MonaVie Gel is a delicious and energizing blend of the Brazilian acai berry–one of nature's top superfoods–and 18 other beneficial fruits. Developed with the philosophy Balance-Variety-Moderation, MonaVie Gel delivers the phytonutrients and antioxidants you need to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. MonaVie Gel comes in a convenient gel pack and is easy to take with you wherever you go.

2. What fruits are contained in MonaVie Gel?

 

In addition to the açai berry, MonaVie Gel contain white grape, nashi pear, acerola, pear, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry, camu camu, wolfberry, pomegranate, and lychee fruit.

 

 

The acai berry is packed with nutrients, including carbohydrates, good fats, and protein. Acai also delivers a variety ogf vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, a powerful array of phytonutrients–age-defying compounds necessary to sustain an active, healthy life.

 

 

MonaVie Active Gel contains all the same ingredients and benefits as MonaVie (Original) Gel–19 beneficial fruits, including the premier açai berry–but also provides the joint health advantages of glucosamine.

 

 

MonaVie Active Gel is for active individuals or anyone concerned about overall joint health. MonaVie Active Gel contains a new plant-derived form of glucosamine. Glucosamine is a key structural component of cartilage and helps maintain healthy joint flexibility and range of motion.

 

6. What are the benefits of the new plant-derived form of glucosamine?
 
MonaVie Active Gel uses the finest source of glucosamine available. Plant-derived glucosamine is the only form of glucosamine acceptable to vegans. Furthermore, this form of glucosamine is not associated with any known allergens.

 

 

Plant-derived glucosamine is very safe and is manufactured for food use. However, MonaVie recommends that children under age 12 and pregnant or nursing women should take MonaVie (Original) Gel.

 

MonaVie Juice

 

 

MonaVie is a delicious and energizing blend of the Brazilian açai berry–one of nature’s top superfoods–and 18 other beneficial fruits. Developed with the philosophy Balance-Variety-Moderation, MonaVie delivers the phytonutrients and antioxidants you need to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. MonaVie’s Active formula also contains the added benefits of glucosamine to help maintain healthy joints.

 

 

In addition to the açai berry, MonaVie products contain white grape, pear, acerola, pear puree, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry, camu camu, wolfberry, pomegranate, and lychee fruit.

 

 

Acai is a small, round, dark-purple berry with amazing nutritional properties. Its appearance is similar to that of a grape, but it has a smaller amount of pulp and a single large seed. Scientific experts have referred to the acai berry as the most nutritious and powerful food in the world.

 

 

While all the fruits contained in MonaVie have unique properties that benefit your body, the acai berry has become the “headliner” fruit because it is packed with nutritional value–proteins, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals. So complete is this berry that the Brazilian people living along the Amazon can survive on it as their sole source of food and demonstrate amazing vitality and energy. More important than this, however, is the impressive amount of phytonutrients and powerful antioxidants that MonaVie is able to capture from the acai berry through its proprietary processing.

 

 

The acai used in MonaVie boasts the highest ORAC score against the hydroxyl free radical of any fruit or vegetable tested to date. The acai fruit is the star among other well-known antioxidants, such as blueberries, grapes, red wine, green tea, cranberries, blackberries, and pomegranates. By comparison, acai has more than 10 times the antioxidant power of cranberries.

 

 

The acai berry grows in clusters on the acai palm, a genus of 25–30 species of palms native to tropical Central and South America. These tall, slender palms can grow 15–30 meters tall, with leaves up to 3 meters long. The prime commercial source of acai comes from the area where several rivers converge within the Amazon estuary, emptying along the northeastern corner of Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean between the states of Para and Amapa. The people of Brazil refer to acai as the “Milk of the Amazon.”

 

 

No. In fact, MonaVie is helping to preserve the Amazon Rainforest by harvesting the acai berry. Each week, poachers illegally chop down 5,000–10,000 palm trees to obtain and sell a 12-inch section of the palm known as the “palmito.” As a result, the entire tree dies. On the other hand, by harvesting the acai berry, the palm tree continues to thrive and the natives have an incentive to preserve the acai-bearing palm tree.

 

 

Yes. The acai used by MonaVie is certified organic through The Institute for Marketecology (IMO). IMO is one of the first and most renowned international agencies for inspection, certification, and quality assurance of eco-friendly products. IMO’s worldwide activities are accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS), according to EN 45011 (ISO 65), which is the international standard for organic certification.

 

Science

 

 

An acronym for oxygen radical absorption capacity, ORAC is a way to measure the antioxidant capacity of a food. Foods with high ORAC values are desirable for their ability to neutralize free radicals, thus inhibiting the ability of the free radical to cause cell damage. The ORAC measurement was developed by a scientist at the National Institute of Aging in 1992 and has been a valuable tool in quantifying health benefits associated with consuming fruits, vegetables, and other antioxidant-containing foods and supplements.
 
2. How many servings of fruits and vegetables does the U.S. National Research Council recommend we eat daily?

 

The U.S. National Research Council recommends that you consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to maintain a proper supply of food derived antioxidants for your body. Research indicates that only five percent of the U.S. population consumes five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
 
3. What are phytonutrients?
 
Phytonutrients are naturally occurring compounds that contribute to the flavor, color, and disease-resistance of plants (i.e., fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes). Phytonutrients are powerful antioxidants, but their value extends much beyond free radical protection. Maximum health benefits are derived from consuming a variety of phytonutrients with a full spectrum of colors and pigments, such as those found in MonaVie products.

 

 

Antioxidants are “agents” that help inhibit harmful compounds known as free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to your cells through the process of oxidation. By donating an electron to unstable free radicals, antioxidants neutralize their harmful effects. Obtaining a variety of antioxidants through diet or supplementation is essential to maintaining your good health.

 

 

Free radicals are atoms with at least one unpaired electron. In excess, free radicals produce harmful oxidation that can damage cell membranes. Free radicals are analogous to cattle let loose on a field of planted crops. Uncontrolled, the cattle would destroy the crops. Ranch hands are hired to make sure the cattle stay in place and graze. Antioxidants act much the same way. As the ranch hands for our bodies, antioxidants prevent free radicals from potentially damaging millions of healthy, functioning cells.
 
6. What is oxidative stress?

 

Oxidative stress occurs in your body when there are not enough antioxidants to counter the effects of damaging free radicals.
 
7. What causes excess free radicals?

 

Tobacco smoke, alcohol, pollution, insecticides, radiation, chemicals in the home or at work, and excessive amounts of sunlight are all prolific contributors to the formation of free radicals. Other causes include a high-fat diet, stress, insufficient sleep, and strenuous exercise.
 
8. How well does freeze-dried acai scavenge other free radicals such as peroxynitrite (NORAC), hydroxyl (HORAC), and superoxide anion (SORAC)?

 

The MonaVie juice blend is a very powerful antioxidant against these additional free radicals; in fact, the SORAC assay score of 1,614 unit/g represents the highest value ever reported for superoxide scavenging activity in vitro of any food.
 
9. What is glucosamine hydrochloride?

 

Glucosamine hydrochloride is a natural compound found in the body that is used to help make and form cartilage. Glucosamine has also been shown to help lubricate, cushion, protect, and rebuild joints.
 
10. Is one form of glucosamine more effective than another?

 

There are three types of glucosamine: glucosamine hydrochloride (HCl), N-acetyl glucosamine, and glucosamine sulfate. Both glucosamine HCl and glucosamine sulfate are rapidly converted into “free” glucosamine in the stomach. So, from a medicinal standpoint, they are equally effective. However, glucosamine HCl is 79 percent glucosamine, while glucosamine sulfate is only between 47 and 52 percent glucosamine. We formulated MonaVie Active juice with glucosamine HCl because this form of glucosamine contains the highest level of free glucosamine.
 
11. What are esterified fatty acids?

 

Esterified fatty acids promote joint health, improving flexibility and mobility. Esterification is the general name for a chemical reaction in which two chemicals (typically an alcohol and an acid) form an ester as the reaction product.

 

 

For customers concerned about potassium levels for reasons relating to dialysis or contraindications with prescription medicines, please consult a physician before taking MonaVie products. The potassium level in MonaVie Original and MonaVie Active is approximately 55 mg/oz (2% Daily Value). MonaVie Original and MonaVie Active contain no potassium additives, grapefruit, or cantaloupe.
 
13. Is there any vitamin K in MonaVie Original or MonaVie Active?

For customers concerned about vitamin K levels because of blood thinning medication, please consult a physician before taking any MonaVie products. The vitamin K level in MonaVie Original and MonaVie Active is approximately 12.4 µg/oz (12% Daily Value).

 

14. Why do MonaVie products contain preservatives?
 
Preservatives help maintain a product’s freshness. Sodium benzoate, an organic chemical preservative, can prevent the growth of almost all microorganisms (e.g., yeast, bacteria, and fungi) and occurs naturally in some fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, wines, and teas.

 

Potassium sorbate is a potassium salt version of sorbic acid, a polyunsaturated fat used to inhibit mold growth. Sorbic acid has been repeatedly tested for safety and efficacy, and today stands as one of the most thoroughly tested food additives in history.
 
15. MonaVie juices contain the preservative sodium benzoate and the antioxidant vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Is it true that sodium benzoate and vitamin C can react to form benzene?

 

In the presence of trace amounts of certain metals, which act as catalysts, vitamin C can produce free radicals that convert benzoate into benzene. The FDA and World Health Organization have set a standard for benzene levels in water and that level is 5 parts per billion. MonaVie tests its MonaVie juices for benzene regularly, and we are always well below the FDA’s and World Health Organization’s acceptable levels for benzene.
 
16. Do any of MonaVie's products contain MSG?

 

No.
 
17. Is MonaVie Active juice safe for children and pregnant or nursing women?

 

The MonaVie Active formula is extremely safe; however, MonaVie Active juice contains glucosamine hydrochloride and esterified fatty acids, which have not been tested in these types of individuals. It is MonaVie’s recommendation that children under the age of 12, pregnant women, and women who are nursing should not consume MonaVie Active juice. If further information is required, please consult with your physician.
 
18. Are MonaVie products gluten-free?

 

Yes.
 
19. If someone is allergic to shellfish can they consume glucosamine hydrochloride?

 

Shellfish are a known allergen and glucosamine is derived from shrimp shells. However, people who are allergic to shellfish are actually allergic to the protein troponin, which is found in the muscle (protein) of shrimp. Analyses do not find any protein in the glucosamine hydrochloride used in MonaVie Active juice. Glucosamine hydrochloride (GHCl), the form of glucosamine used in MonaVie Active juice, is more than 99 percent pure. Because shellfish is a known allergen, please consult with a physician before taking MonaVie Active juice.
 
20. Why are there natural flavors in MonaVie products?

 

MonaVie uses natural flavors in its products because a juice concentrate, which contains only the juice from a fruit, does not give you the entire flavor of the fruit. MonaVie’s natural flavors make our products more palatable and balanced by staying true to the natural flavor of the entire fruit. The natural flavor used in MonaVie Original and Active juices and in MonaVie Gel is a mixed berry natural flavor.
 
21. Why does the MonaVie Active label list “tree nuts (palm nut)”?
 
MonaVie Active’s esterified fatty acids are derived from a 100 percent vegetable source (palm nut oil). The (US) FDA has made it mandatory to list all sources of potential allergens found in a product on its label. Eight major foods or food groups have been identified as common allergy causing foods in some individuals. Of these foods crustacean shellfish and tree nuts are included. Since palm nuts are a tree nut and the esterified fatty acids come from palm nut oil, it is necessary to list it on the product label.
 
22. How might esterified fatty acids cause a severe allergic reaction?

 

Allergic reactions, severe or otherwise, are caused by proteins. The esterified fatty acids in MonaVie Active may contain an extremely low level–an almost undetectable level–of protein from palm nuts. Because the amount of protein is so minute, it is unlikely that people with tree nut allergies will have an allergic reaction; however, in extremely sensitive persons it is best to avoid it all together. If you have an allergy to palm nuts, it is best to consult with your physician prior to drinking MonaVie Active.
 
23. If I have an allergy to peanuts, will I also be allergic to tree nuts?
 
No, not necessarily. Individuals with peanut allergies only should not have an allergic reaction to MonaVie Active.