Anyone tried Juice Plus or alternatives?

[WM]

I've been seeing a dietitian for some health issues and she recommends Juice Plus to her clients. It seems like a decent product but it's multi-level marketed (i.e., she gets a commission when I buy it) and I hate stuff like that.

Some searching around turned up at least one other similar product, Juice/VeggieFestiv, that's sold on Amazon for a lot less.

Anyone tried these or other dried fruit/veggie pills?

 

[Badger]

Both look pretty much like a fancy multi vitamin/mineral pill. There are a lot of these type of pills on the market that will most likely have the same effect. However, you do miss out on all the good flavor of fresh veggies and fruits as well as many micronutrients, soluble and insoluble fiber, Omega 3, etc. So you will need to take some pills for those as well and most likely additional Vit D and B12.

The Veggie and Juice Festiv is also available at Costco if one is nearby and you want to give it a try for $20.

If you are doing this for some health issues check out the disclaimer on Veggie Festiv. I would bet it is similar for Juice Plus.

"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

You can always do a Google search for "Juice Plus reviews" or "Veggie Festiv reviews".

Cheers!

 

[psweath]

WM, I use a product called Akea Essentials. I'm pretty committed to it, having been able to objectively document positive changes after a few months (improved bloodwork with no other changes, etc.).

Here is the website if you're interested in checking it out: Akea Essentials I've seen comparison reports with Juice Plus and others and could dig those up if you're interested.

Be forewarned, it is expensive - $110 per month for "optimal" dose. But if I really believe it's improving my health, then I've got to ask "expensive compared to what?". I consider it my "gap-filler" - I honestly try to eat healthy, but I do miss the mark more than I'd like to. So, I adjusted my budget to afford it.

Don't let the MLM scare you. This product is also marketed that way. MLM is a legitimate marketing strategy. For those of us who remember pyramid schemes, we tend to lump the two together and it's not the case anymore. Pyramids are illegal, MLMs are not. Having said that, I'm still not a fan of them! I could "get my product for free" if I refer three customers, but the last thing I want to do is sell anything to anyone, so I am not a "consultant" for Akea in any fashion. Simply a satisfied customer.

Pete

 

[ER Eddie]

I'm a little skeptical. Seems like the product is heavily marketed. It bothers me that your dietician is paid to sell it to you.

Also, here is a bit from the wiki:

National Safety Associates, the owner of Juice Plus, claim that it is “the next best thing to eating fruits and vegetables”, containing the “nutritional essence of 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains” with key phytonutrients and that the product is absorbed by the body, reduces oxidative stress, promotes cardiovascular wellness, supports a healthy immune system, and helps protect DNA.[22] Multiple studies have produced conflicting results as to the truth of these claims. Doubts have been raised about the advertised benefits of Juice Plus by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of California Berkeley, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and other sources.[2][23][9][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The product has been criticized on the basis that: its marketing is unsupported by research data, it contains too little fruit and vegetable powder to offer significant clinical benefits,[24] its effects can be attributed to the inclusion of added exogenous vitamins and micronutrients, and it is excessively priced relative to its potential benefits.[2][23][25][27][28][31] Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Clinic referred to Juice Plus as a “pricey supplement” that is “distributed through a multi-tiered marketing scheme with exaggerated value and cost." [23]

Juice Plus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[RAE]

I'm a little skeptical. Seems like the product is heavily marketed. It bothers me that your dietician is paid to sell it to you.

Same here. If I were you, I would skip the pills and just eat real food (real fruit, real veggies, etc). It's cheaper, and almost certainly healthier.

Take a look at Paul Jaminet's website if you want some examples of the types of things to eat for optimum health: Perfect Health Diet - A diet for healing chronic disease, restoring youthful vitality, and achieving long life | Perfect Health Diet

 

[WM]

Thanks! I knew people here would have some suggestions! Should have thought of wikipedia, I'll go look through that stuff.

I completely agree about eating real food, and so does the dietitian, the pills would be in addition to that as a boost right now while I recover from some problems and possibly continued as "insurance" for when I don't eat as healthy as I'd like.

She distinguishes between the Juice Plus, which is just dried fruits and veggies, versus supplements which are isolated vitamins or minerals.

I hadn't heard of Akea, I'll check them out too.

It's not that I think MLM is a scam, exactly, I just don't like the conflict of interest it generates. Plus I think they make unrealistic promises about how lucrative it can be if you sign up to sell it, I feel that's misleading for the vast majority of people and don't like being associated with that. On the other hand, to be fair, it's not like the standard corporate model of heavily advertised supplements is so much better.

 

[ER Eddie]

Well, it can't hurt.

Personally I use this:

Garden of Life RAW Organic Perfect Food Powder

I won't claim that this is any better than Juice Plus or has any more scientific support, but I like all of the good stuff they put in there. There have been times I drank it that I felt a biological-level "Ahh, thank you, that felt really good" from my body. My mouth wasn't all that impressed, though -- it tastes like eating a mixture of grass and dirt. I have to mix it with fruit juice.