When it comes to health drinks, there are two brands that have been on the top spot for many years – Bournvita and Horlicks. Both brands have been around for decades and are trusted by millions of people around the world.
While both drinks are packed with nutrients and vitamins essential for the body’s growth and development, some key differences between the two must be considered before making a decision.
If you are looking for the DEEP comparison of these two popular health drinks, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’m going to compare Bournvita vs Horlicks in terms of:
- Nutrition
- Ingredients
- Health benefits
By the end of this post, you will have a clear idea of which health drink is the better option.
So let’s start.
Also read: Ensure Vs Proteinx: Which Is The Better Nutrition Powder?
What is Bournvita
Bournvita is a chocolate malted drink powder manufactured by Cadbury. It was originally developed in England in the late 1920s and was first sold in Australia. It is now sold and popular in many countries around the world, including America, Nepal, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and South Africa.
In India, it was first introduced in 1948. It was marketed as a health tonic for children with the tagline “Tan Ki Shakti, Man Ki Shakti.” Since then, Bournvita has become one of the most popular health drinks in India and is consumed by many people.
The Bournvita claims to increase the power of the milk as it is enriched with vitamins like (D, B2, B9, and B12).
Additionally, It comes in various flavours such as:
- Classic Bournvita
- Bournvita Cadbury 5 star
- Bournvita women (for women)
- Bournvita little champs (for kids under five years)
What is Horlicks?
Horlicks is another health drink that has been around for over a hundred years. It was developed by two British in 1873 in the United States. It was originally developed as a food for infants and young children but is now also marketed to adults.
In India, Horlicks became popular during the end of the first World War. States like Punjab, Bengal, and Madras were the first to adopt it. Horlicks soon started manufacturing it in India because of its popularity. It became a status symbol for upper-middle-class Indians and the rich. The first flavour available in India was malt.
Today, Horlicks dominates the Indian health drink market with a share of more than 45%.
The Horlicks claim to make you taller, stronger, sharper, and scientifically proven to support immunity.
Like Bournvita, it comes in various flavours such as:
- Classic malt
- Chocolate
- Elaichi
- Kesar Badaam
- Junior Horlicks (For toddlers of 2-3 years)
- Mother Horlicks
- Women Horlicks
- Horlicks protein+
- Horlicks cardia+
- Horlicks growth+
- Horlicks diabetes+
Bournvita vs Horlicks: A nutritional comparison
Protein
Protein is one of the most crucial nutrients that play a role in the growth and development of the body.
A single serving of Bournvita, which is 20g, provides you with 1.4g of protein. However, the same serving of Horlicks provides you with 2.2g of protein – 37% more than Bournvita.
Additionally, with Bournvita, you will receive an equal protein content regardless of flavour. In contrast, Horlicks has a protein+ flavour, which provides 6.8 grams of protein per serving. Furthermore, other flavours of Horlicks have higher protein content than Bournvita.
As a result, Horlicks is ahead in terms of protein content.
Also read: Proteinx Vs Horlicks Protein Plus: Which Is Better Protein Powder?
Calories
Calories are essential if you have specific health goals. The more you consume, the more weight you will gain.
When it comes to calories, Bournvita has slightly more calories than Horlicks. A single serving of Bournvita provides 79 calories, while a single serving of Horlicks has 75 calories.
However, the difference is significant when we look at the source of these calories. In Horlicks, out of 75 calories, only 11 calories come from sugar whereas, in Bournvita, out of 79 calories, 30 calories come from sugar.
In short, Bournvita has more empty calories in a serving than Horlicks.
So, which is better in terms of calories? Although both have nearly the same calories, it’s best to consume a product with fewer calories from sugar, such as Horlicks.
Sugar
When choosing a healthy product, sugar content is one of the important factors to consider.
When it comes to sugar, a serving of Bournvita contains 7.4g of sugar, which is 25% of the daily requirement for adults. For children, this amount is 37% of the daily sugar needed.
On the other hand, a serving of Horlicks contains 2.7g of sugar, which is 9% of the daily requirement for adults. For children, this amount is 13% of the daily sugar needed.
Bournvita has 14% more sugar content for adults and 24% more sugar for children in a single serving.
In addition, Bournvita does not come with no added sugar flavours. In contrast, Horlicks comes in various flavours with no added sugar, such as Horlicks lite, Diabetes Plus, Women Plus, and Mother plus.
As a result, In terms of sugar, Horlicks is far better than Bournvita.
Vitamins
Both Bournvita and Horlicks boast a variety of vitamin contents that play a role in their success.
While a comparison of the exact vitamin breakdown shows that Bournvita is higher in some vitamins like B1, B3, B5, B7, B12, A, and E, Horlicks contains higher levels of others like B2, B6, B9, C, D, and K.
In short, both brands feature a good range of vitamins.
Minerals
Bournvita and Horlicks are great sources of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, iron, zinc, and copper, among others.
However, upon closer inspection, it appears that Horlicks contains additional minerals such as magnesium, chloride, and chromium, which are not present in Bournvita. Furthermore, the amount of minerals in Horlicks is significantly higher than in Bournvita.
As a result, In terms of minerals, Horlicks is the clear winner.
Also read: Proteinx vs Endura Mass: Which Is The Right Supplement For You?
Bournvita vs Horlicks: Ingredients comparison
Bournvita and Horlicks are made from cereal extract. Both the health drinks are 100% vegetarian.
If you closely look at the ingredients of both Bournvita and Horlicks, you will find that they contain many of the same ingredients, such as:
- Maltodextrin
- Wheat gluten
- Cocoa powder
- Emulsifiers
- Sugar
- Minerals
- Vitamins
- Artificial flavours and sweeteners
Furthermore, both products contain additives such as acidity regulators, raising agents, and artificial colours, which are added to increase the shelf life and appearance of the product.
However, I am not pleased with these additives, and if you had asked me to choose one based on ingredients, I would go for none.
Bournvita vs Horlicks: Benefits comparison
Let’s take a closer look at both Bournvita and Horlicks to see which one provides more benefits to you.
For weight gain
If you aim to put on weight, both Bournvita and Horlicks can help you as they are high in calories and contain essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, and carbohydrates. Although, one must not rely on supplements as the primary method of gaining weight.
However, if you had asked me to choose one to gain weight, I would go with Horlicks lite flavour as it has higher protein, minerals, and most importantly, no added sugar.
For diabetes
For diabetes, they must choose food products rich in nutrients and low in calories, fat, and sugar.
Horlicks is a better choice than Bournvita for individuals with diabetes because it has a specific flavour designed specifically for diabetes. In contrast, Bournvita does not offer any specialized flavours for diabetes.
However, one downside I found with Horlicks diabetes+ is that it contains Maltodextrin, a type of artificial sweetener in replacement for sugar. It has high glycemic index than sugar and can cause a blood sugar spike and further complications in diabetics.
I think for diabetics, it’s best to go with the Lite flavour of Horlicks as it has no added sugar. Although it contains Acesulfame potassium, an artificial sweetener, it is safe for diabetics.
For immune system
For the immune system, it is better to go with Horlicks. It has higher levels of nutrients like Vitamin C, D, Selenium, and Zinc which play a crucial role in the growth and function of immune cells.
For strong bones
“Get strong bones” is what both Bournvita and Horlicks have claimed for many years. To get strong bones, the most crucial nutrients you need are calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium.
Horlicks seem to be better for your bone health as it has 600% more calcium and 30% more vitamin D than Bournvita. Also, Bournvita does not have magnesium in its nutrition profile, while Horlicks does.
For strong muscles
Just as your bones need calcium and vitamin D to stay strong, your muscles need protein. Protein helps repair and maintain your muscle tissue.
If your goal is to build muscles, Horlicks is a better choice as it has more protein content per serving. Additionally, Horlicks comes with a specific flavour, Horlicks protein+, specially designed for people looking for a high-protein drink.
For taller
Well, I am decidedly against the claims of these supplements that they make you taller. I have emptied many bottles of Bournvita, Horlicks, and Boost in my childhood to get taller, but none of them helped me grow. Not a little bit.
This may be because, while nutrients are important for growth, one’s height is primarily determined by genetics. Even studies suggest that up to 80% of the variation in height is genetic.
Therefore, I think these “get taller” claims are false for both brands.
For brain
Bournvita and Horlicks are both good for brain development. They are packed with essential nutrients such as Iron, Iodine, Zinc, Folate, and Choline, which are crucial for cognitive function.
In addition, Bournvita Kids and Mother Horlicks also contain omega-3 fatty acids that play a crucial role in brain development.
However, if I had to choose one, I would go with the Mother Horlicks because of its no sugar content and high levels of minerals.
For flavours
When it comes to food, Different people have their unique tastes and preferences. Therefore, it has become important for brands to diversify their food products into different flavours.
While Bournvita is available mostly in 4-5 flavours, Horlicks provides more than 10 flavours that cater to a wide range of customer needs such as mothers, women, diabetes, and adults. This makes Horlicks more responsive to customer preferences.
Bournvita vs Horlicks: Price difference
Bournvita is available in 7 sizes 75g, 200g, 400g, 500g, 750g, 1kg and 2kg. At the same time, Horlicks is available in 8 sizes 200g, 400g, 450g, 500g, 750g, 900g, 1kg and 2kg.
If we compare prices, Bournvita appears to be more price friendly.
The 500g box of Bournvita on amazon costs around 200 Rs (excluding shipping), while the same amount of Horlicks box costs around 250 Rs, which is a significant difference.
It is important to keep in mind that the prices of both nutrition drinks fluctuate. But if you purchase any time, Bournvita will always be lower-priced than Horlicks.
Conclusion: Which one is a better health drink?
After taking into consideration all the aforementioned factors, Horlicks may be at a higher price point but it is a better health drink compared to Bournvita for several reasons, such as:
- It has high protein content
- Low amount of empty calories
- Low amount of sugar and also comes with no added sugar flavours
- High amount and number of minerals
- Better choice for muscle building
- Better for weight gain
- Ideal choice for kids
- Cover a wide range of customer needs
Keep in mind that health drinks and supplements should not be your only source of nutrition. A healthy diet is essential.
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