For health-conscious energy drink enthusiasts like me, the nutrition facts listed at the back of a can are something to take seriously.
What you need to know:
NOS is a very popular energy drink brand rich in B-Vitamins as shown on its Nutrition Facts label. It contains 210 calories, 410 mg of sodium, 54 grams of total carbohydrates, and 54 grams of sugar.
In this article, I will share with you the nutrients contained in NOS energy drink, as well as the effects – both good and bad – of little or too much consumption of this specific energy drink.
Curious? If you are, stick around and keep reading!
Page Contents
Is NOS energy drink healthy?
NOS energy drink is healthy. NOS Energy should not be drunk on a regular basis or in any excessive amount, therefore this is to be expected to make it healthy. Moderate consumption is the key to turning NOS Energy into a healthy drink.
What are the side effects of NOS energy drinks?
Some side effects of NOS Energy drink include diarrhea, delayed muscle recovery, nerve damage and increased risk of diabetes. In large enough quantities, the vitamin B-6 that is found in NOS Energy can be harmful and even toxic, causing nerve damage and other adverse effects.
How to understand Nutrition Facts?
Nutrition Facts can easily be understood once you have a basic idea of the recommended level of calories, sugar, and protein that you need per day. It’s also helpful to know the function or benefits of these nutrients to your body.
First off, look for the serving information found next to the huge nutrition facts label at the top. This tells you the serving size of your energy drink, which can either be in ounce or ml. (NOS is usually in 8 fl. oz per can.)
On this label, you can also find the servings per container. In NOS, you can see that it has a volume of 8 fl. oz and its serving size per container is 2.
Remember these details as they will be important later when we look at the values.
Tips on Reading Nutrition Facts
Before we go any further, I wanted to share with you some tips based on credible studies on how to read and understand the nutritional information behind your favorite drink or snack.
I know looking at the nutrition facts may feel a little overwhelming at first but it’s actually pretty simple. Here are some things you should remember.
- Added sugar is a disaster.
- Omega-3 Fats are crucial and most people don’t get enough.
- There is no perfect diet for everyone.
- Artificial trans fat is unhealthy.
- Refined carbohydrates are bad for you.
Are Nutrition Facts required by law?
All packaged foods and beverages carry a label of nutrition facts. This became a standard practice among manufacturers because it is required by law, specifically by the Food and Drug Administration.
According to the FDA, the aim of the label is to help consumers make healthy and informed decisions.
I actually find this label very helpful and informative. It’s also valuable especially for dieticians, nutritionists, and people under maintenance medications.
If you think about it, this label also encourages you to watch what you eat. Once you start looking at the nutrition label it easily becomes a habit. You will consciously look for food that is healthy and good for your body.
Breakdown of NOS Nutrition Facts
Without further ado, here are the information contained in the nutrition facts label of NOS. I neatly compiled the information into a simple table for an easier view.
| Amount per Serving | Per 8 fl.oz | Per 16 fl.oz |
| Calories | 100 grams | 210 grams |
| Total Fat | 0 grams | 0 grams |
| Sodium | 200 mg | 410 mg |
| Total Carb | 27 grams | 54 grams |
| Sugars | 27 grams | 54 grams |
| Protein | 0 grams | 0 grams |
| Vitamin B6 | 100 % DV | 100 % DV |
| Vitamin B 12 | 100 % DV | 100 % DV |
Calories in NOS Energy Drink
A can of 16 fl. oz NOS has a calorie content of 210 grams, which is fairly high amount of energy in one gulp.
It’s hard to recommend the number of calories you should be consuming in a day because it usually varies per age, sex, lifestyle, and metabolism.
By lifestyle, I mean how active you are as a person. What are your usual physical activities? Metabolism, on the one hand, means how fast you digest your food. For instance, most athletes have a faster metabolism than non-athletes.
All of these things should be taken into consideration. But, if you’re an average healthy person you can follow this suggested daily calorie intake according to health authorities:
| Sex | Calories per day |
| Men | 2,500 |
| Women | 2,000 |
At the end of the day, you know your body better than anyone, so use this information to your advantage. Plus, you know how active you are daily and how quickly your body digests food.
So, you can start small by looking up the calorie content of the food you usually eat every day and go from there to determine if you need to reduce or increase your calorie consumption.
You can also check this video for more information on NOS energy drink. This video discussed in-depth the calorie content of NOS energy drink.
Total Fat in NOS Energy Drink
There is no fat content in NOS Energy Drink. However, it’s important to remember that fat is not necessarily harmful to your body. In fact, fat is one of the four macronutrients needed by the body together with carbohydrates, proteins, and water.
Fat often has a bad connotation when it comes to dieting, but in reality, it has some important functions in the body.
Primarily, fat helps:
- insulate or protects your organs
- keep you warm
- store energy that you can use in case of a calorie deficiency
In most cases, what actually is harmful is the amount and kind of fat you consume.
According to health experts, you should limit your fat intake to about 44 grams to 77 grams of fat per day if you eat 2,000 calories a day. You should also be wary of saturated fat and trans fat because these are the kinds of fat that increase your “bad” cholesterol, which in turn, increases the risk of internal inflammation.
In my experience, there are very few energy drinks that contain fat but just to be sure, don’t forget to check the nutrition label before you buy them.
Sodium in NOS Energy Drink
NOS contains 410 mg of sodium in a regular can, which is still within the recommended daily intake of sodium.
Yes! Energy drinks can be a good source of sodium too. Sodium works to control the blood volume in the body. It is also needed for your muscles and nerves to function properly.
But, take note that consuming more than the recommended amount, which is 2,300 mg of sodium per day or about 1 teaspoon of salt, is already considered harmful to your health.
Try to aim for the right amount, because too little sodium may cause muscle spasms and tiredness, while too much of it will increase blood pressure.
This happens because sodium attracts water. So, consuming a lot of sodium will draw water into the bloodstream, which increases the volume of blood, resulting in elevated blood pressure levels.
Here’s a fun fact for you:
Our body excretes sodium during exercise through sweating. So, it’s actually a good measure to consume NOS or other energy drinks with ample sodium levels after working out to replace the sodium lost and keep your muscles from getting sore!
Now, onto carbohydrates!
Total Carbohydrates in NOS Energy Drink
The approved total carbohydrate intake per day is between 225 and 325 grams. Going back to the nutrition facts, the carbohydrates contained in a can of NOS is 54 grams.
To me, this amount is already acceptable as NOS is only one of the several drinks and meals I will be consuming throughout the day. NOS may not have a lot of carbohydrates, but it’s still important to keep an eye on the carbohydrate content of the other foods that you consume like bread, potatoes, pasta, cookies, and pastries.
From there, you could limit your consumption of other foods high in carbohydrates so you’ll be able to stay within the recommended range.
The key here is to figure out how to incorporate NOS energy drinks into your diet in a healthy way!
Added Sugar in NOS
For NOS, sugar is its primary source of carbohydrates. Because of this, it has the same value as carbohydrates which is 54 grams. Sadly, this exceeds the recommended amount of safe sugar intake per day.
NOS has a sugar level way above the AHA suggested amount, which are:
- Men – 36 grams or no more than 9 teaspoons per day.
- Women– 25 grams or no more than 6 teaspoons per day.
I believe this is the only downside to drinking NOS, especially for health-conscious individuals because other energy drinks have a sugar content half the amount contained in NOS.
I could go on to detail about the bad effects of sugar on the body but most of you already have a rough idea- for one, sugar increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart complications, and hypertension.
The high sugar content might be a deal breaker for some, but I think you can still drink NOS as long as you refrain from consuming any other food or drink with high sugar levels.
B-Vitamins in NOS
Depending on the flavor, NOS Energy Drink contains varieties of B Vitamins. NOS Original and GT Grape contains Vitamin B6 and B12. Meanwhile, Nitro Mango, Sonic Sour, Power Punch, and Turbo contains additional Vitamin B5 and Vitamin B3.
These are the B-Vitamins found in NOS:
| B-Vitamin | NOS Flavor | Benefits |
| B3 (Niacin) | All flavors except Original and GT Grape | helps maintain healthy skin, nerves, and digestion |
| B5 (Pantothenic Acid) | All flavors except Original and GT Grape | important for brain health nervous system function |
| B6 (Pyridoxine) | All flavors | aids in making new red blood cells helps keep the immune system strong |
| B12 (Cobalamine) | All flavors | needed by the body’s nerve and blood cells prevents pernicious anemia |
With this in mind, you should consider trying all the different flavors of NOS to catch all these amazing advantages of vitamin B! However, don’t just drink them all in one sitting!
Remember to regulate your NOS energy drink intake to avoid health complications associated with sugar and caffeine.
Ingredients of NOS
We are done covering the nutrition label in NOS, so let’s move on to inspecting its different ingredients.
I have enumerated below the short descriptions of the most relevant ingredients that I think you should know about.
- Carbonated Water
- High Fructose Corn Syrup– this is a type of artificial sweetener from corn syrup
- Citric Acid
- Sodium Citrate
- Sodium Hexametaphosphate (preservative)
- Natural Flavors– note that NOS uses both natural and artificial flavoring
- Gum Arabic
- Potassium Sorbate (preservative)
- Ester Gum
- Sucralose– this is another type of artificial sweetener but this has zero calories!
- Yellow 5
- Inositol
- Calcium Disodium EDTA (preservative)
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vit. B6)
- Yellow 6
- Guarana Extract
- Cyanocobalamin (Vit. B12)
How many NOS energy drinks can you drink in a day?
It is generally recommended to limit intake to one can per day to avoid potential health risks associated with excessive caffeine and stimulant consumption.
The caffeine content in NOS energy drinks varies depending on the specific product, but it is typically higher than that of a regular cup of coffee. It’s important to consider individual tolerance, overall health, and sensitivity to caffeine when determining the appropriate amount to consume.
Is NOS a pre workout drink?
Although NOS energy drinks are not specifically marketed as pre-workout drinks, they do contain ingredients commonly found in some pre-workout supplements, such as caffeine and stimulants.
These ingredients can provide a temporary energy boost and enhance focus, which could be useful for a workout.
A Final Word
Overall, I think the NOS energy drink provides a balanced combination of nutrients despite having an unusually high sugar level.
Despite this, it’s important to keep in mind that you should also be mindful of the nutrients of the other food you consume.
This way, you will know when and how to introduce energy drinks into your daily diet. You will also know when you need to cut back on the number of NOS cans you finish in a day.
By looking at the nutrition facts of energy drinks, we can stay mindful of what we put into our body without risking our health.
So, what are you waiting for? Enjoy your NOS energy drink today!