Business Mon Sep 08 2008

Juicebox Alternative

I just got a sample of Froose, a new beverage for kids that aims to be a whole food rather than a sugary liquid. The little juice boxes were created by a mom who grew concerned about the way her son was eating less yet gaining weight. Once she figured out that it was the sugars in the juice killing her son's appetite and filling him with empty calories, she teamed up with some scientists to find a way to make a fruity beverage with whole grains.

Froose is made with organic ingredients whenever possible and sweetened with brown rice syrup, which is said to deliver complex carbohydrates instead of simple sugars. It sounds like every parent's dream: convenient, healthy and sweetly packaged.

But is it sweet tasting? Do kids like it? My daughter says the texture is okay; it's just like juice. But the pear-flavored Froose tastes too much like pear. And she doesn't like pear. However, she's pretty sure she'll like the peach one better. My son tired the peach, which "tasted like dried fruit in a liquid form ... a milky liquid form." That doesn't sound bad to me.

Right now, Froose is only available online. Visit froose.com to order.

— Lori Barrett / Comments (1)