Steve Kim’s morning superantioxidant drink

So you’ve heard of Monavie right? An MLM company pushing a super antioxidant drink. Well, the juice costs too much because that company has to pay for all of those commissions. That’s why I dislike most MLM’s, they’re more about money than product quality and value!

Want a better alternative? Get this instead:

Miracle Fruits of the World – 30 oz.- Mangosteen, Pomegranate, Noni, Blueberry, Cherry and More

I drink this every day, I do about 1/4 oz in the AM on an empty stomach. This drink costs about $30 and lasts a month, compared to $170 for MonaVie! Also this drink has a higher ORAC rating (the scale of how much antioxidants are in the drink) so it’s even better potency! Enjoy your better health and savings!!

Here’s an article I read recently about MonaVie:

Was my wife targeted to buy snake-oil? Dozens of people weigh in.

My wife is an active member in a nation-wide, young adults group. I am a member as well, but I’m not nearly as active (lack of time, plus my Laziness kicks in). The groups’ goals are very noble. They aim to help members with public speaking and event planning skills while raising money for charity through local businesses. Recently my wife went to a meeting and was gone longer than usual. I got a little concerned, so I called her to find out how the meeting was going. It turned out that it wasn’t a typical meeting any more – one of the members had invited some business acquaintances of his. When she got back, she told me about the meeting. It turned into a presentation of an energy/antioxidant juice called MonaVie.

About MonaVie Juice
This juice is a blend of 19 juices with the most referenced being the açaí (a-sigh-eee) berry. The açaí berry supposedly has many, many antioxidant properties. I like to be as healthy as I can, so why wouldn’t I incorporate MonaVie juice into my diet?

The Price of MonaVie Juice
The business behind the juice detracts from it’s value. The juice itself is not cheap. It’s $40 a bottle with a bottle lasting only around one week. That means you can expect to pay around $175 a month for this juice. For many people, that’s a significant car payment. For this kind of money, one would expect some sort of guarantee, perhaps a popular, publicly-traded, pharmaceutical company standing behind it. The company also doesn’t publish how much of the acai berry is each bottle.

MonaVie and Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)
Beyond MonaVie juice being expensive, it is sold by distributors who are compensated in based on a multi-level marketing structure. Some of you familiar with Amway or Quixtar might understand how this works. For those who are new to multi-level marketing, the goal of the organization is to recruit more sellers and “incentivize” them for recruiting them. I’m not a big fan of such systems, it seems like the founders of the company always make a fair amount, and the people that join later end up with few sales and no one else to recruit.

The people the other night were trying to coerce my wife to buy two bottles, at nearly $100, and potentially become a distributor. My wife balked at such a thing, largely because she knew that I would want to do some research before spending that kind of money. They ended up giving her two bottles of juice to try for free. I fear that my wife may notice a placebo effect and grow a taste for the expensive juice.

MonaVie Juice: Perhaps not a Scam?
Is it possible that it could work? Well Wikipedia references that Red Sox Pitcher Jonathan Papelbon is a fan. As Red Sox fans ourselves this is high praise. Even higher praise comes from Sumner Redstone in this Fortune article. That’s a very influential person and a very influential magazine. I did find one scientific piece of research, this PDF by AIBMR Life Sciences. The clinical research shows that it does indeed deliver more antioxidants than a placebo. However, it doesn’t compare to less costly solutions, like a multivitamin, V8 Fusion Acai Berry, or just a handful of mixed berries. I’m putting the burden of proof on MonaVie to show that their juice deserves the premium over the mixed berries.

article courtesy of lazymanandmoney.com

Steve Kim’s alternative

So now you’ve heard of Monavie right?  An MLM company pushing a super antioxidant drink.  Well, the juice costs too much because that company has to pay for all of those commissions.  That’s why I dislike most MLM’s, they’re more about money than product quality and value!

Want a better alternative?  Get this instead:

Miracle Fruits of the World – 30 oz.- Mangosteen, Pomegranate, Noni, Blueberry, Cherry and More

I drink this every day, I do about 1/4 oz in the AM on an empty stomach.  This drink costs about $30 and lasts a month, compared to $170 for MonaVie!  Also this drink has a higher ORAC rating (the scale of how much antioxidants are in the drink) so it’s even better potency!  Enjoy your better health and savings!!