I got an email about Juice Plus+ the other day.
I actually get a lot of these type of emails in my Personal Training inbox.
I’ve seen a lot of this pop-up on my Facebook newsfeed, too… but I’ve learnt how to ignore it and bite my tongue…
… But I have no tongue left – so it’s time to give my opinion!
You see, I chose to just ignore it because I don’t need to get involved and argue with people who sell it or think it’s great for a quick fix..
^^ I get bored with all that, and as a Personal Trainer I have other people and clients to help.
But with New Year’s approaching and having been asked about it quite a bit (they must have had the emails too), I thought I’d give you my honest opinion.
This will surprise some of you but I really don’t have a problem with Juice Plus+
If people want to use Juice Plus+ or any other weight-loss ‘products’ then good luck with it and I wish them all the best..
… People have a right to do what they think is right after all.
But, if you’re trying to sell it to me via email, LinkedIn or Facebook then please stop as I’m really not that interested.
The thing is: If you’re using anything like Juice Plus+, Slimming World, Forever Living’s Clean 9 or Weight Watchers then you WILL lose weight.
That’s definitely going to happen.
I can guarantee it.
I mean, if you substitute a proper solid meal with a 250 calorie shake a couple of times a day then it’s inevitable, right?
(I could write another blog post on the science of not eating and reducing your intake.)
When you start restricting calories then weight-loss WILL happen.
But what’s the cost to you and your body on these types of plans?
What will happen to you is this:
- You WILL be hungry.
- You WILL have low energy levels.
- And you WILL mess up your metabolism.
Sounds fun, right?
Guess not…
I don’t need to bore you with all the details about how a low calorie diet will also alter your metabolism in the long term, too.
… But it will eventually make you fatter!
These things are taught to people when they join with my Inner Circle members. We discuss these topics in the private members’ group on Facebook.
But back to Juice Plus+…
Juice Plus+ works through a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM).
Which means if I sell it, I get a commission.
If I get someone else to sell it too, then I get a percentage of their commission.
If they get someone else to sell it, I get a commission on that as well!
(Sign me up now, yeah?)
So you basically end up with a big chain of people all looking to get paid.
… That’s OK, but here’s the thing:
If the company were using top quality ingredients (which are high grade & expensive) they would end up with very little profit indeed.
Or they would end up having to sell a product that only multi-millionaires could afford.
But the products aren’t that expensive, and that tells me that the ingredients going into these products are pretty low quality.
Otherwise the system doesn’t work and large profit margins won’t happen, right?
Take soy for example: the main protein source in their shakes.
Soy is the cheapest form of protein out there.
If you’re a man and want man boobs or you’re a woman who wants want fat legs then keep using soy products because they’re great for that!
(I could write another post on how bad soy can be, too.)
This tells me it’s very likely that that the protein source going into these products is poor and comes from predominantly unfermented, non-organic sources.
Personally I don’t recommend ANY forms of soy to my clients in Leamington or my Inner Circle.
But what about the Juice Plus+ capsules?
The capsules actually don’t look too bad to be honest.
I say that because anything that helps people who are struggling to get their 5 portions of fruit & veg a day in isn’t a bad thing, right?
But here’s the thing:
They don’t actually tell you how much of each ingredient is in there.
I’ve had a look and I’ll tell you how much:
- Enough to feed a sparrow.
A teeny weeny little capsule listing a whole load of different fruits in there right?
So it would be dumb to think that you’re getting your 5-a-day from just two of these small capsules wouldn’t it?
In my humblest of opinions you’re better off just eating fruit & veg!
And then there’s the people selling it..
Firstly you don’t have to have any qualifications to become a Juice Plus+ distributor.
Of course that doesn’t mean that people with qualifications on nutrition aren’t selling Juice Plus+… just that it’s not a deal breaker to become a re-seller.
Look, here’s the thing:
I’m all for people trying to earn some money or have a second income that supports their full time job. But when it comes to health and fitness I’m VERY passionate about it and anything that claims to help.
This isn’t just my job; it’s my LIFE!
I’ve lost count of the number of diet books I’ve read and spent thousands of pounds educating myself with.
It seems to me that most of the people selling Juice Plus+ and similar products have gained all of their ‘nutritional’ knowledge from the Juice Plus+ website. It may not be a complete picture.
So there you have it. That’s my take on Juice Plus+ and similar MLM products
I’m expecting some responses from the JP etc. crowd, but then that’s fine.
If they answer my questions then that’s only fair, right?
It’s only my opinion after all…
