Guru Energy is the flagbearer for organic energy drinks, being the first energy drink in history to have a natural, organic, and plant-based blend.
Guru comes in two varieties: The Guru Organic Energy drink and the Energy Water.
But does organic equates to vegan in this case?
Since vegan diets have been increasing in popularity in recent times, some people may be wondering whether Guru is vegan or not.
Here’s the answer:
Guru Energy drink is certified vegan.
You can go now that you’ve gotten your answer, but that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?
In this article, I’ll be examining the main ingredients in Guru to see if they are as vegan as they claim to be. I’ll also answer some of the most asked questions about this energy drink.
So read this article to the end if you want to learn more about Guru and why it’s so popular among people who value organic diets.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Contents
Why does being vegan matter?
In case anyone is thinking to themselves, ”What even is vegan and why does it matter?”. Well, turns out it does matter. To a lot of people.
A vegan diet is one that abstains from any and all kinds of animal-based foods and protein, including dairy items and eggs.
Instead, vegan people eat more plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts.
A vegan diet differs from a vegetarian one in the sense that vegetarian people may sometimes eat eggs or use dairy products, but vegans don’t.
Therefore, such people would surely not tolerate even a trace of animal protein in their energy drinks.
That’s where I come in, you see. My job here is to convince my vegan friends that Guru is indeed vegan.
And if you’re wondering what the benefits of a vegan diet are, here’s a Ted Talk video for you:
Now onto the ingredients…
Organic Ingredients In Guru Energy
Here is a list of Guru Energy’s primary ingredients along with their health benefits:
| Ingredients | Benefits |
| Organic green tea leaf extract | Helps with weight loss, blood sugar control, etc. |
| Organic echinacea flower extract | Improves immunity and skin health etc. |
| Organic Panax ginseng root extract | Is an antioxidant, benefits brain function, etc. |
| Organic white grape juice concentrate | Keeps skin problems at bay, reduces the risk of heart diseases, etc. |
| Organic cane syrup | It has a natural supply of sucralose that helps with the drink’s overall energy boost. |
| Citric Acid | Can kill bacteria and prevent infections, as well as some other effects |
| Apple Acid | Helps with digestion and is great for weight loss |
| Natural flavors | Are much safer than their artificial counterparts |
| Sparkling water | Carbonated water for mouth-feel. |
A look at the list of ingredients shows that there’s not a single non-vegan ingredient in Guru, therefore Guru is vegan-friendly.
There’s a catch here though. Guru claims that it contains all of these incredible ingredients but they aren’t willing to disclose their amounts.
This may lead us to the inference that there’s a chance that Guru may not have any significant quantities of these ingredients in it.
But that isn’t much of an issue here, because Guru’s main purpose is to be a completely natural alternative to the inorganic energy drinks out there.
Guru Energy Nutritional Facts
Guru comes in two sizes: a 250 ml or 8.4 fl.oz can, and a 355ml or 12 fl.oz can.
The table below contains the nutritional facts of an 8.4 fl.oz can:
| Nutrients | Amount | Recommended daily intake |
| Calories | 80 kcal | 2000 kcal |
| Fat | 0g | 44-77mg |
| Protein | 0g | 46-56mg |
| Carbohydrates (Of which sugar) | 18g | 225-325mg For sugar: 24 -36mg |
| Sodium | 0g | 2300mg |
| Caffeine | 100mg | 400mg |
As we can see from the list of ingredients and the nutritional table, Guru has no animal-based or non-vegan ingredients in it, and vegans should be able to drink it without any concerns.
Another thing that is evident from the aforementioned list and table is that Guru doesn’t have any vitamins or minerals in it, so you shouldn’t use it as an alternative to multivitamins.
How much caffeine is in Guru?
An 8.4 fl.oz can of Guru has 100mg of caffeine while the bigger, 12 fl.oz version has 142mg of caffeine.
This is a very nice amount of caffeine to have, in my opinion. 100mg is the same quantity as a cup of strong coffee, which makes it a pretty good option for coffee lovers.
What this means is that if you drink three to four cups of coffee a day, you can swap one cup for a can of Guru and it won’t make much of a difference.
Except for one thing: The boost gained from coffee can’t be compared to that from an energy drink like Guru.
The caffeine in Guru comes from plant-based organic sources like the green tea leaf extract and the guarana seed extract. This shows that the caffeine in it is indeed vegan.
But here’s the thing: You can’t ingest more than 400 milligrams of caffeine in a day, because the FDA has deemed it the safe limit for daily caffeine intake.
Any more than 400mg, and you may experience some side effects of caffeine, some of which are:
- Insomnia
- Restlessness
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea
So please be smart and restrain yourself from drinking more than one can of Guru if you drink other caffeinated beverages as well.
How many calories are in Guru?
An 8.4 fl.oz can of Guru Organic Energy has 80 calories.
80 calories don’t may seem like they are inconsequential but keep in mind that an energy drink is something that most individuals consume separately from their usual diet.
Some people probably don’t even give a thought to the calories they’re consuming, and frequently end up going past the limit.
Add a couple of 80 calorie energy drinks on top of that and, well, you better be ready to face some problems. What I mean to say is that you have to be careful with the number of calories you’re intaking. It’s okay to overeat once in a while, but doing it too frequently will cause you to gain weight.
If you’re a heavy eater, I’d recommend you to try out the zero-calorie Guru Energy Water.
But people who generally don’t eat a lot can drink a can of normal Guru a day and be fine. Just don’t do more than one ok?
Does Guru have any sugar in it?
Yes, it does. An 8.4 fl. oz can of Guru has 18g of ‘natural sugar’ in it.
This sugar comes from the organic cane syrup used in Guru Energy.
Though it claims to be healthier than its competitors, Guru’s sugar content is quite high, especially for a healthy and clean energy drink.
The safe limit for sugar intake set by the AHA is 9 teaspoons or 36 grams for men, and 6 teaspoons or 24 grams for women.
So if you’re drinking even a single can of Guru a day, you’re already quite close to the limit of sugar intake. You will need to balance this out by avoiding eating too many sugary things and more than one can is just a no-go area.
Not drinking more than one can a day has been a recurring theme in this article right?
But the thing is, though Guru is an amazingly potent energy booster, it also has relatively high sugar and calorie contents.
It’s because of this that you must only drink a can of Guru a day, to avoid turning the positive into the negative.
Does Guru do what it claims to do?
Guru without a doubt delivers on what it promises.
Guru’s creator formed this company because he wanted to give a healthier, cleaner, and natural energy drink to the people. And I think that they have indeed lived up to their purpose. Guru Energy doesn’t contain any harmful additives, preservatives, or any kind of chemicals.
Instead of using synthetic ingredients created in labs, what Guru does is that it use natural and plant-based ingredients. Not only that but it also infuses a variety of herbal extracts into its drinks, which only serve to make it even healthier.
Therefore, Guru Energy can claim that it is the cleanest energy drink on the market.
Is there a vegan energy drink?
Most energy drinks are OK for vegans to consume. It’s stated clearly on the Rockstar Energy Drink website that their product is cruelty-free and suitable for vegans. Rockstar Energy Drink uses taurine that is produced in a lab rather than natural sources. Therefore, Rockstar Energy Drink is suitable with vegetarians.
Vegans now have a lot of choices on the market, and not only because more synthetic solutions no longer include the animal by-products that used to make them unsuitable. Many of these options are natural and completely plant-based.
Is Guru better than Monster?
If you compare Monster with Guru, you can see that Monster has a lot more sugar than Guru does, despite the fact that Monster has more drink. Having said that, when we purchase a can of soda, we always drink it all. In this case, consuming Monster Energy Drink would lead to an increase in sugar intake.
Monster Energy drink, in addition, is far bigger than Guru. Two Guru caffeinated drinks have 200mg of caffeine, but one can of Monster energy drink has 179mg of caffeine, a difference of just 21mg.
Is Guru organic healthy?
When compared to popular energy drinks, GURU is a far better option since it does not include any artificial components, only natural ones like caffeine and taurine. You can trust that the GURU products you consume include only pure, safe, and effective components that will provide you with sustained healthy energy.
Looking for a rapid energy boost without the use of artificial sweeteners and preservatives? Guru is a great option. Unfortunately, this beverage includes a fair amount of sugar, and drinking it often might be harmful to your health.”
Is Guru healthier than Red Bull?
I believe it is. Guru Organic Energy, with its organic and plant-based ingredients, claims to be one of the, if not the cleanest energy drinks out there.
But is that really the case?
One of the frequently asked questions on google regarding Guru is if it is healthier than Red Bull.
To try and answer that question I will compare Guru with Red Bull, the kingpin of energy drinks, to see which one is healthier.
For this, we’ll look at the sugar, caffeine, and calories in each drink:
| Red Bull | Guru | |
| Sugar | 26mg | 18mg |
| Caffeine | 80mg | 100mg |
| Calories | 117 kcal | 80 kcal |
According to the table above, I would say Guru is the healthier drink, though not by a huge margin.
The reason I chose Guru over Red Bull was the sugar content of the latter. 26mg in just 8.4 fl.oz is too high. It is actually higher than the recommended sugar intake for women.
Another reason why Guru may be a cleaner option than Red Bull is that it doesn’t have any artificial or potentially harmful ingredients, while Red Bull uses chemicals like Taurine, Sucrose as well as artificial flavors.
What Red Bull does beat Guru in is that it has many important vitamins and minerals in its formula. Drinking a single can is enough to fulfill some vitamins’ daily requirements.
So, in the end, it comes down to what you’re willing to give up on.
You can drink Red Bull if you want an energy boost with added vitamins and minerals, at the cost of high sugar and calories as well as synthetic ingredients.
Choose Guru if you’re looking for an all-natural and vegan energy drink, though you will have to get your vitamins from somewhere else.
Is Guru healthier than Monster?
Another very prominent energy brand is Monster Energy. In fact, it is the 2nd biggest brand of energy drinks after Red Bull. I still think Guru is healthier, though.
So I thought I should do a comparison with Monster as well.
The rules are the same, we’re going to look at the caffeine, sugar, and calories in each drink to see which one is healthier.
| Monster Energy* | Guru Energy | |
| Caffeine | Approx. 86mg | 100mg |
| Sugar | 27 grams | 18 grams |
| Calories | 101 kcal | 80 kcal |
Monster comes in a 16 fl.oz can, so I have divided the values in half for an 8-ounce serving
There’s that high sugar content again. Monster Energy and Red Bull are very similar when it comes to caffeine-sugar-calorie content, so this round will have to go to Guru as well.
Though like with Red Bull, there’s not that much of a difference between Guru and Monster. Guru just has less sugar and that’s why I prefer it.
Another to that is noteworthy here, is that the sugar and caffeine in Guru come from natural sources which makes them slightly healthier than their artificial counterparts.
Monster does have essential vitamins and minerals in it, which Guru doesn’t. Therefore you may prefer it to Guru if you’re looking for a vitamin-rich drink.
Both Monster and Guru come in sugar and calorie-free versions, but Monster Zero Ultra uses artificial sweeteners to make up for the sugar while Guru Energy Water uses certain fruits like the Monk fruit and Stevia leaves.
One last thing, some flavors of Monster aren’t certified vegan. So Guru is an auto-win for vegan people.
Guru Energy Flavors
Guru Organic Energy’s original blend has three flavors:
- Original
- Lite (Sugar-free version)
- Matcha
The Guru Organic Energy Water also has three fruity flavors:
- Lime
- Grapefruit
- Pomegranate
I bet you’re wondering what it tastes like. I’ll explain that below.
What does Guru taste like?
I would say it tastes pretty darn good.
Personally, Guru’s taste was delicious, and that it didn’t have any bad aftertaste, which is probably because of the caffeine in it being natural.
Though some say that the Lite version of the drink tastes pretty bad, the reviews for the Original are mostly on the good side.
More Vegan Energy Drinks (Alternatives)
Some alternative vegan energy drinks are:
If you’re ever looking for other energy drinks, these suggestions can help you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Guru is a certified vegan energy drink that delivers on everything that it promises to do.
Those things are no harmful chemicals or additives, all-natural ingredients, and a sizeable energy boost that’ll get you through most of your day – without a crash.
Even the issues with it are only ever relevant if you overconsume it. As long as you’re keeping to a single can a day, you will not experience any side effects and no crashes as well.
So guys, do the smart thing and opt for the healthier, cleaner, and vegan energy drink that is Guru.