Upon finishing "The China Study", it became obvious to me that my dearest friend lost her battle to cancer much more rapidly due to various dietary factors that came to pass as her disease progressed. Not least among these factors was her inability to consume enough of a whole foods, plant based diet to keep her strong. Ultimately, the doctors put her on intravenous and tube feedings. She was use to eating a nutritious diet and they could not put that in the tube. Her cancer thrived and her body failed. I knew there had to be a way to fully nourish a person with no appetite and I began a search for a whole food supplement. I believe I may have found one, Juice Plus.
There are three formulas made by this company: Garden Blend which is made from 10 vegetables and grains, Orchard Blend which is made from 7 fruits and a vineyard blend which is made from berries. All these fruits and vegetables are tested to ensure that no pesticides, herbicides or other contaminants are introduced.
The fruits and vegetables are juiced and the juices are then concentrated into powders using a low-temperature process that is unique to this company. The products contain no corn, yeast, wheat, egg and no milk products. They are also low in sodium, sugar and calories.
This product is backed by numerous scientific studies that were conducted specifically on Juice Plus. The great majority of these tests are randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. (The gold standard of testing) These studies investigate cell health, endothelial function, exercise related muscle fatigue, oxidation in healthy adults and more.
There are always downsides to any supplementation. Whole foods work together, in ways that research may never be able to discover, to keep us at our optimal level of health. You may be over-nourishing your body and as a consequence passing much of the supplement straight through your body and then out in your urine. As a consumer, it is impossible to tell what is missing from the product or missing from the label of the product that could prove detrimental to your health. Last but not least, supplements can be expensive.
"What does the science say?"
I went to a conference April 21st through the 25th to research Juice Plus. I had read the literature, gone to the website and watched the videos, but I had some questions and a few reservations, not any more.
My questions were:
Is there nutritional damage when the juices are heated and dehydrated?
Juice Plus uses a proprietary low-temperature process. While there is great debate about heating foods, for me, the nutritional difference of heating food in this product is not the issue. Transporting food from the fields has an effect, time of harvest has an effect, cleansing and peeling has an effect. I think I have learned to stay more centered and keep to the task at hand, which is fully nourishing my body with a whole foods, plant based diet. This product gives me 17 fruits and vegetables each day plus berries if I add the Vineyard product. I could not keep on hand that amount of produce and use it before I experienced some spoilage and nutritional deterioration. I also travel often and find that my selections of food can become limited. Juice Plus will be my health insurance each day to round out my intake.
Does it contain sugar?
Juice Plus capsules contain the sugar that is in the food. The capsules contain no added sugar. There is a chewable product that does in fact contain the equivalent of 1 sugar packet per 4 chewables. 4 chewables is the recommended level of consumption each day. Personally, I will take the capsules because this is an unacceptable level of sugar for me. For children, who would most likely wash this down with a Gatorade or worse, any vehicle that can be used to get that many fruits and vegetables in them would be a major step toward wellness.
And the most important question-What does the science say?
Juice Plus has more than 17 peer-reviewed, gold standard clinical studies. These studies include, but are not limited to oxidative stress, bioavailablity, brachial artery reactivity, homocysteine levels and DNA protection.
https://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/content/Home.soa?site=ss43399
My personal conclusion is that I need to take Juice Plus everyday. This is based upon what I learned to receive my Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition, at the conference and then I coupled that with my nutritional realities. I am so convinced that I have signed up as a distributor to help my nutritionally challenged family and loved ones.
