Healthy Energy Drink 'Bevolution' is Spreading Across the Continent

26/05/06 Guayaki is helping to solve the "energy crisis" in America one bottle at a time. The three new Yerba Mate bottled drinks from Guayaki have provided a jolt to the healthy beverage category by combining the robust natural stimulation of yerba mate with powerful nutrition in a refreshing 16-ounce bottled Ready-To-Drink beverage.

"The health food category is flooded with canned beverages," says Guayaki co-founder David Karr. "Finally, something nutritious and powerful is brewing." Guayaki's all-natural drinks provide healthy energy and are made with organic rainforest-grown yerba mate and 100 percent organic cane juice. The Guayaki Yerba Mate drinks are low in calories with just 100 calories per bottle, and they are free of artificial colors and flavors. See www.Guayaki.com .

"The bevolution is about liberating active, health conscious people from sugar, caffeine and synthetic concoctions that can actually deplete them of nutrients and cause a crash and burn," says Karr. "Our Yerba Mate beverages are the first truly healthy drinks that provide a boost of nutrients and sustained clean energy - yet they are low in sugar and calories."

Guayaki Yerba Mate Ready-To-Drink capitalizes on Americans' love for bottled grab-and-go iced tea - a drink style that is second only to water as the most popular beverage in the U.S. Guayaki is "thinking outside the energy drink can" by offering three varieties of Yerba Mate Drinks (EmpowerMint, Raspberry Revolution, and Traditional) (Suggested retail price is $1.99).

"Drink of the Gods"

Revered as a powerful rejuvenator for centuries, mate has been consumed for health, vitality and longevity in place of coffee in South America. There are only six commonly used natural beverage stimulants in the world: coffee, yerba mate, tea, kola, cacoa, and guarana. Yerba mate is the only one of these natural energy sources that is balanced by amazing nutrition and a healthy blend of compounds.

Each new Guayaki Yerba Mate Ready-To-Drink contains caffeine comparable to coffee and more than the leading energy drinks (140 mg caffeine per bottle). Each bottle has a natural content of theobromine - the euphoriant in chocolate - which is a smooth muscle relaxant. Yerba mate's unique natural make-up also includes theophylline, as well as pantothenic acid which prevents over- stimulation of the nervous system. This mix of natural stimulants and compounds is further balanced by mate's robust nutritional content and as a result, drinkers feel a sustained healthy energy and clarity of mind that only yerba mate can deliver.

Unlike energy drinks, Guayaki Yerba Mate does not just jolt the nervous system and then deplete the body - it feeds it with nutrients. This amazing bottled beverage contains 196 active compounds, including 24 vitamins and minerals and 15 amino acids. When shade grown in the natural rainforest like Guayaki Yerba Mate, it can have higher antioxidant levels than Green Tea and blueberries. It also contains a category of phytochemicals called saponins that have been found to stimulate the immune system.

A Metabolism Booster

Yerba mate is as also considered to help in slimming diets due to its thermogenic (fat burning) and lipolytic properties. Heat production is a normal part of metabolism, and yerba mate stimulates this process, thereby increasing the body's metabolic rate and the burning of stored fat. Before the fat can be burned, it needs to be broken down into smaller particles. The blend of natural stimulants in yerba mate has properties that help break down fat through a process called lipolysis. Since yerba mate is also known to aid overall digestion, it is often used as a supportive treatment in weight-loss programs.

Yerba mate assists with the breakdown of carbohydrates, increases cardiac efficiency, and reduces the build-up of endurance-robbing waste products such as lactic acid. Studies show that yerba mate increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the heart during stress or exercise, and improves circulation. It also is known to relieve allergies by stimulating the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids, which suppress inflammation and overactive immune responses to allergens.

Drinks Help the Rainforest & its People

Guayaki's new drinks are more than just healthy beverages - they are a global movement. Guayaki sources only premium quality, rainforest-preserve grown yerba mate that is certified organic, fair-trade and sustainable. Guayaki's Market-Driven Restoration business empowers customers to "vote with their dollar" to support restoration and conservation that is uplifting indigenous communities in the rainforest.