The MonaVie Acai Berry Super Fruit Juice - Mona Vie Scam?

Published 12/30/08 (Modified 3/8/11)
By MoneyBlueBook

Review of MonaVie and The Acai Berry Fruit Juice Company's Health and Marketing Claims

MonaVie. Mona Vie. The word actually sounds like a spin off of some french phrase (mon ami), but when I hear the name, two things immediately come to mind - acai berry juice and multi level marketing pyramid scheme. The MLM business scheme or pyramid marketing concept usually elicits a series of red alert alarm bells in my brain's BS scam detector, however, I'm willing to take a closer look at MonaVie before rendering my personal critique and verdict. After having tried out and actually tasted the MonaVie acai berry fruit drink, I have to admit, it's a rather sweet and tasty beverage - sort of a crisp combination of grape juice, blue berries, black berries, and a hint of dark chocolate. There's not much negative commentary I can sling at the MonaVie product in terms of taste alone, but the outrageously expensive price tag and the rather suspicious marketing approach of the company leave much to be desired.

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As an ordinary American consumer and a casual observer, I'm not sure what to make of this whole MonaVie acai berry fruit juice craze that seems to be sweeping the health and fitness world. The product's been featured on the Food Network and on daytime talk shows for women like the Rachel Ray show, and eagerly touted by popular television hosts like Oprah Winfrey as the ultimate nectar of the gods. At least several medical commentators have appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show recently to promote the acai berry as an invaluable source of super food nutrients and as a magical method to promote youth and bodily rejuvenation. While most of the on-air health commentators were on the Oprah show to promote their individual books, even Oprah herself seemed to jump on the acai berry bandwagon, endorsing the nutritional claims of the tiny purple berry in her own boisterous way.

And it's not just celebrity women either (who in my sexist opinion tend to be very ultra health conscious). Even celebrity guys seem to be getting in on the acai super fruit craze as well. There are numerous photos floating around on the internet of well known celebrities (both male and female) photographed with���� their MonaVie acai juice bottles. I've seen hip hop stars and motor sport athletes on MTV's Cribs show opening up their refrigerator doors for the camera to proudly display their prized rows of ultra-expensive MonaVie branded acai juice bottles. To top it off, when the Boston Red Sox won the Major League Baseball World Series in 2007, you even had several pitchers and players publicly thanking the Mona Vie company and attributing their athletic success to the seemingly magical healing powers of the MonaVie acai berry drink. When professional athletes who have just won the most competitive pinnacle award of their profession celebrate their triumph by giving a ringing endorsement of a particular enhancement product, citing the competitive advantages it allegedly provided their bodies through the grueling eight month long baseball season, I definitely take notice. However at the same time, my curiosity is greatly tempered with a strong dose of skepticism and suspicion at the celebrity's personal motivations for such a resounding product recommendation - and I find myself wondering if the celebrity was partly motivated by financial considerations.

Without a doubt, MonaVie is a popular and highly promoted superfruit juice product, frequently mentioned in popular entertainment and athletic circles among the rich and trendy. It also has a strong growing presence online and on TV, but then again, so do many of the numerous get rich quick schemes and snake oil scams out there, featuring all types of facial cleaning products and useless weight loss shakes and pills. All such popular products have their own legion of compensated celebrities ready to help make the sales pitch and enthusiastically promote the product to the audience. Just because a product is heavily marketed and seems popular does not make it legit. Thus I wanted to take a more objective look into the MonaVie product itself, its health claims, and its marketing approach to decipher for myself the legitimacy of the brand. My primary goal is to answer these series of questions - Is MonaVie a scam? Does MonaVie acai juice berry drinks actually provide the health benefits re-soundly touted by its army of rabid distributors? And finally, is MonaVie a product I would actually purchase and consume for myself as an average, everyday mildly health conscious consumer?

The MonaVie Acai Berry Juice Product

MonaVie is a fruit juice drink made up of a blend of 19 different fruits. In a nut shell, it's like Odwalla or Naked branded smoothie drinks - except the drink is marketed as an acai berry product and it comes in a fancy looking wine bottle to give it allure. While the company refuses to disclose the actual numbers detailing individual juice makeup, it eagerly markets the fruit juice cocktail as some type of specially formulated super fruit juice, citing its composition of acai berries for its supposed magical ability to cure all sorts of physical and mental ailments. While the company does not expressly state that the MonaVie acai berry juice drink is capable of amazing healing properties, that is the marketing direction the company seems to strongly hint at. Obviously due to legality reasons, MonaVie can't officially claim its juice drink to be a health elixir, but it sure seems like it unofficially wants to based on the promotional dance it's constantly engaging in.

Inside of its fruit juice drinks, MonaVie lists as one of its primary ingredients - the acai berry (pronounced ah-sai-ee) - a small purple black fruit about an inch in size and produced from the acai palm tree in the Amazon of Brazil. Through its network of distributors, the MonaVie company promotes the message that its unique acai berry juice blend contains many of the antioxidant related health benefits associated with the acai berry and other special fruits. Supposedly, these super fruits are packed with powerful nutrients and antioxidant compounds that uniquely protect the body's cells from damage and disease, boost the immune system, and slow down the otherwise inevitable process of aging. However, much of the alleged health benefits of MonaVie and the extent of the nutritional value of acai have been called into constant debate and frequently questioned by naysayers that cast suspicion at what exactly is contained in MonaVie and the extent of its alleged nutritional value if any. Certainly, the company's reluctance to share detailed information about the specific acai berry concentration found in its bottles and its mysterious refusal to reveal detailed proportional make up of how the���� fruit juices in the MonaVie blend are made up continue to fuel discussions abut the health claims made by the product's distributors.

Monavie Acai Is Sold Exclusively Via A Questionable Multi Level Direct Sales Approach (AKA Pyramid Scheme)

Mona Vie acai juice drinks are not available in traditional supermarket chains or grocery stores like Safeway, Kroger, or Wegmans, and they're not even available via specialty health minded retailers like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. You definitely won't find the company's products at discounters like Walmart or Costco - no, the MonaVie company shuns the traditional sales outlets in favor of a more personalized and almost cult like marketing approach.

MonaVie was launched in January 2005 by a long time direct sales marketing veteran and since then, the company has relied exclusively on a multi level marketing strategy to promote and sell its expensive juice drinks. For all intents and purposes, the company's more of a powerful marketing machine than a health food provider. Certainly there may be substantially better fruit juice products out there at much cheaper prices, but frankly, and somewhat commendably, MonaVie does a pretty powerful job of hyping and cleverly convincing health fanatics that they absolutely must drink this product everyday to live their lives to the fullest.

By tapping into a sales stream that takes advantage of trusted personal relationships to generate sales, the company has become wildly successful - at least on the sales side. Those unfamiliar with multi level marketing (MLM) may be more familiar with its common nickname - the pyramid scheme. A MLM or pyramid scheme relies on a direct sales technique based on a relationship referral business model whereby trusted people are the engine components that drive the commission based sales. Whenever a sale is made, a lofty commission is paid out, not only to you (the person who made the sale), but also to the person who referred you into the marketing program as well as to the person who referred your direct referrer - hence the pyramid nature of the arrangement. Because these multi level marketing programs are so potentially lucrative for those at the top of the pyramid (the upline), the system strongly encourages and incentivizes participants to zealously promote the product and heavily recruit new entrants into the program (the downline) to further earn sales and commissions for those on the up line.

Now, the one thing that must be made clear is that not all multi level marketing programs or pyramid schemes are inherently evil or illegal. Not all pyramid schemes are blatant scams or disreputable shell games the same way that Ponzi Schemes are. In fact, there are many otherwise thinly legitimate multi level marketing programs out there such as Amway, Avon, Mary Kay, Herbalife, Tupperware, and all sorts of online affiliate programs. However, many of these MLM based companies suffer from the same stigma and questionable scrutiny that MonaVie faces as well. While not outright frauds or scams like the way Nigerian 419 scams are for example, the same scammy concerns arise because many of these MLM programs really only benefit those at the top of the marketing pyramid and often encourage overzealous sales techniques that frequently lead to almost predatory recruiting tactics and pitches. Oftentimes as well, many of these MLM programs demand contractually obligated sales quotas that members must satisfy every month or face having to purchase the products themselves to meet the sales quota requirement. In the case of MonaVie's contractually obligated arrangement for wannabe new distributors into the program, new entrants are obligated to buy at least 4 bottles a month of the pricey acai berry juice. They don't come cheap and failure to sell enough bottles every month will require that the distributor contractually purchase the required quota for personal use.

As noted by an investigative news article from Newsweek, according to income disclosures, most of the million strong sales team of MonaVie appear to be really just drinking the juice themselves rather than selling them as originally intended. More than 90% of supposed distributors of MonaVie are actually considered wholesale customers, whose earnings were mostly discounts on sales to themselves. Remarkably according to the article, fewer than 1% of the MonaVie marketing pyramid's sales people qualified for commissions and of those, only 10% made more than $100 a week. The Newsweek article even goes on to state that according to a top MonaVie recruiter, while obviously not disclosed by the company, the MonaVie multi level marketing program's drop out rate's around 70%. It's certainly a fascinating tidbit to keep in mind as you ponder the question of whether MonaVie's a scam. While I personally don't think MonaVie is a scam as they do offer an otherwise legitimate fruit juice product, the acai juice company sure has rather unsavory fringe elements to it.

In regards to the secret world of direct sales and pyramid marketing, I had my first negative exposure to MLM programs when I was recruited by a company called Vector Marketing to sell Cutco branded knives back when I was just an 18 year old high school student. For some odd reason, many fellow high school students such as myself were targeted with elaborate marketing sales pitches by Vector Marketing recruiters to become trained in the art of tapping personal relationships to sell ridiculously and insanely overpriced Cutco steak knives to our friends and family members. Obviously, our recruiters were eager to train us into becoming their commission earning downline so that they could profit from our sales as our upline referrals. While the Cutco knives we lugged around and sold were of obvious high quality, they were no where even close to being worth the exorbitant price demanded of each individual cutlery. Quality is one thing, but they were and to this very day, are still vastly overpriced. While I was able to tap into my personal relationships and beg a few neighbors to shell out hundreds of dollars for a few knives out of pity, I remember always feeling extremely scammy and sleazy during my rehearsed sales pitches to supposed loved ones. As a mere 18 year old at the time, I wasn't too fond of���� having to take advantage of my close relationships for financial gain. There was nothing illegal or deliberately evil about the whole sales system, but the whole multi level marketing approach simply felt shady and rather manipulative to me.

Mova Vie Is Extremely Expensive and Overpriced Despite Its Alleged Acai Berry Health Properties

The MonaVie acai berry juice product is not cheap. In fact it's downright expensive - ridiculously overpriced at astronomically rip off levels if you ask me. A single MonaVie juice bottle will cost you $30-$40 per bottle, for a little more than 25 fluid ounces of the fruit berry mixture. According to the promotional material, to fully appreciate the nutritional benefits of acai berry juicing, you're supposed to drink at least 2 fluid ounces of the purple stuff in the morning, and another 1 ounce at night. At the rate suggested by the MonaVie company, a single bottle will last you about a week. At $30-40 a bottle, that comes out to $120-$160 a month, and $1,440-$1,920 a year. Unless you are swimming in money and flush with dollars like the professional athletes or financially well off���� like celebrities Oprah Winfrey or Rachel Ray, chances are, you're going to find regular consumption of this product to be well beyond your financial means. The lucrative price of each expensive bottle of Mona Vie can probably be traced back to the high cost of commission maintenance that must be paid out to the entire pyramid marketing chain upon each sale.

Because of the multi level marketing nature and aggressive direct sales promotional tactics of MonaVie distributors, a wide array of ridiculous health and nutritional claims seem to have blanketed the internet. Sometimes it's a little difficult figuring out which writer is trustworthy and which one is blatantly a sales guy. I have personal gut-feeling suspicions that sizable portions of these favorable web-based health comments and supposed online testimonials were made by MonaVie distributors and financially interested sales promoters trying to hype up the appeal of their pricey cash cow via fake product reviews. A quick browse of the internet quickly reveals all sorts of outlandish testimonies and anecdotal stories by random people - claims of how MonaVie acai juice drinking cured their heart disease, healed their arthritis, alleviated stress and depression, cured their acne, reversed their aging, repaired joint damage, got rid of joint and back pain, cured their cancer, treated their diabetes, made them more energetic, and even improved their sex life. The craziest claim I've seen was some gentlemen who claimed that his steady diet of Mona Vie acai berry juice made his special male anatomy organ larger and more virile. I've even read a few ridiculous claims by anonymous female commentators on various Mona Vie related blog posts touting how acai berry juicing grew their chests and helped make their breasts larger. The myriad of outlandish and totally unsubstantiated claims are quite abundantly available online - an unfortunate side effect that distorts the truth, whenever there is a lot of sales money to be had.

Now it's one thing for a product to be expensive and it's a whole different matter altogether if the product doesn't actually do what it says it is supposed to do. The literature and research on the amazing health benefits of drinking MonaVie and the supposed God-like healing properties of acai berry juice are still not entirely definitive. While there is little doubt that berries and fruits such as acai, blue berries, blackberries, and pomegranates common loads of nutritional vitamins and powerful compounds such as cell repairing antioxidants, the research is not yet entirely supportive that these are indeed super fruits that can cure all and heal all. There is scientific evidence that the acai fruit and other dark berries are uniquely high in Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC), a rating system that evaluates a food product's ability to fight harmful free radicals in the body, but that doesn't mean that a single fruit can potentially replace all other alternative sources of vital nutrients.

To be fair, the MonaVie company doesn't actually go out of its way to blatantly promote the MonaVie product as a magical berry elixir anymore. MonaVie does not actually make the health and nutritional claims itself. Due to stricter federal scrutiny of Mona Vie's official claims, the company has drastically cut back on its previous assertions of health benefits and healing properties. The company is now content with marketing the MonaVie drink as merely a high end fruit juice product, letting its legion of cult like Mona Vie acai berry drinkers and promoters hype the unbelievable health benefit innuendos on their own. After all, the motto of the MonaVie company is - "Drink It, Feel It, Share It" - which sounds more like a sales focused marketing directive of sorts to me.

Acai Berries Do Contain Lots Of Nutrients - They Just Don't Have Super Healing Powers As Suggested By Some Independent MonaVie Distributors

As a mild defense for the key heralded component of MonaVie's juice product - the acai berry does indeed contain abundant nutritional value. There is quite a bit of research touting the health benefits of acai berry as a good source of fiber, minerals, vitamins, polyphenols, and antioxidants for healthy bodily performance. The expensive acai fruit does indeed contain a wealth of nutritional benefits compressed into each little purple berry, but then again, much of the same health benefits can easily be found in large concentrations in other more common and cheaper fruits such as bananas, blue berries, and apples as well.

Despite my admitted fondness for the taste of acai, I'm extremely wary of buying into the whole MonaVie acai juice product because I simply do not know how much of acai can be found in each bottle. Because MonaVie refuses to disclose the actual composition of its juice drinks, we do not know for certain the exact breakdown of its juice cocktail and the exact amount of expensive acai berry concentrate in the blend. It's very important to keep in mind that the MonaVie juice mixture doesn't contain acai berries exclusively. It's comprised of an admitted blend of 19 fruits - including many common and cheap fruits like bananas and apples, easily found in your neighborhood grocery store. If you really buy into the claimed health benefits of juicing and nutritional potency of acai berries, there are much easier and cheaper ways to get your purple berry fix. Most grocery stores sell acai berry juice variations and even certain online stores sell similar acai berry laden juice drinks, acai powders, and acai capsules for much, much less.

The fact of the matter is that people are always looking for the easy way out and frequently are all too eager for a magic potion that will make take away the need to put in effort. There is plenty of research touting the overwhelming health benefits of a low fat, low sugar diet comprised of lots of fish and whole grain foods. There is also overwhelming evidence that smoking and excessive alcohol drinking wrecks havoc on physical and mental health, and that daily consistent exercise is absolutely essential to healthy living. Yet, we as humans seem to ignore those simple practices and remain perpetually enamored with the possibility that there are super fruits out there that can serve as magic silver bullets to our health problems and ailments. The reality is that there is no such thing as a one size fits all super fruit. Proper health and nutrition requires a good moderated balance of fruits, vegetables, and proper exercise - not the services of a single food product - especially not one that is so expensively priced.

How To Buy MonaVie Online And Test Out Acai Berry Juices For Yourself (Remember, It's Not Cheap and Its Health Claims Are Not Fully Substantiated Yet)

Recently, I purchased a few bottles of MonaVie online simply to test out and review the juice product for myself since I didn't know how else to try it out for free. While I have no intention of actually signing up as a distributor or getting myself locked into some multi level marketing contract, I think it's perfectly understandable if there are people out there who remain curious about the fruit juice blend. It's admittedly rather tasty, albeit extremely expensive and somewhat overrated. Personally, I don't buy the magical juice berry claims of the MonaVie supporters and chose to consume the drink on a one time limited basis as I would any new drink. If you really want to start juicing, buy a fruit juicer for yourself or buy pre-made fruit smoothies from the grocery store. Many of these pre-made blends contain acai berry and they're a much cheaper way to get exposed to the nutritional value of acai should you so choose to partake. If you really insist on joining the MonaVie acai berry craze, there are plenty of equally good generic acai berry brands out there as well - in various just-add-water powder products and pills.

In the event you are determined to test out MonaVie acai berry drinks or similar acai berry products based on curiosity, here are a few ways to buy them online. Remember, it's not an endorsement, and I'm just pointing the way for you if you insist:

  1. MonaVie Active Health Juice With Acai (Amazon) - 1 Bottle of the dark purple stuff.
  2. MonaVie Active Juice Bottles With Acai (Amazon) - 4 bottles - A way to buy MonaVie online without having to agree to some recurring sales contract.
  3. MonaVie Juice Bottles With Acai (eBay) - Cheapest method to buy MonaVie online without commiting to a distributorship agreement, but requires eBay auction bidding.
  4. Natrol - Acai Berries 1000mg Per Serving 60 Capsules (Amazon) - 60 capsules
  5. Organic Acai Fruit Capsules with Camu Camu (Amazon) - 60 capsules - The Brazilian acai berry in pill form.
  6. 100% Pure Acai Fruit Powder with Camu Camu (Amazon) - 90 grams - Just add water to make an acai powder juice drink.

This entry was posted on 12/30/08 (Modified on 3/8/11) and is filed under Health , Issues , Make Money . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.

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329 Responses to “The MonaVie Acai Berry Super Fruit Juice - Mona Vie Scam?” 

  1. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 20, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    Kathryn, using your philosophy, we should buy from anyone who makes any type of claim that we believe to be true. Shouldn't we verify the companie's claims before we start giving over $21 to $45 a bottle?

    I know many MonaVie distributors hate science,because it disproves their claims and eats away their profits.

    Most distributors end up making minimum wage. I don't know if your house was saved or not, since MonaVie has trained their distributors to "embellish" the truth.

    I don't see how I'm helping people I know, when I'm asking them to pay such a high price for a fruit juice that is lower in antioxidants than store shelf concord grape juice.

  2. Crystal says:
    September 20, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    What I find interesting about all of this..... Monavie is a juice made from fruit. It is not beer or soda or medications. To the nay sayers that want to be critics - pick a more worthy adversary in a product that is actually harmful. Why don't you spend some time internet researching if beer can really make you have a better time, if soda is really more refreshing and if medication does more good than harm. Is it the form of advertisement you have a hard time with? Would it be better if instead Monavie paid large sums of money to advertisement companies to throw a couple of half naked models, running around looking good and having a good time, on the TV to brainwash the masses? Just curious because I have yet to see anything about Monavie drinkers causing accidents, becoming diabetic or having liver problems or other side effects. It appears it is just a form some people choose to get their daily dose of fruit. So if you don't chose it that is up to you too.

  3. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 21, 2009 at 11:48 am

    Trying to imply that it's alright for MonaVie distributors to make illegal and deceitful treatment claims because other companies also lack morals doesn't wash. Let's see MonaVie go on t.v. and try to sell their product for $45 a bottle, even though, there have been ZERO studies that show it offers any benefits better than what you can buy at the produce store. And no, you cannot get your daily dose of fruit using this product. That is a myth. One apple has almost three times the antioxidants as a four ounce daily serving of MonaVie.

  4. Lee says:
    September 21, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    The only way I would ever consider spending $20-$40 on a bottle of juice, is if it had atleast a 14% alcohol content.

    $20-$40 on a bottle of acai juice??? BWHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

    An old quote comes to mind... "There's a sucker born every minute"

  5. Roseann says:
    September 22, 2009 at 12:47 am

    Lee, Lee, Lee - I'm afraid YOU'RE the sucker if you're spending that much on Alcohol that everyone KNOWS is bad for you. And Food Tech - I was beginning to like you and agree with you, at least in principle, that if people ate right, they probably wouldn't need this. BUT, you know, because I sent you my blood test results, that this DOES work. It DID definitely lower my cholesterol - 80 points in 6 weeks. Now, I suppose you can call me a liar and say I must have done something different to get those results - because what? I KNEW you were going to ask me to show them to you back in January? Since you've seen SOME proof, I'd think you'd back off at least a LITTLE. Unless you're really calling me a liar - and that's just not nice. And there's nothing deceitful about telling anyone what it does for me. WHY can't you just admit that even with all your scientific knowledge about foods, that - for whatever reason - MonaVie has had some very good results for people? You don't have to have a lot of technical knowledge about why it works (or why it Can't work in your opinion) if your body tells you it DOES. I don't pretend to know what you do about everything you're talking about because I don't have to - I know what my body (and my husband's, and many other friends' bodies) tells me, and that's that it has some very beneficial effects. It's not illegal to tell anyone the TRUTH about what it's done for me. I'm not making CLAIMS. I'm stating FACTS about what it's done for ME. If you can prove I'm lying then you'd be right, but you can't - because I'm not.

    And I agree wholeheartedly with Crystal - this has been beaten to death. Are you also on some blog somewhere telling everyone about how RedBull or Monster or something else that's promoted as an "Energy Drink" is terrible for them? THAT's where your time would be better spent if you're really trying to help people. Even if you think that MonaVie is overpriced - what's the harm? It hurts no one, and if it doesn't help them, the worst that can happen is they're out a few dollars. With the other products that are out on the market, they're actually HURTING people, yet I don't see you even mentioning that here. I think you're very knowledgeable and you could probably influence some people away from things that are really harmful. It's time to move on and do some good there instead of wasting your time here, don't you think?

  6. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 22, 2009 at 3:03 am

    Roseann, yes you sent me your test results, and yes, they were lower. But the Pulse version of MonaVie contains plant sterols, which in this case, is an additive to the product. In other words, if your cholesterol was lowered, it was due to the plant sterols, not the MonaVie. Plant sterols are easily obtained at Costco and most drug stores for much less than you paid for MonaVie.

    And no, you cannot claim that it treated any disease, even if you re-grew an arm. The laws are very strict. It must be clinically PROVEN. MonaVie, clearly has had plenty of time to initiate any number of clinical studies. They have not even requested one. Why would that be?
    I agree there are many poor products on the market, but very few of them claim to treat any ailment for $45 per bottle.
    By the way, MonaVie's own energy drink is one of those poor products. It's loaded with caffeine any many other unnecessary ingredients. It's not much better than Red Bull.

  7. Roseann says:
    September 22, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I see nothing illegal in telling someone what has happened to me by doing one thing different. I don't know what "laws" you're talking about, but I can certainly tell someone if something worked for me. And you can give your opinions of it. I'm not representing MonaVie when I'm telling a personal story.

    I'm well aware that there are Plant Sterols in MonaVie's Pulse and that that's what lowered my cholesterol. But that doesn't make it "not" MonaVie. That's just what's in that particular blend of MonaVie. I have no idea if what they sell at Costco as "plant sterols" would do the same, but I do know that, in this formula of MonaVie it DOES work, and I like the taste, so that's how I'm going to get it. Lee likes to spend $30 on a bottle with alcohol in it; I like to spend it on something that tastes better and lowers my cholesterol. To each his own.

    I don't know why they haven't done their clinical studies. I wish they would as well so we wouldn't have all the naysayers out there, arguing what I KNOW works for me. But unfortunately I don't have the power to get them to do it, so that's not really something I can answer. Certainly one train of thought is that they're afraid to do it. I'm sure there are other reasons as well. Guess we'll see if and when it happens.

    As for the energy drink, it tastes good, and has the desired effect on me (keeps me from nodding off while driving long distances) without the huge amounts of sugars that Red Bull has, so I'm sticking with that whether YOU think it's a "poor" product or not. We can agree to disagree on that one as well. But it's FAR from "not much better than Red Bull", and anyone that can read a label can see that. 80% fruit juice plus Vitamins B and C, Niacin, guarana and green tea extract (which I'm told is where the majority of the caffeine comes from), and Palatinose contributes pretty much the only other grams of carbs (than the sugars from fruit), and has been shown to increase mental concentration, is more slowly absorbed than sucrose and therefore useful as a sweetener even for diabetic patients, with a VERY LOW glycemic index of 32, and according to an article in the Food Trade Review, August 2007 edition, creates better energy for sport drinks. It also lists that it promotes tooth decay MUCH LESS than regular sugars found in those "other" drinks.

    I'm not pretending to be an expert, but I can read and find enough information on the internet to know that it's definitely NOT "not much better than Red Bull" and the other really bad for you and nasty tasting so-called "energy drinks". It's MUCH BETTER. And I've even heard that there have been lawsuits against some of those companies because they're SO bad that some kids (I say Kids, but I believe it's teenagers specifically) have had some serious side effects from drinking too many of them. Since you have made that comment about the energy drink, Food Tech, I'm beginning to doubt your knowledge and comments on the rest of the products. You seem WAY too against something that you supposedly have no stake in. I wonder why....

  8. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 23, 2009 at 12:17 am

    Roseann, this is taken directly from MonaVie's Black Diamond University's training site:

    Unauthorized Health Claims
    1. Do not use terms or phrases that suggest the product can prevent, mitigate, diagnose, treat or cure a disease.
    2. Do not use terms or phrases that suggest an Ingredient can prevent, mitigate, diagnose, treat or cure a disease.
    3. When promoting the product, do not use scientific studies or other publications that discuss the effects of the ingredients if they conclude or suggest the ingredients can prevent, mitigate, diagnose, treat or cure a disease.

    From the same site, it says this about MonaVie Pulse:

    Important Guidelines
    ������ MonaVie products (including Pulse) are not intended to replace or mimic the activity, effects, or benefits of drugs or medications. Do not substitute or replace your medication(s) with MonaVie Pulse.

    ������ The plant sterol activity, effects, and benefits in MonaVie Pulse as it relates to heart health and cholesterol are significantly less than that found in drugs.

    ������ If you have a concern of any kind related to MonaVie Pulse or its contraindications with medications, consult with your physician before consuming MonaVie Pulse.

    ������ Do not use MonaVie Pulse as an alternative to physician consultation or advice.
    ������ MonaVie Pulse does not cure heart disease.
    ������ MonaVie Pulse does not cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent serious cholesterol problems.
    ������ MonaVie Pulse is intended for healthy people, not for people with heart or cholesterol diseases.

    So, it sounds like your beef is with MonaVie and the FDA. I didn't write the laws. Remember, this only applys to you, the distributor, not to your friends who are not associated with MonaVie.

  9. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 23, 2009 at 12:43 am

    Roseann, regarding MonaVie's energy drink, you'll find three ingredients that supply caffeine: Guarana, yerba mate, and green tea. The yerba mate is also suspected as being a carcinogen (Mayo Clinic). The product contains 40 grams of carbs, has 22 grams of sugars, which would not be acceptable for many diabetics, even though they're from fruit. The product also has an enormous amount of calories: 170.

    Consumers Report does not recommend any energy drinks, and I see little difference between this one and any of the others.

    It certainly is not healthy. My recommendation: get enough sleep.

  10. Roseann says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:33 am

    And we all know that it only says those things because, without the scientific studies you refer to, they aren't allowed to make those claims. BUT - I don't read any of that to say that I'm not allowed to tell anyone what it has done for ME. I have never said that it will cure anything, nor guarantee that it would do the same for everyone that it did for me. I don't see anything anywhere that says I can't tell someone what results I had when I drank it. And, to make a distinction, I'm not "promoting" the product on this blog. I'm simply discussing it and defending it from people who are trying their best to keep others from even trying it, and making claims against it that aren't substantiated - no matter how you or anyone wants to spin it. I've repeatedly said that I believe it works differently for different people.

    As for the fruit's sugars not being acceptable for diabetics, that's not true either. I am pre-diabetic and my endocrinologist, without reviewing the information I brought her, told me that I (or any diabetic) should NEVER drink ANY kind of fruit juice because of the sugars. Since I personally knew an insulin-dependent diabetic that drank this (the Pulse formula, though I have no idea if that makes any difference) and had a drastic reduction in their blood sugar to the point that they had to reduce their insulin 3 times over a two week period - blood sugar went from 340 to 150 over that same time period, I ignored her and tried it anyway, and stopped taking the metformin she'd prescribed as a "precaution". I only did this because I didn't think she was being very open minded by not even looking at the information I had on it. Anyway, that's when I got the blood test results I showed you (Food Tech) and my blood sugar was perfectly fine - better even than when I was taking the metformin. So, between my friend's results and my own, I don't believe that ALL fruit sugars act the same way that others do, and these apparently are fine for diabetics.

    As for the yerba mate, this website is where I found some good information on it: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/416279/are_there_any_yerba_mate_side_effects.html?cat=51 Another is: http://www.ehow.com/facts_4853619_yerba-mate-negative-side-effects.html which is where I see some mention of what you were talking about with Mayo (though out of 5 or 6 others, nothing about this was ever mentioned, and they even talked about it as a cancer preventative.) However, since one of the first things it says in the article is: "Luckily, current research indicates that side effects are few and mostly directly related to the tea's caffeine content." I find it odd that you would pull out ONLY the one and only reference at the bottom that says "may indicate a possible link" with "heavy consumption", as if that's a definite. You may not like the idea of ANY energy drink, and that's fine. But you have to admit that this one is MUCH better than Red Bull and the others - IF one were to drink any of them. That's my only point here. It does have sugars and it does have caffeine, but if you read these sites, it points out that in moderation, there are no bad side effects for someone in reasonable health, and that if they're in fruits and herbal supplements, the benefits of these ingredients greatly outweigh any of the negatives of those sugars and caffeine. Again, taken in moderation. One of these energy drinks a day IS good for you. Probably two is as well. I don't think I'd drink any more than that - and am not sure why anyone would. (And I'd like to see what Consumers Report would have to say about Emv - I'm not at all surprised that they don't like the energy drinks that are popular now.)

  11. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 24, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    Roseann, let me print it again: "Do not use terms or phrases that suggest the product can prevent, mitigate, diagnose, treat or cure a disease"

    That is pretty cut and dry. You are a MonaVie distributor, an agent of the company. It would be just as illegal for you to mention lowering your cholesterol, as it would if Dallin Larsen got up at a MonaVie conference and did the same.

    Please call or email MonaVie compliance for verification. Many have, and the answer is always the same.

    You say that you're not promoting the product on this blog. Uhh, that's kind of hard to believe.

    Next, you say your doctor told you that diabetics should NEVER drink any fruit juices because of the sugars. Then you illegally mentioned the drop in your friend's blood sugar level while using MonaVie. This is irresponsible on your part. What if someone actually believes you and discontinues their diabetes medicine in favor of MonaVie, and goes into shock.

    As for the three ingredients that I mentioned in the EMV energy drink, my point is simple: they provide caffeine. That is where the "energy" comes from. You may as well take a No Doze tablet, since it is caffeine. The yerba mate is a suspected carcinogen. If you want to risk your life for a quick pick-me-up, go ahead. I'm just warning any consumers of the potential dangers.

    This brings up a question. If you are already taking MonaVie Pulse, with all it's "magical" ingredients that is suppose to give an individual energy, then WHY do you have a need for an energy drink on top of that? Sounds like your MonaVie Pulse isn't doing the job, no?

    I'm sorry but the science doesn't support your product or your claims. Asking diabetics to drink a high sugar fruit juice is medically and ethically wrong. Any MonaVie distributor that does the same should be ashamed!

  12. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 26, 2009 at 2:37 am

    Roseann, yes the information on yerba mate said "possible links" to cancer. So, if I'm deciding what to put in my body, that would catch my attention. This is especially true when we're talking about a product (MonaVie EMV) that is nothing more than a carrier for caffeine. It's not needed. It may contain a carcinogen. It has a lot of sugar. It has a lot of calories. It's expensive. I'm not an idiot.

    Regarding diabetics. NO DIABETIC SHOULD TAKE NUTRITIONAL ADVICE FROM A MONAVIE DISTRIBUTOR, PERIOD. I have yet to encounter one that knew what they were talking about. If you are even thinking about this product, take the bottle to your doctor and ask him/her. DO NOT STOP TAKING OR CHANGE YOUR MEDICATION IN ANY WAY. You don't have to take my word for it. You can believe your doctor or you can believe someone with zero nutritional knowledge, that is trying to peddle, what is basically, nothing more than fruit juice.

    And Roseann, that is what I do know. My Master's degree in Food Science from UC Davis, with thirty years as a food technologist, including five years in a fruit juice lab gives me the right to say: In my expert opinion, MonaVie is an over-priced useless fruit juice.

    The ORAC is 2,698 umoles per 4 oz. An apple has 6,413 umoles. 2.4 times higher ORAC than a days serving of MonaVie for about $.75.

    Don't give me any BS about the special blend of 19 fruits making it some miracle brew. It ain't so. There isn't ONE study that suggests that 4 oz. of MonaVie has more phytonutrients than small amounts of everyday produce.

    And no, it doesn't treat or cure anything. The cholesterol tests that you sent me showed a decrease in your bad cholesterol. However, I have no idea if you were taking cholesterol lowering meds at the same time.

    So, as soon as you can pinpoint one scientific study that even remotely backs up your claims, I suggest you give it up. The only people buying your propaganda are other MonaVie distributors.

  13. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 26, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    Now that Roseann is done with her diatribe, what have we learned from her? She has an unverified anecdote. She wants you to buy MonaVie. No facts to back her up. Not one citation of a scientific paper. Zero.

    It really doesn't matter if you believe I'm a food technologist or not. My citations are from studies and analysis that other scientists have performed. This includes Dr. Schauss from AIBMR Life Sciences, who conducted the MonaVie-sponsored study.

    Here are my points followed by the scientific study citations:

    1) MonaVie has an ORAC of 22.81 umoles/ml. and a total phenolics (polyphenols/all plant-based antioxidants combined) of 1.48 mg/ml.
    AIBMR STUDY: http://www.aibmr.com/news/pdfs/antioxidant-juice.pdf

    2) There are 143 vegetables/fruits listed in the USDA ORAC Table of Selected Foods - 2007. 55 of them have a higher ORAC value than MonaVie. This includes: apples, blackberries, blueberries, almonds, plums, etc... ONE apple has 2.4 more ORAC units than an entire days serving of MonaVie: 6,413 umoles to MonaVie's 2,698 umoles.
    ORAC TABLE OF SELECTED FOODS: http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500?Data/ORAC/ORAC07.pdf

    3) For juice drinkers, there are several juices with a higher ORAC and more polyphenols, including pomegrantate, black cherry, concord grape and blueberry juices.
    UCLA STUDY: http://www.pomwonderful.com/pdf/Antioxidant_Beverage_Study.pdf

    There are ZERO studies that show MonaVie lowers cholesterol or helps in any way, or form, any ailment. Period.

    Here's what MonaVie's Black Diamond University says about MonaVie Pulse:

    The plant sterol activity, effects, and benefits in MonaVie Pulse as it relates to heart health and cholesterol are significantly less than that found in drugs.

    So, Roseann, you're own company doesn't even support you. All we have is your claim. Unverified. And you want us to buy expensive fruit juice because you say so. I put my sources out there. Where are yours?

  14. Roseann says:
    September 28, 2009 at 12:57 am

    You can list all the sources you want since you seem to have an abundance of time on your hands. I will go back and find some of the ones I listed previously - since I already did do that that conflicted with some of what you've posted and can be found in some of my earlier postings - when I have time. It's late here and I work full time and have a family to support - not too sure about you. I have also given some websites with information on the ingredients you seem to now have stopped arguing about as far as whether or not the energy drink is any better than the Red Bulls out there. Perhaps you've seen the light and just aren't big enough to admit you're wrong?

    But what you continue to ignore is that there can be huge differences in your "apple" and other fruits that are tested. What you find at the grocery store is sadly lacking in nutrients and that's been proven again and again. And just because I can't immediately point to studies that show it, doesn't mean it's not true. Perhaps somebody out there (that hasn't fallen asleep listening to all this already) knows of some good sites that point to this.

    Regardless, you can say what you want, for whatever reason you want, that I have no "proof". I have all the proof I need in REAL LIFE with what it's done. If the people reading this are so closed-minded like YOU are, then they can just sit back, take their drugs, and go on living with their illnesses, never knowing if this could have helped them like it did me and others, because they're too cheap to spend a few dollars on something that costs less than their beer or Starbucks that they drink and spend money on all the time. If they're that closed-minded, I really don't care. Luckily, not everyone is, and those people will benefit from having known that there is a natural product out there that has helped a LOT of people and that could help them.

    If and when I have time to find the sites I saw before that conflict with yours, I will come back and post them. I'm pretty much over arguing with you since it seems there's no one else out here anymore that this could help.

  15. Food Tech in CA says:
    September 28, 2009 at 2:17 am

    I won't be holding my breath waiting for your citations on pro MonaVie studies. I've looked for them. They don't exist, unless you're talking about made up stuff on some distributors websites. Those don't qualify. I won't convince you of the science, because either you don't understand science or don't want to understand it because it doesn't fit your view of what is nutrionally valid. You call me close-minded? I'm the one who's spent hours researching your product for you. You've accepted as gospel, the word of other distributors. MonaVie, LLC doesn't even support your assumptions.

    As far as the energy drink is concerned, your reasoning is so ridiculous it doesn't even require a response. My points from the previous posts remain accurate and need not be repeated.

    I'll remain on this site and others like it to inform the uninformed, and confront scoundrels who would take advantage those people.

  16. Dana S. says:
    October 11, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    I have not tried Monavie yet so I will not give my opinion YET, but I have 4 bottles being shipped to me from my sister. I have suffered from chronic Migraines for about 16 years. I get about 10 per month. My sister has heard that they drink has helped Migraine sufferers. I don't expect it to work, I am realistic, but if it does....you better believe I will sign up to distribute it! My sister claims it has greatly helped her with her chronic pain from "plantar fasciites", and her friends mother has had major relief from arthritis...so yes I'm willing to give it a try! Will post again after 1 to 2 months.

  17. fred says:
    October 15, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    I honestly tried monovie,I hade to get on antbiotics about every two months I stopped selling it after I watched and older couple get sick,My sis is a doc know I know why,be carful guys.

  18. Roseann says:
    October 16, 2009 at 12:25 am

    Fred - can you explain your last comment? Now you know why? What do you know? You're saying the fruit juice made an older couple sick? How? And why would you have to get on antibiotics? I have no idea what you could mean and would honestly like to know.

  19. Food Tech in CA says:
    October 16, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    I would like to know as well, Fred. I challenge unverified reports of treatments or cures by the pro-MonaVie crowd, but I will also challenge unverified reports of illness by the anti-MonaVie people. It's a low-pH fruit juice. That's all it is. It may spoil if not kept properly, but it shouldn't make anyone sick.

  20. yvonne says:
    November 16, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    hi i'm yvonne i'm 43 i suffer from i can't get a job because of all these background checks. before u start my crimminal history is 10 -25yrs old. i've been clean off drugs now 10 years. i went and got myself a cdl. yes they gave it to me i passed, but no company out there will hire me because of things that are 10-25 yrs old. at 1st i cried i worked so hard to change and yet i felt like i was still a loser. well i'm not and this is my story. i was never asked if i've ever been arrested or anything i was just happy to find somewhere i could move forward. yes i drink monavie i dont care for the pulse the active works better for me . my partner on the other hand likes the pulse. we both enjoy the energy drink it taste alot better then amp and redbull, but folks its in what you like. my girlfreind likes redbull and doesnt care for the taste of monavie her choice her money.i have read alot of these things you ppl wrote here some have been helpful and others are just downrite ignorant. some are funny some would scare me if i didnt know better. dont listen to anybody try it urself as i did. my distr# 2544964 i now have a job that i feel good about finally thank you monavie i was lost and getting tired of having the door slammed in my face nobody deserves to be hung for something they already were hung for nice to breath i hope somebody out there understands what i'm saying. new beginning for me, i gave my # because rate now its free to get in until dec31st i can sign u up FREE NO CHARGE FREE HURRY

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