Summary: Zipfizz is loaded with vitamins and minerals and can be considered a healthy drink if consumed in moderation.
Zipfizz has long been the energy drink formula of choice for many Americans. It was born in 2003 and it went on to create an impressive range of energy drinks. More recently, Zipfizz has also entered into the sports and vitamin drink categories.
Furthermore, Zip Fizz has been a mainstay energy drink in so many American households for over a decade.
But are the Zipfizz ingredients really as healthy as they claim to be?
In short, Zipfizz is a healthier alternative to many sugar-filled energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull. However, you should be aware that vitamin B12 is off the charts with a staggering 41,667% of the RDI.
Keep reading to find out!
Zipfizz Ingredients
Zipfizz contains 100 mg of caffeine and no sugar. The drink uses sweeteners instead to add flavor. It also has various micronutrients like Vitamins B, C, and E, folate, antioxidants, and electrolytes.
All in all, the drink’s ingredients are health-focused and mainly naturally derived for a solid energy boost.
Zipfizz also contains the minerals calcium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, and sodium in each serving. The company also counts magnesium and potassium as electrolytes as part of the Zipfizz ingredients.
Each serving of Zipfizz contains some green tea extract, guarana, and grape seed extract. These ingredients are included under the heading “Botanical Antioxidant Blend 205mg”.
However, we know that 100mg of that blend is caffeine, meaning that the other ingredients are not present in significant quantities.
Most likely, the other ingredients are only included for marketing purposes – and in very small quantities.
If you are interested in a closer look at the Zipfizz ingredients, you might find this article interesting.
But for more detailed information, here’s what typically goes inside a tube of Zipfizz.
| Nutritional Facts | Amount Per Serving |
| Calories | 20 |
| Total Carbohydrates | 2g |
| Vitamin A | 2,150 IU |
| Vitamin C | 500mg |
| Vitamin E | 15 IU |
| Thiamine | 0.75mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.85mg |
| Niacinamide | 10mg |
| Pyridoxine | 1mg |
| Folate | 200mcg |
| Cobalamin | 2500mcg |
| Pantothenic Acid | 5mg |
| Calcium | 60mg |
| Magnesium | 100mg |
| Zinc | 7.5mg |
| Selenium | 35mcg |
| Copper | 0.25mg |
| Manganese | 1mg |
| Chromium | 60mcg |
| Sodium | 75mg |
| Potassium | 950mg |
| Botanical Antioxidant Blend: Caffeine, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Green Coffee Bean Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Grape Skin Extract | 205mg |
Antioxidant Boost
The Zipfizz packaging shouts out several eye-catching marketing messages, one of which is “antioxidant boost”. This claim is a result of the inclusion of green tea extract and grape seed extract.
Although, a single serving of Zipfizz doesn’t contain enough of these ingredients to get any benefits though, according to studies.
Sources state that you need at least 300mg of EGCG in order to reach a clinically effective dose. As mentioned in the previous section, the “Botanical Antioxidant Blend” is only 205mg in total, with 100mg being caffeine.
With this in mind, that leaves only 105mg for a variety of other ingredients, which include the ingredients that would give you an antioxidant boost if they were found in higher quantities.
Zipfizz’s antioxidant health claims aren’t based on strong science. Still, there are many resellers of Zipfizz online that tout this message, despite not being officially affiliated with Zipfizz.
The resellers use this health claim to sell to people who are looking to buy Zipfizz online.
Electrolytes
Zipfizz’s marketing material lists magnesium and potassium as the active electrolytes in their flagship energy drink product.
Similar to the antioxidant claims above, other ingredients are also too low to get a clinically effective dose.
However, at the levels present in Zipfizz, you won’t get any electrolyte benefits because they fall short of the clinically effective dose.
Zipfizz Caffeine content
Zipfizz powder contains 100mg of caffeine per serving.
This is derived from green tea extract and guarana. It is recommended to mix a single serving of powder with 16-20 fluid ounces of water.
This is one of the great things about all powdered energy drinks, including Zipfizz, Gfuel, Spark, and REIZE. You can mix the powder with more or less water to suit your taste preferences.
Zipfizz says that the caffeine comes from guarana and green tea extract, but they don’t list Guarana as an ingredient. This is surprising.
It’s worth keeping in mind that caffeine is caffeine, regardless of the source.
Caffeine from any source will impact your body in exactly the same way as caffeine derived from another source. To suggest otherwise is just a marketing spin.
Always remember to consume energy drinks in moderation to avoid any potential side effects.
Are Zipfizz ingredients healthy?
Zipfizz proudly boasts about being sugar-free, but the formulation is sweetened with Xylitol and Sucralose.
A pretty cool party trick perhaps, but hardly a boost to your health.
Sucralose is made from sugar and is more commonly known as Splenda. It is approximately 600 times sweeter than regular sugar.
With only 20 calories, Zipfizz is right to mention that it won’t add much to your waistline.
Zipfizz makes a big deal about containing 41,667% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin B12.
Is that really a good thing though?
Some studies have linked a vitamin B12 overdose to a range of health issues, including heart failure.
All B vitamins are water-soluble, which means that your body gets rid of any surplus to requirements. To put it differently, any B vitamins that you consume above the daily requirements pass straight through your body.
Yes, that means that you pee them out. The other 41,567% are literally going straight into the toilet bowl and making your urine bright yellow and orange.
If you’re interested in learning more about the healthiest energy drinks you should really check out my other article where I cover absolutely everything you need to know in an easy-to-follow guide.
Water Soluble Vitamins
B vitamins are water-soluble according to the broad scientific community. There aren’t any health benefits to consuming more than you need, but there aren’t likely to be any dangers either.
However, some studies suggest that too much Vitamin B12 may cause a range of nasty health issues. These include acne, rashes, skin discoloration, high blood pressure, and bright yellow urine. Again with the fluorescent urine party trick.
Similar to the completely unnecessary amount of Vitamin B12, Zipfizz also contains 833% of the daily Vitamin C requirement.
Is bigger really always better? Must we always have more than we need? Sure, perhaps if we’re talking about muscle cars or sporting performances.
But, why include so many vitamins if we are just going to pee them out?
Again, most of the scientific community accepts that Vitamin C is also water-soluble. But there have been several studies that show that too much Vitamin C can be bad.
Is Zipfizz All Natural?
Until the year 2014, Zipfizz claimed that their ingredients were “all-natural”.
They no longer make these “all-natural” claims.
Perhaps that was a result of articles like this one.
Zipfizz Price
While Zipfizz isn’t crazy expensive, there are cheaper options available.
In defense of Zipfizz, they are considerably cheaper than ready-to-drink Red Bull, Monster, or Rockstar.
Zipfizz strikes a decent balance on the spectrum of most expensive to most affordable in terms of value. If you’re interested to learn more about value for money, check out our great value energy drinks.
Or, if you’re just looking to buy Zipfizz online, you can find it on several different sites, so shop around.
Or to learn more about how to find the best deals on Zipfizz, you might find my other article useful.
Zipfizz Taste
Indeed, with Zipfizz, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find something that suits your taste in their range.
This particularly funny Zipfizz review claims that Zipfizz is the “second nastiest energy drink on the planet, next to kale, peanut butter, raw egg, bee pollen, and apple cider vinegar smoothy my body-builder nephew drinks.”
That actually doesn’t sound too bad. If Zipfizz is better than that then sign us up!
Obviously, this Zipfizz taste review isn’t fair or accurate. But it is pretty funny. In the interest of balance, we did find this positive Zipfizz review and this one too.
Does Zipfizz actually work?
In the interest of presenting a fair cross-section of opinions, we did find several good Zipfizz reviews. Some people said they felt a great energy boost and they swear that the product delivers on its promises.
In fact, Marshawn Lynch aka “Beast Mode” says it does. But, if you scroll down the page you’ll find some people who disagree with him.
However, here’s my Zipfizz review.
While I did get a gentle energy boost for a couple of hours with no crash, I didn’t like how thirsty I was for the rest of the day.
The energy boost was nice, but after a couple of hours the energy was gone and I couldn’t drink enough water to quench my thirst for the rest of the day.
If you would like to compare Zipfizz to Spark, I made this Advocare Spark review.
Zip Fizz – Overall Thoughts
Zipfizz is a market leader in the powdered energy drink mix category for a reason. The product is pretty darn good.
Sure, some people don’t like it and others report that it doesn’t give them much energy. Some people cite other negative reactions to the product, but they seem to be the minority.
You can’t keep everyone happy.
Despite the naysayers, negative reviews, and clever marketing material circulated by the company, we are still fans.
It’s safe to assume that the majority of Zipfizz users enjoy the taste of at least one product in their range. Others like the way the product makes them feel, and think it’s reasonably priced.
Misleading Marketing?
However, it is worth remembering a couple of things that are simply marketing spin.
Firstly, there is no good reason to have so much Vitamin B12 or Vitamin C in the list of Zipfizz ingredients. We just pee them out. The fact that it contains a trillion times as many of these vitamins as we need doesn’t help us.
So, it would be great to see them stop using it as a reason to buy their product.
Next, it does contain synthetic and unnatural ingredients. Zipfizz has wisely ditched the “all-natural” claims of yesteryear, but they still openly promote how healthy it is compared to other energy drinks. This seems like a stretch of the truth or a straight-up lie depending on how you interpret things.
Price Comparison
The price is middle of the range. It’s certainly not the most expensive option on the market, but there are better value options available.
This matters for those who are interested in getting the most bang for their energy-drinking buck.
Other Alternatives to Zipfizz
If you’re looking for some other great products that will also give you an energy boost, you might want to check out some of these brands and flavors:
Powders:
- Advocare Spark
- G Fuel
- REIZE energy drink (my all-time favorite energy drink)
Ready-to-drink cans:
And then there are also other alternative products, such as Vivarin caffeine pills or Mio water enhancers.
REIZE (10 out of 10)
We may be biased, but if you’re looking for a great powdered energy drink, REIZE is shipped right to your door for around half the price of Zipfizz.
It also contains around half the calories and only a fraction of the Vitamin B12 compared to ZipFizz. Plus, higher caffeine dosage!
Sorry if you were hoping for bright yellow pee.
It’s a heck of a party trick but doesn’t improve your health or well-being.