Autisim and Monavie or Mona~Vie and Acai berry questions

July 23, 2007

Hi Folks:

Those of you that deal with Autisim daily and in the know, these questions are

for you and others in the know about MonaVie or Acai berry.

A dear friend of mine with a 14yo daughter with autisim sent me a link~after

mentioning that Mona Vie is being pushed in FL as a super Autisim supplement.

When I tried to research it, I kept getting in a loop that would not let me

out of their link without much info. It is a juice with 19 different fruits in

it and is a Multi level marketing company. They mention the Acai berry much.

So, I went and did a bit of research on the Acai berry. This berry is only

viable for a few hours. Companies are going crazy selling it tho and touting it

as a fountain of youth, etc. Of course it was on Oprah!

How can a berry that is only viable for 12 hours or such make it to products

even frozen or canned and do much good? Especially since it's a Rain Forest

berry? Am I answering my own questions?

Anyone have any experience with this juice? Or the Acai berry? Acai history

site warns of the Mona Vie being negligent due to being mixed with 18 other

fruits, etc.

Should you have info or background on it, please forward it on to me so I can

tell my dear friend about it.

Thanks a bunch,

deb

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July 23, 2007

¶ Anyone have any experience with this juice? Or the Acai berry? Acai

history site warns of the Mona Vie being negligent due to being mixed with

18 other fruits, etc.

[Dave]: I work at a health food store and we sell several brands of açai

juice. It's usually mixed with other fruit juices such a blueberry or mango

and is supposed to be high in nutrients and antioxidants. I have not seen a

pure açai juice, whether that's due to the flavor or the cost or both, I

don't know. The açai is the fruit of a palm tree, similar to a date. The

tree can be harvested for products besides the fruit. I noticed also that

the Wiki article mentioned rapid deterioration of the product after

harvesting, but it also suggested that methods such as freeze-drying

preserved some of the nutrition. Açai is one of those products that hits

the health-food market with a wave of promotion, and before you know it all

the hip folks are drinking it. I'm sure it's very good for you. I often

have a bottle of açai juice with lunch, and it's delicious. I'm not a

believer in magic bullets, so I take all these dramatic health claims with a

grain of salt. There are many, many wonderful nutritional products out

there, but the only way to take full advantage of them is to know your body

and its condition thoroughly, and choose the supplements that are

appropriate for you.

I don't know anything about Mona Vie, but I'm suspicious of any and all MLM

companies. Especially if they're pushing the latest health " secret. " There

are no secrets, just information we haven't learned yet.

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3:52 PM

July 23, 2007

Hi David,

I think the juice mixing is due to the taste.

The Acai juice smoothies that I enjoy all are mixed with other juices, and

several friends still won't touch them. An acquired taste, for sure.

When I drink it, I don't feel a bigger rush of energy or vitamins than with

anything else I've tried. However the juice is dark in color. So I assume

the brochures are right that say it's anti-oxident rich.

Mmmm, think I know what's for lunch!

Cheers,

Christina

July 24, 2007

¶ An acquired taste, for sure.

When I drink it, I don't feel a bigger rush of energy or vitamins than with

anything else I've tried.

[Dave]: No, I don't feel anything, either. Açai/blueberry juice is

delicious, and I do try for a diet that's rich in antioxidants.The point I

was making earlier is that there's not a lot of sense jumping on every

health bandwagon that comes along. My wife and I were discussing this very

point today. She and I have very different needs and attitudes when it

comes to health. I'm an old mule that just won't stop plodding; I succumb

to a doctor's scrutiny about as willingly as the Highway Patrol. It's one

thing for me to take responsibility for my own health - I'm strong and

disease-free. As I get closer to 60 I find I have to diet and work out as

well as choose my foods carefully. The reward is not just in the mirror,

but in going ten years without seeing a medical doctor. (The real kicker

for me will come next year when my 40th high-school reunion rolls around.

I've never been to any of them, and could care less. But I happen to have

moved back close enough to attend, and I do know how tubby and careworn my

old classmates are because I was. I just want to stay long enough for

someone to ask if that's my real hair, LOL!)

My wife on the other hand is disabled, and while she's learned that she too

can do a lot to improve her health by eating right and taking specific care

of the systems in her body that don't work too well, she still depends on

regular visits to the allopath, who is able to prescribe meds that really do

help her. So, while every new " discovery " in the health food store brings

hope to many and creates a buying flurry, the ones that have the most value

still often turned out to be those that are tried-and-true. And these days,

it's worth considering the source, as well. Goji berries come from China.

Government oversight and testing? I don't think so. Other exotic plants

may be creating crazy industries in the rain forest, where everything in

sight is stripped away to get at the latest " gold mine. "

In the case of açai, it comes from a plant that is sustainably grown and

used for other products (the palms are possibly the single most useful

family of plants in nature); the dietary benefits are there even if they

don't always quite match the hype; and the products are easily available and

very delicious. Açai beverages are pricey, so I'd sure take a look at the

label and check how much açai juice is actually in it.

Also, as for feeling a boost, things that really boost your health do so

slowly. I know I pretty much transformed my body over a period of 6 or 7

years without really even trying to. But even I need a boost now and then.

For that, I drink a Monster.

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7:02 PM

July 25, 2007

the store i go to does carry PURE wild harvested acai juice( i think the brand

is by genesis)- with nothing else added- that is the best way to get it- real

acai berries taste horible and have almost a smell like olives................

also excellent for athritis............

David Lambert <dlmbrt wrote: