I’m sure that many of you who’ve parented toddlers can comisserate with me when I say that it can be difficult to ensure a healthy dose of fruit in their diet each day.  Sometimes they are finnicky eaters, sometimes their appetites just aren’t robust enough to get in all of the fruit ‘roughage’ to achieve high levels of nutrition.

A few months ago our two year old became quite ill and her body was dramatically depleted of vitamin C.  Her breath smelled bad, her gums started to bleed – and she wouldn’t chew up her Vitamin C pills.  Thankfully, there are more palatable ways of getting vitamin C into a child that don’t involve chewing hard pills in sore mouths.

Sunkist has developed a new line of rich, delicious smoothies and juices that is filled with nutrition – Sunkist Naturals.  These flash pasteurized and cold filled juices are now available in the refrigerated juice section next to fresh fruits and vegetables at premium retailers in the U.S.  You can find the list here – I’m keeping an eye open on our local grocery store shelves here in Canada, but have yet to spot them.  The bottles I received to test were bi-lingual with English and French, so I’m hoping they arrive here soon!  It does seem that the nutritional information on the U.S. bottles (the provided photos) is slightly different than the Canadian version, but the concept, gourmet ingredients and delightful taste is the same.

I’m excited – this is like Booster Juice at the grocery store, but pre-filled and ready to go.  The ingredients are premium – berry and fruit purees, sweet juices (no sugar added!), imported mangos, vegetable extracts, bioflavonoids, chlorella, green tea and more take juice to the next level.  My family loved them!  Nearly all of the fruit (excepting the more tropical varieties) for the juices and purees are grown in the United States – this is REAL fruit, not the type anonymously shipped overseas in huge barrels.

We were able to sample the following smoothie blends (there are eight smoothies and juices available in total):

Golden Mango – This was the winner hands down!  Sunkist incorporated the luscious, ambrosia-like Alphonso mango from the Maharashtra region of India into this delectable smoothie. Only recently has this variety become available for import into the U.S., making the Golden Mango™ smoothie the first Alphonso smoothie stateside.  Blended together with apple juice, banana puree, orange juice, passion fruit juice, carrot and pumpkin extracts (undetectable in flavour by the way), the result is a full-bodied treat for the tongue that provides 100% of the daily value for vitamin A and nearly 200% of the daily value for vitamin C per bottle.

Berry Cherry Bountiful – A tangier smoothie that incorporates the anti-oxidant rich berries: red raspberries, strawberries, dark sweet cherries and marion blackberries in combination with apple and orange juice thickened with banana puree for the thick body that I adore in these blends.  In addition to being a good source of vitamin C (around 100%) Berry Cherry Bountiful also includes natural plant sterols (good for your heart!) in it’s bright burst of flavour.

Glorious Greens – I was really hoping this would be a hit with the children.  This green smoothie is a nutritional powerhouse, incorporating a plethora of healthy ingredients in a base of blended apple juice, apple puree, banana puree, mango puree, pineapple juice and kiwi puree.  That might sound good in and of itself, but the green blend is  what impressed me most: spirulina, chlorella, green tea extract, spinach, broccoli, wheat grass, barley grass, oat grass, green cabbage, dulse, kale, echinacea, flax seed and citrus bioflavonoids.  Wow, who wouldn’t encourage their children to drink up?  This smoothie is full of vitamin A, C, K and provides a source of fibre and a bit of iron as well.  Unfortunately it was a tough sell for the kids – they thought it tasted too grassy.  Personally, I thought it was very palatable – have you ever tried drinking wheat grass straight?  Ugh, pretty potent.  Even if your little ones aren’t too keen on the greeness of this blend, it’s a great way for us big folks to get our superfoods in easily.

Berry Blue Bountiful - Made with plump berries from U.S. farms, this tasty, antioxidant rich treat provides approximately 100% of the recommended value for vitamin C.  Pure berry juice is far too intense to drink straight, so Sunkist has blended the blackberry and blueberry puree with apple juice, banana puree and pineapple juice.  Your children will never know that there is some carrot extract thrown in (shhh, just don’t mention it).  The lemon juice enhances the sweet/tangy flavour of the blend, bringing the flavours to vibrant life.

Strawberry Dream – This strawberry, banana smoothie was my oldest girls favourite.  Light, refreshing, thick and smooth, what little girl could resist the pale pink concoction of apple juice, banana puree, strawberry puree, orange juice with the added undetectable nutritional benefit of blackcurrant and carrot extracts?  Mine couldn’t!  With the added benefit of providing nearly 200% of the daily value of vitamin C per bottle.  Like all of the smoothies we tested, the potassium provided by the banana content is close to 20% of the recommended daily value per bottle.  This one didn’t last long.

Now, one final tip.  If your children are a bit squeamish when it comes to trying new foods, let them drink directly from the stylishly designed bottles.  Because these juices are made from natural fruits there may be some flecks of fruity goodness that children accustomed to drinking clarified juices may not expect.  For me, the rich, thick texture and appearance is only a bonus (make sure you shake before drinking), but I think the full bottle labels are provided to shield delicate palates from a more earthy appearance than they may be accustomed to if not devoted smoothie drinkers already.

I know you’re eager to try these with your little ones, so here’s a coupon link that’s good for all of 2009! Let’s grab a Sunkist Natural and toast together to good health for all of our families.