Spring Water

New Zealand Spring Water: The main ingredient in every can of Aquabud is natural spring water from our mates across the pond in New Zealand. We don’t mind putting aside our trans-Tasman rivalry to admit they have the best water in the world. 

Natural Sweeteners

Steviol Glycosides: To understand more about this guy, you need to understand more about the Stevia plant. Stevia sweeteners are derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) plant, an herbal shrub native to South America. The stevia plant has been used for food and medicinal purposes for hundreds of years, and its leaves and extracts have been used as dietary supplements, and more recently as natural sweeteners. Steviol is short for Steviol Glycosides, which are the molecules found in the stevia leaves that give it its sweet taste, and are extracted from the plant to be used as a sweetener. FUN FACT: Natural stevia sweeteners are 200-350 times sweeter than regular sugar but without the calories.

Apple juice concentrate: This guy is used as a sweetener for our Apple flavour. Did you know natural fruit juices are made of about 90% water? When you remove or evaporate the water from fruit juice, you’re left with what’s known as juice concentrate. Extracting the water reduces bacterial growth, meaning that the concentrate doesn’t spoil as easily as the juice version.

Cane sugar: Yes sugar! We know, we know, sugar is the devil in granulated and powdered form. But when it comes to hydration it is necessary… IN SMALL DOSES. Cane sugar is an ingredient in our Coconut and Berry flavours. In combination with the other ingredients, it helps the other ingredients work harder to get you hydrated quicker. Aquabud contains just 2.5 grams of sugar, which is less than coconut water. So while we do have more sugar than good ol’fashioned water, we have much less sugar than many other hydration options.

Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamin C: AKA Ascorbic Acid AKA a great mate for kids! Vitamin C does so much including helping to maintain body tissue (including their skin); helping to form neurotransmitters; and supporting healthy bone and teeth development. But it’s best function has to be supporting your kids’ immune system. It’s very highly concentrated in your kids' immune cells demonstrating that it's an immune boosting agent. Their bodies don't produce it on their own, so they rely on getting it from foods and drinks - especially colourful fruits and veggies! And… ahem… Aquabud of course.

Potassium Citrate: Potassium is an essential mineral found in the foods we eat. Your body doesn’t produce potassium naturally so it’s important to consume the right balance of potassium-rich foods and beverages. Potassium is also an electrolyte. Electrolytes are GREAT because they assist in a range of essential body functions like digestion, pH balance, blood pressure and… you guessed it… HYDRATION (otherwise known as ensuring your body’s water balance is normalised). Potassium citrate is a compound made up of a combination of citric acid and potassium. It has a higher rate of absorption than regular potassium supplements and is often the best source of potassium for people that generally have problems absorbing it.

Magnesium Phosphate: Superhero Alert! Magnesium is a critical biological element for kids' health; it is the second most abundant electrolyte within the cells after potassium and the fourth most common mineral in the human body after calcium, potassium and sodium! Magnesium phosphate is a quick acting and gentle form of magnesium that helps with muscle spasms. More generally though, Magnesium is essential for a wide range of biological functions in the body such as energy metabolism, nerve conduction, muscle activity, immune function, and DNA synthesis and degradation. Magnesium also plays a structural role in bone strength and aids bone formation.

Calcium Citrate: Calcium is a mineral that basically builds strong bones. It helps in other ways too - like keeping the nerves and muscles working and the heart healthy - but bone health is what it’s most famous for. And look - you’re not building strong bones when you’re in your 30’s - you’re building them when you’re a kid. So calcium is VITAL for growing bodies. Babies get it from breast or formula milk, but as kids grow they need to get it from calcium rich foods and drinks. Aquabud contains a small amount of calcium to help meet their overall daily needs.

Zinc Gluconate: Zinc plays a critical role in kids’ body processes including cell growth and metabolism, and even plays a role in helping them resist infection. In a nutshell though, zinc helps kids grow. It’s a vital part of normal growth and organ development and can help kids achieve a healthy height and weight. While severe zinc deficiencies are rare, mild deficiencies can be quite common and have been linked to decreased growth, increased colds or infections and poor attention span. Aquabud contains a small amount of Zinc Gluconate to help meet their overall daily needs.

Sodium Citrate: This is a mineral that when used in combination with Citric Acid and Potassium Citrate (two of our other ingredients) acts as an alkalinising agent to make the urine less acidic. This combination is often used to prevent gout or kidney stones. In the case of Aquabud, these ingredients are included in very small doses to basically help the kidneys flush out toxins and aid in the hydration process.

Natural Flavours

Natural Flavours: According to the US Food & Drug Administration, natural flavours are: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.” 

Or in other words: a completely natural way to flavour food and drinks.

Citric Acid

Citric Acid: Citric acid is found naturally in citrus fruits, especially lemons and limes. It’s what gives them their tart, sour taste. Because of its acidic, sour-tasting nature, citric acid is predominantly used as a flavouring and preserving agent in food and drinks. We use it to boost acidity, enhance flavour and preserve ingredients.

Natural Colours

Natural Colours: these originate from a wide variety of sources like fruits and vegetables, plants, minerals and other edible sources. The pigments are extracted from the natural source and impart their colour when added to a food or drink.