Although our stored or purified water may be entirely safe to drink, and definitely necessary for our health and well-being, it may not taste as appetizing as we would desire, especially for children. For this reason, we encourage the use of milk, chocolate and fruit-flavored drinks to please the palate as well as to meet some nutritional needs. A wide selection of flavors and products is available through our Creamy Select™, fortified fruit, powdered milks, MRE and hot chocolate drinks.
For folks who are lactose-intolerant, the popular Creamy Select™ flavors, Banana, Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla, though based on dairy products, are lactose-free. They offer 35% of the daily calcium requirement, 110% of Vitamin A, 330% of Vitamin D, and 110 calories per one-cup serving.
The Fortified Apple, Fortified OrangeFortified Peach drinks are artificially flavored, but contain 60% of a day’s requirement of Vitamin C per cup, 10 % of Vitamin A, and 110 calories. In times of emergency and unusual stress, our calorie demand is higher than normal, so these refreshing beverages contribute to our energy needs as well as keeping us hydrated.
For warmth and comfort, there’s nothing like a delicious cup of hot chocolate, and we presently offer two varieties: Provident Pantry® Gourmet Mint Truffle Hot Chocolate and Gourmet Creamy Hot Chocolate. The sweet familiarity of these products can soothe anxious nerves in times of stress and produce relaxation and well-being. Each 67 oz. can provides 64 cups of hot chocolate with 130 calories each.
Our powdered milk varieties include Provident Pantry® Fortified Instant Nonfat Milk, which comes in a 42 oz. can (48 servings) or a 21 lb. SuperPail (381 servings). Each one-cup serving contains 90 calories, 30% of the daily requirement of calcium, 25% of the daily requirement of Vitamin D, and 10% of the daily requirement of Vitamin A. We also carry Provident Pantry® Instant Nonfat milk in a 56 oz. can (72 servings) or a 29 lb. SuperPail (598 servings). This milk contains 25% of the daily calcium requirement per one-cup serving. Notice that both varieties of milk are nonfat, but the fortified milk (with Vitamins A and D added) is less dense, and so provides fewer servings per can—3 gallons as compared to 4.5 gallons per can of the regular nonfat milk.
MRE (Meals-Ready-to-Eat) Drink mixes also provide a tasty beverage usually consisting of various fruit flavors each of which provides 90 calories and 100% of the daily Vitamin C requirement. For those who desire to avoid sugar, there are two choices: Sugar-free Lemonade and Sugar-free Raspberry Drink. (These are not fortified with Vitamin C.) Each is intended to mix with 12 oz. water.
Considering the importance of staying hydrated, we suggest you have on hand a variety of these drink mixes to encourage the consumption of liquids and to help meet overall nutritional and caloric needs, especially in stressful times.