Minute Maid vs Capri Sun

Many parents buy their children pouch drinks for school lunches, field trips, or sports games. But all of us know those aren’t the best option…we all know that drinking water is the best option. With that in mind, manufacturers have now begun producing “flavored water” drinks. Unfortunately, these really aren’t any healthier.

I looked at two different brands of flavored water pouches: Minute Maid Fruit Falls and Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters. Of the two (and I’m not saying either one is actually healthy), Minute Maid is better than Capri Sun.

Minute Maid Fruit Falls

The Minute Maid water beverage has 3% juice blend, although obviously it’s mostly water. It’s got 100% Vitamin C, 10% Calcium, while keeping the sodium levels down at 1%. It’s also only 5 calories! One pouch also only contains less than one gram of sugar. In case you are unable to read the picture above, here are the ingredients:

  • Pure filtered water
  • Grape and pear juices from concentrate
  • Less than ½% of raspberry, blueberry and strawberry juice from concentrate
  • Calcium citrate
  • Vitamin C
  • Natural flavors
  • Citric acid
  • Sucralose
  • Acesulfame potassium

It always makes me nervous when I see “Natural Flavors”…I mean, seriously, you’re supposed to be listing the ingredients here, and the term “Natural Flavors” doesn’t tell us a thing!

Sucralose is a sugar substitute, like Splenda. These aren’t good for our kids either; artificial sweeteners contain Aspartame.

Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters

Capri Sun’s water beverage is another story…first of all, one pouch has 30 calories. There are also 8 grams of sugar per pouch! No Vitamin C added to this drink, either…here are the ingredients:

  • Water
  • High fructose corn syrup
  • Citric acid
  • Sucralose
  • Natural flavor

Here we have the worst culprit of all, high fructose corn syrup. It’s one of the biggest contributors to heart disease and obesity! Then we have the sucralose again, and the phrase “Natural Flavors”.

Well, as you can see neither option is healthy at all…sticking with good old fashioned drinking water is your best option.

11 Comments

  1. Nicole on January 27, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    Any update to this with Capri Sun changeing to no hfcs, no artificial colors, etc?



  2. Kevin on February 3, 2016 at 10:44 pm

    I’d like to argue the artificial sweeteners are actually fine. Aspartame is not bad for anyone. It’s just there. No nutritional benefit, but no harm either



  3. Caring Mother on May 11, 2016 at 11:26 am

    Juice is bad for children, mine only drink unprocessed goat mold milk. The mold gives plenty of flavor and milk is all natural.



  4. Lucie chabot on August 1, 2016 at 10:27 am

    Hi,
    Do you sell capriSun roarin’s Waters in Canada?
    If yes, where can i find this breverage?

    Thank you,

    Lucie C.



  5. Osha on May 1, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    This is why i buy honest companies say they’re healthy and they’re just lying trying to trick people into giving them money for a horrible product



  6. Kevin on August 25, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    Artificial sweeteners like the ones in the product are really bad the contain Aspartame which gives Cancer and it has been proven, these “juices” which are not are really bad, they are “drinks”



  7. Jason on November 5, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    @caring mother – giving your child milk regardless of what animal products it is just as bad as any of these juice drinks. Milk is only natural to give to breast feeding babys. If are really worried about these drinks then just don’t buy them and make them at home. With real fruit infused water.



  8. Jordan on December 13, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    I think roaring water is the best!



  9. Shannon on July 29, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    If I consume anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup I get cramps and my chest and back hurt really bad! It makes my IBS and Chest Wall Pain worse.
    I just ate a blank label applesauce and seconds later I am in extreme pain!



  10. Laura Buckroyd on August 24, 2018 at 12:33 pm

    Try mio water enhancers no sugar. They r amazing.



  11. Candance Foster on September 13, 2018 at 6:24 am

    I have been drinking them all week and my head hurts and my mouth is swelling I am going to start making my own juice for my family the devil is a lie.



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