3 Reasons Why You Should Drink Coffee Instead of Energy Drinks

1. Sugar!

Energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull have approximately 27 grams of sugar per 8 fl oz. Guess how much sugar coffee has! NONE, unless you add some in of course. Even then, a packet of sugar in the US only has about 2-4 grams within it.

If you're more of a creamer person like some people I know (me, it's me), one tablespoon of creamer typically has about 5 grams of sugar in it. 5 tablespoons of that bad boy and you're still having less sugar than you would be if you had a Red Bull or Monster.

A healthier alternative to sugar or creamer in your coffee is some good old-fashioned milk! One tablespoon of skim milk has about 0.75 grams of sugar.

2. Research

Coffee has been researched extensively over the past century, and many benefits have been found. Energy drinks haven't been around nearly as long and have had very little research done as to what their long-term effect is.

3. Money

This reason is related more to the financial side of wellness but is nonetheless important. A 12-pack of 8.4 fl oz Red Bull energy drinks costs about $18.73, approximately $1.56 per can. If you have one a day for the next year, you will have spent about $569.40.

Now let's calculate how much it would take to make a cup of coffee every day for a year.

First, you'll need a coffee machine. Lets go with the Cuisinart Coffee Makers 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker for $50. Then, ground coffee. The Folgers Classic Roast Ground Coffee 48 oz package costs about $11.68. This package should get you about 35 cups (give or take) which means you'll have to spend $128.48 to buy coffee about 11 times a year. Additionally, 400 paper coffee filters will cost you about $23.36.

We'll also throw in six 32 oz bottles of creamer at $3 a piece because you just can't escape it no matter how hard you try. That's $18 for creamer.

All in all, making a cup of coffee every day for a year will cost you about $219.84 ($50 + $128.48 + $23.36 + $18), about $349.96 less than it would cost you to drink a Red Bull a day!