Don't Fall for Enviga

by Lisa P | More from this Blogger

30 Oct 2007 12:24 PM

Nestle (a division of Coca-Cola) has produced a new drink called Enviga and claims that this energy drink can help us burn calories.

Let's see how it works...

The caffeinated, carbonated drink comes in green tea, berry and peach flavors. It is sold in 12-ounce cans at a price of $1.29 to $1.49 per can. The claim is that it will help us to burn an extra 60-100 calories when we consume three cans a day. (That's a cost of up to $4.47 for 100 calories burned.)

Nestle isn't making these claims without having done at least a little homework though. In their clinical trial, subjects drank Enviga for three days. (This is a fairly short time period in the world of clinical trials.)

There were only 31 subjects in the study and all of them were of normal size and not overweight. (This doesn't add a great deal of credibility to their claims when those who will fall for such a calorie burning claim are likely to be overweight or obese.)

Now, I don't know about you, but I'd rather drink water, save the nearly five bucks a day and burn that 100 calories by putting my 41-pound son in his car seat. Yes, that burns 100 calories!

For those of you who are cutting back on carbonated beverages and would like a more budget friendly way to burn 100 calories a day, here are a few ideas:

1. Swim for 17 minutes

2. Walk briskly for 13 minutes

3. Climb stairs for 11 minutes

4. Push a grocery cart for 45 minutes

5. Drink three cups of brewed green tea (much cheaper to buy than the carbonated version)

6. Play Dance Dance Revolution for 24 minutes

7. Watch TV for 68 minutes

8. Sleep for 2 hours

9. Vacuum for half an hour

10. Go bowling for 34 minutes

Considering the fact that you'd spend about $30 a week buying enough Enviga to burn 100 calories a day, you may find that you have enough money to do some of the fun calorie burning activities listed above if you skip the beverage.

The way I see it, I can buy a gym membership (with daycare provided) for $50 a month so if I skip the Enviga and take some "Me Time" at the gym, I'll save $70 a month and burn a whole lot more calories. (Hey, I'll have enough money left over to get an hour and a half massage every month too!)

Learn more about Lisa P

Lisa used to be a freelance writer and Community Manager for Families.com, but she has finally made the jump to novelist.

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Mary Ann Romans (26993) 05 Nov 2007 04:32 PM

Thanks for the heads up and the list!

Lisa P (24013) 05 Nov 2007 06:59 PM

Anytime :-)