

Protein and Probiotics

Traditional Greek yogurt is quite healthy.

According to the USDA, a six-ounce serving of nonfat Greek yogurt contains 100 calories, less than a gram of fat, 61 mg of sodium, 240 mg of potassium, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 6 grams of sugar and 17 grams of protein. It’s also high in calcium and vitamin B-12. Six grams of sugar is not an insignificant amount, but none of it qualifies as “added sugar,” because it all comes from lactose, the naturally-occurring sugar in milk.

Perhaps the best thing about Greek yogurt is its ridiculously high protein content. Greek yogurt typically contains twice the amount of protein found in regular yogurt.

One example of a high-protein greek yogurt is Fage Total Greek Yogurt. A seven-ounce serving contains 18 grams of protein. For comparison, an equivalent serving of Dannon All-Natural Plain Whole Milk Yogurt contains roughly 8 grams of protein. In this comparison, the Greek yogurt contains more than twice as much protein as the regular yogurt. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with every brand. A six-ounce serving of Zoi Vanilla Greek Yogurt, for example, contains just 8 grams of protein. The differences in protein content often come down to differing preparation methods or ingredients.

Generally speaking for athletes, the more protein, the better. Protein not only helps build muscle mass, it also plays an important role in satiety and weight management. A study published in Nutrition Journal found that a high-protein yogurt snack helped healthy women stay fuller for longer and consume fewer calories throughout the day better than a high-fat snack with an equal number of calories.

The type of protein found in Greek yogurt (casein) makes it especially attractive for those who want to pack on lean muscle, as it contains all nine essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are those that cannot be produced by the body—we must get them through food.

RELATED: Why You Should Care About Amino Acids 

Another big benefit of Greek yogurt is its high probiotic content. Probiotics are the “good bacteria” that live inside your gut. When you ingest probiotics, they enter what’s known as the “gut microbiome.” The gut microbiome consists of yeasts, fungi and roughly 3 to 4 pounds of bacteria. More than 5,000 species of bacteria live in the gut, and the bacteria balance inside the gut plays a huge role in overall health.

“Probiotics are live microorganisms that beneficially affect your gut,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, registered dietitian and wellness manager for the Cleveland Clinic. “The bacteria that reside in the gut are very diverse and are involved in actions such as supplying essential nutrients, synthesizing vital vitamins, digesting cellulose, promoting nerve function and destroying toxins.”

Generally speaking, the more diverse a person’s microbiome, the better. Lean, healthy people have more diverse bacteria in their gut than obese, unhealthy people; and the average American gut is less diverse than those of people in other countries with healthier populations. A diverse gut often equals a healthy gut, one that’s adept at keeping the body running optimally.

Projects like the National Institutes of Health’s Human Microbiome Project exist to better understand the relationship between the microbiome and human health. The condition of the gut microbiome has already been connected to autism, diabetes, obesity, cancer, IBS, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, allergies, inflammation, acne, depression and more. The fact that probiotics can reduce your risk of these conditions speaks volumes about their potential powers.

RELATED: Why Your Gut Might Be The Most Important Part of Your Body

Watch out for Sneaky Sugar Sources

High sugar totals can be a good way to tell which Greek yogurts you might want to avoid. The straining process used to create traditional Greek yogurt removes both whey and lactose, which brings the sugar count down. For example, Dannon Oikos Greek Nonfat Plain Yogurt contains six grams of sugar per 5.3-ounce serving. Compared to Dannon Lowfat Plain Yogurt, that’s 40 percent less sugar per 5.3-ounce serving. Plain Greek yogurt should also contain no added sugar, keeping the sugar total from spiraling out of control. However, flavors and other varieties can be an entirely different story.

Chobani “Flips” are a perfect example. This product line features flavored Greek yogurt packaged with accompanying toppings that are meant to be “flipped” and stirred into the yogurt. Many “Flips” are packed with sugar. For example, the Peanut Butter Dream “Flip”—which combines vanilla low-fat Greek yogurt with honey roasted peanuts, peanut butter clusters and milk chocolate—serves up 23 grams of sugar per serving, the same amount you’d find in eight Starburst Fruit Chews! Americans, on the whole, eat way too much sugar. Overconsumption of sugar has been liked to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, heart disease and even cancer. The average American eats 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, nearly triple the recommended limit. A quick way to ruin Greek yogurt’s strong nutritional profile is by mixing in a bunch of added sugar.

What About Fat?

Greek yogurt can be found in full-fat, low-fat and fat-free varieties. Obviously, the full-fat varieties contain the most fat. A seven-ounce serving of Fage Total (their full-fat offering) contains 190 calories, 10 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat, while a seven-ounce serving of Fage Total 0% (their fat-free offering) contains 100 calories and 0 grams of fat. Both varieties offer 18 grams of protein per serving. The only difference in their ingredients is that the full-fat variety uses whole milk and the fat-free variety uses skim milk.

It might seem that the fat-free offering is the obvious choice, but there are some other factors to consider. For one, the fat in milk is where many of its natural nutrients are concentrated. “The fat content of milk is where many of its nutrients are located, such as vitamin A, vitamin K2 and omega-3 fatty acids. When you remove the fat to create skim milk, you’re removing a lot of those nutrients, as well,” says Brian St. Pierre, RD and nutrition coach at Precision Nutrition.

In addition, the fat found in whole milk can keep you full for longer. Perhaps that’s why a 2013 review published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that “high-fat dairy consumption within typical dietary patterns is inversely associated with obesity risk.” The authors of the review concluded that the “observational evidence does not support the hypothesis that dairy fat or high-fat dairy foods contribute to obesity or cardiometabolic risk.”

If you can afford extra calories in your diet, there’s little issue in consuming full-fat varieties of Greek yogurt. Not only are they higher in nutrients and healthy fat, but they can also better keep you satiated throughout the day. Plus, they usually taste richer. If you think you’re already getting enough fat in other areas of your diet, you certainly can go with the low-fat or fat-free varieties. You know your own health goals, but fat-free, low-fat and full-fat varieties of Greek yogurt all have the potential to be a part of a healthy diet.

The Verdict

Is Greek yogurt healthy? Yes. If you purchase authentic Greek yogurt made with quality ingredients, you’re buying a very nutritious food. It’s not only typically lower in sugar than regular yogurt, it also usually contains roughly twice as much protein. Add the fact that it’s high in calcium (key for strong bones and optimal heart, nerve and muscle function) and vitamin B-12 (which helps create red blood cells, maintain healthy nerve cells and produce DNA and RNA), and it’s clear that Greek yogurt is a nutritional winner. Just steer clear of the varieties that are chock full of added sugar.

READ MORE:

• 5 Recipes to Boost Your Nutrition With Greek Yogurt
• The Eating Mistake That Nearly Brought Down J.J. Watt (And How to Avoid It)
• A Growing Number of Elite Athletes Are Cutting Dairy. Should You?

The same goes for sports nutrition.

Athletes need to understand that the big rocks need to go in the jar first, and let the pebbles settle around them.  This metaphor can help athletes juggle their busy schedules of practices, games, lifting, school and a social life.

This metaphor will also help nail down any sports nutrition plan. Unless you’re a pro athlete, nutrition plans don’t need to be highly complex and intricate to yield quality results. Instead, if an athlete can get the “big rocks” to fit into the jar, the rest will fall into place.

Here are the 4 rocks for an athlete’s nutrition plan:

1. Accountability

Most athletes are highly motivated and committed to their sports and athletic lifestyle. It’s in their DNA. But that doesn’t mean nutrition should take a back seat. The first thing athletes need to ask themselves is if they’re ready to commit to fine-tuning their nutrition plan. Most athletes are confident in their abilities on the field, but it’s imperative for them to be confident in changing their lifestyle to a healthy one. That comes with consistency.

Another way athletes can know they’re ready to carry out a healthy meal plan is by committing to a schedule that prioritizes meal prep. Creating an integrated system that works for each individual athlete is essential. Such a system allows the athlete to plan ahead, stay accountable with meal prep rituals and achieve success long term.

But, within that system an athlete needs to understand there will be bumps in the road due to their busy lifestyle. Unless you’re a professional athlete, chances are you don’t have a private chef.  Always remember, a consistent B effort is better than one week of A+ and 3 weeks of Ds.

2. Eat for your sport

The sport you play will dictate what your nutrition plan will look like. Different sports require different energy intakes and seasonal differences. Mid-season may require more recovery and anti-inflammatory foods, while the offseason will call for higher protein intake due to a larger volume of strength training. The main takeaway should be “eat what you burn.”

Unless you’re trying to make weight or need to drop pounds for a sport-specific reason, failing to refuel your body properly will eventually lead to a decrease in athletic performance.

Athletes should always be looking at what they are eating before, during and after games.

Pre-game nutrition directly affects your performance on the field. If athletes don’t properly fuel up 2-3 hours before game time, their blood sugar levels could be low, directly affecting coordination, endurance and overall focus.

Mid-game nutrition also varies depending on the sport, but it’s also essential. For example, soccer players playing a 90-minute match burn tons of calories and deplete a high percentage of their muscle glucose throughout a game. At any point, they should be reaching for a drink high in electrolytes, sodium and fast-acting carbs to refuel their muscles and give them the endurance they need. Generally, this is where a sports drink comes into play.

Post-game nutrition could be the most important in terms of recovery and long-term success. The mindset of most athletes after a game is that they can eat anything. Wherever the bus takes them, a glutton for food comes out. But if they choose chicken nuggets and French fries over lean protein and smart carbs, they could be more inflamed and sore, and not reap the benefits of their workout or game. This rolls into the accountability portion of the big rocks. If the athlete knows the bus is headed to a fast food joint post-game, he or she should plan to bring high quality protein shake onto the bus.

3. Nail your macros down

It’s no secret that athletes need more calories. Each day, the energy output of athletes is much higher than that of everyday people. During practices, games or an offseason workout, an athlete can burn anywhere from 800 to 1,500 calories, and if they are not replaced, the athlete’s body will suffer. Without getting too complicated with macros, athletes should think about each meal and what it should contain.

Every meal should have 1-2 serving of lean protein, 1 serving of colorful vegetables or fruit, and 1-2 servings of a healthy fat.

Most meals should also include a slow-digesting, high-fiber carb such as brown rice, quinoa, oats or lentils. The slow-digesting carb should be eaten either in the morning or around game—to ensures that the carbs will replace any lost muscle glycogen.

Follow this meal plan, and the macros will be on point and aid in building muscle, endurance training and overall good health. This may seem like an impossible task for busy athletes always on the go. But even when you’re on the road, you should still try to abide by these macro principals at each meal.

But sometimes that’s just not realistic, and you need to swing into a convenience store for a quick pick-me-up before or after a game. When that happens . . .

4. Eat real food, not sport food

No matter where you are, you can get food with nutritional value. Even gas stations carry health bars that are high in smart carbs and protein—great options for the athlete on the go.

Athletes need better quality food than average people. Regardless of the food and no matter what the athlete is ingesting, it needs to hold nutritional value. If not, the body won’t recover quickly and muscle synthesis could turn into degradation. As a general rule, stay away from self proclaimed “fitness foods” like energy drinks, “Paleo packs” and bars with chapter-long lists of ingredients.

Generally this stuff is a cornucopia of processed and often poor quality food, leading to subpar choices. Part of being an athlete means you have to understand the importance of nutrient rich foods and how they affect your performance. All athletes should treat their body as a temple where chemical-filled foods don’t belong.

Good whole food alternatives almost as good as prepared meals but more convenient are everywhere. Choosing whole grain bread over white, a bag of trail mix over chips, or a bar with fewer than 10 ingredients and 10 g of sugar are all available at any quick stop or sandwich chain. Now more than ever, it’s easy to make healthy choices, so if athletes can consciously make those choice, they’ll be golden.

If an athlete can nail down these big rocks of nutrition, only then can they move on to a more complex, individualized plan. Athletes shouldn’t have to do this alone either. Get teammates, coaches and parents involved and create an atmosphere where performance nutrition can thrive. Everyone commits hours of practice to better the team’s chance at a W. Commit some of that time to nutrition, and it will put the team one step ahead of the competition.

READ MORE:

• Pre-Game Meal Recommendations for Athletes
• 5 Protein-Packed Recovery Shakes
• How to Identify and Avoid Highly-Processed Foods

If you clicked on this article, you probably can’t imagine going a day without it. Sipping a hot cup of coffee to start your morning is a relaxing ritual, but one that ultimately leaves you more energized. For millions of Americans, that’s an irresistible offer.

But just how nutritious is coffee? Is it a guilty pleasure that’s slowly leeching your health away? Or is it a bonafide superfood capable of benefiting your body from head to toe?

To be clear, this is a piece about coffee—meaning black coffee or something relatively close to it. A shot of cream or a dash of sugar won’t drastically alter the nutrition of your coffee, but some of the sugar-stuffed abominations Starbucks serves up barely qualify as coffee. Black coffee doesn’t have sugar or fat. It barely even contains calories. A 12-ounce Pumpkin Spice Latte, on the other hand, packs in 300 calories, 11 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates and 38 grams of sugar. That’s not healthy.

With that in mind, let’s investigate how healthy coffee really is.

As we’ve stated previously, coffee doesn’t have a whole lot going on in terms of basic nutrition facts. It contains very little calories, fat, sodium, cholesterol, carbs, fiber, sugar and protein. There’s some potassium in there, but that’s about it. The reason for coffee’s barren nutrition facts is because it’s about 99 percent water.

WIRED explains that a cup of hot coffee is technically a “super solvent, leaching flavors and oils out of the coffee bean. A good cup of Joe is 98.75 percent water and 1.25 percent soluble plant matter.”

That soluble plant matter contains a bevy of powerful substances and compounds. In fact, coffee contains about 30 different organic acids. These include citric acid—which aids in giving coffee its bitter, acidic flavor—and chlorogenic acid, a potent antioxidant. But the one compound in coffee that receives the most attention is caffeine. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world. Caffeine is almost entirely responsible for that energizing jolt we get from a cup of coffee.

But is this “super solvent” of hot water and soluble plant matter actually good for us?

During the late ’70s and early ’80s, a number of studies came out linking coffee consumption to cancer, cardiovascular disease and other undesirable outcomes. This research was a big reason coffee consumption decreased during the era. A 1996 article by anthropologist William Roseberry notes that 74.7 percent of adult Americans identified as coffee drinkers in 1962. By 1988, that number had dropped to 50 percent.

But there was a problem with much of this research—it didn’t control for other high-risk behaviors that coffee drinkers may engage in. “Earlier studies didn’t always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers,” the Mayo Clinic writes on the topic.

There’s since been a major reversal regarding the research on coffee’s health effects. The case for drinking coffee today may be stronger than ever before.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine is one of the most comprehensive to date regarding coffee consumption and its effects on mortality. The results? Coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of death due to heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease and kidney disease for African-Americans, Latinos, Japanese-Americans and whites. Participants who consumed one cup of coffee per day were 12 percent less likely to die compared to those who did not drink coffee, while those who drank two to three cups per day were 18 percent less likely to die.

“This study is the largest of its kind and includes minorities who have very different lifestyles,” Veronica W. Setiawan, the study’s lead author, told ScienceDaily. “Seeing a similar pattern across different populations gives stronger biological backing to the argument that coffee is good for you whether you are white, African-American, Latino or Asian.” Interestingly enough, these effects were seen in both drinkers of regular coffee and decaf coffee, indicating caffeine was not responsible for these effects.

However, caffeine offers plenty of other benefits. It’s an especially attractive substance for athletes. Research has found that moderate amounts of caffeine can help you delay exhaustion, burn more fat, reduce exercise-related pain and help better restore muscle glycogen levels.

RELATED: The Incredible Benefits Coffee Offers Athletes

“Caffeine, studied in its isolated form, has been found to be one of the most tried and true performance enhancing substances of all time. It can basically just help you get that extra push you need during an athletic performance,” Ryan Andrews, RD and nutrition coach at Precision Nutrition, told STACK. Two-hundred mg of caffeine—about what you’d find in a large coffee—has also been found to enhance “memory consolidation” (essentially the process of turning a short-term memory into a long-term memory).

What other health benefits can coffee offer? Regular coffee consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of depression. An analysis published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry found that for every cup of coffee participants drank per day, their risk of depression dropped by 8 percent. Researchers from the Harvard Chan School found that “increasing coffee consumption by more than a cup a day over a four-year period reduced type 2 diabetes risk by 11 percent.”

Many of the traditional fears regarding coffee consumption have since been debunked. It won’t stunt your growth. A morning cup of coffee is no longer considered dangerous for pregnant women. Coffee doesn’t dehydrate you—in fact, it seems to hydrate you nearly as well as plain water.

However, this doesn’t mean coffee is totally without risk.

There’s certainly a thing as too much coffee. A recent review published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology looked at 700 studies to determine what qualifies as “safe” caffeine consumption levels. Their findings indicated the following amounts of daily caffeine consumption to be safe as they’re not associated with “overt, adverse effects”:

• 400mg for healthy adults
• 300mg for pregnant women
• 2.5mg per kg for children and adolescents (so an 150-pound child/adolscent would have a limit of 170mg per day)

To put those numbers into context, an 8-ounce cup of black coffee contains 95mg of caffeine. When the researchers looked at consumption beyond these levels, they found links to things such as anxiety, hypertension and reproductive issues.

Does exceeding these limits instantly mean you’re endangering your health? No. “There’s a great deal of inter-individual variability in how people respond to caffeine. That’s one of the research gaps. We need to better identify differences and identify people who are more sensitive,” Esther Myers, an author on the review, told The Atlantic. So there are certainly individuals who can safely exceed those limits, but the limits are safe for the overwhelming majority of the population.

Coffee is healthy. Much of the old research that established coffee as dangerous was flawed and inaccurate. We now know that regular coffee consumption can significantly lower our risk of disease and increase our longevity. Regular coffee consumption can also improve our daily lives in a number of ways, from enhancing memory to fighting off fatigue. While it’s certainly possible to drink too much coffee, most people will find the recommended daily limits to be sensible. But remember—if you add significant amounts of sugar and fat to your coffee, you run the risk of turning this nutritious beverage into junk food.

READ MORE:

• Is LaCroix Actually Healthy?
• Is Halo Top Ice Cream Actually Healthy?
• Are Bai Drinks Actually Healthy?

1. Physical maturation
2. Mental interpretation of nutritional info
3. Social considerations

In a presentation by my colleague Heather Mangieri, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, at the recent Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Conference in Charlotte, she addressed these three factors to help dietitians provide nutritional advice to athletes that actually works:

Physical Maturation

Measurement of skeletal age is the most useful estimate of maturity status, but not always practical. From a research perspective, a better tool is to use this in conjunction with current body height and parental height to predict adult height. Secondary sex characteristics are useful to assess only the current Tanner stage of development, but not the age of onset of puberty or how long the stages will last

Approximately 50% of adult body weight is gained during the adolescent years, and the approximate age of skeletal onset is age 11 for females and age 13 for males. For females, a growth spurt normally occurs at Tanner stage 3 and it does not reach the same degree as males, who reach Tanner Stage 4.

From a body composition perspective, males and females have similar fat-free mass from ages 5-10, with similar amounts at age 5, but a difference of 6% by age 10. For pubertal females, there is an increase of both body fat and fat mass of 1.14 kg per year, and a slight reduction in lean mass, while body fat percentage can increase from 16%-27% and can reach fat-free mass by age 15-16 years of age.

For pubertal males, there is a reduction of body fat percentage by 1.15kg per year while lean mass continues to increase, and can reach young adult fat-free mass by age 19-20 years of age. In adults, it is estimated that males have 150% of the lean body mass of the average female and twice the number of muscle cells.

Another factor to consider when working with teen athletes is physiological growth and development. From a physical perspective, looking at changes in secondary sex characteristics, such as height, bone density, and additions and reduction of lean mass and fat mass, as well as body fat percentages.

Other changes happen under the influence of the increased secretion of Growth hormone and Gonadal Steroid Hormone, including Estradiol and Progesterone (female) and Testosterone (male), with both androgens and estrogen promoting the deposition of bone density. More than 90% of peak skeletal muscle is present by age 18 in adolescents, who have undergone normal pubertal development at the usual time. With the increase in muscle mass, comes an increase in strength.

There are some challenges that are specific to the teen athlete. There are challenges that can be controlled and those that are not under control. Those that are not controlled include male late maturation and genetics as well as short stature, difficulty gaining weight or being overweight, or female early maturation or late maturation. Those factors under control include fat gain mass in both males and females and performance issues due to poor diet (poor bone density and fatigue.)

The Teenage Athlete Brain

The brain of a teenager can be divided into three phases: early adolescence (ages 11-14), middle adolescence (ages 15-17), and later adolescence (ages 18-21). There are emotional, cognitive, and social issues that need to be considered. In early adolescence, there is a feeling of being judged, with concrete thinking (everything is black or white), and very impulsive, with a need to fit in.

In middle adolescence, there is more self-awareness, a move toward more abstract thinking, and more risk-taking as well as the need to be popular. In later adolescence: there is more empathy, even more abstract thinking, and more social and cultural traditions as well as less importance on what others think.

Social Considerations

Teen athletes are pulled in many directions. Their body and mind, as mentioned earlier, are developing at rapid rates, as well as home, school, and training obligations. Some athletes also have part-time jobs, which also limit the time they have to get things done during their very full days. Issues for some athletes include breakfast (or lack thereof), school/lunch schedules, homework, training/practice/competition, travel, social time, sleep (or lack thereof) as well as family obligations or monetary concerns.

All of these factors should be recognized and discussed with athletes and their families to find a solution that they can achieve together. Breakfast can be some dry cereal, nuts, and a hard-boiled egg, or some low-fat milk or juice, fresh fruit, or peanut butter toast. One of my favorite questions for my athletes is what would happen if there was no gas in their cars? They usually tell me, “It won’t run.” So I explain to them if there is no fuel in their body, they won’t run well either.

If athletes have an early or late lunch at school, they need to make accommodations as well. They should pack extra food for fuel, add an extra slice of bread to a sandwich, or bring or buy 2 lunches. For lack of time due to work or homework, build in mini-meals to help fuel their body. Examples include a yogurt parfait with berries, granola and low-fat yogurt, peanut butter crackers, or homemade trail mix that travels well, too. (The gas in the car analogy works well here, too). For travel, make sure to bring items to snack on that do not need refrigeration, such as dried fruit, nuts, dry cereal, whole grain tortilla chips, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

For lack of sleep (which happens a LOT with my teen athletes), work with athletes on time management skills to get more work done during the day, limit screen time (a huge time zapper) as well as trying to go to bed 15 minutes earlier to get more rest. Explain to athletes that their muscles and mind need time to rest, repair and rejuvenate as well.

For athletes that struggle with methods to eat healthy on a budget, offer suggestions to stretch their food dollar, such as eggs (an inexpensive and great protein source), frozen vegetables, shopping in bulk for items such as brown rice, dried beans, and whole grain pasta. Other suggestions are to limit the processed foods (soda, chips, cheese snacks, and candy) to purchase more nutrient-dense foods that will “allow the car to run better and longer”

Working with teen athletes can make a truly positive impact on their physical, psychological, and social development. Sports dietitians need to work with teens and their families to offer a supportive, non-judgmental environment with solutions to allow them to perform at their best on and off the field.

In January alone, United States shell egg production totaled 7.91 billion. That’s a lot of omelets. Eggs are one of the few foods that are both affordable and appetizing. But some people intentionally avoid eggs, citing their high fat and cholesterol content as deal-breakers. But are these people unnecessarily depriving themselves of healthy, wholesome food? Or are eggs just another popular yet unhealthy food that’s contributing to our nation’s obesity epidemic? STACK investigates.

The Incredible Edible Egg

Let’s start off by looking at all the nutritional positives eggs offer.

One large scrambled egg serves up six grams of protein. Protein is one of the most important nutrients for athletes. High-quality protein provides the amino acids that muscles need to repair and rebuild, allowing you to recover from exercise and get stronger over time. The body can also use protein as a source of energy. The protein found in eggs is especially useful because it contains all nine essential amino acids, which are critical for continued muscle building; and we must get all nine from dietary sources since our bodies cannot produce them. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that athletes consume 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. A 200-pound athlete weighs roughly 91 kilograms, so he should aim to consume between 110 and 182 grams of protein each day.

One large scrambled egg also contains just 91 calories. Those numbers are even lower for a boiled egg (78 calories) or a poached egg (71 calories). To put that in perspective, one Blueberry Cake Donut from Dunkin’ Donuts contains 340 calories.

Eggs are also high in a number of valuable vitamins and minerals. One large scrambled egg contains 11 percent of the recommended daily value (RDV) of vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption and is critical for bone growth and remodeling. It’s also been found to play an important role in athletic performance. Higher vitamin D levels have been linked to better sprinting capacity, muscle strength and VO2 max. Many athletes are unknowingly deficient in vitamin D, since eggs are one of the few common dietary sources. One large scrambled egg also contains five percent or more the RDV of the following:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B-12
• Vitamin B-6
• Vitamin B-5
• Selenium

RELATED: New Study Finds That Athletes Lacking This Elusive Vitamin Are Weaker, Slower and Less Explosive 

One large egg also contains 250 mg of choline per serving, specifically inside the yolk. Choline is a vitamin-like essential nutrient that helps keep metabolism normal and aids in the transport of lipids. According to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, choline deficiency can cause muscle damage and abnormal deposition of fat in the liver. The recommended adequate intake of choline is 425 mg a day for women and 550 mg a day for men. Eggs are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that are critical for eye health. Consuming adequate amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin greatly reduces the risk of age-related eye disorders.

It’s also important to consider what’s not in an egg—namely, sugar. The average American eats way too much sugar, consuming about 88 grams (equivalent to 22 teaspoons) per day. Diets high in added sugar have been linked to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, and even cancer. One large scrambled egg contains less than a gram of sugar, making it a smart low-sugar option.

The Red Flags

If you’re looking for a low-calorie, high-protein food, then eggs fit the bill.

But other aspects of their nutrition aren’t so black-and-white.

Eggs’ high cholesterol content is perhaps the chief concern. One large scrambled egg contains 169 mg of cholesterol—more than half the recommended average daily intake. Cholesterol is the circulating lipoproteins present in your blood. Cholesterol itself isn’t bad—your body naturally produces it at appropriate levels and circulates it through your blood so it can perform meaningful functions. But your liver actually produces more cholesterol when you eat a diet high in saturated and trans fats (these often come from animal sources like meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products).

Too much cholesterol can form plaque inside your artery walls, making it more difficult for your heart to circulate blood. This can lead to blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. Where it gets a bit confusing is that there’s “bad” cholesterol and “good” cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the bad one, as it contributes to plaque build-up. HDL cholesterol is a good one, as it helps remove LDL from the arteries and expel it from the body. When people talk about the dangers of general “high cholesterol,” what they actually mean is a state where LDL levels are high in proportion to HDL levels.

But just because a food is high in cholesterol doesn’t necessarily mean it will have a negative effect on a person’s cholesterol levels when consumed. Though eggs are high in cholesterol, research shows they actually raise your HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and help make LDL cholesterol more benign.

A meta-analysis published in The BMJ found that higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Chicken eggs are high in cholesterol, but the effect of egg consumption on blood cholesterol is minimal when compared with the effect of trans fats and saturated fats.” So all that talk about the cholesterol in eggs actually raising your cholesterol? Turns out that it’s largely a myth.

Another common concern with eggs is their fat content. One large scrambled egg contains 7 grams of fat. However, 2.7 grams of that is monounsaturated fat, and 1.5 grams of that is polyunsaturated fat. In moderation, monounsaturated fats help to reduce blood pressure and protect against heart disease. They can also help the body better absorb vitamins and more efficiently use protein. Polyunsaturated fats have been found to improve blood cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes. So yes, there is some fat in eggs—but a significant amount of it is of the healthy, unsaturated variety.

RELATED: 5 Non-Boring Ways to Eat Eggs

Many people who are worried about eggs’ high fat and cholesterol content intentionally avoid the yolks (often purchasing just egg whites) in an attempt to make a healthier choice. However, this may be counterproductive. While egg whites are extremely low in calories, the vast majority of valuable nutrients inside eggs are found in the yolk. The existing research also shows that eating eggs with yolks doesn’t increase your risk of obesity or heart disease—in fact, the opposite may be true.

For example, a study looked at the eating habits of overweight and obese subjects. Participants were randomly served one of two breakfasts every morning for a two-week period. Breakfast one was a breakfast of eggs. Breakfast two was a bagel-based breakfast that contained an equal amount of calories. Researchers found that the egg breakfast “induced greater satiety and significantly reduced short-term food intake.” A study found that consuming an egg-based breakfast led participants to subsequently eat roughly 270-470 calories less at lunch and dinner buffets that same day. If you’re worried eggs will either make you obese or give you heart disease (or both), take solace in the fact that the existing research draws no such connections.

The Verdict

Eggs are an awesome food, especially for athletes.

The two biggest knocks against eggs have always been that they’re high in cholesterol and high in fat. However, we now know that eating a food high in cholesterol doesn’t necessarily have a negative impact on your cholesterol levels—and such is the case with eggs. Additionally, much of the fat found in eggs is of the healthy variety.

Then consider the fact that eggs are packed with quality protein, low in calories, and virtually free of sugar. To top it all off, they’re usually dirt cheap—According to the American Egg Board, eggs are our nation’s “least expensive source of high-quality protein” at 17 cents per serving. Needlessly denying yourself such nutritious and affordable food is doing a disservice to yourself.

There are a couple of different types of eggs you’ll find on your way down the grocery aisle. Certain eggs are marketed as “Omega-3 Eggs.” The birds who lay these eggs are fed flaxseed, which increases the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the yolk. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects, lower the risk of heart disease and might lower the risk of cancer. You’ll also see organic, cage-free, and free-range eggs. There has been found to be little difference between the nutritional content of these eggs and conventional eggs, the difference being how the animal is treated. Learn more here.

READ MORE:

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Carb-loading is a nutritional strategy that’s been around for a while, especially in endurance sports. Carb-loading occurs when you eat a high-carbohydrate-based meal like a big plate of pasta the night before or a couple of days before a game or tournament.

The idea is that this increase in overall carbohydrates will increase the amount of fuel stored in your muscles. With that extra energy, you will then have more energy to pull from during the activity.

Sounds great, right?

The Problem with Carb-Loading

The only problem is that a lot of the research has shown benefits studied carb-loading effects of adults and professional endurance athletes — not children and teens.

As amazing as it sounds, children and teen’s metabolisms work slightly differently compared to adults. When it comes to drawing energy from food, children and teens (especially pre-puberty) are more efficient at pulling energy from both the fats and carbohydrates they eat.

Additionally, children and teens are less able to store as many carbohydrates (glycogen internally in your muscles and liver). They therefore have to be able to fuel their growth and energy levels through consistently eating food.

When it comes to powering your game throughout the long haul, it’s a bad idea to focus only on one type of food. Carbohydrates — like rice, quinoa, fruit, potatoes, and whole-grain bread and wraps — are an important fuel source, but they’re only one of the many foods an athlete needs. It also takes vitamins and minerals from veggies, proteins, and healthy fats to stay in peak playing shape.

Another potential downside of carb-loading is simply not being used to doing it. Days or hours prior to a big game is not an ideal time to overeat or eat any foods that are out of the ordinary for you. The last thing you want before a game is an upset stomach or digestive problems.

A Better Nutrition Strategy

A better strategy is to work on eating a balance of nutrients in every meal regardless if it’s a week, a day, or the morning of the game. The more you work on a balance of protein, carbs, veggies, and fat-dense foods in every meal, the more automatic your food choices will be.

Think about it like preparing for a test. You will probably get a better grade and perform better in the class if you consistently study the material presented in class every week compared to cramming for the test the day or night before.

An ideal plate for an athlete has these nutrients (3 meals per day):

1. High-quality carbohydrates and fats fill up the body’s energy tank. These are foods like cooked or baked potatoes, rice, beans, whole fruit, avocado and hummus spreads, and 100% whole grain or sprouted grain bread, wraps, or buns. Most athletes need about 2-3 cupped handful-sized portions of carbs and 1-2 thumb-sized portions of fat per meal, depending on their body size.
2. Protein-rich foods help prepare and repair the body’s muscle tissue for competition. These are foods like chicken, lean beef, ham, sliced sandwich meat, Greek yogurt, protein powder, fish, tempeh, and tofu. Most athletes need about 1-2 palm-sized portions per meal, depending on their body size.
3. Colorful veggies provide important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Most athletes need at least 1 fist-sized portion per meal.
4. Water to keep you hydrated. Use sports drinks and electrolyte replenishing drinks during games that tend to be longer in duration and or in hot, humid environments.

For more specific recommendations for what to eat before a game, check out this pre-game nutrition guide.

Consistently fueling yourself with the right balance of foods day in and day out will help you play better during the game and make you feel better every day — like during practices, workouts, and school. Instead of thinking about what to eat before the big match, you will eat the foods you’ve practiced eating. The foods that you know work well for you.

Nothing works better than doing the basics very well. With consistency, this will yield better results and make eating healthier a daily routine that enables you to perform on and off the court.

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The sooner you can provide your body with food, the better your body will repair itself. Suppose you fail to provide your body with the food it needs to recover. In that case, you may experience more soreness and joint achiness and low levels of energy that can severely blunt your body’s ability to repair itself after put under extreme stress.

Please think of the 3 R’s when it comes to proper recovery after a game or workout.

1. Rebuild

Repair your joints & muscles with lean protein sources — aim for 1-2 palm-sized portions or 25 to 50 grams.

• Greek yogurt (3/4 to 1+ cup)
• Lean, minimally processed sandwich meats like shaved chicken breast, turkey, ham, or roast beef (4-6+ oz)
• Lean meats like steak, chicken breast or thighs, pork chops, ground beef or turkey, etc. (4-6+ oz)
• Fish and seafood like salmon (canned or fresh), tilapia, tuna, shrimp, cod, etc. (4-6+ oz)
• Eggs (1 whole egg is 6g of protein)
• Protein powder like whey protein, plant-based protein, or collagen peptides (1-2 scoops)
• Plant-based sources like tempeh, tofu, lentils, or combinations of beans and rice

2. Refuel

Refuel your energy tank with quality carbohydrate sources that are quick-digesting and slow-digesting — aim for 1-3 handful sized portions. The longer and more intense the workout or sport, the more carbs you need. For example, suppose you played in a tournament with several matches. In that case, you will need more carbohydrates than if you did a 40-minute strength training session.

Digests Quick

• Whole fruit
• Smoothies made with whole fruit
• Rice cakes or white rice
• Dried fruit & fruit-based bars
• Applesauce
• Chocolate milk

Digests Slow

• Whole Grains like quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat
• Sprouted grain or whole-grain bread and wraps
• Baked potatoes, fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes
• Rolled or steel-cut oats
• Minimally processed granola
• Beans and lentils
• Raw or cooked vegetables

3. Rehydrate

During intense competition or workouts, athletes lose electrolytes, fluids, glucose (energy), and cortisol (stress) levels rise. To recover, it is important to consume fluids to quickly restore hydration levels & lower cortisol levels to promote repair.

Strive to drink 20-40 ounces of water after activity — 2.5 to 5 cups. The amount of fluids consumed after exercise is heavily based on duration. The longer and more intense the activity, the more water you need to drink.

If your activity lasts 1 hour or less and is in a cool environment, strive to drink at least 20 ounces — or 2.5 cups or more — within the first hour.

Suppose your activity is in a hot, humid environment and or lasts more than 2 hours. In that case, you may need an electrolyte beverage or sports drink. Strive to drink 20 ounces of a sports drink or water within the first hour following activity and 20 ounces of water within the second hour.

As always sip on water or an electrolyte beverage throughout rest breaks during intense activity. To simplify these recommendations, make sure you are always keeping up with your hydration levels by keeping a big water bottle with you throughout the day and in your sports/workout bag.

Types of Bai Drinks

A huge number of drinks fall under the Bai banner. In addition to the line of original “Bai Antioxidant Infusion” drinks, the company also produces a “Bubbles” line of products that include sparkling water, a “Black” line of products that mimic popular soda flavors, a “Cocofusions” line of products that feature coconut water concentrate, and a “Supertea” line of products that feature real brewed teas.

Though all of these products have similar nutritional profiles, we’ll largely focus on the original Bai Antioxidant Infusion drinks since they’re the most prevalent.

RELATED: Is LaCroix Actually Healthy?

Bai Drinks Ingredients and Nutrition

Bai Antioxidant Infusion drinks come in 16-ounce bottles. Though these bottles technically contain two servings of the drink, who in their right mind is drinking half a bottle of Bai and saving the rest for later? It’s just not realistic. So without further adieu, here are the nutrition facts for a 16-ounce bottle of Bai Brasilia Blueberry:

10 calories, 10mg of sodium, 12 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams sugar, 0 grams protein, 20% DV of Vitamin C

The drink is not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, vitamin A, calcium or iron. A 16-ounce serving also contains 100mg of “polyphenols and chlorogenic acid” from coffee fruit extract and white tea extract in addition to 35mg of caffeine. Other Bai Antioxidant Infusion varieties possess very similar nutrition facts.

Twenty percent of your daily vitamin C is a plus, as vitamin C is essential for the growth and repair of tissues throughout the body. It’s also an antioxidant, meaning it battles the internal damage caused by free radicals, which may play a role in heart disease, cancer, and conditions like arthritis.

What’s Coffee Fruit?

But what’s going on with that 100mg of polyphenols and chlorogenic acid from coffee fruit and white tea extracts? Much of Bai’s marketing centers around its use of coffee fruit (the company refers to it as “coffee fruit” in its marketing materials). Coffee fruit is the fruit or berry that surrounds the coffee bean. From Bai’s website: “The coffee fruit’s red pulp has free-radical fighting antioxidants.

Antioxidants help maintain your body’s natural protection against potentially damaging processes such as oxidation. In other words, antioxidants are like your body’s bodyguard. So as you can probably imagine, we love the coffee fruit. We are constantly innovating processes to convert this once-discarded coffee byproduct into an even better super ingredient. In fact, we think of it as our super-secret superfruit.”

BDNF Explained

Much of the research on coffee fruit has centered around its ability to stimulate levels of an important protein known as a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A 2013 study found that a single dose of whole coffee fruit concentrate “nearly doubles the amount of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the blood after 60 minutes with sustained effects for at least two hours after treatment.”

The same effect was not seen with freshly brewed coffee. It’s becoming increasingly clear that BDNF has an important impact on our overall health and wellness. BDNF is essential to brain health, and low levels of BDNF have been associated with outcomes like depression, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, anxiety, and impaired learning. BDNF levels naturally decline with age, but we can increase them with proper exercise and diet.

White Tea Extract

White tea extract has numerous health benefits. A 2009 study found that white tea had “anti-aging potential and high levels of anti-oxidants which could prevent cancer and heart disease.” White tea extract was also found to reduce the risk of inflammation. The 35mg of caffeine is also a plus, especially from an athletic performance standpoint. “Caffeine, studied in its isolated form, has been found to be one of the most tried and true performance-enhancing substances of all time. It can basically just help you get that extra push you need during an athletic performance,” says Ryan Andrews, RD and a coach at Precision Nutrition.

So the inclusion of these ingredients certainly has merit, and there seems to be little to no downside in consuming them in the amount present. Aside from that, the biggest strength of Bai Antioxidant Infusion drinks may be their low calorie and sugar count. The calories and sugar content are minuscule compared to most sodas or fruit drinks. In fact, you’d have to drink nearly 2.5 gallons of Bai Brasilia Blueberry to consume the same amount of sugar you’d find in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola.

How is Bai So Sweet Without Much Sugar?

So how is Bai able to achieve such a sweet flavor with so little sugar? The answer lies in their “Proprietary Sweetener Blend.” This blend—which is used to sweeten nearly every Bai product—contains just two ingredients: erythritol and stevia leaf extract. Every drink in the Bai Antioxidant Infusion line contains between 10-20 grams of erythritol per 16-ounce bottle. Erythritol is an all-natural sugar alcohol that looks and tastes like sugar yet contains just 0.24 calories per gram (sugar, on the other hand, contains 4 calories per gram).

The second sweetener is stevia leaf extract. Stevia is a plant native to Paraguay that’s long been used as a low-calorie sweetener. It contains no calories and is roughly 250 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. Due to this intense taste, stevia makes up less than 1 percent of Bai’s Proprietary Sweetener Blend.

The good news is both of these sweeteners have been well-researched and are generally considered safe.

Sugar Alcohols Explained

Sugar alcohols such as erythritol are a pretty strong alternative to real sugar. They won’t rot your teeth out, they’re lower in calories and carbs, they don’t cause dramatic shifts in blood sugar and the existing research shows few long-term health risks.

The one big potential side effect of erythritol consumption is gastrointestinal discomfort. The Mayo Clinic writes: “when eaten in large amounts, usually more than 50 grams, but sometimes as little as 10 grams, sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect, causing bloating, intestinal gas, and diarrhea.” If your stomach seems particularly sensitive to sugar alcohols, Bai may not be the beverage for you.

While large doses of stevia extract have been associated with reduced testosterone levels and periodic reductions in female fertility, the FDA considers highly-refined stevia preparations (such as stevia leaf extract) as “generally recognized as safe.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, a product is “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA when it’s “deemed by qualified professionals based on scientific data as being safe for their intended use, or they have such a lengthy history of common use in food that they’re considered generally safe and don’t require FDA approval before sale.” Stevia extract may cause mild side effects such as nausea or stomach discomfort in some people.

The Verdict

Overall, Bai Antioxidant Infusion drinks offer a massive upgrade over traditional soda and similar high-sugar beverages. The sweeteners they use in place of sugar are generally considered safe, but care should be taken not to overconsume them. Both white tea extract and coffee fruit extract have shown great promise in terms of health benefits and there appears to be little downside in consuming them. Bai Antioxidant Infusions shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for water or whole fruits and vegetables, but if you’re looking to ween yourself off high-caloric sweetened beverages, you could do a whole lot worse.

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