Hydrating Has Never Been So Functional

With the weather warming up and Erin drinking for two, we sure are drinking a lot these days. (And by “drinking,” I obviously mean non-alcoholic bevies.) Here are a few products we’ve recently slurped down whilst we were sick of plain water and wanted a little more added nutrition to our diets.

Function Drinks

Energy drinks and fortified waters are a dime a dozen these days, but occasionally one pops in our inbox (the product announcement, not the drink itself) that we just can’t resist trying. Probably didn’t hurt that Lauren Conrad, Madonna, Shakira, Fergie, and Drew Barrymore all chug the stuff. A physician created the beverages, which come in three varieties: Light Weight helps curb sugar cravings and boost your metabolism, Urban Detox supports healthy lungs and sinuses and aids liver cleansing (after a long night of drinking in non-pregnant women), and Alternative Energy provides energy over six to eight hours.

We tried ‘em, and these Function Drinks get two thumbs up taste-wise.  I was absolutely smitten with the Light Weight in Peach Mango, and it really did help cut cravings with only 10 calories in the whole bottle. (I recommend trying it during the afternoon workday energy slump.) The Alternative Energy in Citrus Yuzu really did keep your energy up, and Urban Detox in Prickly Pear tasted great and did help perk me up after a night of imbibing. The Detox and Energy have more calories than I’d like in a drink (100-120 calories in the whole bottle), but it sure is better than a Red Bull or greasy food…

YogaEarth

I absolutely love yoga and all that it does for me—from bettering my not-so-great flexibility to making me stronger to quieting the chatter in my mind. In fact, I get in a good yoga session at least once a week and do a few Sun Salutations or Down Dogs almost daily. So when we heard that YogaEarth created a system of pre/post practice nutrition with the support and input of hundreds of yoga teachers nationwide, I was intrigued. Now that I’m not training for the marathon, I have no outlet for my ritualistic nature, and—to be honest—I totally miss my running neurosis.  And in this system, it’s recommended that you fuel up before, during and after your yoga sessions. Hooray for organization and planning!

There are two nutritional powders in the system that you can easily dissolve in water, juice, soup or even oatmeal. Balance is for pre-practice, and Vitality is for post-practice. I liked the flavor of Balance much better than Vitality, although both were an acquired taste when mixed with just water (reminded me of Vega Sport) or in food. However they were both much more palatable with juice. I especially liked mixing the Balance in grapefruit juice. The “natural” taste is for good reason though: The powders have no artificial sweeteners or color. Balance has natural beet, ginger, and acai flavors, while Vitality includes organic green tea, kiwi, Irish moss and wheatgrass. I didn’t feel a big difference in my body from drinking them, but I definitely felt fueled (there are 50 calories in each packet) and it helped with hydration. I also imagine that it would come in mighty handy when doing this…

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

When Horizon Organic emailed me to see if we wanted to try its new low-fat chocolate milk, I’m pretty sure I said (actually I know I said because I have the email in front of me), “Chocolate milk? Sign us up!” Little did the company know that I’ve been addicted to chocolate milk to increase my calcium intake during my pregnancy, as I can only drink regular milk if it’s in cereal or accompanied by chocolate. And if it’s not in cereal or accompanied by chocolate, I must put chocolate syrup in it. SO…a low-fat chocolate milk? Like I said, sign me up!

First of all, how cute is that cow mascot? Very cute. And how yummy is the chocolate milk? Very yummy indeed. And everyone else must think so because I got the last Horizon chocolate milk in the store. I could tell it wasn’t my usual skim—it was a little thicker and fuller in its 1% glory. It was sweet, as chocolate milk should be, but didn’t taste too sweet to this chocolate-milk lover.  Calorie-wise it’s a little high at 170 for a cup, but it also packs added DHA Omega-3s, 8 grams of protein and 30 percent of your daily calcium. If you’d like a sweet treat, this is one you wouldn’t have to feel guilty about, especially because HO products are produced without antibiotics, pesticides, cloning or growth hormones. Moo-rrific!

—Jenn & Erin

Want to try some Horizon Organic milk yourself? Comment below for a chance to win! U.S. residents only, please!