I’m always on the lookout for drinks on the go. I have nearly broken the “get in the car, buy a Coke” habit, but still like something other than plain water to drink while I’m out running errands. At home I have homemade water kefir “soda” and kombucha, so drinking soda never really even occurs to me. When the big kombucha bru-ha-ha came down a few months ago, I got out of the habit of grabbing one of those as well. They started reappearing on the grocer’s shelves recently and I tried one. They are very watered down now and most of the tang is gone.

I saw this new drink called “KeVita” the last time I was out and about and picked two up. The basis for the beverage is coconut water kefir, a drink I make at home and really enjoy in the summertime. Coconut water has some great health benefits, then when it is cultured with water kefir grains, it becomes a real powerhouse of probiotics.

I tried KeVita’s lemon ginger and strawberry acai varieties. I wasn’t at all fond of the lemon ginger variety. The strawberry acai was better, and the coconut water was clearly discernable, but it was way too sweet. I’m sure it was formulated for soda-drinkers and the American syrupy-sweet palate, but I was hoping for a light sweetness like what my own coconut kefir yields.

The ingredient panel wasn’t shockingly bad:

Purified Water, organic KeVita Probiotic Culture, Coconut Water, Organic Strawberry Puree, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Acai Puree, Malic Acid, Organic Coconut Flavor, Organic Strawberry Flavor, Inulin (Chicory root), Vitamin C, Organic Stevia, Grape Seed Extract.

But so many of these ingredients are just unnecessary! I probably won’t try the other varieties (the $3.50 sticker price isn’t something I feel I need to put out for 16 ounces of something I can make better at home) but KeVita reminded me how much I enjoy coconut kefir.

If you’ve never made coconut kefir water at home, let me encourage you: it takes 5 minutes of active prep time, tastes wonderful and has some real health benefits. The method I use can be found at the Nourishing Gourmet‘s site.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.