Wait! How many calories?

Disclosure

Growing up in the countryside of eastern Iowa had many advantages.  Our neighbors were only a minute’s walk away (but there wasn’t a store for miles). It was an acreage as opposed to a farm so we didn’t have the duties of tending to crops and livestock.  Yet we had chickens and rabbits (as both pets and food sources) plus lots of grass to mow.  Hours worth of grass to mow.  All that grass and the accompanying trees were our haven during the day.  At night, we could watch the stars from our yard while listening to the sounds of wilderness. I appreciated all those things so much more after moving to the city.

What I didn’t like, however, was the water.  It was well water.  No, we didn’t have to go outside and hoist up buckets of water from a well. It simply meant that our water and that of our immediate neighbors came from a common well… underground… and not from a treatment plant. For the uninitiated, it’s not enjoyable.  It’s not tasty. For me, it certainly wasn’t refreshing. I don’t want anyone chiming in to tell me that water doesn’t have a taste. It’s WELL water. Have you ever had well water?  It HAS a taste and it’s not delightful. If you aren’t used to it, the smell can get to you. That’s a whole separate issue that I don’t even want to get started on. The water isn’t tainted or unhealthy, it just isn’t treated like city water is.

So as I grew up, I hated drinking water. Given a choice, I would pick anything else to drink. Know what happens when you develop a habit like that?  It sticks.  I cannot think of a time in my life when I actually enjoyed drinking water.  Even when I was on Weight Watchers prior to my wedding, the one category where I always fell short was water. Some things don’t change. Only in the past few years have I started asking for water at restaurants – mainly because I know I don’t drink enough of it and restaurant water usually tastes okay. I guess it is also partially because I’m trying to cut down on pop and iced tea and partially because I’m cheap and water is free.

Sure, I grab a glass here or a bottle on the way to the gym.  Do I WANT to drink water? Not really.  Only when it’s the flavored foofoo stuff.  Clearly Canadian was the first that I remember having back in the early 90s… it’s no longer available in my area but from checking out the nutritional data now, I see it has high fructose corn syrup in it anyhow. Might as well be drinking pop.

I’ve tried many recently that I’ve been very happy with though.  I was contacted by MomSelect (BSM Media) regarding reviewing Fruit2O. Yes, please.  Anything to make water more interesting.  I had actually tried Fruit2O a few years ago and enjoyed it but since I was drinking it in excess, it was becoming an expensive habit.  I’ll buy it on occasion but not too often. So I already knew I liked it.  What’s different this time is that they had me trying out Fruit2O Essentials.  If I quote the package, it has “5 nutrients equal to 2 servings of fruit.”  It doesn’t contain any juice or high fructose corn syrup.  It has 0 calories and 1g of fiber.  It is flavored which helps people like me get a better intake of something I usually have trouble with.

I’ve tried to get my daughters to develop better habits by encouraging them.  They often ask for water and now that the kitchen remodel is done, they are able to get water from the fridge whenever they want.  I’m certain they do a better job of getting their daily allowance of water than I do. Each night at bedtime, I sit with the girls and just talk. The conversations range from informative and helpful to just plain chit-chat. It’s a time for bonding and opening up a dialogue. Recently, one of them asked about calories and it spurred an interest in product label-reading.

I had to laugh because the girls (ages 7 and 5, I remind you) grabbed my Fruit2O Essentials bottle the next day and started reading the label. The next thing I hear is “Wait! How many calories?” Not only were they intrigued by the calorie count, but they also loved the taste. And drank my water! There are six flavors available and while I enjoyed some more than others, there weren’t any that I didn’t like. Even better, they were not heavy like an energy drink, pop or a fruit beverage so they’re perfect for summer or sports.Now, I have to tell you that normally I have a ton of pictures to choose from for my reviews. Before I knew it, our last bottle was in the recycle bin and I hadn’t gotten pictures of anyone drinking them. With six refreshing flavors to choose from – Blueberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Kiwi, Peach Mango, Citrus, Cranberry Raspberry and Cherry Acia – I just couldn’t help myself. So the only picture you get is the ONE shown. Sorry!

If you’re interested in trying out Fruit2O, stop by their website for coupons. In the meantime, leave a comment for a chance to win some! Here are the details:

The Prize: Fruit2O care package

Participants –
…must provide a US shipping address
…must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile.

Sometime on June 15, 2010, a winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments left. Winner has 72 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the next random selection.

How to enter: (CONTEST CLOSED)