New breed of drinks is the latest craze

A new breed of super drinks is gaining in popularity, but are they really all that healthy for you?

Embodi. Chaga. Ooba. Borojo. Not a new language, but rather a new breed of beverages to get us drinking good health.

"It has all the benefits of red wine without the alcohol," said Liz Myslik, Embodi.

"Super Drinks" were all the rage at the Natural Product Expo in Anaheim.

"If you take a look at how it compares to pomegranate, acai, or blueberries, it blows them out of the water almost 600 times," said Lina Vartanian, Chaga.

Chaga is a drink that contains a Siberian herb known as an adaptagen -- that means it's supposed to adapt to whatever you need. Anxious? It's supposed to calm you down. Tired? Drink it and they claim it'll pep you up. Embodi is a non-alcoholic fruit drink that makers say has the antioxidant equivalent of two glasses of wine.

"It's the seeds, the stems and the skins of the red wine grape," said Myslik.

And move over acai and goji berries, Borojo is the latest superfruit from the rainforest. Borojo is rich in amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Touted to be an aphrodisiac and fertility booster in the jungles of Panama. Ooba's another drink -- made from hibiscus flowers, with an antioxidant boost.

Dietitian Ashley Koff cautions us to keep a cynical view when looking at new products.

"I think we see a lot of people making products maybe just for products sake or there's a new twist on something. I start to wonder if we need that twist or do we need to have it like it is in nature," said Koff.

Raw tonic was a big expo favorite.

"All of our products are made with organic coconut water. They're naturally effervescent. And they're all probiotics," said Ryan Jackson, Raw Tonics.

Raw Tonic's got a lot of electrolytes, vitamins, and antioxidants, but company owner Ryan Jackson also claims it has healing properties.

"Let's put it this way, it's a lot cheaper than surgery," said Jackson.

Koff gives Raw Tonic the thumbs up, but not the price tag of $4.99 for 12 ounces. Along with price, Koff worries about empty calories.

"One of the areas that I am most careful about with people in terms of weight, energy, and overall health is where are we getting our sugar from," said Koff.

And that can be one of the caveats of these beverages -- some offering a more than decent dose of carbohydrates even though the sugar is natural.

"If you are having three slices of bread when you're drinking your beverage why not go to eating some of these things as they are found in nature," said Koff.

Raw Tonic has a bit over 2 teaspoons sugar, Embodi about 5 teaspoons and Chaga about 7 teaspoons for the bottle, although its available unsweetened which is -- one sweet idea.

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food coach, lori corbin

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