The other day, while on our weekly grocery shopping trip, my ten year old daughter requested Sunny-D instead of orange juice. I stood there for a moment in the cooler aisle of our local Super Wal-Mart store, waiting for the theme music to start up. Really. And it was kind of eerie. This got me wondering, as I stood there, shrinking by the second before an impressive column of assorted juices and imitators, premiums and generics, fresh squeezed and wannabes. What should I give my kids for juice? Should cost play a role in my decision? What about preservatives, and sugars?

For the purposes of this article, we will compare Sunny-D Tangy Original to Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice.

Well, I for one will be the first to tell you that my family is not rich. With grocery shopping as with anything else, we watch our bottom dollar, and are always looking for a better deal. That is, in part, how we find ourselves doing this comparison, as a 64 Oz. jug of Sunny-D typically sells for around $3.99 in our local area, while the 64 Oz. Tropicana Pure Premium (No Pulp) sells for about $1 more at $4.99.

For the purposes of this article, I asked my daughter, my son, and three of their friends which drink they preferred the taste of. My daughter, my son and two of the three friends stated quickly that they preferred Sunny-D, while the third friend had to ask a qualifying question before answering. (How many chunks does the orange juice have?) He was, of course, referring to pulp. This begs another question. How many kids out there turn their nose up at a good old fashioned glass of OJ at breakfast time because all mom and dad have in the house is the pulp-filled juice the doctor told them to drink? First impressions you know folks.....

So, as for the kids, we have four out of five choosing Sunny-D, with the fifth choosing Tropicana if it was regular, not the "pulp-snot junk" as he referred to the other variety. I, for my own part, will throw my hat into the ring for the Tropicana. It doesn't matter, however, what I like, because this article is about the kids.

The first paragraph you'll encounter at the top of the Sunny-D nutrition label is as follows:

WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AND 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: CONCENTRATED JUICES (ORANGE, TANGERINE, APPLE, LIME, GRAPEFRUIT), CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NATURAL FLAVORS, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CANOLA OIL, SODIUM CITRATE, CELLULOSE GUM, XANTHAN GUM, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BENZOATE TO PROTECT FLAVOR, YELLOW #5, YELLOW #6.

Yellow #5 HUH? And Sodium Hexametaphosphate? Is metaphosphate like metaphysical phosphate, like ghost juice? Some of the ingredients, I'll admit, are benign, but doesn't it seem like they're working pretty hard at not squeezing that orange?

There is no such disclaimer or list of ingredients on the Tropicana label. It breaks down into the immediate nutritional values. If there are preservatives in Tropicana Pure Premium, they are not disclosed.

Both products come in 64 Oz containers, and set serving sizes at 8 Oz. Sunny-D comes in at 120 calories per serving, with 27 grams of sugars and 29 grams of total carbohydrates. Tropicana edges in just below Sunny-D in the calorie column at 110, (hardly a resounding victory). Tropicana is also victorious in the sugars and total carbs columns with 22 grams of sugars and 26 grams of total carbs. Again a narrow victory, but as we all know, juices are a sweet business.

Sunny-D lists it's Sodium content at 190 mg, while Tropicana is at -0-. This is a bit like comparing an apple to an, er, banana when it comes to sodium, as Sunny-D is often marketed as a summer time beverage, in which the sodium could benefit sweating, rambunctious children.

Being the perpetual cold and sniffle hawk that I am, I always go to the Vitamin C values on juice, and seldom do I find one these days that does not have at least 100%. This holds true in Sunny-D's case as it comes in right on the line at 100%. Tropicana edges it out once again, however, at 120%. Let's see, 120% twice a day, plus 500% from their vitamins, my kids would be getting 740% of their daily Vitamin C!

Thiamin is the one category in which Sunny-D does emerge victorious, listing a 15% content versus Tropicana's 10%. Tropicana also lists a handful of other vitamins and minerals that Sunny-D does not, as follows: Calcium 2%, Niacin 4%, Folate 15%, Riboflavin 4%, Vitamin B6 6%, Magnesium 6%.

It seems that nutritionally the Tropicana Pure Premium has Sunny-D in the nutrition category, and in general naturalness. Yet, how much good is nutrition if you can't get the kids to swallow it? When compared to other options, Sunny-D might not look like such an underdog.

Cost is the final issue, and I for one can answer unequivically that I will spend the extra dollar each and every time, to pur orange juice, be it Tropicana or another, and perhaps cheaper brand. I can't imagine not wanting to provide to them the most wholesome, natural offerings that I can. That being said, if they get to the point of passing on juices altogether or choosing less than healthy alternatives, I may attempt to lure them back in with the "D".

For information on Tropicana Pure Premium Orange juice and other healthy beverages, go to www.smartspot.com.