Former first lady Michelle Obama has come under intense scrutiny after it was discovered that her new “health drink” was not particularly nutritious.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, Michelle Obama’s “Plezi Nutrition” brand of beverages would not be permitted in schools due to the school nutrition regulations she championed during her tenure as first lady.

Obama, who is attributed as the co-founder and strategic partner of Plezi, is promoting these beverages as a healthier alternative to the numerous sodas, juices, and sweetened drinks that are virtually unavoidable in supermarkets.

The first products released by Plezi are a variety of citrus beverages.

Of the experts that Bloomberg interviewed, however, “most were critical of the new line of drinks.”

“The experts largely agreed that the product is an improvement on soda, though a small one,” the report notes. “At the heart of the matter is whether ‘healthier than soda’ is good enough for a product aimed at children as young as 6, especially one that comes with Obama’s endorsement.”

While the Plezi drinks do contain significantly less sugar than their typical competitors (e.g., an eight-ounce Plezi beverage contains six grams of sugar), they still contain a significant amount. A standard eight-ounce bottle of apple juice contains 28 grams of sugar. The same-sized can of soda contains 26 grams of added sugar, and the beverages’ additives disqualify them from school nutrition programs.

The drinks contain natural sweeteners, such as those derived from stevia leaf and monk fruit extracts.

While they produce higher statistics on the nutrition label, there is growing concern regarding their excessive consumption, particularly among young children.

Some experts cautioned that a lack of research on these types of sweeteners meant that parents should generally avoid giving them to children.

These added sweeteners, however, explicitly violate school lunch regulations from the Obama administration.

These regulations stipulate that elementary and middle schools in the United States may only serve water, milk, or 100 percent fruit or vegetable beverage without added sweeteners.

More on this story via The Western Journal:

The most those regulations permit, as far as additives go, is the allowance of mixing juice and water.

All four of the Plezi flavors have those additives, meaning that they wouldn’t be allowed to be served in American elementary and middle schools. CONTINUE READING…