YERBA MATE: A HEALTHY ENERGY DRINK AND MUCH MORE
A brand new product is hitting our shelves called yerba mate energy drink. With it, we’re trying to bring a healthy alternative to the market full of sugary and processed energy drinks that make you anxious, jittery, have energy crashes, have problems with focusing, and everything else that comes with regular energy drinks.
So in this blog, we’ll tell you all yerba mate and give you our favorite reasons why we think the new energy drink will surprise you after the first sip. And you might just learn a thing or two in the process. We want to revolutionize the market, and giving our customers the chance to learn about it is the only correct way. Let’s do this.
WHAT IS YERBA MATE
Yerba mate is a unique plant species native to South America. The flowers are small and greenish-white with four petals.
We use its leaves to make tea known as mate. Both plant and beverage contain caffeine. The strength of the flavor, caffeine levels, and other nutrients can vary depending on whether it is a male or female plant. Female plants tend to be milder in flavor and lower in caffeine.
Mate is traditionally consumed in central and southern regions of South America, primarily in Paraguay, as well as in Argentina, Uruguay, southern and central-western Brazil, the Gran Chaco of Bolivia, and southern Chile. The drink itself dates back to the pre. Columbian era, when the local Guarani people in Paraguay discovered and started to cultivate the plan aggressively, dry the leaves and twigs and infuse them in hot water – mainly as a wellness beverage.
Yerba mate has a distinct flavor, best described as bitter and vegetal, which is not bad if you’re a coffee drinker like myself and are a fan of such flavors. Keep in mind that we manage to cover it entirely in our new drink with natural fruit flavors. So, unfortunately (or fortunately for some), you will not be able to experience it.
WHAT CAN WE FIND IN YERBA MATE?
Several essential ingredients in yerba mate ensured its reputation as a ‘’health food’’ and being rich in antioxidants is essential. You probably all heard about them at some point so let’s just say they’re highly appreciated in every can of drink we send out.
Secondly, and probably most important, are polyphenols. Polyphenols are a category of plant compounds that offers various health benefits. They are also thought to reduce inflammation, the root cause of many chronic illnesses. Though tea, dark chocolate, red wine, and berries are likely the best-known sources of polyphenols, many other foods also contain high amounts of these beneficial compounds. Okay, back to Yerba Mate. It contains a few polyphenols, most notable being quercetin and rutin. They both possess potent antioxidant properties and are a very welcome addition to any beverage.
Yerba mate also contains elements such as potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Our energy drink has added extra magnesium, a welcome bonus for everybody in sports.
Lastly, we need to stop at the xanthines. Caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline are the most important found in Yerba Mate. Caffeine content varies between 0.7% and 1.7% of dry weight (compared with 0.4–9.3% for tea leaves, 2.5–7.6% in guarana, and up to 3.2% for ground coffee), concentrated in the leaves; theobromine content varies from 0.3% to 0.9%; theophylline is typically present only in small quantities or sometimes wholly absent.
The amount of caffeine in a cup of Yerba Mate is similar to that in a cup of coffee (about 80 mg). Additionally, those who regularly consume yerba mate often rave that it enhances alertness like coffee — but without the jittery side effects. This may as well be thanks to its unique composition, but more research is needed.
WHAT CAN YERBA MATE DO FOR OUR HEALTH?
Before we go into these, we just want to state that these are in no way confirmed effects but are a subject of ongoing research and will need to be confirmed with a lot more data. Nonetheless, it shows much potential and is a subject of much interest and ongoing study.
Firstly, certain compounds in yerba mate show it may have some anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, and anti-fungal properties.. There were a few clinical trials where it showed a remarkable potential with deactivating E. Coli, a bacteria that causes food poisoning symptoms like stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Secondly, It may help you burn fat and lose weight. Surprisingly, yerba mate showed it might reduce appetite and boost metabolism, decreasing the total number of fat cells and reducing the amount of fat they hold. Furthermore, in a 12-week study of overweight people, those given 3 grams of yerba mate powder per day lost an average of 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg). They also reduced their waist-to-hip ratio by 2%, which indicates lost belly fat. It’s similar to green tea in its composition, so this one doesn’t come as such a surprise.
Lastly, it is said that it can improve mood, boost our immune system, and lower inflammation. As we said, more research is needed to prove this, but so far, the results are promising. It even shows potential for treating quite a few severe diseases and lowering cholesterol, but we’ll leave this for another day.
So many people drink tons of coffee daily, yet it is considered entirely normal. Energy drinks, however, have a bad reputation and usually for a good reason. But we’re here to change that. We promise you that our Yerba Mate energy drink is healthier and better than any cup of coffee out there. Proved or not, we feel Yerba Mate offers a much better alternative for an energy drink base when compared with commercially available beverages. Give it a try; you will not be disappointed.
Our sources and more info:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/yerba-mate/faq-20058343
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-benefits-of-yerba-mate
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-828/yerba-mate
- https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/828.html