Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits Review: Pros and Cons, Ingredients List and the 3 Best Fruit Supplement Alternatives
Nature’s Way is an American company that makes a wide range of supplements and other nutritional products. Orchard Fruits is the name of their freeze-dried powder capsules for people who don’t get enough fruit into their diet.
In this honest review of Orchard Fruits by Nature’s Way I’ll cover the ingredients list, pros and cons, dosage, directions, possible benefits and potential side effects.
Also ahead, customer reviews and consumer feedback, where to get it, if it’s worth buying, the 3 best fruit supplement alternatives and my final verdict and rating for Nature’s Way fruits blend.
Ingredients
Each 900 mg serving of Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits contains the freeze-dried powder of:
- Plum, Orange, Strawberry, Blueberry, Apple, Pomegranate, Pear, Banana, Cranberry, Pineapple, Acai and Raspberry.
In proprietary formulas like this, ingredients are listed by amount added. So the first few fruits in the list are the ones worth focusing on here.
Plum, orange, strawberry, blueberry, apple and pomegranate powder are likely to be the main ingredients by weight in Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits. Don’t expect there to be much cranberry, pineapple, acai or raspberry in these fruit vitamins as they are listed last on the label.
Pros and Cons of Nature’s Way Fruit Supplement
Pros
- This is one of the cheapest freeze-dried fruits products on the market. Especially here at iHerb (where it’s much less than Amazon and there’s currently an automatic discount in the cart).
- Plum, strawberry, blueberry and pomegranate are all high antioxidant and nutritionally potent fruits and berries. The freeze-drying process preserves and concentrates their vitamins, minerals and other nutrients into highly digestible powder.
- Plums are a good source of a wide range of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C, K and copper, they also improve iron absorption. Strawberries contain many nutrients beneficial for your skin, reducing joint pain and protecting your circulatory system.
- Blueberries are rich in antioxidant flavonoids, like anti-inflammatory anthocyanins, also beneficial for eyesight. While pomegranate is a superfood recommended for a wide variety of conditions and disorders.
- Nature’s Way state on their website and product label that this fruits supplement does not contain salt, gluten, wheat, soy, dairy, artificial colors or flavors, preservatives or any yeast-derived ingredients.
Cons
- The 450 mg vcaps are quite small, which is helpful for swallowing but doesn’t provide that much mixed fruit powder. The recommended dose of 2 caps a day (900 mg) may not be high enough to provide noticeable effects. Doubling the amount you take should help but also doubles the cost per month.
- Orange and apple, relatively high up on the supplement panel, are much less nutritious than most of the other additions in Orchard Fruits. Removing them and adding more cranberry, acai and raspberry would improve this fruit blend formula significantly.
- While most of the ingredients used here are high in nutrition, there are competing products, like Texas Superfood, with far more potent additions. It’s more expensive but you can get more beneficial effects with premium superfood supplements like this.
- With objective analysis, some of the Nature’s Way fruit replacement alternatives below look superior for a similar amount. JuiceFestiv for instance, with twice the vcaps and organic ingredients, appears both better value and more nutritious than Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits.
Dosage, Directions and Possible Side Effects
Nature’s Way suggests taking 2 of their fruit replacement supplements with water at mealtimes. Many of the vitamins and other nutrition in powdered whole food products like this are better absorbed when taken with a meal that contains some healthy fats.
There are no side effects listed on Orchard Fruits product pages and the vast majority of people tolerate the fruit in this supplement well. Plum, apple, pear and banana can occasionally cause gas and bloating, however this is unlikely in the freeze-dried powder form used here.
Customer Reviews for Nature’s Way Fruits Blend
Consumer feedback for Orchard Fruits is predominantly positive, with 4.8 stars for over 100 ratings on iHerb, as well as 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon with more than 770 customer reviewers.
Reoccurring themes in reviews by people who bought Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits include:
- Increased energy with feedback like: “gives me an energy boost through the day”, “love this product. It gives me energy”, “have more energy than I know what to do with” and “noticed a feeling of increased energy and improved digestion”.
- Relief from joint pain: “My osteoarthritis has improved dramatically”, “Within days of starting to take this product my achy stiff joints were much improved” and “have had chronic inflammation very badly for over 30 years. These soothe my entire body inside”.
- Inexpensive and a convenient way to increase your fruit intake, with comments such as: “They are a good value, and contain a lot of natural fruits”, “great alternative to much higher priced products” and “Easy, affordable and convenient way to increase intake of fruits in your diet”.
Negative consumer reports generally mentioned customers not feeling much effect from taking them. There were no common side effects or complaints with this fruit blend supplement that I could find during my research.
Where to Get Orchard Fruits
You can find these low-cost fruit caps here on iHerb with an extra reduction in the cart. There’s also free delivery within the United States and cheap international delivery.
They are available on Amazon here as well at a higher retail cost. You can find Orchard Fruits at Walmart too, though at almost double iHerb. Currently you cannot get this fruits replacement supplement at Costco, Sam’s Club, CVS or Walgreens.
Are Fruit Replacement Vitamins Any Good?
Eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and berries each day is a better option than taking supplements. But fresh fruit and particularly berries can be expensive and difficult to find in some areas.
As a cheap fruit replacement, made mainly with freeze-dried plum, orange, strawberry, blueberry, apple and pomegranate powder, Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits vitamins are a legitimate and inexpensive option.
While I don’t consider this product to be a scam, keep in mind that noticeable benefits and positive effects are unlikely to be dramatic for people not already nutritionally deficient.
While very few products are cheaper than Nature’s Way powdered fruit caps, there are potentially better value options available, taking into account nutritional content and possible benefits, even if the cost is a bit higher.
Here are 3 Nature’s Way fruits replacement competitors worth considering.
Best 3 Fruit Supplement Alternatives in 2023
1. JuiceFestiv Versus Nature’s Way Fruit Blend
American supplement company Natrol sell their popular organic fruit and vegetable capsules combination JuiceFestiv (reviewed here). The cost is a bit more but there are 60 servings with JuiceFestiv versus the 30 in Orchard Fruits.
JuiceFestiv Daily Fruit has many of the same ingredients. There’s more potent additions too, with noni, lemon peel, elderberry and black current as standouts, as well as acai much higher up in the formula.
Due to the longer ingredients list, amounts will be smaller. But as an added benefit, JuiceFestiv also contains vitamin C and E, B vitamins, beta-carotene, digestive enzymes, probiotics and a highly absorbable form of selenium, a mineral many people lack in their diets.
JuiceFestiv comes in a 2 bottle pack, with both Daily Fruit and Daily Veggie, which compares well with Nature’s Way Garden Veggies, the companion product to Orchard Fruits. Increasing both your fruit and vegetable intake at the same time is more beneficial as well.
As an alternative to Nature’s Way Veggies and Fruits, JuiceFestiv has a strong claim as the superior product. On a cost per month basis it’s even cheaper to take too. Check the price here on iHerb (usually lower than Amazon, especially with the current automatic reduction).
2. Navitas Organic Superfood+ Berry Blend Comparison
Fruit only capsules are much rarer in the nutritional products market than veggie replacement supplements. Because fruits and berries taste so much better, manufacturers often offer them in powdered form, like the popular Navitas Organic Superfood+ Berry Blend.
This nutrient dense and antioxidant rich powder has only 3 ingredients — acai, goji and blueberry — but these 3 are some of the most potent superfoods available.
Acai is particularly high in antioxidants and omega-3s and often recommended for improving your skin tone. Goji is great for your eyes and has been used for centuries in traditional therapies to support wellness and longevity. While blueberry is an excellent source of protective polyphenols.
This berry blend has very positive customer reviews, with consumer comments like “more energy after one week”, “taste delicious” and “contains lots of antioxidants”.
Navitas Organic Superfood+ Berry Blend is available here on iHerb at a similar amount to Nature’s Way fruits caps. If you are happy to add a teaspoon of berry powder to your drinks or food, rather than taking capsules, it’s a highly recommended alternative.
3. Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits Versus Texas Superfood
Texas Superfood is a popular premium whole food supplement. It comes in both veggie caps and powder and contains a wide range of fruits, berries, vegetables, herbs and greens.
The cost is higher with Texas Superfood, even compared to taking both Nature’s Way Garden Veggies and Orchard Fruits combined. The ingredients list is excellent though and you may well get more ‘bang for your buck’ with a broad spectrum superfood supplement like this.
You can read a full review of Texas Superfood here with nutritional information, pros and cons, consumer reports and a special code to get it discounted.
Final Verdict and Rating
Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits is an inexpensive freeze-dried fruit supplement option with few competitors. Currently great value here on iHerb it’s very affordable and has plum, strawberry, blueberry and pomegranate as standout ingredients.
Depending on your circumstances there could be better alternatives though. Compare JuiceFestiv Daily Fruit and Veggie caps, with full details and hundreds of consumer comments here. It’s even cheaper than Orchard Fruits on a cost per month basis too, especially with the automatic reduction at the checkout.
If you’d consider using a powdered product instead, then Navitas Organic Superfood+ Berry Blend is a worthy competitor as well. Acai, goji and blueberry are all potent superfoods and you’re getting a good dose of them in every teaspoon of this berry blend. Check the current price here on iHerb.
Overall I give a 3 star rating out of 5 for Orchard Fruits Blend supplement by Nature’s Way. Pros include its low cost, freeze-dried extraction and antioxidant rich fruit and berry ingredients.
Cons are its smaller serving size, average additions like orange and apple and potentially better fruit supplement alternatives available in 2023.
I hope this Nature’s Way Orchard Fruits review has provided an objective comparison of inexpensive supplements to increase your intake of fruits and berries. There’s more superfood supplement reviews here if you are still looking for the right one for you.