Guru is an energy drink that prides itself on being almost completely made of organic ingredients, which means that most of its contents are from natural sources like plants and herbs.
Some of the main organic ingredients in Guru are Organic Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Organic Echinacea Flower Extract, all of which are said to have a myriad of health benefits.
Even the 100mg of caffeine in it is naturally occurring.
Guru is an energy drink that is tailored for people who are health-conscious and looking to avoid harmful chemicals in their energy drinks.
Read on if you want to learn more about Guru and its constituents.
Guru: ‘Organic’ Ingredients
The ingredients used in Guru Energy drink are as follows:
- Sparkling water
- Organic cane syrup
- Organic white grape juice concentrate
- Citric acid
- Apple acid
- Natural flavors
- Organic green tea leaf extract
- Organic panax ginseng root extract
- Organic echinaea flower extract
As the company boasts, all of these ingredients are organic.
We’ll talk in detail about some of these contents a bit later on, so stick around with me till then.
Nutritional Information For Guru
The nutritional or supplement facts of an 8.4 fl. oz Guru energy drink are shown in the table below:
| Substance | Amount | % of the daily value* |
| Calories | 80 | 3.2 % for men and 4% for women |
| Fat | 0g | – |
| Protein | 0g | – |
| Carbohydrates (Of which sugar) | 21g | 7% |
| Sodium | 0g | – |
| Caffeine | 100mg | 25% |
*Of the amount recommended by the FDA.
It should be noted that Guru is not a significant source of vitamins like Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, et cetera, and shouldn’t be relied upon for fulfilling your daily requirement.
Guru’s Caffeine Contents
Every 8.4 fl.oz or 250ml can of Guru contains 100mg of naturally occurring caffeine.
This caffeine comes from guarana seed extract as well as green tea extract.
As far as caffeine is concerned, 100mg is a great amount for an energy drink and combined with the sugar in it, it’s going to give you quite the power-up.
But like all things, energy drinks must also be consumed in moderate amounts.
100mg of caffeine of 1/4th of the amount recommended by the FDA, and if consumed in excess, Guru energy drink can make you go over that limit.
So if you’re a person who drinks other caffeinated beverages along with energy drinks, it might be in your best interest to only drink one can of Guru per day.
Some Effects Of Caffeine Overdose
If you’re wondering what happens when you go over the 400mg limit of caffeine, here are a few examples:
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Diarrhea
- Insomia
- Dehydration
Another thing to keep in mind is that caffeine is inadvisable for children and pregnant women.
Calories in Guru
An 8.4 fl. oz can of Guru contains 80 calories.
A calorie is a unit of energy and is typically used to represent how much energy our bodies can get by consuming any type of food or beverage.
The daily limit for calories varies from person to person, depending upon their weight and age, but on average, the daily calorific limit for adult men is close to 2500 calories and for women, it is around 2000 calories.
Now, back to Guru. The good thing about this energy drink is, though it may not be completely free of calories, it still has only a small amount i.e. 80 calories and it is still pretty moderate compared to energy drinks like Monster.
The calories in Guru won’t have much impact on your diet, as they are a mere 3-4% of the daily limit. Calories can even serve to add to the drink’s energy boost because calories are energy themselves.
Even still, it definitely isn’t wise to drink more than one of these cans, as the caffeine and sugar content is still pretty high.
Sugar in Guru
With a whopping 21g of sugar per 250ml/8.4 fl.oz can, Guru’s sugar contents are on the higher end of the spectrum of energy drinks.
The amount of sugar that is deemed safe by the American Health Association to consume in a day is around 100 calories or 24 grams for adult women, and close to 150 calories or 36 grams of sugar for men.
If you drink a can of Guru in a day then you will have consumed almost all of the recommended amount of sugar in just an energy drink, and then you will have your normal diet on top of that.
Sugar can be a source of energy but the boost is sometimes accompanied by a crash which means that after you’ve metabolized the sugar’s energy, you can get hit by a wave of exhaustion.
Not only that, but an excess of sugar in your body can cause a bunch of health problems like:
- Teeth decay
- Increased risk of obesity, which in turn causes problems like:
- Higher vulnerability to heart diseases
- Type 2 diabetes
- Some forms of cancer
- Mental fogginess
- Decreased energy
- Craving for more sugar
- Sleeping problems
All in all, Guru is not for people who are vulnerable or sensitive to high amounts of sugar, especially people with diabetes.
Organic Panax Ginseng Root Extract: Explained
Another name for Panax Ginseng is Korean ginseng. It is an herb commonly found in Korea, China, and Siberia.
This herb is thought to be an adaptogen, which is a substance that increases the human body’s resistance against stressors.
It might have some health benefits as well, such as:
- Being an antioxidant
- May reduce the risk of certain types of cancer
- Could potentially increase cognitive function
- Might help with erectile dysfunction
- May strengthen the immune system
- Can increase energy levels and reduce fatigue
But there is a problem: We have no idea how much Panax ginseng is in Guru energy drinks, and if it even is a large enough amount to have any effect.
It might be that Guru only has trace amounts of this herb, or maybe it does have a significant amount of it. We can’t say anything for sure until the company reveals its quantity.
Green Tea Leaf Extract: Does it work?
Tea is the world’s second most drunk beverage after water. It has been around for several millennia and is the national drink of India, and China.
Green tea is immensely popular because of a reason: It has a multitude of health benefits such as:
- Being a great antioxidant
- Helps reduce blood pressure
- May reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases
- Could prevent cancer
- Helps with diarrhea
- Increases metabolism
- Might decrease the risk of stroke
But, the same as with Panax Ginseng, we don’t know how much green tea extract is in Guru, and so we can’t say for certain that drinking it will have any of the aforementioned benefits.
Organic Echinacea Flower Extract: Did I pronounce that right?
Echinacea (pronounced as eh·kuh·nay·shuh) is a part of the sunflower family and is found in the North American region.
Like ginseng and green tea, the Echinacea flower might have many health benefits:
- Is an antioxidant
- May improve the immune system
- Is used to cure infections
- May promote skin health
- Can be used to cure common cold
But the problem remains the same. It is unknown whether Guru has enough Echinacea flower extract to be able to give any of these health benefits.
Organic is better, isn’t it?
Organic seems to be a recurring theme when it comes to Guru Energy drink and is their main marketing point. But what does it really mean? Is it really better than non-organic ingredients?
Organic food or ingredients generally refer to things that have been grown using organic agricultural methods i.e. without the use of man-made chemicals and pesticides.
While many companies claim that organic or ‘natural’ products are better than synthetic or chemical ones, it might just seem to be a marketing strategy or some might think that there is some truth to it.
In reality, it depends. Just like any other thing in this world, organic energy drinks like Guru have both pros and cons, and we’ll discuss them below.
Pros:
The best thing about organic energy drinks like Guru is that they are free of artificial chemicals and preservatives. They also don’t have any chemical residue from pesticides and such.
Another good thing is that the colors and sugar used are also naturally found. Even the caffeine in them is extracted from natural sources. All of these things are free of potentially harmful chemicals.
Another possible bonus is that Guru and other organic energy drinks claim to have extracts from different medicinal herbs that have many health benefits.
Cons:
The thing is, just because the caffeine and sugar are naturally sourced and are free of chemicals, it doesn’t change the fact that they are still caffeine and sugar.
If consumed in too large amounts, even natural caffeine will cause problems and will affect your health. And Guru has 100mg of it, so you should be careful.
The same goes for sugar. Natural though it may be, Guru still has a very large amount of sugar in it. And it’s for a reason: the sugar is there to mask the bitter taste of naturally occurring caffeine.
Another problem is that some people may be sensitive to the herbs present in these energy drinks.
Also, it isn’t specified how much of the herbs extracts are in organic energy drinks, so it could be just a marketing strategy from the companies and the herbs extracts present are too little to make a difference.
Organic vs Inorganic: Which is better?
In the end, it comes down to the individual. Whether they want the chemical-free properties of the organic drinks or if they are willing to take the risk and go for the inorganic brands.
I would personally choose the organic options like Guru over the inorganic ones, but that’s just me.
Guru’s Other Products
Guru energy drink also comes in bigger sizes, 12 fl.oz of cans, which has 140mg caffeine and 120 calories.
There is also a lite version available which has only 10 calories for the same amount of caffeine.
Another Guru product is the Guru Organic Sparkling Energy Water, which is sparkling water with the same kick as a Guru energy drink but with zero calories and sugar
Guru’s Flavors
The Guru energy drink’s original version comes in three flavors:
- Original
- Matcha
- Lite (Sugar-free)
The Guru Energy Water also comes in three flavors:
- Grapefruit
- Pomegranate
- Lime
I personally feel like the flavor range of Guru can be pretty small for people who want a variety. Still, I think it’s neat that they have a total of 6 flavors to choose from.
Does being organic justify high-end pricing?
Guru comes in packs of 24 with each pack costing around 48USD. This translates to roughly 2$ per 8.4 fl.oz can.
For comparison, a can of Red Bull of the same size is around $1.99 and Monster Energy comes in at $1.89 for each 16 fl.oz can, and both of these are top-tier brands.
So asking for a price as high as this must mean that the company is supremely confident in its product.
In the end, the choice is in your hands. Are you willing to pay a premium price in exchange for a healthy energy boost?
I know what I would do: I’d go for the healthier option.
Guru Organic Energy Alternatives
Guru is certainly a great energy drink, but in case you’re looking for other options, here are some of my picks:
Conclusion
Guru Organic Energy is, without a doubt, one of the healthiest energy drinks out there.
Being completely free of any harmful chemicals, having a moderate amount of caffeine, on top of supposedly having extracts from some of the healthiest herbal ingredients, Guru is the gold standard for organic drinks.
The only real problem I see with this energy drink is the sugar in it. It may be dangerous to pop open more than one can of Guru a day.
But as long as you’re strict with yourself and don’t over-indulge, you can drink Guru every day, and rest assured that you’re drinking safely.