Eat your fruits and vegetables!

Health professionals and clinical research support the many healthful benefits of Juice Plus (JP), according to a company representative Lynne Page, who urged the Trinity International University (TIU) women’s soccer team to “eat more fruits and vegetables” during a lecture in the Meyer Sports Complex conference room on Mar 24.

The usual Saturday morning soccer fitness testing and indoor practice was lengthened by a yoga session in the foyer with instructor and marathoner Joann Dellatorre, who swears by the dietary supplement. Following, a complimentary fruit buffet was provided at the sales pitch that turned 6 female athletes into Juice Plus customers, a four-month $39.75 per month commitment.

Juice Plus, “the next best thing to fruits and vegetables,” is not a vitamin supplement, providing a limited number of handpicked nutrients, but a whole food based product providing nutrients found in seventeen fruits, vegetables, and grains, according to Page.

In 1992, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the food pyramid that recommended 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit. In 2005, the USDA released the new “MyPyramid,” which was only a visual redesign of the former— the only difference was the added recommended amount of physical activity.

Juice Plus pushes for 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and attempts to link American eating habits to the national rise of cardiovascular disease, cancer and infertility.

Page brought a 2-year old MacDonald’s Happy Meal and the only thing to show for its aging was the wrinkled and ripped bag. The hamburger bun was absent of mold and the patty had not been decomposed— bacteria won’t eat the fast foods Americans shove their faces with.

Fruits and vegetables, though, are dubbed today’s “new fast foods.” They are small, easy to pack, and perfect for snacking on between meals.

“Fruits conveniently come in their own natural wrapper,” said Page. The women’s soccer team was delighted to learn that biting into the kiwi fruit skin was healthy and, surprisingly, a bearable texture for the mouth and taste buds.

Research shows that people should get their nutrients by eating actual food products and not supplements. Page recognizes that incorporating more servings of fruits and vegetables into a diet can be difficult and expensive, especially to TIU students who rely on Melton as their food source. Although it is not a substitute for the real thing, Juice Plus serves as a “convenient, affordable, and natural” supplement for the extra needed servings.

TIU men’s basketball Head Coach Marc Davidson and his family are on Juice Plus, according to representative and TIU Physical Therapy major Laura Dellatorre. Davidson’s 5 kids, all under the age of 12, participate in a children’s research program that allows them to take the supplements for free. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson take the capsules while the kids take the gummies and chewables.

“My taste buds have changed and crappy food doesn’t satisfy me,” said Dellatorre, who has been on JP for 3 years and became a JP representative 3 months ago. Since taking the supplement, Dellatorre desires foods rich in nutrition and has experienced an increased energy level. She suffered chronically from Mononucleosis (Mono) all throughout high school and into her freshman year at TIU, but since taking JP she has been Mono-free.

“Juice Plus in only 10 bucks a week,” said Dellatorre, “and that’s manageable when you think about all the crap food you buy in a week.”



Trinity Digest
April 20, 2007
Vol. 54 -- Issue 10
Nicole Collins
Staff Writer