Nutrition Nugget! Bite-sized bonus episodes offer tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about Perk Energy, specifically their Tan Mocha Latte, which has been making waves on social media (Shout out to Amanda S for submitting this one in the IG DMs). Jenn researched, and she's raising some interesting questions. The company promises energy, wellness, and "maximum awesomeness," but when Jenn breaks down the actual ingredients, the picture becomes more complex. Jenn weighs the pros and cons and reveals whether this product earns her recommendation—or if your money might be better spent elsewhere. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full-length episodes of new releases every Wednesday. Have an idea for a nutrition nugget? Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/

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KEYWORDS: Jenn Trepeck, Nutrition Nugget, Salad With A Side Of Fries, Health Tips, Wellness Tips, Perk Energy Review, Functional Coffee Alternatives, Protein Coffee Mix, Collagen Supplements, Energy Drink Powders, Caffeine Anhydrous, MCT Oil Benefits, Sugar Free Coffee Creamer, Nutritional Supplements Review, Coffee Replacement Drinks, Vitamin D Supplementation, Antioxidant Blends, Non-GMO Energy Drinks, Gluten Free Coffee Mix, Whey Protein Isolate, Bovine Collagen Peptides, Natural Sweeteners, Sucralose Concerns, Blood Sugar Management, Insulin Resistance, Coconut Oil Powder, Morning Energy Boost, Caffeine Free Options, Lactose Free Alternatives, Tan Mocha Latte, Healthy Coffee Drinks, Nutrition Facts Analysis, Ingredient Breakdown, Product Label Reading, Wellness Beverages, Matcha Alternatives, Adrenal Function Support, Immune System Support, Sugar Alcohol Effects, Saturated Fat Sources, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Third Party Testing, GMP Certified Products, Food Marketing Analysis, Supplement Quality Standards, Peanut Free Products, Is Perk Energy Mix Worth The Hype For Morning Coffee Replacement, Best Protein Coffee Powder With Collagen For Energy

[00:00:26] So Amanda s Thank you Amanda, for sending this one to me on Instagram. So Amanda said she in the dm, she sent a post about the tan mocha latte and said. I'd love to hear your opinion and deep dive about this product on your podcast. Thanks for all you share with your community. So first, Amanda, thank you for being part of this community.

[00:01:13] Do you know this company? I don't think so. So I hadn't heard of it either. Food and beverage company as always. So I started with their website and it's funny, so like the top of their website, they're currently promoting, like stocking stuffers. Cool. But they must assume that only people who know them are coming to their website because it was not easy to find out like what they're offering, what their gimmick is like.

[00:02:04] There's like even more to read. It says A hug in a mug. Some drinks warm you up. Perk warms your soul with cozy flavors and carefully selected ingredients. Every sip brings a little moment of comfort, whether you're starting your day or winding down, perk is here to wrap you up in delicious, sip self-care and like, so what does it do right?

[00:02:42] What makes you different? Whatever. I still have no answers and you clearly feel the same way. Okay, so then it says, why perk? Perk makes wellness delicious with an unbeatable variety of flavors, because feeling good should taste amazing. Each blend is crafted to help you power up, wind [00:03:00] down, and support your body with every sip.

[00:03:05] Dawn: Well, I was gonna like, perk to me is like, woo, like being awake. But they also like, obviously start your day, but then wind down like that feels a little counterintuitive.

[00:03:21] Is it mushrooms, is it, you know, I don't know. So I just keep going. It says Healthy should taste this good. Perks started with a simple idea, create a drink. So delicious and functional that people can't wait for their next sip. We're on a mission to create products that will help you with your everyday life and that you'll actually look forward to drinking.

[00:04:07] It's not easy to find. So I suppose on the one hand, maybe they're just assuming that you already know them if you're here. And then on the other hand, I'm like, I don't know. Are you hiding something? Why is this so difficult to find? Yeah. Anyway, let's get to the product. So they actually have lots of products.

[00:04:49] So. They have a lot of products, certainly more than we're gonna have time for, you know, in this nutrition nugget. So I had to use the search feature, 'cause like I said, I couldn't easily [00:05:00] find the tan mocha latte, so I searched tan mocha latte and now there's three versions. There's the regular one, the caffeine free one, and a lactose free one.

[00:05:33] Yeah, I wish that branding like the rest of the website did not convey that ethos like on the homepage, so to their marketing team. Just heads up. Okay. On the bottom of the canister, it says Elevate energy, tastes amazing, antioxidants and immune support. So now I'm curious, okay, so like what ingredients are you using to get to these claims?

[00:06:20] And again, I'm like, okay, I'm very curious where these ingredients are coming from. But then now we get to their marketing. So they write. Can your morning drink, do this energy boost? Perk energy is the warm, smooth boost that'll have you wondering how you ever lived without it? No gimmicks. Just seriously tasty way to add a little extra oomph to your day.

[00:07:03] Energy comes in, tons of delicious flavors that'll have your taste buds doing a happy dance, whether you're craving something cozy, refreshing, or just straight up tasty. There's a perk flavor ready to hit the spot no matter your mood. You're just one sip away from deliciousness. Okay, curious what they're using for their sweeteners and all those kinds of things.

[00:07:49] And then it says, enjoy. I'm curious if it would mix with cold water. I mean, maybe not. Like maybe you need the heat, you know, the warm water or whatever to mix it and then add ice. I don't know. I [00:08:00] digress. I suppose it's also worth saying, they say each batch of perk energy is made in GMP compliant facility, good manufacturing practices as GMP third party tested to ensure you're getting the best product possible, gluten-free, non GMO and peanut-free.

[00:08:43] Rivaling the best lattes from your favorite coffee shop. It's the coffee, not coffee drink. That will become your new go-to beverage. Okay. We just gotta go to the nutrition facts. I could see your face. You're like, what? Well, I'm looking at their website too.

[00:09:07] Okay. And it has like Energy Turbo do work, B-C-A-A-S plus Wellness and Chill. So I think those are like, it, they're different lines.

[00:09:18] Dawn: it kind of like the wellness is a broth. Oh

[00:09:26] Dawn: Right.

[00:09:28] Dawn: It's all over the place.

[00:09:31] Jenn Trepeck: I know it's a lot. I know I digress. Jed, I'm sorry. No, I'm with you because this is what was happening to me going through their website the other day. Okay. Serving size one scoop. 80 calories. We have two grams of fat with two grams of saturated fat, seven grams of total carbs, which comes from one gram of fiber, six grams of total sugars, of which it's one gram of added sugar, nine grams of protein.

[00:10:18] With only one gram of fiber. I, to me, this is not taking the place of anything nutritionally. You know, it's, as we've been saying, I think it's a functional drink. It's giving us a little bit of something. I like the amount of potassium, the vitamin D and the calcium amounts are pretty low. Like the vitamin D in here is.

[00:10:59] [00:11:00] Ingredients, non-fat, dry milk. Coconut oil powder, which is made of coconut oil, tapioca fiber, sodium caseinate. Then we have whey protein isolate, bovine collagen, hydrolysate peptides, cocoa powder that's processed with alkali natural flavors, Himalayan rock salt, xanthin gum, caffeine, and hydrus a hundred milligrams blueberry extract, grape seed extract, sucralose or sweetener, vitamin D three.

[00:11:59] The sucralose or [00:12:00] the natural flavors may be deal breakers. For some of you, the coconut oil may be a deal breaker for some of you, a bunch of people, you're gonna ask me about caffeine anhydrous. So I did a little digging on this. So it is a highly concentrated caffeine powder. So the US FDA says that a teaspoon of this caffeine powder is the equivalent of 28 cups of coffee.

[00:12:47] I think for the energy. They're a hundred percent relying on this caffeine powder. Maybe the MCs in the coconut oil. So coconut oil has MCTs. MCTs are medium chain [00:13:00] triglycerides. They're a top ingredient. You know, they're towards the top of the list, but then it's two grams of saturated fat. So maybe it's about a teaspoon of the coconut oil that's in there.

[00:13:33] You know, like I said, your primary boost of energy is coming from the a hundred milligrams of caffeine, not really anything else that's in there, even though it has like fat and protein. I still don't think like the nutrition here, I don't know, like I sort of, I'm on the fence of whether or not we could call this nutrition with our caffeine to start the day.

[00:14:18] I don't know. I'm kind of like, if you enjoy it, I go for it. I don't know that I would have more than one a day. Even that I don't having it every day. I just think about like the balance of your nutrition, where things are coming from. Like what role is this playing for you? I suppose if you couldn't have coffee but wanted a morning boost, this could work.

[00:15:00] Basically, the nutrition facts are the same. The ingredients are more or less the same. I just think it's worth pointing out like, so the vitamin D, they're saying it's 20 micrograms as a current guideline. It's typically recommended for optimal health to have like 125 micrograms or more per day. So that 20 is really not moving the needle here.

[00:15:41] Six grams of protein instead of nine in the other one. So of course, whatever you're going to choose, read the label of that one. Decide for yourself. Like I said, I think all in like, I think I'm okay with it. I don't love MCs. I don't think, I don't know. I [00:16:00] feel like we're getting plenty of the saturated fat, especially if you eat animal protein.

[00:16:23] You could certainly add your own collagen to it, and overall have fewer additives than choosing this drink. You know, like I said, I do like some of the ingredients that they're using. As far as like the functional pieces, I'm just not sure it's really enough to move the needle and make a difference. So I wouldn't drink this, that the expense of a multivitamin or other antioxidants or an additional D three.

[00:17:07] Dawn: Yeah, there's a lot. They do have a lot of flavors and the flavors sound yummy. So yeah, I would be like, I personally. Don't necessarily buy stuff like this. Like, I like my coffee black, and sometimes I'll put collagen powder in it, so I'm not, like, I don't normally, if I'm gonna have something in my coffee, I like for it to be like a, a latte from my favorite coffee shop.

[00:17:36] Dawn: mm-hmm.

[00:17:40] Dawn: like if my friend had it or like I was at an office and they had it, like I'd try it. Yeah, for sure.

[00:17:49] I found out it's owned by a company, so this is a post from Utah Valley Business, some kind of account. So Perk Energy is owned by Rena [00:18:00] Doman and her husband. The post says, when Reina Doman fell into a deep depression years ago, one sunshiny glimmer each morning was a hug and a mug that her husband would bring to her in bed.

[00:18:28] Sip in business is fun. Rena and her husband put family as their number one priority. I wish that info was on their website.

[00:18:43] Jenn Trepeck: flavor and confusing for me to like try to figure out what is happening.

[00:19:07] I'm at Jenn Trepeck J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. Website is a salad with the side of fries.com. Pick a platform, send a message because I love hearing from you. Dawn, thank you again for being here and joining me. Thank you, Jen. I hope I didn't yap too much. You were awesome. I loved it. You're definitely invited back.

[00:19:32] Jenn Trepeck: Awesome. Well, I'm so glad you were here. And of course, friends, if you are not already a member, I invite you to the Happy Healthy Hub. You'll go to a salad for the side of fries.com/membership. This shows your support for this podcast, this community, and most of all, it supports your health.

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