Review and Giveaway: Ola Loa CLOSED

Daily vitamins, to me, are like exercise. I know they're good for me and I know they'll make me feel better if I just go ahead and indulge. But I always forget to take them or make excuses as to why I can't. They give me a stomachache. They're inconvenient. Blah blah BLAH. I hadn't found something that fit my lifestyle until I found Ola Loa.

With multivitamin pills, you can never be sure that your body is fully absorbing all of the ingredients. And with lower quality vitamins, they can also break down improperly, causing sludge in your system. Gross! Well you can kiss all that goodbye with Ola Loa drinkable vitamins. The effervescent mineral powder dissolves completely in water or juice for almost instantaneous absorption into the bloodstream. The nutrient-rich formula, developed by nutrition expert and physician Richard Kunin, M.D., replaces up to a dozen vitamin pills. No more gulping down huge, bulky tablets. Just mix, drink and go! The convenient, single-use packets are perfect for travel and store easily in a pocket, purse or briefcase. It's no wonder NaturalNews.com recently recognized Ola Loa as an Editor's Choice for Best Vitamin Drink.

Ola Loa is available in four unique formulations: Energy (for superior vitality and antioxidant protection), Sport (all-natural, thirst-quenching, hydrating drink for active people), Repair (bone and joint support) and Kids Multi-Formula (nutritional supplement for children aged 4 and older). Their delicious flavors include Orange, Cran-Raspberry, Tropical, Mango-Tangerine, Lemon-Lime, and Mixed Berry.

Ola Loa generously sent us a box containing a variety of flavors of their Energy and Sport mixes to review.

I should start by saying that I've never been a fan of fizzy vitamin drinks. My husband buys Emergen-C regularly in addition to his vitamins and fish oil gelcaps but I can't tolerate the taste. Naturally, he was gung ho to give Ola Loa a try and I was hesitant, so I happily obliged him to be the guinea pig. After one taste, he was hooked. He insisted Ola Loa was smoother and tastier than Emergen-C and that it gave him a greater energy boost than his morning coffee. While he enjoyed all of the flavors, the Cran-Raspberry Energy mix was his favorite. This just so happens to be their most popular flavor!

My hubby is a small business owner so he is often under a tremendous amount of stress. As a result, he has occasional migraines that even Advil can't relieve. One painful night, with an impending deadline, he decided to try some Ola Loa to aid against his exhaustion. In mere minutes, his headache, nausea and vertigo had vanished! We couldn't believe it! It worked so well that evening that he was up until 1:30am and was able to complete all of his tasks. I think it was the amino acid L-Arginine that did the trick, as it regulates blood flow and relaxes blood vessels. He's grown to love his multivitamin so much he's already asking me where we can score more. I also overheard him telling our neighbor about it and showing him our brochure, so I know he's being honest!

Seeing as though my husband was so impressed, I decided to take the plunge with the Lemon-Lime Sport flavor. I typically replenish my fluids with Gatorade while working out but I don't like all the added sugar. And since Ola Loa contains only 1g sugar per serving, I thought this would be a great alternative. I'll admit that at first, I didn't love it. I'm not sure if it was the flavor or the texture but I wasn't feeling it. Disappointed but not wanting to write it off just yet, I emailed customer service to see if they had any recommendations. My rep replied promptly and was super understanding. She kindly suggested I mix it with Crystal Light or juice instead of water. Thank goodness I tried that because it made a world of difference! The Mixed Berry Sport combined with my V8 Fusion was excellent. I could get a whole serving of fruits and veggies, and at the same time, replace my lost electrolytes. Brilliant! I think the Mango-Tangerine Sport was my favorite, as it was the only one I really liked with plain water. It was also great with a bit of orange juice.



I love that Ola Loa has numerous flavor and formulation options to choose from, so no matter what stage of life you're in, you can achieve a healthy diet. Because it absorbs so quickly, I don't have to worry about taking it on an empty stomach. I also like how convenient it is. I drink my vitamins with juice in the morning so I can start my day off right. Don't get me wrong - I still love my cup of java. But I find it's more of a luxury than a necessity once I have my Ola Loa.

The only drawback for me is the price, which is double that of the competition. As a one-income family, this is the one thing that would hold us back from switching to Ola Loa completely. However, if you add up what you normally invest in vitamins and supplements each month, you may actually be saving yourself money - and of course, the hassle of sorting through and choking down those horse pills.

BUY IT: You can find Ola Loa at Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Sprout and other select health food stores, or online at www.drinkyourvitamins.com (ARV $24.99-$34.99/30-count box).

FUN FREEBIE: Not sure Ola Loa is up your alley? You can request free samples for you and a friend!

WIN IT: One lucky Goodie Goodie Gumdrops winner is going to receive a mixed box of Ola Loa to try for themselves - a $35 value!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Take a look at what Ola Loa has to offer and tell me which product and/or flavor you would most like to try. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count! Remember to leave one comment per entry.

1.) Follow my blog and/or subscribe via reader or email. If you already follow and/or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry each)

2.) Follow me and Ola Loa on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You can do this daily! You may use the tweet below or come up with your own:

Need more energy? Immunity support? Drink your vitamins with nutrient-rich @OlaLoa! Win a variety box @kris10chumley http://bit.ly/9dlCSj

Just leave a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry per day max)

3.) Become a fan of Ola Loa on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) Add my blog button and leave a comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on April 6, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: As mentioned above, I received a mixed box of Ola Loa products from Melissa at On It Marketing to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are purely mine. Your experience may differ.