Froose

I made a decision that was going to effect the entire family a few months ago. There would be no more high fructose corn syrup in this house. None. Zero. Zilch.

Easier said than done.

High fructose corn syrup, recently linked to the development of type 1 diabetes (which is why I made my decision), is in just about everything. It’s inexpensive, and works as a sweetener in everything from juices to soda to bread. Yes bread, even the whole grain variety we had been eating in my house for years.

There are simply not very many good options when it comes to providing nutritious things for your children, especially when it comes to beverages. Now that has changed, and I couldn’t be more excited to tell you about it.

Froose is a new beverage for kids that is just about as fantastic as you can get. It comes in three flavors that my kids adore. They tried Cheerful Cherry and thought it tasted just like a "slushie." They tried "Perfect Pear" and from that point on, Lil C has been begging for a "green one." They also tried "Playful Peach" and thought that flavor was pretty fabulous too.

Because you can’t completely believe a 6-year old and a 2-year old without trying it yourself, I did. I have to agree with the girls. The cherry does taste like a slushie and the pear is just plain awesome. Personally, I wasn’t that fond of peach, but I’m not much of a peach fan to begin with. The girls liked it just fine.

So here’s the cool part about these little fabulous drinks. They are made with all natural whole food ingredients. They are naturally low in sugar because they are sweetened with organic brown rice syrup which happens to be a complex carbohydrate. For those lacking carb knowledge, this basically means that your kid isn’t going to get the sugar rush spazz out that often follows other sugary snacks and drinks. See for yourself:

There’s more good news too. Froose contains 3 grams of fiber, lots of vitamins and minerals, and it’s even supposed to aid in digestion. They’re also gluten-free and kosher certified.

The only difference that I could really tell, is that Froose is slightly thicker than your average juice box beverage. I’m assuming this is from the brown rice syrup used to sweeten it. It’s not super thick nor unpleasant, and it’s not noticeable to children. We only have a couple left in the refrigerator and we got them on Friday!

My only criticism of the product is that they come in a rather small size (4.23 ounces per box). Their website states that this is the appropriate serving size for kids and prevents waste. I can see that. I just have little slurpers here, so we’ll go through quite a few after a strenuous play date.

The only other issue is that Froose is not yet available in stores. To purchase, you must go to their website. A variety pack containing 12 boxes costs $9.00. A case of 40 juice boxes costs $30.00. If you order two or more cases, shipping is free. If you want to order a sample pack or only one case, you’ll pay just $4.95 for shipping. Not bad.

There is finally a healthy alternative to the juice box. For that reason, BBM gives Froose: