When I feel the first signs of a cold coming on I always have one of my Defend Sainsbury's Effervescent Vitamin C Orange Flavoured tablets. My friends at work recommended them, however they used the brand-named Berocca vitamin drink dissolving tablets which cost around £3 for 15 tablets. I went looking for the supermarket equivalent and found the Sainsbury's ones for £1.25 for twenty, a bargain compared to Berocca and boats the same results.

The dissolving tablets come in a thin plastic tube, which is orange in colour with 'Defend' written in huge lettering across the tube. Under this is a picture of the tablet with bubbles coming off it as it looks when you add it to your glass of water. The tube has a pull on and off cap to keep the tablets fresh inside. The full title of the product is Sainsbury's Effervescent Vitamin C Orange Flavoured, 1000mg. The tablet whole is about 2 cm x 2 cm and is not intended to be swallowed whole - hence the effervescent title.

The tablets contain an increased level of vitamin C which is said to be important for maintaining healthy skin and also 'may' help to maintain a healthy immune system. A lot of these products suggest having one a day to maintain a balanced diet and immune system, however I tend to eat a lot of fruit daily and as such only take one of these when I feel I might be coming down with something. I also do not want to be wholly reliant on them - especially when you hear the stories that you should let your immune system work to keep healthy and fight off bugs naturally.

Ingredients

Calories 5 Sodium 40 mg
Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 1667% Iron 0%

To take the vitamin supplement you simply pour a fresh glass of water and add the tablet. The tablet takes about 30 - 60 seconds to totally dissolve and you are left with a bright orange fizzy drink. The taste is pretty plain and not at all unpleasant which I always though effervescent tablets were meant to be. It is not a very orangey flavour either, there is a subtle sugary orange taste but nothing intense. Overall it is a very drinkable vitamin drink.

After taking one of these I do feel a slight rush of vitamin and the few times I have taken it I have felt that it has done me good to have a bit of a vitamin boost. As I said I wouldn't take one of these every day, but when I am feeling unwell reach for these and they help to make me feel a bit more energetic and healthy.

This packet contains 20 effervescent tables and costs £1.25 on mysupermarket at Sainsbury's and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer - just as good as the popular Berocca tablets but a fraction of the price. Highly recommended by me.