Get Your Greens...Through a Straw!

Some of us just really hate our greens!  You can taste them no matter how mushed down and pureed they are, and no matter what you mix them with they always are there!  Over the last few years, many drink corporations have tried to trick us into drinking our veggies.  Here is a break down of what is currently on the market! 

V8 introduced their V8 Fusion juices in an effort to help us all get our servings of fruit and veggies daily.  Personally, I can still pick out the flavor of the veggies in these juices, and find the consistency of the juice not to appealing.  A lot of kids (and adults) are not fooled by their trickery!

The V8 Flavors are:
Strawberry Banana contains the juice of 10 vegetables and fruits: sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, beets, white grapes, oranges, apples, strawberries, bananas, banana puree.
Tropical Orange contains the juice of 6 vegetables and fruits: sweet potatoes, carrots, yellow tomatoes, white grapes, oranges, pineapple.
Peach Mango contains the juice of 8 vegetables and fruits: sweet potatoes, yellow tomatoes, yellow carrots, carrots, white grapes, oranges, peaches, mango puree.
Pomegranate Blueberry contains the juice of 8 vegetables and fruits: sweet potatoes, purple carrots, tomatoes, carrots, apples, white grapes, pomegranates, blueberries.
Acai Mixed Berry contains the juice of 8 vegetables and fruits: sweet potatoes, purple carrots, carrots, apples, white grapes, açai, blueberries, limes.

Naked Juice is something I discovered at my local convenience store.  I was fighting a cold I just could not get on top of and found their Green Machine juice.  It promised a boost of vitamins, minerals, and all natural goodness.  They got me hook, line, and sinker...but I was beyond pleasantly surprised!  Many people would be put off by the color and the look of the texture of the juice.  My first sip was extremely apprehensive, but I ended up loving it!  The fruit juice is the texture of a smoothie!  They proudly boast how fresh their product is on their label, and proceed to tell you exactly how much fruit is in each bottle (i.e. 2 3/4 apples, 1/2 banana, 1/3 mango, 1/3 kiwi, and a hint of pineapple juice).  I was even more surprised when I read the ingredient list...brace yourselves!  Blue Green Algae, Garlic, Broccoli, Parsley, Wheat Grass, Ginger, Barley Grass, etc.  Yet, all I could taste was the fruit.  I just was not a fan of the protein varieties...very grainy and full of soy and whey...definitely an acquired taste!  All of the juices have no preservatives, added sugar, artificial flavors, or artificial colors. 

Here is a break down of the most easy to find flavors and their ingredients:
Green Machine: apple and pear juice blend, pineapple juice, mango puree, kiwifruit puree, banana puree with powdered spirulina, chlorella, brocolli, green tea extract, spinach, barley grass, wheat grass, blue green algae, echinacea purpurea extract, odorless garlic
Red Machine: apple and pear juice blend, red raspberry puree, banana puree, pear puree, grain flax seed, cranberry juice concentrate, natural strawberry flavor, natural cranberry flavor, dried dulse powder, red grape concentrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin B6
Blue Machine: apple and pear juice blend, banana puree, pineapple juice, blueberry puree, soluble dietary fiber, blackberry puree, coconut, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E (dl-Alpha Tocopheryl acetate), niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamine), folic acid

The rest of the flavors are:
Berry Blast, Mighty Mango, Power C Machine, Tropical Smoothie, Acai Machine, Berry Veggie Machine, Orange Carrot, Chai Spiced Cider, and O-J.

Similar to the Odawalla's Naked Juice Line are the Bolthouse Farms line.  They produce several lines of beverages.  I stick to the smoothie line, and find that it is just like the Naked Juice.  Bolthouse does add a little extra (preservatives, etc) to their juices, but they usually run a few dollars cheaper than the Naked Juices! 

The smoothie line flavors are:
Strawberry Banana, C-Boost (Orange Mango), Berry Boost, Blue Goodness, Amazing Mango, and Green Goodness.
The juice line flavors are:
Carrot, 50/50 Passion (Fruit and Veggie Blend), 50/50 Berry (Fruit and Veggie), Passion Orange Guava, Pomegranate, and Pear Merlot.
The protein line flavors are:
Chocolate, Mango, Vanilla Chai, Hazelnut Latte, Mocha Cappuccino, and Vanilla Latte.
The Bom Dia flavors are:
Açaí Original, Blueberry, Pomegranate, and Mangosteen.

Most of these juices can be found at your grocery store, Walmart, Target, or convenience stores!  You will need to look for the Bolthouse and Naked Juices in the refrigerated area (usually near the produce).  The fact that they have to be refrigerated and expire quickly, makes me remember that 1.) I need to go through them (aka force myself to drink them...which isn't hard to do at all lol), and 2.) they are really fresh juices!  I will sometimes even have these juices as breakfast if I am in a rush, or as a snack.  They are filling, and chock full-o-vitamins and minerals!