I’m always into trying new juices, especially now that I’m trying to minimize the amount of soda that I drink.  Of course the down side to this, is juices often have a ton of sugar, sometimes close to the amount found in a serving of soda, but it’s at least counterbalanced with an abundance of vitamins.  That’s a trade-off I’m willing to take (and if I’m not, I’ll just drink water).

Enter Nature’s Nectar Blendz, which somehow purport to blend both fruit and vegetable juices into a drinkable juice blend.  Even on paper this idea sounds pretty preposterous, and not at all delicious, but I nevertheless first decided to try their strawberry banana version a couple of years ago.  Since then, it has become one of my staple juice choices to grab every time we visit Aldi stores.

Why?  At the risk of sounding like a commercial, it’s a great way to combine a servings of fruits and a serving of vegetables (per 8 ounces), only without having to taste the veggies.  Now I’ll admit that I really do like just about all forms of vegetables, so it’s not necessarily all about the taste factor for me, but I also don’t really go out of my way to buy them at the store.  This is a decent way to make sure I’m getting at least a serving or two in my system.

Of course the number one reason, is this stuff tastes pretty good.  Now it’s not really a super-accurate portrayal of strawberry banana juice, but it’s pretty darn tasty when you realize it’s made out of beet, tomato, carrot, sweet potato, grapes, oranges, and apple juices (on top of clarified bananas, banana puree, and strawberry juices, of course).  Even though I can make out some tomato juice if I really pay attention, the blend as a whole still remains very sweet and consistent throughout, so you won’t ever take a swig and taste nothing but, say, carrots and beets.  The strawberry and banana juices really take center stage, so you definitely get more of these than anything else.

For parents, I could also see this as a great way to get finicky kids to get some vegetables in their system.  Though some will probably be off-put by some of the flavor profiles, the fact that it’s sweet and the strawberry and banana manages to stay the focal point could trick some kids into thinking they’re drinking just straight up fruit juice, which can make it a win-win for everyone.  As I said, it’s fairly high in sugar (25g per serving), but there’s no high fructose corn syrup added, and it’s also high in Vitamins A and C, so the trade-off, at least in my opinion, is worth it.

Overall: 8/10.  A fruit juice with vegetable juices added that somehow tastes good?  Sign me up!  While it doesn’t taste exactly like a strawberry banana juice (you’ll get some tomato if you pay attention), it’s still close enough to be one of my favorite juices that Aldi carries.  It’s fairly high in sugar content (at 25g per 8 oz. serving), but that’s balanced out by a high amount of Vitamins A and C, as well as smaller amounts of six others.  This could also be a great option for kids who refuse to eat vegetables, as each 8 oz. glass contains one serving of both fruits and vegetables.  No matter how off-putting you think the combination appears (and I would agree it sounds disgusting), assuming you even remotely like fruit juice, I’d definitely recommend giving this a shot.