The missing link in your diet

 

By Mandi Frattalone B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition, LMT, CrossFit Trainer Level 1.

 

People are always looking for the next fad diet that will make them thin, or the next cure-all for their diseases and ailments. It seems our society always wants the quick and easy path to better health, no matter the expense or the toll it takes on the body, i.e. prescription drugs.  Why not take the natural route and give your body the ability to heal itself?  In addition to that, why not take the preventative route to better health down the road?

 

New scientific research on MonaVie, an antioxidant-rich concoction with the main ingredient being acai, is emerging by the day. There are two things that validate a health product: the scientific data and testimonials. 

 

Scientific data answers a lot of questions people have regarding Mona Vie.  One particular test, the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score measures the activity of antioxidant power in the body.  The ORAC score of the patented process of the freeze-dried acai in Mona Vie is 1,027, which is 15 times higher than blueberries and 20 times higher than raspberries (J Agric Food Chem. 2006,54(22):8604-10).  The University of Florida did a study solely on the effects of the acai berry- and in turn, found that the fruit killed 86% of the leukemia cells (Nordlie T. Brazillian Berry).

 

The acai berry itself contains the following nutrients: antioxidants, enzymes, phytonutrients, healthy fats, plant sterols, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.  These nutrients play critical roles in everyday functions and repairs in the body.  The following is a brief description of what these nutrients do in the body:

 

• Antioxidants absorb free radicals that cause damage to cells.  One commonly known example is that antioxidants slow the aging process by absorbing free radicals. 

 

• Enzymes play a critical role in digestion.  The body obtains enzymes from the consumption of raw foods in addition to being able to create it; both are needed for healthy digestion. 

 

• Some commonly known names of phytonutrients are carotenoids, flavonoids, isoflavones, and lignans.  They are also identifiable by the pigments in fruits and vegetables (ex. Chlorophyll in green leafy veggies).  Studies suggest that they have been found to protect against disease and cancer.  

 

• ‘Healthy fats’ refers to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are known to lower cholesterol and help fight against heart disease. Acai also has omega-3 fatty acids which are essential nutrients and play many key roles in the body including cardio, immune, and brain functions.
•  Plant sterols lower LDL cholesterol (a.k.a. ‘bad’ cholesterol) and reduce the risk for heart disease.

 

• Amino Acids are the building blocks for making proteins.  When the body consumes a protein, it breaks it down into amino acids, therefore supplying the body with amino acids to make the proteins it needs.  The acai berry contains free amino acids allowing the body to readily absorb them and make the proteins it needs to carry out everyday functions.

 

• MonaVie has an EXTENSIVE list of vitamins and minerals; all essential to the body’s daily functions. 

 

In addition, MonaVie contains fruits from all of the four quadrants of the world including grape, apple, aderola, aronia, cranberry, passion fruit, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, wolfberry (gogi), pomegranate, lychee, camu camu, pear, banana, and bilberry.  The incredible nutrient content of the freeze-dried acai berry combined with the other specially selected fruits gives MonaVie its’ amazing nutrient content.  These nutrients in turn provide the body with all of the materials it needs to carry out all of its’ daily functions as well as performing repairs it may not have been able to do without the proper amount of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and/or minerals.  Therefore, MonaVie is not a “cure all,” nor has it claimed to be.  It simply helps the body heal itself.   

 

There are three different varieties of MonaVie.  The original formula is made up of acai and all of the other fruits mentioned in the previous paragraph.  MonaVie Active contains everything in the original recipe, but with glucosamine.  Glucosamine helps protect joints and promotes growth and repair of tissue.  This formula is ideal for those that range from being lightly active to the elite athlete.  Athletes have reported a better recovery from training, which is due to a combination of the glucosamine and the antioxidants.  MonaVie Pulse has added plant sterols, reservatrol, and omega-3 fatty acids for added cardiovascular support to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.  The fruits in MonaVie pulse are varied from MonaVie Original to get the unique blend of cholesterol lowering properties.

 

Now that the data portion of the article has been presented, the real evidence lies in the success stories from the individuals that take MonaVie.  From everyone I know that has taken it, every single person has their own story.  Here are only just a few. 

 

“Since I’ve been on Mona Vie, I haven’t taken a sleeping pill.  I feel like I’m 40 years old.” 

                               Sumner Redstone, 84

                        CEO of Viacom and CBS

 

“I love MonaVie and drink it everyday.  I feel better than I have felt in a long time.”

                              Joe-Max Moore, 38

                             U.S Soccer Forward

 

My favorite testimonial is from Sylvia, a mother of a friend of ours.  She has a multitude of ailments, some of which are brain tumor, fibromyalgia, DNA positive for Lupis, sleeping disorder, trouble walking up 3 steps of stairs, and no sleep for days.  Prior to MonaVie, Sylvia was taking prednizone and 18 pain meds per day! After taking MonaVie five and a half weeks later, she was down to 3 pain meds per day and even decreased her prednisone medication.  She then found herself walking up 34 steps of stairs, carrying 50lb bags of soil to plant her organic garden, driving from Gainesville to Oregon by herself, sleeping through the night, and feeling the best she has felt in 10 years.  When asked, she said MonaVie is the only thing in her life that she changed.

 

As for myself, I didn’t have any real health problems except for my knee pain.  I stopped running for 2 years because I thought I was damaging my knee.  When I started taking MonaVie, it started feeling better and I began running again – only feeling that my knee was bothering for the one week that I didn’t take MonaVie.  Now I will never be without it.  I also had a significant increase in energy and was accused of being more obnoxious than before by a few friends!

 

The acai in MonaVie, along with all the fruits from around the world is what makes MonaVie so unique and full of high quality nutrition. Like was mentioned before, there are many people who have had success with MonaVie varying from simply feeling more energized to not needing as many pain medications.  It is full of nutrients that the body needs to carry out everyday functions, as well as nutrients that let the body utilize the ability to heal itself.  Could this be the missing link in your diet?  Just imagine the possibilities...