100Plus, one of best drinks in Malaysia or South East Asia

No, this is not some sponsored commercial post, I wish it was. No matter, I still want to document 100Plus as it really has had a positive impact on my travels in South East Asia. It’s also my penultimate post about food and drink in Malaysia, so I wanted a lighter subject to write about.

My first taste of 100Plus

Fizzy dissolved Aspirin sprang to mind when I first tasted 100Plus. Sweet, with a not all together dis-likable taste. It’s one of those isotonic “sports” drinks that I never usually drink due to the mass of colorants and flavorings they put in them. The clear, or white original 100Plus is not too bad in that regard.

It was however, about 30 minutes after drinking that first 100Plus on a hot humid day in Malaysia that I realized this drink had something special going on. I suddenly started to feel really good!

Isotonic drinks in high humidity

Humidity causes a person to lose a lot on water, minerals and energy through perspiration. More so if you are not used to these conditions. Traveling around cities, jungles or even simply getting from point A to B can drain you.

Plenty of  water, and a bottle of 100Plus seems to solve this problem for me nearly straight away.

What makes 100Plus a travelers best friend?

Cola’s and sodas are often the first thing a traveler reaches for, after water, when they are out and about. Rich in sugar they give you a quick rush and sometimes a jolt of caffeine.

None of which is particularly good for you.

While water is often touted as being the best solution, and it’s no doubt infinitely better for you, there’s also no doubting the thirst quenching power of certain commercial drinks.

100Plus is indeed filled with sugar, 6.8 grams per 100ml. But, its main impact comes from this: per 100ml – Sodium 48mg, Chlorine  39mg, Phosphate 18mg, Potassium 14mg, calcium 8mg. A bottle of 100Plus is 500ml.

So yes, after adding everything up, you are getting a fair intake of minerals that are excreted in hot humid conditions.

Other people’s thoughts on 100Plus

I’ve introduced 100Plus to several people I’ve met in South East Asia. Most people’s reaction was nothing special when they first drank a can or bottle. But, they all admitted about an hour later they felt a lot better. And, sure enough I’d see them with a bottle thereafter on their travels.

Several Malaysians have told me never to drink more than three a day. Two is my maximum on a hot day in between lots of pure water.

There is no question in my mind that 100Plus makes me feel 100% better when out and about in Asia’s heat and humidity. If humidity affects you when traveling in this region you might try it and see for yourself if it works.

Nothing is better for re-hydration than water. But sometimes, you just need that little extra kick, without the caffeine!

Zam Zam Cola (not another product endorsement!)

Product endorsement? Again, no, but it’s an interesting tale when something you’ve only seen in one country and nowhere else suddenly pops up out of nowhere!

Enroute to a Sabah’s State mosque in Borneo I came across a little shop inside the outer courtyard. There, sitting in a cooler, was a sight I’d not seen since traveling in Iran. Cans of Iran’s own Zam Zam cola.

A little overwhelmed by my excitement the young shopkeeper gave me a can without question.

Zam Zam Cola vs Coca Cola

Zam Zam cola brought back many great memories of my travels in Iran. A country that’s not got an overwhelming choice of good drinks as many western drinks are banned.

Zam Zam is a little sweeter than most colas, and for the most part not as good. But, when in Iran do as Persians do!

Exporting the 0ld way

Quite how, and why stocks of Zam Zam made it all the way from Iran to a mosque shop in Sabah is another story I think. Perhaps it was a trial shipment. Maybe the Iman at the mosque was a big fan of Zam Zam. I really don’t know.

What it did remind me of was the great trading routes of the past. How Malaysia and the surrounding islands of Indonesia and The Philippines became apart of a great Islamic trading route many centuries ago.

It seems the trading route is still alive in someway or another today!

From Zam Zam to 100Plus, drinks in Malaysia

I could have said my favourite Malaysian drinks were tea from the plantations in the Cameron highlands. Or sweet coconut juice from the markets. Or even some high-powered Malaysian coffee. But the truth is, my favorite Malaysian drink is 100Plus.

And much like the trading routes of Zam Zam cola, I wonder if 100Plus will soon find its way through the trading routes of today. Much like trading routes from the past, 100Plus has now made its way to Singapore, Indonesia and The Philippines.

Will it soon become wildly popular the world over? Who knows. All I know is that it does a great job at keeping me feeling good!

This is an additional post and one of a series highlighting Food Drinks in Malaysia