Probiotics are pretty awesome. These little living micro-organisms are good bacteria, and they balance out the body. They can help improve core digestive health, and they're believed to support the immune system.
I eat vegan yogurts on occasion, but probably not often enough to really get the benefits of probiotics. I used to take a daily probiotic supplement, but it got a little pricey. But when Good Belly, the vegan probiotic juice company, offered to send me coupons for their products to review, I knew that was an offer I couldn't refuse. I'd seen the stuff in stores, but I was always too cheap to buy it. The $3 to $4 price tag seemed a little steep on my shoestring budget.
But now that I've tried them, I'll certainly be buying more. Good Belly's fruit juices are packed with probiotics, as well as the usual vitamins you get with real fruit juice. And since I'd much rather drink fruit than eat it (I'm not a huge fruit fan), these juices were a great way for me to squeeze in my much-neglected fruit group.
First I tried the
Good Belly Blueberry Acai juice:
Wow! Out of all three Good Belly products I tried, this was my favorite. The blueberry flavor was so natural-tasting. And it had a fancy exotic kick from the acai berries. Since the juice is filled with probiotics, it's much creamier than regular fruit juice. Almost like yogurt you can drink.
I also loved the
Good Belly Cranberry Watermelon juice:
I expected more of a watermelon flavor, but the cranberry juice overpowered that. Of course, that's totally fine. Cranberry juice is awesome.
Good Belly also comes in tiny portable shots, like this
Strawberry Good Belly Plus:
These little juice cups are only 50 calories per serving rather than the 100 or so calories for a cup of the juice. But they're still packed with probiotics. These would be best taken as a supplement rather than a juicy treat since there's only a swallow in there. But how cute are those happy face holes?!
Now that I know how delicious and healthy this stuff is, I don't think I'll have an issue shelling out the cash for these juices on occasion. They cost about the same as a pint of vegan ice cream, and I certainly don't feel nearly as good about myself after eating ice cream.
They can't legally make specific health claims about what probiotics can do for you, but they're said to aid with digestion. So did it work for me? Although I was skeptical that I'd notice any real change, I have to admit that my digestion did improve. I'm pretty, um, regular anyway, as most vegans are. But I noticed after downing the small Good Belly shots each day, I'd have to go within 15 minutes. And it was a really good go, if you know what I mean. I don't even think I was this regular during my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse last month.
Now that my 12-day challenge is over, Good Belly is sponsoring a giveaway for free product vouchers for one lucky reader. The vouchers are good for the Good Belly Plus (fruity shot with 20 billion live active cultures plus vitamins), Good Belly Family-sized Quarts (fruit juice with 20 billion live active cultures), Good Belly Big Shots (with 50 billion live active cultures), Good Belly Straight Shots (sugar-free oatmilk with 20 billion live active cultures), Good Belly Kids (fruity shots with 10 billion live active cultures), or Good Belly Splash (a low-calorie fruit juice with 20 billion live active cultures)
