MonaVie?

[Judge Roy Bean]

Is this just expensive fruit juice in what looks like a wine bottle? Family member seeking advice. Based on where they're based and the fact that it inovles signing up dowlines I am holding firm that it's just another MLM but haven't seen any of the regulars here mention it.

[Shakespearegirl]

oh yes, this one was popular among the moms too.

It's like that "Tahitian Noni Juice" or the "Himalayan Goji Juice"

same crap, different day.

[wserra]

Is this just expensive fruit juice in what looks like a wine bottle?

Short answer: Yes. Very expensive fruit juice. Fruit juice so expensive you could plotz.

Family member seeking advice. Based on where they're based and the fact that it inovles signing up dowlines I am holding firm that it's just another MLM but haven't seen any of the regulars here mention it.

I (and others, of whom I think Chef Brian was one) wrote about it on the old board. Note to Joey or Demo: are those posts gone forever? Some of them (which I now archive) involved considerable research.

Making a long story short, it's another of those "wellness" MLMs that give you virtually no information to go on except what a great opportunity it is. Check Monavie's site. Now tell me: other than acai, what's in the stuff? How much does it cost per dose? Per bottle? How much is in a bottle? What real testing have they done to show its effectiveness? It comes down to

If not for wserra, I'd still be looking in that damn mirror.
- Albert E., Princeton, NJ

See, guys, I can make stuff up, too.

Their claim appears to be that they have higher antioxidant concentration than anything else on the planet. They don't explain why anyone should care. Should your entire daily diet consist of the 2-4 ounces of the stuff they recommend? How about the fresh fruit and veggies which are themselves excellent antioxidant sources and which every diet should contain? Don't they count?

Monavie, like all of the other ripoff wellness MLMs, doesn't explain why a normal healthy diet doesn't give you everything you need - and why, if you don't eat one, you can't make up the difference with supplements from GNC at a tiny fraction of Monavie's cost. In fact, there is evidence that too much antioxidant is actually harmful.

And the cost is absurd. Although Monavie doesn't tell you the cost of a bottle, their distributors do: $45 for a bottle that will last a week at 2 oz/day, the minimum Monavie recommends. At minimum dosage, you thus spend $2400 per year on Monavie.

Who in their right minds would do that? Answer: those with $$ in their eyes from distributing, not using, the stuff. Ask Monavie for proof as to what percentage of buyers are customers, not distributors. You won't get it.

Ripoff.

[chefbrian]

Now tell me: other than acai, what's in the stuff?

Well, since you ask...

Contains a Proprietary Blend of: ACAI BERRY, ACEROLA, APRICOT, ARONIA, BANANA, BILBERRY, BLUEBERRY, CAMU CAMU, CRANBERRY, KIWI, LYCHEE FRUIT, NASHI PEAR, PASSION FRUIT, PEAR, POMEGRANATE, PRUNE, PURPLE GRAPE, WHITE GRAPE, WOLFBERRY (Goji).

In other words, Acai Berry and 18 other fruits from the four corners of the world (according to their website). 19 fruits -doesn't that qualify it as a fruit punch?

Something else I find interesting...

There are approximately 300mg of glucosamine hydrochloride per one ounce of MonaVie Active and approximately 150mg of esterified fatty acids per one ounce of MonaVie Active. The Glucosamine Hydrochloride is derived from the shells of shrimp. The glucosamine hydrochloride that MonaVie uses is 99.9% pure. The blend of fatty acids are referred to as Esterified Fatty Acids. Esterified Fatty Acids are not EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids). The esterified fatty acids that MonaVie uses in its Active formula are derived from bovine tallow oil.

Not sure what all that mumbo jumbo is all about, I'm a chef not a biochemist, but I sure know what that last ingredient is - bovine tallow oil!

What the heck is that stuff doing in a fruit drink?

And while we're looking at the product, here's the label ...



All those fruits and only 2% of the RDA of Vitamin C in a one ounce serving?

Something too that always bugs me about these companies. If you notice, there are only 25 servings in a bottle. Now tell me, which months have 25 days?

Just a scam to make sure you have to buy more to get a full months supply. Why not have a bottle that holds 32 oz to at least be fair?

Note to Joey or Demo: are those posts gone forever? Some of them (which I now archive) involved considerable research.

Yes, too bad, Wes. You had some good stuff there that I had bookmarked. Too bad - appears to be gone. Guess I'll have to wise up and take screen shots from now on.

[wserra]

Another example of how it's impossible to get a straight story out of these ripoffs. The site I referenced clearly said one $45 bottle supplies a daily two-oz dose for a week. That says 14 oz, not 32. And the bottle you post, Brian, says a dose is 1 oz, while Monavie's own site says 2-4 ozs.

MLM practice: throw out lots of contradictory information. That way, you can always cite something to say that your critics are wrong.

While it is too bad about the info loss from the old board, Jay ("Sooltauq") maintains this site as a public service. That makes it pretty hard to criticize anything.

[chefbrian]

Say, Judge Roy, if you're still looking to sample some MonaVie, I think I might be able to help you out.

I know a guy that has a few extra bottles on hand - some 900 cases of the stuff to be exact. XanGo-Mangosteen True Story $100,000 in my Garage!.

Or, he tells his story in a similar video - 1,800 Bottles of Xango juice in my garage.

Checked on eBay and see this stuff going for: XANGO, 1 case (4 bottles), brand new US $125.00

Not bad, but the shipping might get to you: Shipping: US $75.00

And just so you know, No Returns Accepted