This is the time of year when we "resolve" to eat better, exercise more and stress less. Protica sent me a box of supplements to review for this time of year. Since I am not able to ingest most of this stuff, I did sample or taste a small bite and sent the others out to be sampled and reviewed.
Please note, I am very particular in the foods and supplements I purchase. I have given plenty of talks on reading food labels. In fact, you can join me on Mamavation TV on January 16 about "Misleading Labels." Food and supplements I will not endorse or purchase are ones with food dyes, fillers, artificial sweeteners and synthetic vitamins. Here are the products I sampled:
Fruitasia: This product was tasty and appreciate there is no "fillers or junk" in this particular product. It is made with pure deionized water and stevia. High in carbohydrates, you will definitely need to add some sort of protein to help balance your blood sugars.
Sunkist(R) Energy: I am not one to drink "energy" drinks, but did drink a couple of small sips to taste it for flavor. I did feel a small boost of energy and am sure that I would have felt more if I drank the entire bottle, however, the drawbacks for me was it has sucralose, yellow 6, and I prefer the vitamin B12 to be made from methylcobalamin which is readily absorped into the body verses cyanocobalamin, the synthetic form of Vitamin B12. If I had to choose another energy drink out there for a boost, I would consider this one to be the better option.
Pediagro: When you look at the content, overall it is not bad, it is not high in carbohydrates, high in fiber and a significant amount of protein. Once again, I am glad to see the use of stevia over sucralose which is used in other products, but the food dyes is a concern for me. My daughter said it tasted like juice (which she gets as a treat once in a while). It did give her a "tummy ache" which is alarming for me. Personally, I would rather blend up a smoothie made up of real fruits, flax oil and some rice protein powder to make a complete supplemental drink. I do realize parents are pressed for time and this may be an ok option once in a while.
Protein Gems: I did not like the taste of these "jell-o" like protein treats. It left a filmy taste after just one bite. One tester stated, "It left me feeling heavy with a stomach ache." The last three ingredients is a reason why I could not recommend them to families: sucralose, carrageenen and food dyes. If you are not convinced that food dyes can change a child's behavior, then read this article.
While I appreciate the box of samples I received, my concerns is not only the dyes, artifical sweeteners, it is the type of proteins being used. Three of my testers (out of ten) stated they experienced stomach discomforts after ingesting one of the products they tasted. Many of the others did like the Sunkist(R) shots as they did feel increased energy and liked the convenience of having a simple shot to take verses drinking their large coffees. The crash wasn't so harsh compared to another store bought energy drink.
I do not recommend most of these products to families and improving health and wellbeing and strongly encourage eating whole fruits and vegetables. Even if you have to puree them and sneak them into your meals, you are still ahead of the game.
For more info and discounts, you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook
Comments