Review: Morinaga Banana (+Jujitsu veggies) Puddings : 森永の新しいバナナ野菜プリン、おいしいかな？

So I have been wondering about this new pudding from Morinaga recently: Veggie juice-banana pudding (Jujitsu yasai de oishii Banana pudding) .

Here it says Banana pudding with 20 kinds of veggies and fiber. Banana itself would have been nice but with veggie juice?? (this is a cooperation between Itoen’s jujitsu 60% veggie juice series and Morinaga)
So…I bought it just to satisfy my curiosity. Let me tell you about its label first: 120 kcal, protein 2 g., fat 4.3 g., carbs 17.6 g., and fiber 2.9 g. Compared to many other puddings, 120 kcal is pretty normal, but it can be better in terms of lower fat and higher fiber. Check it its product website!

Its flavor profile, HOWEVER, is really ambiguous or “Bimyou” as we say in Japanese. It’s not totally sweet. The sourness came after a while, leaving kinda weird aftertaste. The texture is normal, just like pudding in general. It kinda tastes like you are drinking diluted veggies drink with added sugar in a pudding form. lol

Sorry, morinaga….This pudding is not cutting it for me.

More pudding reviews are coming, so stay tuned!

Innovative containers: Morinaga VS Meiji: 新鮮な「しまるボトル」森永 VS 明治

Recently, Japan has been really innovative about how containers look like. In part, I think they stimulate interest in consumers, making them pick up the product and hence increase the possibility of the first trial. It’s really refreshing to see this kind of innovation starting to pick up the pace in Japan. While flavors and contents of drinks are always changing depending on the seasons, their containers have remained the same for the past years. Only recently that Morinaga has started the trend.

First and most exciting innovation would be PREMiL! New concept of milk targeting those in their 40s-60s. There are 2 types of product options: one with fortified calcium and protein but still creamy (in blue color) AND one with added fiber and BB536 bacteria (purple color).

Now..look at their packaging! People thought these are yogurt drink at first…because the color and shape is similar to the existing package of some yogurt brands. When they picked the product up, read about it, the surprise factor came in when they realized it’s actually milk! The idea is that it would be easy to open, to pour (so the milk won’t spill if you squeeze the bottle too hard), and to keep. Some complain that it might be difficult when you need to cut the bottle for recycle purpose. Read more here: PREMiL

And then…Meiji followed suit with this bottle series…called “Shimaru bottle”. Shimaru is to close something – in this case the bottle.
Recently launched in combini are 2 variations of dairy drink: super creamy latte and matcha latte. Claiming that the cap allows you to keep the milk from spilling and to keep it for later consumption in case you don’t finish the whole thing. (the term “re-cap” is used in Japanese) Most products in the market are in the form of tetra box, so once you open you can’t really keep it long. Read more here: Shimaru bottle
Here is how the “Shiro no hito toki” (creamy latte) and matcha latte look like:

They look pretty similar, no? What do you think? Do these new shape of bottle makes you wanna buy more?

New Healthy Almond-milk Pudding!

I am a frequent investigator of convenience stores, especially Family Mart which seems to be everywhere: next to my apartment and in my office building. It has been long since I really found something sweet that I would crave but I spotted this milk pudding yesterday during hunting for my lunch at Famima. So yes, BOUGHT IT! Tried it too and I like it.

Why it’s good? 

1. So low in sugar!: only 3.3 g. which is about 77% less than the normal pudding in the market (I think it’s 77% sorry if I’m not precise)

2. Made from Almond milk: the flavor and smell is really nice and mild

3. Low calories: only 67 kcal! Could be a perfect little dessert after your meal! (totally guilt-free) Normal pudding would be about 120-150 kcal or more.

My opinion is that it’s really a good choice if you just look for something small to round up your meal. (or if you’re on a diet) But if you look for something more indulging and rich, full texture..this might not be for you.

Tropi-coco: Japan’s own coconut water from Morinaga! : 森永のトロピココ…新たな健康流行 日本に登場！

In fact, coconut water is a health trend that started quite a long time ago in the West, but it seems that this trend is just about to boom in Japan. There are imported products that I saw before in Seijo-ishii supermarket, but now Morinaga has taken the market opportunity in its own hands and has launched its very own coconut water line called “Tropic Coco”! 

Now sold in almost every combini since its launch on April 22nd, it is a new choice for female early adapters who now have more choices than just veggies drinks or collagen drinks. With 95 kcal per box (330 ml), it boasts health benefits such as Calcium, Magnesium, and lots of other nutrients; accentuated with honey and juice; helps hydrate your body in many scenarios and lifestyles; provided with a cap ready to drink and an easy-to-grip box shape. Could be kept up to 70 days before opened. (from http://www.tropicoco.jp/product)

Let’s see how long this trend will continue, and whether it would be the next health halo in Japan! 

Keep an eye on it Japanese girls!

 

The ONLY Greek yogurt in Japan : 日本での一つだけのギリシャヨーグルト！

For those of you who are looking for a high-protein yogurt a.k.a Greek Yogurt in Tokyo, listen up…there’s only one product (with 4 variations) available, so don’t waste your time searching for the non-fat type.

Luckily, Morinaga decided to give Japanese a chance to experience the amazing sensation of greek yogurt. It launched PATHENO, the first ever greek yogurt in Japan (and so far the only one) featuring super creamy and dense texture. The yogurt itself is not sweet which is perfect when paired with the little cup of additional sauce provided. There are 4 variations in the market: plain (mainly for cooking, thus more weight than the other 2), honey, raspberry sauce, and passion fruit sauce. OMG…you’ll fall in love with all of them. Personally, I love honey and raspberry.

I also wanna recommend this to you all because (as you might know from my earlier posts, I’m crazy about yogurt) this yogurt is PACKED WITH PROTEIN while calories are kept at 86 kcal for the yogurt and about 30 kcal for the sauce. Protein: 7.9 grams! Carbs: 3.4 grams. Fat: 4.5 grams 

Stock this up in the morning plus with muesli and hearty soy milk, and you may easily stay til lunch time!

To be fair, though, this yogurt is priced higher than the other typical yogurt brands. It is widely sold at a constant price of 168 yen. HOWEVER, I found that if you buy this at Donkihote （ドンキホーテ）the price could go as low as 128 yen!!! Try look for them if you have Donki around your area.

Have fun and be healthy!