Fruits are generally high in fiber, water and vitamin C. Fruits also contain various phytochemicals that do not yet have an RDA/RDI listing under most nutritional factsheets, and which research indicates are required for proper long-term cellular health and disease prevention. Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging.

Let’s break that apart into sentences:

Fruits are generally high in fiber, water and vitamin C.

This isn’t all that exciting to me. I could get all that from some Metamucil and a vitamin C pill. However, it’s worth noting that MonaVie has less than 1 gram of fiber per serving, so it lacks one of the key important factors of fruit.

Fruits also contain various phytochemicals that do not yet have an RDA/RDI listing under most nutritional factsheets, and which research indicates are required for proper long-term cellular health and disease prevention.

Ahh, this is the good stuff. I can’t get phytochemicals just from Metamucil and vitamin C. So eating fruit is indeed a good thing as it may (according to the words “research indicates”) help long-term cellular health and disease prevention. So fruit maybe prevents disease. Sounds like seat belt to me. Seat belts may prevent me from getting seriously injured in the case of a car accident. However, if you chose not to wear a seat belt and get into an accident, putting it on afterward isn’t going to help you or treat your injuries.

Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging.

This looks to be an excellent reason to consume fruit – I’m going to grab and apple right now. Just note that it says your risk may be reduced of getting those diseases. There’s nothing that says or implies giving a lot of fruit to someone with Alzheimer’s will cure him or her.

Analysis of Fruit and MonaVie

To my knowledge no fruit has been approved by the FDA to help treat any disease or medical condition. The only disease I can think of that fruit may treat is scurvy (which comes from a lack of vitamin C) – something that is extremely rare in today’s world. Everything about fruit here is about the prevention, not treatment of medical conditions. By extension neither MonaVie Original or MonaVie Active can help treat medical conditions (again outside of scurvy).

There could be a case made for drinking MonaVie as a preventative measure. However, even in that case an apple is more effective than drinking MonaVie. Also, the scientific tests have largely been done on fruit which has significant fiber, so it would be a stretch to apply them to MonaVie which has little fiber. There’s a chance that fiber is part of what makes regular fruit effective. With that being the case, it’s not logical to go with something like MonaVie that is less proven and potent than fruit.

Once you discard MonaVie’s misleading marketing practices of using the “antioxidant equivalent” modifier, you are left with the question of, “How many of servings of fruit is there in 4 ounces of MonaVie?” The answer is 1. MonaVie distributors may dispute that number, but here is the irrefutable evidence that it is indeed just 1:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (commonly known as the CDC) has created a website called Fruits and Veggies Matter. As you can see the website’s “.gov” domain indicating its affiliation with the US Government. This website partners with other government organizations such as the USDA and the FDA to ensure that information on it is accurate and reputable. In short, this reference should serve as the highest standard of evidence available.

There is a FAQ on the website designed to help consumers make wise choices about fruits and vegetables. One of the questions is:

“Q: Does fruit juice count towards my recommended fruit intake?
A: While 100% juice can count towards your intake, the majority of your choices should be whole or cut-up fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried). These fruit choices are better options because they contain dietary fiber. ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) of 100% fruit juice does count as ½ cup of fruit in meeting your requirements.”

Also, from the program guidelines:

“One portion of product must contain at least one serving of fruit or vegetable. One serving of fruit or vegetable is defined as… 4 oz/½ Cup 100% fruit or vegetable juice.”

I’ve highlighted the important parts in bold. MonaVie is 100% fruit juice. Thus four ounces of MonaVie is a single serving of fruit.

Now that we’ve solved that important question, let’s look back on the other things that came up in the research. There was this quote, “majority of your choices should be whole or cut-up fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried). These fruit choices are better options because they contain dietary fiber.” It is important to note that while 4 ounces may count as a single serving of fruit, it is considered to be less beneficial than other forms of fruit because MonaVie contains very little fiber.

Furthermore it was mentioned that “½ cup (4 fluid ounces) of 100% fruit juice does count as ½ cup of fruit.” Here are some examples of what the reputable government website listed as equal to a 1/2 cup of fruit/veggies:

• 1 snack container of applesauce (4oz)
• 6 baby carrots
• 1 small box (1/4 cup) of raisins

Four ounces of MonaVie can cost anywhere between $3.20 and $7.20 depending if you buy a bulk order of it at around $1,000 or if you buy a single bottle at the suggested retail price. Since most people don’t buy $1,000 of the juice at one time, a reasonable average is around $5 (about $32 a bottle). How much does a small box of raisins, 6 baby carrots, or a snack size container of applesauce cost? For a lot less than a dollar you can save $4 and get all that fiber that you are missing out on when you choose MonaVie.