Review: Nurture Fruity Water+ - A Healthier Children's Drink

There has been much publicity lately about the proposed sugar tax on kids' sugary drinks as a way of trying to halt the escalating levels of child obesity here in the UK.

You have probably heard chef Jamie Oliver talking about why this could make such a difference to our children's health.

My view?  It's really not as simple as that, however, anything we can do to reduce our kids' sugar intake is to be welcomed - by parents, doctors and dentists.

We are all guilty of turning a little too quickly sometimes to bottled fruit drinks and squashes and equally we know that it can be quite difficult to get children to consume plain old water - no matter how many themed cups, bottles and novelty straws you throw at the problem.

I was interested to read about a new children's drink which claims to be healthier because it contains lower naturally occuring sugars.

NURTURE Fruity Water+ which is targeted specifically at young children (from 1 year) also claims to support children's immunity through its added nutrients, being the "first functional drink of its kind".

These added nutrients are Vitamin B6, Folate (B9), B12, C, D and Zinc, as well as Calcium.  There is also 25mg of "Wellmune® Beta 1.3/1.6 Glucans 100% Natural Brewers Yeast".

The drinks are lactose and gluten free and are vegan friendly.

There are 2 flavours: Cherry & Strawberry and Orange & Pineapple and Nurture Fruity Water+ is made with 45% natural juice and 55% water.

Nurture Fruity Water+ contains no added sugar and less than 1 teaspoon of naturally occurring sugar per 100ml, making it exempt from the upcoming UK sugar tax relating to unhealthy sugary drinks.

It's also school approved, and comes in a mess-free pouch for on-the-go convenience.

Caitlin & Ieuan taking a break after running around our local woods

Nurture was developed by parents Lucie and Derek Sanders who, with three children of their own, wanted to find a way to reduce children's sugar consumption from an early age in order to halt the development of a sweet tooth and to encourage them to make healthier choices later on.

“Children’s immune systems are least developed and most at risk to germs and infection the younger their age”, says founder Derek Sanders.

“Nothing nurtures better than breast milk and all baby formula producers strive to replicate it. However, there is a gap in the market after children stop breast-feeding and formula, as there are currently no functional juice drinks with added nutrients available for children from 1 to 5 years. Nurture Fruity Water+ has been formulated to support children’s immunity and be part of a solution to help busy, on-the-go families stay healthy.”

We tried both flavours on a walk around our local woods and, whilst the quantity per pouch is a little small for older children (or at least children who have been running around a lot), both flavours are pleasant without having an obvious sugary taste.  I found Nurture Fruity Water+ to taste much more natural than some of its competitor products and there's no artificial after-taste.

I liked the mess-free spout which helps avoid those moments when no matter how many times you tell your kids not to squeeze the juice box because the drink will slop out, you can guarantee it will happen anyway. You have to squeeze the Nurture pouch with a bit more force than usual to get the drink to rise to the spout.

I think Nurture FruityWater+ is an interesting alternative to the usual juice and squash brands but it is not the cheapest option on the market.  For those parents who are concerned about developing their kids' immune systems and who are prepared to take a longer view in terms of developing good nutritional habits in their younger children, then the drinks are certainly worth a try.

NURTURE Fruity Water+ is available in 200ml pouches with a RRP of 99p to £1.49. Retailers include: Ocado, Whole Foods Market, and Holland & Barrett.

You can find more information at www.nurtureimmunity.com.

*PR samples were received for the purposes of this post