MLM Hound

Source: Network Marketing Business Journal

www.mmmonthly.com

There seems to be four criteria for you to start your review of a network marketing nutritional juice or beverage. Even these four criteria are not as straightforward as you would want and the criteria do not preclude review of each company’s approach to nutrition.

1. Packaging: This is perhaps the easiest criterion to start with. Glass bottles, especially dark-colored glass, such as XanGo and MonaVie uses, are the safest choice with the least health hazards. If a beverage is packaged in plastic, you should look for the triangular recycle symbol with a number one or two in it. There are at least seven standards with the seventh being less desirable because of possible contamination of toxins including BPA, bisphenol A, a compound in hard, clear polycarbonate plastic. An April Time Magazine article based on a University of Cincinnati study said that plastic bottles with a number-two rating, such as Zrii’s plastic bottles, was better than the number-one rating because the reuse of plastic bottles with the number-one rating could leach toxins, including the cancer-causing BPA. Since network marketing bottles are not meant for reuse, this is not a factor. So a rating of one or two is fine.

Aluminum may contribute to Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, sleep apnea and other medical conditions. Aluminum containers with an interior inert barrier can lessen the harmful effects, but aluminum may still be consumed from the opening and especially drinking directly from the can, if it has an aluminum top.

2. Pasteurization: Long-term high heat pasteurization can cause deterioration of most, if not all, of the medicinal benefits of a juice. Many retail companies use this method, often referred to as “cooking or stewing” and then try to spike their products with less effective synthetic vitamins. Short-term or flash heat pasteurization uses the minimum heat for the shortest time possible to retain most of the medicinal benefits and vitamins. Most network marketing companies, including XanGo, Tahitian Noni International (TNI) and Zrii use this method. They spike their product with additional fruit (not synthetic vitamins) usually before the flash pasteurization to achieve desirable nutritional levels per serving after minimum expected losses. This method delivers the true medicinal benefits and natural vitamins. Cold filled or cold pressure pasteurization method used by Jús International and others may cause even less deterioration.

Another consideration is how well does the particular fruit hold up to heat. For instance, Zrii’s amalaki is grown in southern India and the noni fruit is grown in the South Pacific in hot climates and holds up well to heat.

Basically, the less heat for the shortest time with immediate cooling afterwards maintains a greater percentage of nature nutrients. Network marketing companies usually ensure quality and full medicinal benefits by starting with more of the fruit product in contrast to retail companies who usually cook the products and then simply add a dose of synthetic vitamins.

3. Organic: Juices whose fruit is organically grown are desirable. The reason why is the organic label usually indicates little or no pesticides and synthetic ingredients. Therefore, being organically grown is not the real issue. Does the product have pesticides or synthetic or artificial preservative ingredients; that is the question. However, these can be tough answers to ascertain. The products may meet the criteria to be considered organic, but because of where they are grown, they may not have the same criteria, if any, and it could take eight years to meet U.S. standards. LifesMiracle, OceanGrown and ForeverGreen all have products, that come from the sea. So obviously they don’t use pesticides, but there is no organic classification for food grown in the sea. Yet it is probably as organic as you can get.

Even if the label has the word “organic” on it, it does not ensure that most of its ingredients are organic. To be considered as an organic product, only a small percentage of the product must be organically grown.Tom Mower Jr. of SISEL explained that if a product does not show any synthetic ingredients or artificial preservatives on the label, it does not mean that one or more of the ingredients could contain some. It just means that they did not add any directly. You must look to see if the company claims that its products contain no preservatives, pesticides, artificial or synthetic ingredients. If they don’t make such a statement, then you should ask that question. Tom stated that SISEL screens all of its ingredients carefully to ensure the company meets the highest of this standard.

4. Quality: Network marketing juice and nutritional beverage products are expensive. They often cost $20 to $45 per bottle, which usually has a 30-day dose in it. Therefore it is proper to be concerned if you are getting a fair nutritional value for your money.

TNI’s noni product contains up to 89 percent of the noni fruit. It includes the rind where much of the nutrition is derived. The rind is bitter, so it is necessary to add sweeter juices for flavor. On the other hand, Zrii’s juice product contains much less of their seven primary fruit and botanical ingredients. Although Daniel Rhoda from Zrii would not provide any percentages because he stated it was proprietary, it seems apparent that the seven juices and botanicals are a much smaller percentage than TNI’s. However, Mr. Rhoda claims that each one ounce serving contains a full dose of nutritional value needed from their primary fruits and that the other juices serve more than a masking for flavor. He stated that raspberries and pomegranate are powerful antioxidants. He also stated that pear juice is alkaline and helps balance the juice’s pH. Also, companies’ beverage products that have more than one juice in it, such as Zrii and Jús International, which has a blend of 23 juices, may be able to offer a full spectrum of antioxidant defense and medicinal benefits.

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