The Facts about MonaVie…
If your email inbox or surfing habits are anything like mine, you have undoubtedly seen online testimonials or received emails that quoted something similar to the following:
“I have lupus, and for anyone who knows about it, it leaves me very tired and sleepy even after 8 or 9 hours of sleep. Also joint pain in a bad way. I drank MonaVie for four days and woke on day 5 and haven’t been [sleepy] yet. My family says I even talk faster. I have no pain, and have more energy than I have had in years. I love it it is the greatest thing next to Christ that I’ve experienced in my life. No more pain meds for me. YEAH!!!” — Susan
But what is this MonaVie stuff, anyway?
According to the official MonaVie website, they are purveyors of a juice blend that contains white grape, pear, acerola, pear puree, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry, camu camu, wolfberry, pomegranate, lychee fruit, açaí, and palm nut oil. While MonaVie will not disclose the percentage of açaí in their products, they tout them as premier açaí blends — under the implication that a large percentage of the juice blends is açaí.
Ever seen an açaí berry? Neither had I. The berries are produced by a palm tree known scientifically as Euterpe oleracea, common along Brazil’s Amazon River; almost all the açaí palms grow wild in deforested floodplains. When ripe, the berries are dark purple, about the size of a blueberry, and contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed. During the dry season when the fruit is plentiful, hundreds of men lug woven baskets filled with the shiny fruit plucked from the 80-foot-high palm trees that line the river. Demand is high for the staple of native Amazon cuisine, virtually unknown globally until 15 years ago when a pair of Californians recognized the economic potential of the regionally popular berry.
The Science
Along with the moniker as a “super food”, açaí berries are highly regarded for their amounts of antioxidants. A 2006 Brazilian study of antioxidants in the most commonly consumed fruits in Southern Brazil (mulberry, grapes, açaí, guava, strawberry, acerola, pineapple, mango, graviola, cupuaçu, and passion fruit) concluded that the highest levels of Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were found in acerola (53.2 μmolg-1 (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram)), mango (12.9), strawberry (9.2), grapes (7.0), and açaí (6.9). A similar 2004 study by the USDA among fruits common to the United States indicated total (lipophilic and hydrophilic) oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) of cranberries (94.56 μmolg-1 (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram)), wild blueberries (92.60), plums (62.39), and blackberries (53.48). An article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported the ORAC of freeze-dried fruit pulp and skin powder of açaí berries as 1027 μmolg-1 (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram), the same value used in marketing by MonaVie. While the studies used different assays (TEAC vs. ORAC), the measurements are 98% correlated in the above antioxidant studies due to the high capacity values (above 8 μmol/L (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per Liter)), after taking the length of the inhibition time into account.
What this means to the average non-scientist is that eating six to eight large strawberries (about 1/4 pound) or a few mango slices (about 1/6 pound) results in the same antioxidant potential as a one-gram pill of pure, concentrated, freeze-dried açaí berries or 1/3 pound of fresh açaí berries. Modern processes have been able to concentrate antioxidants per gram from açaí berries to the highest level of all fruits, but whole açaí berries are much farther down the scale than other readily available fresh fruits. With a vast number of juices and supplements competing for consumers’ money, it makes good business sense to tout ingredients with the highest measurable numbers — thus the trend towards using freeze-dried açaí berries instead of purees and pulps; the number 1027 sounds a whole lot better than 6.9.
Are açaí berries a good source of antioxidants? Yes. But if it’s only the amount of antioxidants you care about, the same USDA study points to other non-fruit sources of antioxidants such as pecans (179.4 μmolg-1, or about 1/2 a nut to compare to the one-gram açaí pill), dried oregano leaf (2001.29, or about half a leaf), and cinnamon (2675.36, or 1/10th of a teaspoon). At the top end of the scale, a single drop of clove essential oil has an ORAC score of 10,786,875 μmol/L, the same amount of Trolox-equivalent antioxidants as in several spoonfuls of freeze-dried açaí berry powder.
The Marketing
MonaVie relies on the antioxidant powers of the açaí berry to market its products, but relies on its prolific multi-level-marketing (MLM) distribution channel to do the actual selling. Customers who use Monavie are encouraged to become independent distributors of the Monavie products by purchasing the right to resell for an initial $39 (annual membership renewal is $20 thereafter). Distributors try to bring in more distributors and get a percentage of every sale made by the downline distributors they recruited.
While the Monavie compensation plan is complicated, the general idea is that if you can bring in a network of people to sell juices, and they sell to their friends, and their friends sell to their friends, you will make money. The plan guarantees (in small print) that 50% of the total volume of purchases will be paid to its pool of distributors, and as long as you purchase $100 (or $200 for those deeper into the payment structure) of product per month, you’ll get a share of the proceeds. Obviously, the distributors on the highest branches of the tree earn significantly more than those at the bottom, and the majority of distributors do not make enough money to compensate for their monthly required personal purchase.
As such, with all that money floating around, there are a few disreputable and greedy distributors making illegal claims as to the benefits of MonaVie. Many of them tout the juice as a factor in curing everything from “inherited auto-immune disorders” to “joint pain and headaches”. Consider the following quote recently left by a MonaVie distributor on another blog:
“The crown jewel of this drink [is] the Acai berry… The Brazilian people have very little disease and certainly no cancer. They are very close to the equator and the people there although are very tanned are not suffereing [sic] from skin cancer and also do not have tons of wrinkles.” — Iris
In a misguided effort to convince consumers to purchase MonaVie, this distributor claims that açaí berries (thus, the MonaVie juice that she sells) prevents cancer and cures most diseases. Thanks to the proliferation of technology that allows anyone to have their own websites and shoot their own videos, many other MonaVie distributors make similar claims, citing benefits ranging from helping remove plantar warts to curing a dog’s arthritis.
The FDA has clamped down on unsupported claims made in the marketing of similar fruit juice blends. The official MonaVie website states that “it is not the purpose of a natural product like MonaVie to treat, cure, or prevent disease”, and sellers who make false claims are reportedly removed from the company’s compensation plan. Jeff Graham, managing director of product development for MonaVie, says, “We want to be around for a long time, and the best way to be around for a long time is to make the appropriate and well-defined and approved claims you can make for fruit-based products, which are really very few.”
The problem is that while MonaVie makes no claims to consumers of health benefits, nor does it allow distributors to make such claims, nothing prevents MonaVie from attempting to convince its own distributors of those benefits, nor does it prevent distributors from “educating” their recruits. Official training materials endorsed and presented by MonaVie’s Jeff Graham contain a slide that discuss decreased incidences of non-melanoma skin cancers in the Northern regions of Brazil as compared to the Southern regions. The same slide has a tiny footnote that reads “Acai grows and is consumed in high amounts in the Northern part of Brazil” — and distributors are left with a compelling but deceptive inference which they unwittingly propagate.
Personal Trial
Wanting to give MonaVie every chance to succeed or fail on its own merits, I purchased a case of four 750ml bottles of MonaVie Active off eBay for $97.50 (shipping and handling included) — a happy medium between the retail price of $45 per bottle and the distributor price which runs from $20 to $29 per bottle (plus shipping), depending on sales volume and marketing incentives. I later found out (during the research phase) that, per their US Policies & Procedures, MonaVie expressly prohibits sales of their products through infomercials, television, radio, or on any website where an auction is the mode of selling. Oops! I certainly did not intend to support someone who was intentionally violating the company’s established rules. However, if I’d relied instead on the spam emails in my in-box, I would have paid $135.15 for the same case.
I cracked open a bottle the day after receiving it from UPS, having let it cool overnight in the refrigerator. The general consensus online is to drink between one ounce (two tablespoons) and two ounces (1/4 cup) per serving, once in the morning and again at night. After vigorously shaking the bottle, I poured myself a bit extra on this first tasting (three ounces) in order to better describe the first experience. Once I untwisted the cap of the bottle that resembled one from a fine wine (and being somewhat relieved upon not finding a cork that needed to be extracted), I took a whiff.
The first thoughts that came to mind were of a tropical-blend-flavored cough medicine; I was unable to identify any specific ingredients by smell, but the contents were both fruity and medicinal at the same time. Once poured, visually it resembled a mildly thickened, opaque red wine with a moderate amount of sediment. The first taste hit me with a mildly acidic tang. Again, unable to positively identify specific components, my mind flashed on a few possible matches, including grape, blueberry and pomegranate — all ingredients within the blend. Not sweet and slightly sour, MonaVie is drinkable, if you can put aside the medicinal stigma.
Two weeks (and two bottles) later, I had mostly acclimated to the tangy tincture. Nighttime consumption tended to give me gas and heartburn, so I switched to drinking MonaVie in the mornings only, four ounces at a time. Since I started taking MonaVie, my bowels had been looser than normal, a condition reported by many other consumers of the blend.
At three weeks and three bottles, I’ve actually started liking the juice blend. I tried switching back to the recommended twice-daily dose, rather than just a morning dispatch, however the nighttime heartburn returned. Back again to once a day, and the heartburn disappeared.
A month into the trial, the case was gone. There was no positive difference in my overall health attributable to consumption of the juice — my energy levels had not increased, I was not sleeping any better, the few patches of dry skin I had were still dry, my bouts of back and neck pain had not lessened, daily doses of medication had not changed, and my sinuses were no clearer than usual. The introduction of loose bowels was still an issue.
Conclusions
MonaVie is drinkable, but I don’t like it enough to continue buying the product. However, I kind of miss the morning ritual. I believe I’ve given the juice a fair trial, but it has not done anything extraordinary for me. MonaVie is simply a blend of juices. Do not rely on health claims for any product unless the statement is approved by the FDA. Drink it because you like it, not because you (or your friend who wants to sell you the juice) are convinced it will cure anything.
Exercise common sense. After all, as the ubiquitous they often say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Very good article. So good in fact that I will include references to same for my fellow distributors.
MonaVie is a fruit juice that tastes great and is but one of the powerful weapons in my arsenal of healthy options.
Best to ya
Well, LibertysLegacy, that’s a bit confusing.
How are you reconciling “one of the powerful weapons in my arsenal of healthy options” with Richard’s conclusion that “MonaVie is simply a blend of juices. Do not rely on health claims for any product unless the statement is approved by the FDA. Drink it because you like it, not because you (or your friend who wants to sell you the juice) are convinced it will cure anything.”?
Didja actually read the whole thing?
So then the Utah Jazz, Detroit Red Wings, Arnold Palmer, Bo Van Pelt, many other active professionals (athletes), unofficially a recent ex-President of the United States, not to mention numerous health professionals looking out for their patients’ best interests - they are all full of doggy-doo? But we should listen to you, who are credible by what means? Let me guess - you are a representative of the drug industry, who gains to lose much when people realize how they have been raped for decades, and brainwashed that they need drugs rather than nature? Or a spokesman for the fast food industry who dreads the fact customers will actually move away and eat properly?
@John: I’m making the assumption that you disagree with something I wrote, but am left with the mystery of what precisely that is. Please clarify. I don’t doubt that the people you mentioned are potential consumers of the product. However, if they are making written, unproven, unscientific, and unsubstantiated health claims about the benefits of the juice, then, yes, I’d say they are full of doggy-doo.
In evaluating credibility, a person makes an assessment of both trustworthiness and expertise to arrive at an overall credibility assessment. What makes me credible is that I am well intentioned, truthful, and unbiased (having no interest whatsoever in any health-, drug-, or food-related industry) and therefore my opinion can be considered trustworthy. Second, I have gained expertise in the subject by conducting several months of evaluation of many scientific studies in addition to taking into account the plethora of health claims made by nonscientific personnel, not to mention conducting my own experiment with no pre-formed conclusions. I presented the facts without emotion or prejudice, competently leveraging my vast experience and my newly acquired knowledge of the industry — thereby ultimately establishing my expertise.
By definition, I am credible. How about you?
John Jones: “…not to mention numerous health professionals…”
So why not mention them by name? Claiming support from anonymous folks, Mr. “Jones”, doesn’t bolster your argument. It actually makes it look suspicious.
“unofficially a recent ex-President of the United States”?? If MonaVie is so great why won’t these fans provide their names?
hi richard,
i recently came across your site and have read some of your things. i wanted to know if i could ask you a few questions. when you have time, could you send me an email please? thanks. great sites by the way!
@Sean: John is apparently referring to the fact that someone gave Bill Clinton bottles of the drink at a party. However, the fact that Bill was given the bottles does not mean he drank them, enjoys the juice, has received any health benefits, or endorses the product in any way.
“John is apparently referring to the fact that someone gave Bill Clinton bottles of the drink at a party”
Which further demonstrates “John”’s complete lack of credibility. His question “But we should listen to you, who are credible by what means?” is one he should certainly direct at himself.
One month is NOT a true test for something that is all natural. I always tell my potential customers to give Mona Vie 90 days. After a 3 month trial you would be able to make an educated decision about the product. We have more than enough BIG names drinking this product. Mona Vie is NOT for everybody, but everyone NEEDS to hear about it then they can make there own minds up. Just to name a few famous people drinking the product.
Jonathon Papelbon- Pitcher Boston Red Sox
Deron Cherry- NFL Kansas City Chiefs
Joe-Max Moore- Olympic Soccer Player
Marc Frank Montoya- Pro-Snowboarder
Tom DiPace- Sports Photographer
Grant Hill- NBA Phoenix Suns
Tiger Woods- Pro Golfer
Bo Van Pelt- Pro Golfer
Raimi Merritt - 2006 World Wakeboarding Champion
Paula Creamer- LPGA Pro Golfer
Geoff Bodine - Nascar Driver Truck Series
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson- Former Pro-Wrestler/Actor
Sumner Redstone- CEO of Viacom (Paramount, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS, BET)
Some of these guys even have their own Mona Vie websites.
People with a positive experience with Mona Vie, including myself, are going to keep buying the juice. It’s nice to see that when you eat your servings of fruit everyday, your body responds in a positive way!!! Remember the FDA has raised the fruit intake to 7-9 fruits per/day. Roughly 4oz of Mona Vie per day you are getting that fruit intake that your body NEEDS!!!! This is 19 fruits in a bottle that have been certified organic. You can’t find that in a grocery store at the same cost and nutritional content.
Seems like a never-ending cycle. I have seen many objective trial participants criticized for having only tried MonaVie for a week — which is why I decided to go for a full month, and even that doesn’t satisfy the critics! If someone wants to provide me with a 90-day supply, I will gladly objectively extend the study.
I have not found documentation from MonaVie that indicates how many fruit servings that the recommended 4 ounces supplies, although I have seen much speculation and many statements from distributors touting anywhere from four to ten servings, all of which seem suspect.
Also, please check your facts. For example, according to MonaVie, the wolfberry contained within their products is harvested in China, and the Chinese government does not have an organic certification process, therefore MonaVie has not been certified organic — not even in Miami, Curtis!
You are right about the wolfberry. Although The acai used by MonaVie is certified organic through The Institute for Marketecology (IMO). In addition to the acerola, camu camu, and bilberry are also certified organic. The blend consists of a total of 19 fruits and unfortunately it is not possible to organically certify all of the fruits in MonaVie and thus the finished product. For example, MonaVie’s wolfberry is harvested in China, and the Chinese government does not have a recognized organic certification process.
However, to ensure safety the finished MonaVie products are regularly tested for dozens of pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides by an independent, third-party analytical laboratory. Each test performed has repeatedly found the products to be free of any of these potentially harmful substances. This added step in MonaVie’s quality control process ensures our consumers are getting a safe, pure, and high-quality product.
The fruit of primary interest in the MonaVie blend is the acai berry. It provides a significant portion of nutrients, which adds to the product’s overall nutritional profile and content. The actual amount of acai we use in the MonaVie blend is proprietary, but it is by far the most abundant fruit in the blend.
MonaVie uses a combination of both freeze-dried acai and acai puree.
So I do have the facts. I can send you tons of info on this AMAZING PRODUCT!!!
Why would someone have to pay your way with Mona Vie? Why would you not do the 3 month test and then see how you feel? I tell you what I will send a bottle to someone you know and let them try it for free. They may have better results.
I agree that MonaVie is a high-quality juice blend. Based on the lack of any scientific or empirical evidence, I have to disagree that it provides any major health benefits beyond the basic benefits of increasing one’s dietary intake of fruit.
I’d be happy to take you up on that offer of sending a bottle to someone I know, but by your own admission you’d have to send a dozen bottles to cover the recommended 90-day period. If one bottle would make a positive difference, the four I consumed should have had an even more positive impact. If you are still willing, I will gladly record and publish their objective observations.
(For more information supplied by MonaVie, read their Black Diamond training website.)
@Curtis: Whether or not you are officially speaking for MonaVie, please consider using your real name instead when leaving comments here. Anonymity does not lend credibility.
OK, Lets try it. Send me someone you know their name and address. I would like this person to keep an open mind about trying this product. If they are going into this test with a negative attitude then it will be a waste of time for you and me. I will send them a bottle and see what kind of results we get. I’m not a spokesperson or officially speaking for MonaVie. I’m just talking about what I have learned and personal testimonies that I know. I know people that this product made a difference in their life the first day. My mother is one, after drinking Mona Vie back in June of 06, the product helped her so much she is still drinking it TODAY!!! Thats just one of the many testimonies I know. You can’t judge your health the same as someone else. We are all made different, what works for you may not work the same for me and vice-versa. All I ask is for honest answers from your observation. Mona Vie is not for everyone I know this. My family tried another juice product and did not get the results from it like we did with Mona Vie.
I fill that its up to the individual to make the decision on whether to try Mona Vie or not. You should encourage people to try it and make their own minds up, not to take your word for it. This product may be an answer to prayer for someone.
I NEVER MAKE ANY PROMISES ON THE PRODUCT OR WHAT IT WILL OR WILL NOT DO. Thats why you drink it and see what the outcome is. Your body will not lie!!!
Great! I’m checking with someone. As soon as I hear back from them and receive their permission, I’ll pass their contact information on to you. In response to:
…I have done nothing but provide honest and objective observations and will continue to do the same. The most major issue I see with MonaVie and similar products is the hyped-up marketing. I will continue to object and respond to statements like
even if they are followed up with disclaimers. MonaVie is a quality juice. Nothing more until empirically proven otherwise. Certainly not an answer to anyone’s prayers.
Based on an email received from Richard, I assume I’m the “someone he knows”. I’ll be willing to try Monavie for up to 90 days (based on how much you are willing to supply me at no expense on my part) and provide my unbiased observations.
In my professional life I am a Quality Assurance Manager and make my living testing an analyzing products. I could certainly give Monavie a fair and impartial evaluation.
@Sean: FYI, Curtis has promised only to provide a single bottle for trial.
Well, hardly seems like a sufficient trial to draw any firm conclusions, but if he sends the bottle I’ll certainly give it a fair trial.
On the plus side, at least I won’t have to put off those New Year resolutions for long. Like most folks at this time of year I promise to start eating better and exercising more. If I was on a multi-bottle Monavie trial I’d have to not change my current habits. Can’t add to many variables to the mix if you want to see what effect a single one would have. (See, folks. All part of having an impartial and controlled trial.)
I’m just wondering if you have any health issues. You don’t have to tell us what they are but would like to know if you do have any. After drinking MonaVie for three weeks, let us know if your health issues have changed.
I’m willing to send two bottles of MonaVie so he can drink it for three weeks. I’m a believer in MonaVie. Here’s my story. I started drinking Monavie on Dec. 8 and within three days the pain in my left knee was gone. The pain does come back after a hard day at the gym but all I do is up my dosage of MonaVie (four ounces within two hours) and the pain again subsides. I also sleep much better and definitely have a lot more energy. I’ve drank other nutritional drinks but have never felt what I feel with MonaVie. All you have to do is give MonaVie a chance. Everybody’s body is different.
Thanks, Christine.
OK, if Curtis sends the bottle he offered and Christine sends two, that makes for a three week trial (I’m assuming at the recommended dosage you go thru a bottle a week). Any other supporters of/believers in Monavie who want to contribute a bottle or two to the cause so we can get to the 3 month (~13 week) trial that Mona Vie. AKA Curtis said would be needed to to make an educated decision about the product?
LibertysLegacy? John Jones? Any of the other commenters here who have sung the praises of Monavie willing to donate to the cause?
As Christine’s question: No, I don’t have any ailments, persistent aches or any other specific difficulties that I would be look to Monavie to help resolve. However, while and after taking Monavie I would be reporting on any changes I notice including any general improvement in my energy level, sense of well-being, etc.
Hello all, Happy New Year!! 2008 is going to be a great year for Mona Vie.
We are launching this month in Brazil where the Acai Berry was found.
OK, I have sent Sean an email to get this going. I will be sending his bottle out shortly with brochures. Richard, your comment “Certainly not an answer to anyone’s prayers” You really should not speak for others. Ask Christine if Mona Vie is an answer for her. Is Mona Vie something she is really happy to have come across. I have seen and talked to a lot of people that has made the statement “This is a gift from GOD” I’m not telling them to say that. Thats what they tell me after trying the product. So this can be an answer to someone who is looking for Better Health or both Health and Wealth. I hope to see a return on my investment with Sean!!! You never know who is looking for something better in life. Thats why I talk to everyone about this product because of my personal experiences from others. So we will see what happens. Talk to you soon!!
Looking forward to the results…
Bottle # 1 has arrived. Bottles 2 and 3 should be here shortly. Once I’ve got all three I’ll start.
Bottle #3 has arrived. Will start tomorrow morning and report initial impressions/observations tomorrow and additional comments at conclusion of each week. Assuming it goes at rate it went for Richard, one week will equal on bottle, so that works out nicely.
Hey Sean,
Start with 3ozs twice a day for that first bottle to get into your system. Then you can drop down to 2ozs. Get it cold and then shake the bottle before you open it. Remember this is a food product so you can drink as much or as little as you want. To your Health!!!
Thanks, Curtis. A couple distracting things came up at home and I just plain forgot to start. Will start for sure tomorrow.
Initial impression: Smelled fruity, couldn’t identify any particular taste other than perhaps “grape-ish” (but then I’m not familiar with the taste of several of the fruits included). Thicker than I expected and despite shaking as instructed surprised by amount of sediment left in glass. Taste seemed fleeting, which was a surprise given the juice seemed thicker than the usual apple, orange and Snapple juices that typically comprise my fruit juice intake. Overall, not so tasty that I wanted to have more right away but not bothersome at all.
I drank Monavie for a while, even becoming a distributor with folks signed up under me. It seemed to help my insomnia and so was worth the money, till money got tight. With shipping, it was about $150 a case of 4 for me as a distributor. Quite expensive compared to $80 a case plus shipping which I got off Ebay till Monavie stopped that…
I no longer buy it, and most of the people under me and above me have dropped out simply because it was very costly and hard to make any commissions on a regular basis. I would still like to drink it, if I could buy it for $80 a case, I would, but $150 a case is too high.
I said I’d post about each week or so as I finished each bottle. For the first bottle, as suggested, I drank 2 oz each morning and evening. For the second bottle I’m finding it more convenient to go with the alternate suggestion of 3 oz each morning. (The evening dose was easier to forget and I had a few occasions of having to trek from my nice, warm bed back down to the kitchen.)
I’m still finding the taste a bit tart and “overly fruity” for my palate. I tried to identify just which fruits I seemed to be tasting (not unlike we’ve done on all those wine trips my wife has taken me on) and initially nothing in particular stood out. Not too surprising, perhaps, given that many of the fruits blended in the drink I have never tasted before (a few I’d never even heard of before), although there was a sense of almost knowing what I thought it tasted like. Sort of the feeling you get when you see an actor in a small role and just know you’ve seen them before in something else but can’t quite figure out where.
After a few days I realized the strongest impression was raspberries which, a quick re-check of the label revealed, is NOT one of the ingredients listed. Surprisingly, “Contains shellfish from shrimp” is, which I hadn’t noticed mentioned anywhere in this discussion earlier. Glad I don’t share my brother’s allergy to the little critters as that would have been a rude surprise…
Kathy, do you buy coffee at Starbucks or any other coffee place? Think about what you’re spending your money on if you continue to buy MonaVie- Isn’t your health worth $150 a month if it is going to give you the nutrition your body needs?
YES!!!
4 dollars a day is what Mona Vie cost. It’s worth it to me!!!!
How much is your health worth? Monavie is an investment in your body’s future.
If you ever did get seriously ill, do you know how much that would cost?
For a few dollars a day, Monavie is my health insurance policy of choice.
Sean, How do you like the juice?
@Curtis: I posted some initial impressions earlier, but Richard’s been busy fending off an attack on his blog and getting things back in shape so my comments got held up in the comment queue for a bit. Richard’s had a chance to release them and they’re visible now, as comments #26 and #28.
I’m just finishing up the final bottle this weekend, so I’ll post a longer summary in a day or so.
ok thats great!!!
Yeah the Glucosamine came from the shell of the shellfish. Mona Vie has found a plant form Glucosamine and they are changing from the shellfish to the plant form. So if your brother wanted to try it, he would be able to with no worries… Mona Vie has made this product to where everyone can drink it if they choose too… People should try this and make up their own minds about it. Don’t rely on other peoples opinion, try it and get the facts yourself.
Looking forward to your summary. Now be fair… LOL LOL LOL
You people are compete idiots. Unbeleivable. Deperate loosers…drink up!
@Bob: Which people? The objective observers? The advocates? The nay-sayers? Or the people that leave misspelled, insulting, and unhelpful rantings? I agree! Bob, you are an idiot, a complete, unbelievable, and desperate loser. But, hey, at least you spelled your name correctly! (What exactly do you do at B. Riley? Praying for the company’s success that you’re not a research analyst.)
Hey Sean, are you drinking your MonaVie consistently. If you aren’t, then you’ve just defeated the purpose. Waiting to hear more from you. Would you also please comment on the following youtube video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-RE-jvWd8s&feature=related
Yes this is a great video to watch… Dr. Lou explains why we need to drink Mona Vie and how it works in your body…
Great job Christine on posting this!!!
I think Mona Vie is a wonderful product and has helped many, but I still was very exhausted when I took it very diligently. I searched for another product and I wanted clinical studies on people and a product without preservatives. I found it and it is actually now rated the #1 nutritional beverage (not Mona Vie). Also, there has been taste tests and everyone thinks this is the yummiest. And this one has a 100% money back guarantee. Try goyincareer.com
OK, WAY overdue on my report on Monavie and for that I apologize. Curtis and Christine were kind enough to supply the bottles without delay and I do feel bad that I’ve been so remiss in getting this down. I’ll spare the details of the whys and wherefores of life which caused the delay and simply humbly apologize.
That said…
I received 3 bottles of Monavie. For the first bottle I drank the suggested 2 oz each morning at breakfast and each evening. It wasn’t specified that the drink be evenly spaced at about 12 hours apart, so I didn’t aim to do that. Given my usual routine I had the morning shot around 8am and the evening drink somewhere between 10 and 11 pm. After the first bottle I found it more convenient to go with the alternate suggestion of 3 oz once a day since, not normally consuming anything as the evening wears down, it was easier to forget and a couple of times I had to hop back out of my warm, toasty bed to made sure that I had an evening dose. So the second and third bottles tended to last a bit longer since I wasn’t consuming as much each day.
A side note on the amount drunk: Using a graduated measure I carefully measured 2 and 3 oz the first time I drank that particular amount. After that, I filled the glass to approximately the same point, erring on going a bit past it. So I can’t swear to how much I drank at each point, but it was always at least the suggested amount if not a bit more.
Initial impression was that the drink was very fruity but a bit tart for my preferred taste. I couldn’t identify any particular fruit (as noted before that isn’t altogether surprising as many of the fruits contained in the drink I’ve never had before) but something did seem vaguely familiar but not quite identifiable. On the tip of my tongue, as it were. It took several days for me to decide it was raspberry-ish, although certainly that wasn’t the only flavor. Just the one that I could put a name to. In any event, it doesn’t have a taste that I’d eagerly re-order if I found it at my local Jamba Juice but there certainly wasn’t anything unpleasant about it. It’s a nice fruity drink. Fair enough.
I was surprised how much sediment remained in my glass, despite my shaking it very well.
As I stated upfront, I don’t have any ailments, persistent aches or any other specific difficulties that I would be look to Monavie to help resolve. I do tend to get 6 or fewer hours sleep each night and, while this seems to be my natural cycle and hasn’t caused any noticeable tiredness thru the day other than an occasional slight mid-afternoon decrease that occurs on those days when I’ve been sitting at my desk for about 3 hours, I was curious as to whether my overall energy level would improve at all during the time of the Monavie trial.
During the trial I kept all of my other habits (what/when I tended to eat, how much exercise I did/didn’t get, etc.) as consistent as possible so that any change could be attributed to Monavie. And… as near as I can tell however, nothing changed.
My weight continued to fluctuate around the same 2-3 pound range. My daily energy levels continued as they have been with that mid afternoon dip remained on the days that I was desk-bound. I didn’t have any particular or general increased sense of well being and, to be honest, I kinda expected I would. Nothing major, but I was partaking of an activity that might provide a benefit. And I usually find when I do that sort of thing or when I start on a project (the more careful eating several months ago that dropped my weight 12 pounds, actually getting around to painting that room we’ve been talking about getting to for over a year) I get a certain lift. A sense of moving in a better direction or of accomplishing something which I didn’t find this time.
Overall, I can say Monavie is tasty and pleasant and a different taste that I’ve had before. But I didn’t notice that I derived any benefit from it in either my physical or mental state.
Christine -
Yes, except for the dropping from 2×2 oz to 3×1 oz each day, I did drink the Monavie every day without fail.
I checked out the video you link to but didn’t watch all of the following parts. it seemed the Dr was making some of the same points I’ve seen made elsewhere. Antioxidants are good for you and Monavie contains them.
Sean,
Thanks for trying the product. It really is life changing for some people like my mother and uncle. Like I said before Mona Vie is something everyone needs to try for themselves, don’t rely on someone else’s experience to determine what you do. I’m in it for life because of my experience with my family as are many others that has tried it. Mona Vie is going to be a Billion dollar company this year and we just started our 3rd year so this juice must be doing something if we all keep buying it… For anyone that is curious check out http://www.mymonaviemiracle.com for some personal testimonies on what the product has done for people.
Thanks again to Sean and Richard for trying Mona Vie… Catch you guys on the flip side!!!!
Words to live by.
Curtis, thanks for trying out MonaVie. That’s all we ask people to do. And to those whose lives have changed because of MonaVie, more power to all of us.
We’ll all be dead before the FDA approves anything other products from the pharmaceutical companies that they are in partnership with. The FDA does not want us to be healthy, the pharmaceuticals and the government do not want us to be healthy.
To be fair I think you should realize the product did not come directly from the company. This product has a shelf life and you may have gotten product that was more than a year old or had been allowed to get hot or freeze. Your reaction to it sounds like it may have been aged. I sure wish you could give a testimonial based on product that the company sends and not someone trying to unload product. I hope you did it on an empty stomach too. Fruit on top of food isn’t good. Monavie has made important changes in my life. And I only get my product from the company. Thanks Monavie!
Sean, I noticed you said a lot of sediment remained in the glass. This is a fiber drink. I hope you added water and got it all. That sediment is part of the wholeness. This is a synergistic whole food. The acai seed is included too. None of it is meant to be discarded.
I consumed it as instructed by the folks who sent it to me. I took the described dosages at the required times.
I find it very interesting, now that Richard and I have both tried it and found no particular benefit (nothing particularly detrimental either, but no real benefit), that folks (Christine excepted) are suggesting
- maybe the product was deficient in some way
- maybe you didn’t get all the nutrients because you didn’t drink the sediment
I believe Richard and I both entered into our trials of Monavie with open minds and willingness to believe it might have a benefit. Why are proponents not willing to be equally open minded and accept that, at least, it might not have benefits for everyone?
Sean, food has benefits for everyone. Maybe you are young enough that degeneration hasn’t shown up yet. The key to a product like this is the minerals. The palm tree digs deep for minerals. As we age we become more depleted. Another key is the pigments. I’ve always said eat colorful foods. I am opened minded to the fact that you don’t experience any benefit from Monavie. But it is also true that food does have benefits for everyone.
Nancy, for the record I’m 45 and signs of degeneration have started to make themselves known.
As for the benefits of food, are you sure about that? I’ve heard we’d all be better off if we stopped eating any.
I was a monavie distributor for a while; I guess my problem was that Im just not the kind of person who likes to harass everyone I meet about trying to sign them up for something… but I can tell you this; as someone who broke his back and dislocated a shoulder years ago, suffers some arthritis from a bout with lymes disease… the active version with the glucosomine and all the other nutrients seemed to help my aches and pains during the year that I have been drinking it; gave me a lift when I was stressed and made me FEEL a whole lot better.. now… thats not scientific.. and some might say it was psychosomatic… but it works for me! LOVE the stuff, though I don’t sell it anymore. Tastes great…
Hey Stephen, Why did you stop being a Distributor if the product helped you so much?
“I guess my problem was that Im just not the kind of person who likes to harass everyone I meet about trying to sign them up for something…”
I tried a sip shot glass of Mona Vie Active. I almost threw up. It tasted very rancid. I told my friend, there is no way this juice could taste so foul. I asked him if it were possible it was a bad batch, and he told me it was a brand new bottle. I’ve really got to try it one more time, because I can’t fathom how bad it tasted.
@Douglas: I might have believed that had you not included a referring URL to your website where you sell Zrii’s Amalaki, a competing juice. Contact me to arrange sending me a month’s worth of the product and I’ll be happy to review it just as objectively. In the meantime, I’ve removed your link.
I found a Foxnews report on this MonaVie drink:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SNTX8xVlw
I’m in the process of finishing my first bottle. I’m thinking about doing the distributor thing (already know someone I will sign up under if I do), but I am still undecided and trying to learn more about this product first. I know for sure about the Acai berry and I’ve done my research on that. I’m well aware Acai is a very powerful fruit, including the Wolfberry (also known as Goji) berry - which is another high antioxidant fruit. I have to admit, my only issue is the amount of Acai in each bottle. I kind of wish the company will disclose how much of Acai people are getting in each bottle. The reality is, some people are buying that product because of the Acai ingredient.
I do agree with someone who wrote a comment above that people’s bodies are different. One may be able to feel a difference in their body, and someone else may not. I do think, however, that it would have been more effective to give a complimentary free bottle(s) to someone who actually had some health issues. That way, we will be doing our own live study on this board as to whether this drink really does help people with certain ailments, and the person with ailments can come back with updates. Just my humble opinion…
Josephine,
Yes I agree, I place bottles with prospects for free to let the product sell itself… Cause I know if this product helps you then your going to want more of it. I have seen this product work as fast as 30 minutes and take as long as 6 weeks to help someone. We have to remember that we did not get with our current health status overnight. Its been years of eating fast food and frozen dinners. Mona Vie puts the nutrition back into our diet. 4ozs of Mona Vie = 13 servings of fruit. An update for everyone, I saw a TV ad for V8, V8 claims that you drink 8ozs and that would give you your 2 servings of vegetables.?.? 8oz of V8 = 2 servings of veggies?!?! What would you rather drink??? Mona Vie for Me!!!
Acai fruit makes up about 35% of the bottle. its the main fruit. Acai is considered the crown jewel of Mona Vie!!! But it also has to do with the way we process the fruit. We use a Patented Flash Freeze Process that locks in around 98% of the nutritional value. Other companies has to use either a spray dry freeze or an air dry freeze they do not have access to our system, which gives them 30% or less. From a distributor stand point, I have been with Mona Vie since June 20,2006 and I am Mona Vie for Life!!!! I hope you will join us…
This stuff has changed my life!!
SO I cannot resist contributing to this discussion, although my two cents may have been offered late. I have a friend who is a distributor and is actively trying to recruit everyone around her. I am a sceptic. I’ve done as much research as I can to both sides of the arguement and my conclusion is this; those who seemingly have notable health improvements are either people who do not have a healthy diet to begin with or people (namely athletes) who would have the same benefit/reaction to adding glucosamine/chondrotine/MSM to their diets. I work in a veterinary medical profession. Animals are not suseptible to placibo effects. Working animals and elderly animals have a notable improvement when given such supplimentation. I think Mona Vie is a way of adding fruits and glucosamine into your diet and that is all. I think people who eat plently of fresh fruits and veggies will not see significant improvements over their health when adding Mona Vie. I cannot find ANY research stating or verifying that 4 oz of Mona Vie is equal to 10 servings of fruits. The Mona Vie website offers more information on how to become an over night salesman than it offers information about the product. As for the “freezing processes”, there is no scientific research I could find that proved any nutritional benefit of flash freezing…infact I couldn’t find a single site that approved “spray drying” for use in food production. So I’m going to take Curtis’s claim about freezing processes as pure poppycock. For me… I enjoy the taste of Sambazon Acai. I do NOT drink it to cure ailments, I consider it a drink that tastes good only. It isn’t a marketing scam and has tons of product info on its website. I would rather indorse a company that is about a food product and doesn’t have false medicinal claims. I think the doctors who reccomend Mona Vie are just trying to help their patients eat better, I don’t believe a medical doctor really buys into this hype but they know you do. Their are lots of “magic drinks” out there and lots of people who claim their magic drink is the answer. We are a culture of “get rich quick” sceme/scams. Nothing happens over night, no greatness is achieved easily, and eating healthy is the only way to be healthy. I think if we followed Sean D. Martin in the following months on his quest to eat better, his claims will be as impressive as Mona Vie, because Mona Vie isn’t anything special, eating right is what is special. There is my rant. Eat some fresh berries, chomp on some crisp veggies, munch on some whole grains and for pete’s sake lay off of the fast food. You’ll feel much better and you’ll be healthier. Now digest that!
This site has been very, very informative regarding Mona Vie. I can add this site along with my other research of this product, as well as on the acai berry and conclude that Mona Vie is a drink packed with various fruits that we should include in our daily diets. This alone can possibly provide health improvements that some people desperately need in their diets. However, it is my view that Mona Vie serves to have just as great or greater a focus on it being “an opportunity as a MLM to make tons of money” in a certain period of time. If that wasn’t the case, then why would one worry about signing people up as a distributors?
Hey Lindsay M,
That’s ok that you think my claim (Fact BTW,) about the Flash Freeze processes is pure poppycock… That just shows your uneducated about Mona Vie and the process. If you knew what I know and seen the testimonies I’ve seen, then you would give credit where credits due… Do you think Karen Hall is lying about “This stuff has changed my life!!”? Would you believe me if I told you Mona Vie is helping a friend of mine that has a Dog with a Tumor??? The Tumor is shrinking!!! I can make that claim because the FDA does not regulate treatment for animals… I would be happy to put you in touch with the owner to discuss this or anyone else that reads this post that has pets with health issues.
Mona Vie is a way of Life!!!!
@Curtis: To Lindsay’s point, documentation from MonaVie officially states:
That carefully worded sentence really doesn’t mean much. Cryodessication of açai is simply a process of freezing the berries (most likely with liquid nitrogen) to temperatures below -50°C, submitting them to a partial vacuum, and then heating the berries back up to the point that the ice crystals within the cell walls burst and immediately sublimate to gas. The result is that 96-98% of the water (which is most of the berry in terms of both volume and weight) has been removed. What’s left is easily ground to a fine nutrient-rich powder.
Again, MonaVie doesn’t seem to be claiming increased nutrition, merely preservation of nutrient content. The same could be said for frozen concentrated orange juice; its nutrient content is well preserved. Removal of 75% of the water from orange juice technically results in a higher concentration of nutrients per gram — but that doesn’t mean that I want to eat a scoop of frozen concentrate every day; I wholeheartedly believe that fresh orange juice is much healthier and tastes better than concentrated soluble orange solids that have been reconstituted to a government-mandated minimum of 11.8 degrees Brix and a maximum acid/Brix ratio of 19.5. Do you disagree? Given the choice, which would you prefer to drink?
As for curing ailments in dogs, a large percentage of MonaVie is grape juice, and grapes are potentially deadly to dogs. Who knows what the other 19 fruits could do to pets? Rather than spend $35 a bottle and play Russian Roulette with his pet’s kidneys, your friend should stop feeding his dog corn-based Alpo or Purina and switch to something more natural and healthy. The glucosamine in MonaVie is probably the cause for the seemingly better health; he should buy a glucosamine supplement made for dogs instead.
Oh, and by the way, remember the pet food recall last year that hit the news big? The Center for Veterinary Medicine — which regulates animal drugs, feed, and medical devices and was instrumental in the investigation and subsequent federal indictments — is a department within the FDA. So they do have some bite when it comes to feeding and treating animals.
I cannot speak for Lindsay, but I would not consider myself uneducated about either the juice or the process!
I have a gentlemen that is in my downline with Organo Gold. This has not launched in the US yet and is in prelaunch. He had hip pain and is a distributor of Monavie. The monavie is helping him in other ways but the combination of my organo gold coffee and the monavie is unbeliveable. He was skeptic at first because he only had two cups of Organo Gold. He had been off of work all week with hip pain. The next morning he got up and didn’t have his hip pain. He did not have to take a pain pill all day. So that afternoon he called and told me his experience with my product and his. He was still skeptic about this that coffee could help him this quick. So he didn’t drink the coffee the next morning and his hip pain was back. By the next day he was calling begging for more Organo Gold. This is in prelaunch and by invitation only. He has not launched in the US yet and will not until September. If anyone is experiencing any thing that monavie is not helping with feel free to contact me for a sample of Organo Gold. It is worth a try. It comes in Black coffee, Latte, and Mocha. Coming soon will be Hot Choc and Green Tea. This also comes in pill form. No I am not saying this is for everyone. Only if you are interested
I’d have to agree with Kit — if you’re most interested in the money side of the business and not necessarily about the product benefits (real, imagined, or fabricated), getting on the ground floor of a pre-launch opportunity of something like OrGano Gold seems to be the best way to go. Far better than venturing into an already bloated hierarchical structure as MonaVie is today…
Mona Vie hit a Billion Dollars in sales since its launch date of Jan of 05. 3 and 1/2 years!!! Thats crazy since I can still talk to people today that have never heard about this product. We are the fastest growing privately owned company. Get on board now!!! Mona Vie is Microsoft in a bottle. Don’t miss your opportunity with Mona Vie…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant#Health_effects
I thought some of you may benefit from reading up on antioxidant’s and what they actually do.
We all assume that there is a vast amount of data stipulating that they are particularly great for us, however research does not support these claims entirely.
Feel free to have a look!
i have been taking monavie for 3 weeks and i feel better than i have since i was a teenager and i am 33
Perhaps, but a used car salesman who lives in Chattanooga and goes by the nickname “Potsy” can’t be taken all that seriously.
Thats awesome Stephen!!!
Drink it. Feel it. Share it.
Just a thought. Like taking vitamins, you don’t always “feel” any different, you just KNOW that what you’re puting into your body is good for it, perhaps it should be considered that Mona Vie may not have a “miracle” effect on some, but that it is doing it’s job internally for you to reap the benefits for many years to come. There is no price tag for good and lasting health.
Richard, I’d love to try Organo Gold. How do I get a sample?
Adrean, I could not have said it better myself!!!
Last Thing, Last Time…
Mona Vie for Life!!!
I have visited your web site and would like to tell you about something that is becoming so big you want believe it unless you see for yourself. You need to email me and let me tell you all about it.
Really? Oh, goody! I can’t wait to email you! Of course, you’d have to actually provide an email address for me to do that and I’m already so busy spending the millions I got from Nigeria that I’m afraid I just don’t have time to search for your email address myself.
@Sean: Well, technically, I removed Bobby’s email address from his comment, so it’s not completely his fault that it’s gone. If I’d actually left his email address in, the next time he blathered on, the comment system might automatically approve his comment for immediate publication. I generally don’t want that, but figured I’d just leave the spammer’s silly comment for all to enjoy.
Yeah, I figured you or your filters had done something. But it’s still fun to poke at the idiots who make these kinds of postings.
I take Mona-Vie and have noticed some subtle changes and thats a good thing…I read entrys from people who are unhappy with Mona-Vie because it didnt cure their cancer or remove a wort or make them lots of money…I suspect its that the money making part didnt pan out for them that has caused them to fire off negative entrys, oh well!
Of course they are mad, as they are the ones who really didnt get the message…which is this: the juice is high in antioxidants and tastes great - PERIOD!
I say stop taking Mona-Vie and enjoy your next disease!
Love to all,Rick
sigh
Y’see, it’s messages like this that make anyone who would reasonably evaluate MonaVie wonder if it’s proponents are all unreasonable crackpots.
“…as they are the ones who really didnt get the message…which is this: the juice is high in antioxidants and tastes great - PERIOD!”
Fair enough. It has antioxidants and tastes great. No claims of miracles.
Oh, but then he continues “I say stop taking Mona-Vie and enjoy your next disease!” suggesting MonaVie’s wondrous curative properties.
sigh
I take it and sell it - I sell it because after taking it for about a month I did notice a difference - I was not expecting it - for me biggest change is an increased sex drive (I am 43 and on some meds which tend to have a side effect that lowers libido - been on meds for six years -only change was drinking Mona Vie - my husband is happy) I have talked with a lot of people who have tried the juice - for some big changes - for others not so much - I think this may be attributed to the fact that different people have different deficits in their diet - before Mona Vie my diet was not loaded with fruits or vegatables so if may be that my body needed what Mona Vie had to offer. I love the juice it has given me something back that I thought I would never get again.
Laboratory Compares MonaVie Active vs. Vivix
Laboratory Studies Prove Vivix is More Powerful then MonaVie Active
Third-party laboratory clinical studies have proven Vivix to be more powerful, beneficial, higher in antioxidants, oxygen radical absorbance (ORAC), and overall healthy and well-being, then popular “super-fruit” products (like MonaVie, ZanGo, and Noni).
Furthermore, these same studies reveal that your nutritional company may be lying about the quality/value of its product. For example, MonaVie claims 1,000-1,250 Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), but Brunswick Laboratories (July 16, 2008) ORAC test value was 610 for MonaVie Active – that’s less then half of the value that the company claims. Nonetheless, even if MonaVie could substantiate its claims of 1,000-1,250 ORAC, our revolutionary anti-aging product claims 5,000 ORAC, and laboratory test show 5,048 ORAC. That’s more then 5x the unsubstantiated MonaVie claims, and more then 8x its laboratory findings.
Plus, out of 14 domains of cellular anti-aging properties and overall general health, MonaVie Active only held beneficial to 5 domains out of 14 - * Six domains of anti-aging were tested, MonaVie Active only had an effect in one of the six anti-aging domains. On the other hand, Vivix proved to be beneficial on 12 domains of the 14 tested - * and had an effect on all six domains of anti-aging.
How reasonable would it be to continue using a less effective product? How rational is it to continue placing faith in a company that has lied to you?
Make a sound decision, switch to a company with integrity, honesty, and the most powerful products on the market. But, don’t just take our word for it: $250 million dollars have been invested in clinical research: 83,000 test are conducted each year to ensure product quality; more then 100 scientific papers, 90 of them published-peer-reviewed clinical studies all support product quality, performance, and safety. Additionally, over 2,000 research publications have referenced the ingredients in Vivix. These clinical research studies and over 50 patents assure our customers they are consuming the finest quality available on the market.
Visit us today at:
For more information, visit our website at: http://www.agelessfountainofyouth.com
Click Here: Anti-aging Vivix
Click Here, For a Comparison Sheet from the results of the laboratory study.
When you hit a Billion dollars in sales in 3 1/2 years from launch, I guess you become a target!!! So I think this juice is working or people would stop buying it…
I like Mona Vie it makes me feel good I will continue to take it and if anyone would like to try a bottle on me send me an email: katiesmonavie@yahoo.com
9/1/08
Dear Friends:
As many of you know, I am always looking to better my health and stay active and healthy as much as possible. Many of you know that I am a fan of green and white tea and certain vitamins. However, I am not one to take a whole host of vitamins for the placebo effect and then say that I feel better.
I have recently started collaborating with a company called Genelink, which is traded on the NASDAQ stock market. Their symbol is GNLK. This company has been around for 12 years.
As their website writes: “GeneLink is a genetic biosciences company that creates DNA-based genetic tests as the basis for personalized health, beauty, wellness and pharmaceutical applications. GeneLink both markets and licenses its propriety genetic assessments and applied technologies to the $100 Billion plus, cosmetic, nutritional supplement, and health care industries.
GeneLink is passionately focused on delivering the promise of truly personalized health, beauty and wellness solutions. To us, this means creating innovative products and services that help people look better; feel better and live longer, healthier lives.”
They have recently launched a vitamin supplement that is custom tailored to an individual based on their own DNA. This company is called Genelink.
What this company does is once you order their product (90 day money back guarantee) is send you out a kit to swab the inside of your mouth to check your own genetic code (this is confidential), then they analyze certain genes and enzymes to see if you may be deficient in a certain area and then replenish it with certain vitamins.
For example, a common gene that has been associated with heart disease is the MTHFR, which stands for the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. When the body is deficient in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, its ability to absorb folate (also known as vitamin B9), such as folic acid is inhibited. As many of you know, folate is important for fetal development as is found in many prenatal vitamins (this test potential could also help prevent fetal abnormalities), but it is also important in heart disease because this enzyme gets rid of homocysteine, which is toxic to the heart. Many people take B vitamins to reduce their level of homocysteine. However, for many people they may not need to take these vitamins and for others, they may need to take more. This genetic test eliminates the guesswork.
I have attached a few links about this company and the product that they are currently selling, if you are interested, send me an email and I will get you more information about how to get involved with the company.
If you are also interested in getting involved in selling this product or becoming a distributor, I can talk to you more about this as well. This is an exciting area that has attracted not only the department of defense, but also many sports teams who are trying to get the most of their athletes.
Rodney Samaan, MD
859 509 0084
The following link also has some great info:
http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/06/02_genomes.shtml
Read more detailed information.
http://www.genelinkbio.com/pdf/Genelink_Compass.pdf
FOX news about genelink:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XudlQX0CfFc
Intro to genewize:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC3z-D7LSmg
FAQs:
http://www.mygenewize.com/FAQs.pdf
Ingredients in Vitamins:
http://www.mygenewize.com/new-ingredients.pdf
I have been drinking Mona Vie for about three months - I feel fabulous and I have cut out many other supplements as I feel that Mona Vie is meeting my nutritional requirements. I still take fish oil and probiotics. If you are looking for a way to add the nutritional components of fruits and vegetables to your diet in a way that is easy, convinient and tasty Mona Vie may be the answer for you.
Good blog. Richard and Sean, thanks for the tests and your unbiased comments. Sorry you didn’t feel better. Mona-Vie is a good source of antioxidants and phytonutrients. That’s it. We know that we need them and we know that we don’t eat as we should. That’s why vitamins have been so popular for so many years. Even if we eat well, the process that food goes through, early harvesting for extended shelf life, diminishes the antioxidants and nutrients, in those foods, that our bodies need. So taking something like Mona-Vie is a good idea, if you want long term good health. Vitamins is not a regulated industry and there are few that contain what they claim. But there are good ones. Mona-Vie is a food and therefore regulated by the FDA, so what’s on the label has to be in the bottle. There is also a lot of substantiated studies that vitamins aren’t absorbed well by the body and much is passed through. Not the case with a fruit product like Mona-Vie. Personally, I like Mona-Vie and since taking it I have educated myself about the truth concerning health. I thinks it’s a good idea, a good product and if you get involved, you can make some money. A lot of money. But even in that aspect of Mona-Vie, you have to help others become successful before you reap your rewards. Win-Win. Can’t beat that. Please forgive any misspellings. Thanks again and God Bless.
Well, whether people choose to believe it or not is irrelevant. I’ve spent 12 years dealing with scleroderma, and after drinking Monavie for 6 months, my skin is normal again (it was covered in dark brown patches of scar tissue-like hardened skin), my chronic fatigue is gone, I’ve dropped 20 pounds, I no longer get sick eating proteins (I did for 12 years), and I earn enough weekly that my juice is free and have enough left over to make a car payment, so that’s free too now. I admire you tried to be fair, and maybe if nothing’s seriously wrong you don’t feel it as much as someone who’s been suffering for years? Either way, it works because it fills the nutritional gaps our regular diet can’t. No miracles - just good nutrition - without pesticides and chemicals.
I’ve been drinking Mona Vie for about 2 months now. For me, I’ve noticed I am able to sleep better and when I wake up in the mornings, I don’t need to hit the snooze button several times. I bartend at nights and I’ve also noticed that after busy nights, I don’t have the same joint pains in my knees and back.
I started drinking it because my brother in law was in the business. I figured I’d help him out, but when I started learning more about it, I became an active participant in the biz. I went to the websites and did what they told me and in the 2 months, I’m just about a Star1000. At this point, it pays for itself and I’m happy with what I get out of it. I pretty much only work 4 or 5 hours a week on this. I guess if I applied myself, I could reach higher levels in the company. Again, I am working at my own pace and teach my friends and business buddies to do the same.
I know I don’t eat enough fruits and this is my way of making up for it. I do not make claims that this cures anything. I know what it does for me and maybe it can do the same for you…OR MORE. If you believe that this product and opportunity is right for you, you are correct and should give it a try….If you believe that this can’t work, you are also correct and should forget about it. Also, if you decide to forget about it, don’t be bitter toward those who give it a try….just go your own way……..
Richard, I have had great luck with dry skin patches by taking Evening Primrose Oil gelcaps.
As for the Monavie… well, I had a friend attempt to convince me of its merits. I did a little research and decided to try a different, good-quality, well-known brand since I didn’t feel it was right to say “my health is worth this investment but my kids’ and my husband’s is not” and I was not prepared to spend ~650/month for something whose health benefits are, AFAICT, largely a matter of anecdote. And I’ve seen the MLM movie way too many times to go down that road again. The product I use is less than 1/3 the cost of Monavie and I can frequently get it on sale.
I do feel a little better and have looser bowels also - for me, this is a good thing. I have my kids on it and it seems to help them in this way, also. I will be more interested to see if it has an effect on the frequency of common illness among the kids and myself.
oh, and PS on the EPO (which was really my main reason for commenting)… you might want to check on the recommendation of those for men. I know it is a great supplement for women but not sure if / how it is rec’d for men.
I ordered a couple bottles. So… what’s the stuff floating at the top that looks like mold, and… why is there no expiration date on the bottle?
I’m hoping to get an answer to this from those who have tried MonaVie. I just got a case today (eBay), and tried the first drink without refrigerating it, and the second after refrigerating it. It does taste better cold, but there is a taste to it - like a rancid nut. Is this normal (maybe from the palm nut oil?) or does it actually mean that the product or that ingredient is rancid? The product is not set to expire until next year, according to the label. I can get past it if that is the way it is supposed to taste, but don’t want to be ingesting bad product or rancid nut oil.