Wednesday, September 9, 2009

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The female name “Mona” and the word “vie” literally means to challenge the woman named Mona. I am not sure how this applies to a multilevel marketing company intent on selling fruit juice blends with Acai juice among 18 other juices. Perhaps the real task is to challenge the quality and value of the juice called by the same name. If you take a bottle of this product and do the math on the contents per ounce it turns out that there would only be 1.3 ounces of each juice in their 25 ounce bottle. One ounce is the equivalent of approximately 30 milliliters or one Tablespoon. Their recommended daily dosage is one Tablespoon. So in that one Table spoon optimally you would be receiving only .05 ounces per serving of any one of the 19 juices in their Acai fruit punch. That is only 5% of the volume of a Tablespoon. That is as small as a teardrop. Now one bottle can cost $40.00. There are 25 servings per bottle which then comes to $1.60 per ounce. On a national average gasoline is only 4cents per ounce. Other companies sell 32 ounce bottles of 100% acai for the same $42.00 price but the taste of 100% pure acai is very bitter and hard to swallow. It seems the reasonable middle ground in this purple berry fight is to find a juice that is high in quality, content, ready to drink or rather good tasting and half the cost of these $40.00 bottles. The only product we have been able to find that fits this category is Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai. A 32 ounce bottle of Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai contains 85% real Acai with the remaining 15% a mixture of just two juices for flavor. And the good news is that the taste is outstanding. It really tastes like Acai. The cost is only $18.95 per bottle and when purchased in groups of 5 the shipping is free. No need to cry any tears over finding high quality, great tasting reasonably priced Acai with Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai.

VITAMIN C VS. THE SWINE FLU

On Monday, a report by President Obama's scientific advisors laid out a not-so-encouraging scenario of the possibility that more than 100 million Americans could contract the swine flu (H1N1) virus, and that up to 90,000 could die from it this fall and winter. The World Health Organization (WHO) has formally declared a pandemic in the growing outbreak of H1N1 influenza. This is the type widely known as "swine flu."

We all need to know how to fight the flu. Some very simple things that everyone of us can do include frequently washing one's hands, practice good hygiene in public and at home, and stay out of the hospital if possible, get enough rest and eat foods rich in antioxidants. "We can't stop the tide of flu any more than we can turn a hurricane in its course," said Dr. Jay C. Butler, director of the CDC's H1N1 vaccine task force, during a recent briefing on H1N1. "... But we can mitigate the effects and help prevent people from becoming severely ill."

It turns out that vitamin C may end up playing an important role in the battle against this global health threat. We have known for years that vitamin C is good for us. But this year we are learning just how vital it will be for us.

The Linus Pauling Institute reports that “Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are critical to brain function and are known to affect mood. In addition, vitamin C is required for the synthesis of carnitine, a small molecule that is essential for the transport of fat to cellular organelles called mitochondria, for conversion to energy (1). Recent research also suggests that vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids, which may have implications for blood cholesterol levels and the incidence of gallstones (2).:”

They also says that “Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant. Even in small amounts vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and pollutants (e.g. smoking). Vitamin C may also be able to regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin E (1)”

Traditional natural sources of vitamin C have included oranges and ascorbic acid tablets. Now there is a new and stronger source of natural vitamin C: Camu Camu. Camu Camu contains a full spectrum vitamin C that is more readily absorbed by the body and provides 30 times more vitamin C per gram than oranges. It comes from the Amazon where it has been used for centuries. Just recently has it become more readily available through Dr. Tim’s Juices a company making high quality exotic super fruit juices. Their juices can be found online at www.brazilbotanicals.com.