A Review of Stur Drinks Water Enhancers
Over the past 9 months I have gradually increased my water intake. This reached the extreme when, back in February, I was on a diet which suggested that I have 4 litres of water a day. I usually managed 3! You will now find me drinking around 2 or 3 pints of water a day.
Water can become a little bit boring though. But the difficulty is making sure you add a healthy flavour to your water without too much sugar. Step up Stur Drinks.
Stur Drinks contain zero sugar and zero calories, as well as containing your daily allowance of vitamin C in one serving. These fruit flavoured drinks are very popular in the US market and are now starting to reach us here in the UK. They are suitable for diabetics, vegetarians, vegans, pregnant women and as they contain no sugar, they are great for kids too.
The name “STUR” is relevant to the drink mix category, but it actually stands for “Savor The Ultimate Reason.” The creator and his wife were trying to conceive and it took them over 3 years to get pregnant. His wife wasn’t drinking as much water as she should have so the creator wanted to find something to make it more appealing. He found that all the products on the market used to flavour water were all made with artificial chemicals that they didn’t feel comfortable putting in his wife’s body so he asked a food scientist friend to help him create a liquid blend of natural fruit flavors and natural stevia leaf extract to squeeze in water. It took them hundreds of different formulations to land upon a blend that tasted better than most bottled sugary drinks – and they are still continuing to perfect it.
Instead of sugar, Stur uses stevia to sweeten their flavours. Stevia is the new premium sweetener but, unlike its artificial and chemically produced predecessors (such as saccharin, sucralose or aspartame), Stevia is naturally occurring in the leaves of the Stevia Rebaudiana plant (a member of the chrysanthemum family of plants). Brazil and Japan have used Stevia for decades. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar, has zero calories, a very low GI, has no impact on blood sugars and is stable for use in home cooking. All that and a natural product too!
The range of full range of flavours they have available are:
- Only Orange and Mango
- Boldly Blackcurrent and Apple
- Clearly Cranberry and Pomegranate
- Goodness Green Apple
- Real Brewed Tea and Peach
- Real Brewed Tea and Lemon
- Coconut and Lime
- Coconut and Pineapple
- Coconut Original
Our Family Verdict
So far, we have tried the Orange and Mango, Cranberry and Pomegranate and, our agreed favourite to date, Brewed Tea and Peach.
Unlike the rest of my family, I don’t like my drinks very sweet at all so these are perfect for me. One quick squirt in a glass of water takes the boredom off it and I am happy.
Grace says ‘ I definitely need more than one squirt in my glass to make it taste like proper squash. I think more like three. I don’t think one small bottle will last for thirty servings with me!’.
Ross says ‘Easy to carry around and they give a great kick to your water to keep hydration interesting!’.
The Tea and Peach is so good that we have decided to try it in iced pop form.
Using these great lolly moulds, we simply filled them with water and a good dose of the flavour and placed them in the freezer overnight. An easy, tasty way to get your vitamins. You could even add pieces of fruit – such as pear and peach – to the ice pops like we did.
Disclosure: We were sent the full range of Stur Drinks in return for an honest review. Please note that all words, images and opinions have been formed by the owner of this blog and our friends and have not been influenced in any way. Please do not reproduce any of the content or images on this post without prior agreement from Verily Victoria Vocalises.
I have enjoyed this product for a few years now, however I wanted to share a slight word of caution with those who are tracking or restricting their sugar consumption (e.g., diabetics):
While the US liquid version indicates 0 Sugar / 0 Calories on the front of the squeeze bottle, it also indicates “adds a negligible amount of sugar” on the nutrition label – presumably from “natural fruit.”
If I’m not mistaken, US FDA labeling requires that “total sugar content shall be intended and expressed to the nearest gram…and if the serving contains less than 0.5 gram, the content may be expressed as zero.”
Therefore those consuming multiple squirts at a time, thinking of it as containing a “negligible amount” of sugar / using the product as a means of encouraging a higher level of water consumption, may end up consuming considerably more sugar than they account for.
Another thing to consider, if you are consuming it regularly, is your dental health. Some flavored waters can be acidic (e.g., citric acid, fruit acids), which can soften your enamel over time. One way to protect your teeth while enjoying it, is to drink it with a straw. You can also rinse your mouth and wait some time before brushing your teeth (after drinking flavored water), as the brush rubbing against the enamel of your teeth can act as a catalyst to erosion.
I’m going to look out for these. I use something similar but the sugar content is a concern so these sound much better 🙂 Like Grace though, I need 3 squirts instead of 1! Interesting flavours too.
I think these are so much better for you 🙂