Do you remember that post I wrote back in February of 2022 about how nutrition is really important and how I was working on changing my life for the better? Yeah, I didn’t think so but that is alright.
I was thinking recently about how a year ago I was so very enthused about these NFS Certified products that had more than 40 peer-reviewed studies done on them. And how my family has been taking them ‘regularly’ now for a year. Then I realized that I never really gave an update on how these products have been affecting our family.
First off I feel like it won’t help unless I explain what we have been taking. All the products from Juice Plus + are certified gluten-free, certified GMO-free, and certified Kosher. These products are designed to fill the gap between what people actually eat and what they should eat by providing the nutrients of 30 different fruits and vegetables that are picked at prime ripeness, and then the whole fruit/veg is put through a freezing process called IQF to keep the nutrients before being juiced and dried into a powder. The products are also vegan-friendly – including the omegas – which are derived from plants, seeds, and algae. The capsules are made from tapioca starch, which comes from cassava root.
In the first few weeks of taking the gummies and capsules, we could already see a difference. I’m gonna go a bit TMI here but our guts really appreciated the increase in natural fibers. I have always had inconsistent bowel movements, being constipated for days and then having diarrhea, then the stomach cramps would begin I’d be regular for a while before constipation would start again. But I found that within a couple of weeks of taking half the dosage I no longer had as much irregularity. It wasn’t just me though my kids were pooping on the regular, and there was no fight in getting them to take the gummies as they taste so good.
After my second month of taking the Juice Plus + dried produce capsule supplements, I had people complimenting my skin, saying I had a glow about me. I felt more energized and less inflamed, which is huge as with fibromyalgia I am always feeling run down and in pain.
While the girls and I were taking the capsules and gummies, Kevin was having a daily complete shake mixed into his morning coffee. These shakes actually taste pretty good considering they have no dairy in them, like most shake supplements. For months my husband, who never gives himself enough time to eat in the morning, was actually feeling energy when he came home from work and didn’t feel the need to immediately rush to the fridge while I was making dinner.
We took a couple of months off from continuing the products for a couple of reasons.:
The first was that we weren’t sure if these changes we were having were because of the healthier lifestyle we were living in general (as we were going for more walks, being more active in general, and eating healthier) or if the products were causing the changes. Sure enough, when we stopped taking the Essential Capsules and Complete Shake we could easily tell the difference.
The second reason was because of the cost – the products are purchased in 4-month bundles and it’s about $2 a day for Kevin to have his Complete Shake daily and roughly $4.50 a day for the Essential Capsules and Omegas. Fortunately, the cost of the gummies was free with the purchase of my capsules. There is the option to pay monthly but we’d rather buy them in full than have yet another re-occurring bill to have to remember. For us to have the fruit, veggies, berries, omegas, and shakes it was roughly $800 plus taxes
When I brought the gummies back into the house my children were thrilled. Since September my younger daughter has continued to take her morning gummies without fail, whereas my oldest hasn’t really wanted hers anymore due to the sticky texture. (She could take capsules in replacement but I didn’t purchase any this time around, instead, I got the adult servings to be gummies as well). Zenobia has missed 6 days of school since beginning kindergarten due to illness, whereas Sanura has missed 18 days of school, spent most of the winter break in bed ill, and has complained about feeling unwell more often in general. Sanura’s health is very different than when she was taking them regularly in grade one -she missed less than a week of school due to illness.
Overall I REALLY like these products. And absolutely believe that they are worth every cent we spend on them.
On our next purchase, we plan to bring home the shakes again as everyone in our household loves to drink blended fruit drinks and the Complete shake complements them really well. We have also used the powder in pancakes and brownies in place of some of the sugar/ flour and are excited to see what other ways we can incorporate it into our meals.