Activate Antioxidant Nutrient Enhanced Water Beverage (Blueberry Pomegranate) Review

I was sent the Activate Antioxidant Nutrient Enhanced Water Beverage (Blueberry Pomegranate) for review by the company. Activate Water Beverages have the vitamin blend stored in the top of the cap - vitamins lose potency over time when sitting in water (like on the shelves for months), they say, so this way, you don't release the until you're ready to drink the beverage. Twist the cap to the right to release the good stuff, shake the bottle, then twist off the cap (to the left) and drink your vitamin enhanced beverage.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 8 ounces
Calories: 5
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 15 mg, 1%
Carbohydrates: 1 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 0 grams
Protein: 0 grams

I like the idea behind the water, and I for one dislike taking pills every day, so I wouldn't mind getting my vitamins in this way. BUT the bottle of the Blueberry Pomegranate Antioxidant water says it's not a significant source of vitamin A, C, calcium & iron ... and there is no mention of the B vitamins on the label. What is mentioned is that an 8 ounce serving of the Blueberry Pomegranate Water (Beverage) provides only 5 calories, plus 48 grams of tea polyphenols, 35 mg tea catechins, 24 mg acai extract, 20 mg EGCG and 12 mg of aloe vera extract (139 mg total antioxidant power). Studies show that possible beneficial effects result from about 240-320 mg of polyphenols.

Sooo ... I'm not getting any vitamins from this - and honestly, the taste was very citric acid heavy - tart in a chemical way. No trace of blueberry or pomegranate flavor at all.

The ingredients in Activate Antioxidant Nutrient Enhanced Water Beverage (Blueberry Pomegranate) are, water, maltodextrin, citric acid, natural flavor, malic acid, steviarebaudiana leaf extract, fruit juice (color), green tea extract, acai berry extractive, white tea extract, aloe vera leaf extractive, coenzyme Q-10, Bilberry (Vaccinium mytillus) extract.

Thank goodness I received a bottle for free - otherwise, I would have felt like I had been conned out of $2.29 - which is the retail price for a 16 ounce bottle. I have to say that since the Activate Antioxidant Nutrient Enhanced Water Beverage (Blueberry Pomegranate) has no vitamins (at least none mentioned on the label), and the flavor is just meh - I would much rather drink 3 cups of tea (green tea and others) a day, to get my dose of antioxidants - also it would be cheaper.

{Website: Activate}

View the original article here

Honest CocoaNova Mint Cacao Beverage Review

I received a sample of Honest Tea's new line of drinks, Honest CocoaNova (Mint Cacao), for review. The description on the bottle reads, "Think you know cacao? Think again. We start with Cacao (Ka-Kow) beans, the main ingredient in chocolate, and brew them to make a light, satisfying drink that you can indulge in anytime - guilt free. With only 50 calories per bottle, you get a delicious pick-me-up with the antioxidants and theobromine naturally found in dark chocolate."

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 container (10 ounces)
Calories: 50
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 5 mg, 0%
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 13 grams
Protein: 0 grams

Well, I thought I knew cacao - but this did make me think again. There is certainly a strong mint-chocolatey aroma, but the taste was not what I expected. With a Mint Cacao beverage, I expect it to be creamy and milky, but this is was water-based, which made the drink taste like a watered-down distant cousin of mint-chocolate. I tried to like it, really I did - I even went so far as to add ice and try to make a slushy type drink, but the taste was the same. It wasn't horrible - just different - and not something I could get used to.

Each 10 ounce bottle of Honest CocoaNova Mint Cacao Beverage provides 50 calories and 13 grams of sugars. It's certified organic, dairy free and gluten free. The ingredients are, purified water, an infusion of (Organic Cocoa, Organic Roasted Chicory, Organic Peppermint and Organic Roasted Carob), Organic Cane Sugar, Natural Flavor, Organic Acacia Gum, Organic Natural Flavor. Also, it contains approximately 50mg of theobromine per bottle.

As I mentioned before, I received samples to review, but a 10 ounce bottle typically costs $1.99 - but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy this anytime soon. I appreciate that this is low calorie, but I'll probably stick to drinking lots of water, and then maybe indulge in a really tasty drink on occasion. Have you tried this yet? What did you think?

{Website: Honest Tea}

View the original article here

Izze Sparkling Grapefruit Juice Beverage Review

Izze Sparkling Juice is an all natural flavored juice beverage, made from pure fruit juice (from concentrate) and sparkling water. In fact, it contains 70% fruit juice according to the information on the bottle. Various flavors can usually be seen front and center at Starbucks, and so recently, I decided to try the Sparkling Grapefruit flavor instead of getting my usual coffee fix.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 bottle (12 ounces)
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 20 mg, 1%
Carbohydrates: 31 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugar: 29 grams
Protein: 0 grams

Clearly something that is 70% fruit juice is going to have quite a bit of sugar, and a 12 ounce bottle of Izze Sparkling Grapefruit provides 120 calories from 29 grams of sugars ... which is about on par with 70% of a 1 cup serving of Simply Grapefruit Juice for example.

The ingredients label reads, pure juice made from apple, white grape, orange and graprefruit juice concentrates, sparkling water, citric acid, natural flavor, gum arabic, red radish juice (color).

The taste was not as tart as I thought it would be, in fact I thought it was a little too sweet, and the flavor is more like a hodgepodge of white grape & apple with sparkling water added. But, as I drank more of it, the tartness started to come out more and more, as did the grapefruit flavor. Still, I much preferred Izze Sparkling Pomegranate over this Grapefruit flavor.

I paid $1.95 for a 12 ounce bottle of Izze Sparkling Grapefruit, and wasn't really moved to purchase that flavor again. I would rather have a plain old grapefruit - a fruit I LOVE - or a glass of Simply Grapefruit Juice.

{Website: Izze}

View the original article here