If you’ve got questions about the ingredients in Advocare Spark Energy Drink, you’re in the right place.
In our fast-paced 21st-century lives, we are constantly on the move. So much to do, so little time. Trying to balance work, school, emails, exercise and entertainment, and maintaining a healthy social life (and keep up with others on social media)… it’s exhausting.
No wonder we sometimes turn to Advocare Spark energy drink for a little energy boost.
Caffeine is an obvious choice for many people. Some people choose tea or coffee. Because you’re here, you’re probably like me and prefer energy drinks. Besides, while caffeine does boast a long list of benefits, coffee itself doesn’t carry any additional nutritional value.
Most energy drinks come packed full of vitamins and minerals for an even bigger boost to mental and physical performance. There are many energy drink options on the market, from canned and carbonated Red Bull and Monster to the powder and portable Advocare Spark, ZipFizz, Gfuel, and of course, our favourite – REIZE.
With so many types, tastes, brands and benefits of energy drinks, how do we know which is the best one?
Products, pricing, and personal reviews – all the information on the best energy drinks are right there for you.
I even did my own review of the Advocare Spark energy drink, which you might find interesting. Or to compare Spark to Zipfizz, which is another very popular powder, my Zipfizz review might be worth a look.
Let’s dig a little deeper into Advocare’s Spark – a low-calorie, low-carb product that promises to deliver a boost of energy and enhanced mental focus.
Review of Advocare Spark Energy Drink
Advocare Spark is a product of Advocare International L.P., an American company founded in 1993. The company sells nutritional supplements, weight management supplements, energy drinks, and sports nutrition dietary supplements using the direct selling business model.
Spark is one of approximately 90 Advocare products.
Advocare Spark describes itself as a unique blend of 20 vitamins, minerals and nutrients that work together to deliver a healthy boost in mental and physical energy. It’s a great option for the calorie-conscious consumer, containing only four grams of carbs.
It’s also completely sugar-free!
Advocare Spark comes in ten different flavours: Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Limeade, Fruit Punch, Grape, Mandarin Orange, Mango Strawberry, Pink Lemonade, Watermelon and Green Apple.
All colours (and flavours) of the rainbow!
It sells in pre-proportioned packages in powder form (try saying that five times fast) designed to be added to plain water. You can also buy Spark Energy drinks in canister sizes (42 servings) to get more boost for your bucks.
Although portable, powdered energy drinks do seem to pose a problem when it comes to the dissolving part. User reviews for Spark energy drink do mention a yellow/orange residue at the bottom of the glass. It might not seem like a big deal, but this can add up to significant servings lost over time! (Plus, it makes for extra work washing up – never fun)
Alternatively, REIZE, another energy drink option that comes in powdered form, has a trick up their sleeve – adding bicarbonate. The effervescent action of the powder helps the drink dissolve completely in cold water.
Ingredients in Spark Energy
From the 20-strong ingredients list, let’s take a look at the most important:
Caffeine
Each serving of Advocare Spark energy drink contains 120mg of caffeine.
Caffeine is a stimulant that boosts mental and physical energy. In fact, technically, it’s the world’s most popular drug. It’s said to improve memory, increase focus, boost metabolism, improve stamina, and relieve post-workout muscle pain.
No wonder it’s so popular!
However, over-consumption can also cause nervousness, and agitation, and disrupt a normal sleep cycle. Steer clear of Spark when it comes to bedtime, then.
If you want more control over your caffeine content and consumption, try REIZE as an alternative. It contains 50mg of caffeine per sachet so you can better customise your dose.
Too much of anything can be a bad thing, but too many energy drinks can lead to some unwelcome side effects. So always consume them in moderation.
Advocare Spark isn’t the strongest energy drink out there, but it does still have a significant amount of caffeine.
Taurine
Taurine occurs naturally in the human body, and research has found a long list of benefits associated with this “wonder molecule”.
It promotes cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, electrolyte balance, and even hearing function. ‘Sounds’ good to us! (Sorry) It fights fat storage, is great for glucose control, and strengthens cells. Quite the superstar then – good call, Spark!
Taurine is also found in dark meat, eggs, and most dairy products – which is why it’s important for vegetarians and vegans in particular to supplement their diet with the stuff.
If you’re keen to try energy drinks with taurine, check out this article.
B Complex Vitamins
The building blocks of a healthy body, boost brain and bodily functions.
From eyesight to energy levels, hormone production to digestion, B vitamins play a vital role in general health and well-being.
Spark energy drink contains riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acids, which convert carbohydrates and fats into energy. Again, a good addition by Advocare – but let’s look a little more closely at this one.
Advocare Spark contains 750% of the recommended daily dose of Vitamins B-6 and B-12.
Now, we’re all for “the extra mile” – but over 7x the daily dose seems a bit much to us. Also, B vitamins are water-soluble, which means that we absorb what we need, and, um, ‘expel’ the rest.
Talk about money down the drain…
L-tyrosine
L-tyrosine reduces stress, improves memory, and increases the capacity to exercise.
Sounds like the Spark energy drink has ticked the fuel and focus boxes with this ingredient.
Actually, not quite. The levels of L-tyrosine in Advocare Spark fall well short of the minimum requirements to have any effect on stress levels, unfortunately. However, it reduces caffeine jitters, so that’s something.
Choline
A new kid on the block in the world of recognised, required nutrients.
Choline was only acknowledged as an important ingredient in our diets in 1998. Turns out it’s pretty important too, impacting liver function, muscle movement, and healthy brain development.
We only produce small amounts naturally, so Spark energy drink supplements that for us.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
As far as we can tell, GABA is an ingredient unique to Advocare among other energy drinks. It’s an amino acid occurring in the brain as a neurotransmitter and plays a key role in cell communication (no, we don’t mean smartphones …).
Its primary role is to reduce neuron activity, which in turn has a lot of positive effects including increased relaxation, reduced stress, balanced mood and better sleep.
The calming effect might seem contradictory to the desired effects of an energy drink, but a reduction in anxiety can of course mean an improvement in mental focus.
Smart work by Spark!
GABA is also responsible for the regulation of muscle tone. Strong work by Spark!
Other ingredients include:
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Inositol
- Chromium
- Vitamin E
- Copper
- Citrus Flavonoids
- Vitamin A
- Beetroot Extract
- Sucralose
- Silicon Dioxide
- Natural Flavours
- Citric Acid
Advocare Spark Energy Drink Taste
With ten available flavours, from fruit punch to pink lemonade, it’s no wonder Spark gets top marks (from most users, but you can’t win ‘em all…).
The more flavours you make, the more likely one is to be someone’s favourite.
Advocare Spark Energy Drink Price
On the Spark website, a canister of Advocare Spark energy drink (42 servings) costs $57.95.
We’re not sure if that ships free or not because we didn’t make it that far through the buying process. It was THAT annoying.
Instead of being able to simply buy the product, as you would expect, there were multiple steps inviting you to connect with a distributor. The distributors looked a lot like normal people. Ah, the perils and pains of multi-level marketing schemes.
Amazon sells the same size tub for $60.80 including shipping. Total Ninjas sell the same tub for $91.99 – we sure hope THAT includes shipping.
Against the rest of the market, Spark comfortably beats the bigger boys on the market. It’s much cheaper than buying a can of Red Bull or Monster from a gas station. However, even at $1.30 a serving, it’s still more expensive than REIZE.
REIZE ships straight to your door for around $1 per drink – check out our tasty offers here.
Is Advocare Spark Energy Drink healthy?
There is no doubt that Advocare Spark gives you a boost of energy – the caffeine content alone will take care of that.
Plus, vitamins and nutrients, such as the Vitamin B complex, are vital to healthy bodies and minds. So far, so good.
However, the bottom line is that the Advocare Spark energy drink is full of artificial ingredients that aren’t part of a natural diet.
For example, Cyanocobalamin, a synthetic form of Vitamin B12, which nutritionists recommend should always come from a natural source such as poultry, fish or eggs.
And sure, it’s sugar-free, but it’s sweetened with sucralose, which some experts say is even worse than sugar.
Not Evaluated by FDA?
By the way, if you’re one of those people who read footnotes (and the world needs more of you!), check out the Advocare Spark energy drink product page on Advocare’s own website.
That leads to a disclaimer that states that none of their claims has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Hmm…
On the other hand, REIZE is made to pharmaceutical standards with the strictest quality control and premium-quality, globally-sourced ingredients that are specifically designed to boost your energy levels and fuel your gaming.
Oh, one more thing. Something smells fishy here… literally.
Apparently, the ‘intolerable’ levels of choline in Advocare Spark have caused some users to complain of an unfortunate side effect – an awful fishy body odour. Not ideal. Even if we’re by ourselves and deep into a single-player session, we don’t want that lingering around, do we?
Other users have complained about diarrhea and even more serious gastric pain after consuming Spark Energy.
Alternatives to Advocare Spark
Here are some other great products that might be worth investigating further if you are looking for products like Spark:
Ready-to-drink cans:
Powders:
- Zipfizz drinks
- Gfuel
- REIZE (10 out of 10)
There are also other alternative categories, such as Make it Mio or caffeine pills.
Final Word on Advocare Spark
There’s no doubt that the Advocare Spark energy drink is a good option for the calorie-conscious and caffeine-cravers. The combination of ingredients is likely to be more effective than caffeine alone for a boost of energy and focus, too.
However, even with ingredients like L-tyrosine to manage the effects of high caffeine doses, some consumers still report jitters, headaches, and even palpitations.
REIZE (10 out of 10)
REIZE is a great alternative to Advocare Spark. It’s delicious, cheaper, and easy to carry around!
REIZE energy drinks are specially formulated for Optimal Boost, to increase focus, stamina and performance without the jitters or the crash.
REIZE, with its unique formulation, gets you into the optimal zone, and keeps you there for longer before gently bringing you back to Earth – minus the need to take a shower to get rid of any fishy smell!
Try REIZE today and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s the smarter choice.