Anyone heard of Reliv?

[simplemom]

Just curious, I was chatting with a friendly lady at the park, and the lady sales this product that is supposed to be the perfect balance powder shake to help immune related illnesses. She says many have been cured from immune problems taking the protein shakes. I am in research mode, but already am transitioning to a whole foods diet, trying to get more green smoothies in our diet, and started taking vitamin supplements recommended by my husband's chiropractor that are made from all natural (maybe organic) food substances. It is quite expensive, and I'm thinking just spending more money on better quality whole foods will be better. Insights anyone?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'd never heard of it but you got me to look it up.  The base powder is soy.  Not something I would like in a product for my chronic illness.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

dp

[elfgivas]

if you google it, and avoid the sites owned by reliv, there is lots of reading there.  the soy alone is enough to have me not do it, but the few i read also leave me lots of doubt.  i'd spend the money on good food :) .

 

hth,

ann 

[gardenmom5]

yes.  I have two friends who are distributors.  one tried to get me into distributing, so I have looked into it.  I've tried it twice, and was very unhappy with the results.  I was told to just up my daily shake intake.  umm . . . I was doing okay before with the supplements I was on and now I'm going backwards?  I don't think so.

one friend swears by it for her two aspies.

 

I now take my son to a DAN!, so I've done lots of looking into bioavailable nutrients.  I will only purchase bioavailable supplements.  I was not impressed with the quality of reliv's.   I've learned even more now, and am less impressed.  we have a genetic mutation that affects how *some* nutrients are absorbed, and those must be supplemented separately, but reliv is a one size fits all product (which should tell you all you need to know.)

 

I would recommend skipping it and doing something more bioavailable.

 

eta: about the vitamins from your dh's chiro - make sure they are the most bioavailable form.  if your body has to convert it - you have toxins your body must now excrete and clear from your system. (and you're not getting as much of the useful vitamin/neurotransmitter as if you had the most bioavailable form.)  my allopathic dr has given me prescriptions for vitamins that are NOT the most bioavailable form, though she'll tell me they are.  uh, no.  simple online research for most bioavailable form of a particular vitamin will answer that . . . .

[simplemom]

Thank you all for sharing. The heavy amount of soy daily in the product is disturbing to me as well. I'm not sure how bioavailable our supplements from the chiro are. The brand is Standard Process that claims to use whole foods, many of which are grown organically. They are chewable. I've only been giving them to our son for asthma a couple of months. Therefore, I would hate to change to a claiming to be miracle healing protein shake when I haven't given a true whole foods diet with added supplement a try in building up ds's immune system first. The supplements from the chiro are less expensive than the meds the traditional pediatrician prescribed, and also less expensive than the Reliv nutrient shakes the lady I met at the park sells. Also, the chiro thinks my ds won't need to take the supplements long term, we're just trying to get his immune system working well so I won't keep needing steroids from the regular MD for asthma attacks. The more natural healing options are new to me, there are so many options, all claiming to be the miracle heal for any and all ailments. I'm finding a common thread with all of the options comes to whole foods in the most pure and unprocessed form. I talked about the Reliv with my husband this evening as well, sharing your posts. His gut feeling is to not buy it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Standard Process is a very good company with good products.  I would trust it over the ReLiv products anyday.  

[gardenmom5]

reliv does offer a full money back guarantee the first month - but from experience I'd say skip.

[Hikin' Mama]

I tried this once when an aquaintance was trying to sell it. Not only was it horribly expensive, but she became pitbull-like (I exaggerate here, but not much) in trying to get me to buy it for my whole family and trying to get me to give her names of friends she could contact. Reliv was the straw that broke the camel's back for me regarding MLMs. I used to go listen to a person's spiel and try the product to help them get started (why oh why did I do that?), but never again! There are so many products on the market in this day and age that I can find ones with equal, usually higher, quality, and I don't have to be badgered by anyone to buy more, give them friends' names, etc. One of my good friends was considering selling this to bring extra income, and I told her, "Don't do it! You will have to spend money buying the product so you can say your family uses it, and you will have to turn into someone you aren't to try to sell it." She took my advice. :)

[Jane in NC]

I have a friend who recently started selling Reliv.  Her argument is that micro-nutrients are stripped from our soils so that even those of us who eat a varied and good diet are deprived.  Where does Reliv get their micro-nutrients from? I asked.  She did not know.

 

I tend to avoid all MLM scams programs.so I am not going to try Reliv.

[gardenmom5]

I just went to the site because I could have sworn years ago I saw oyster shell calcium and your body barely absorbs any. I couldn't find the form of *any* of the nutrients in their product.   run away now.

 

(any vitamin product that doesn't list the vitamin form I will tell you to run away.  it will be one of the cheaper if not the cheapest forms that are frequently less bioavailable than some of the more expensive forms.)

[simplemom]

This is me.........>>>>>>>..........running away from the park sales lady.............>>>>>>>>>...............

 

Seriously, I'll stick to getting micronutrients from the whole foods vitamin company, Vitamix green smoothies, and other real food. I so appreciate everyone's unbiased input. I'm likely to encounter the lady again as she is new to the neighborhood, takes her kids to the same playground down the block from me, and asked for my number after a very friendly conversation about life in general in which she said she could tell me more about the Reliv when she wasn't chasing down her little ones at the park. I had no idea she was in a MLM business, and was being strategic in the conversation to market a product! If she calls, I will say a firm no to the product up front and offer a park play date instead. In the meantime, I'll try to get good at "pass the bean dip" conversation.

 

Thanks again for all the insight.