In the past few months in my small town it seems as though so many people have jumped on the Body by Vi bandwagon. Local chiropractors are having parties promoting this and advertising for it on the radio. Some friends are even selling them and spreading the great news of how awesome these shakes can taste. Where do these phases and trends come from? Just a few months ago people were having the wrap parties which are basically the same as taking a hemorrhoid cream and saran wrap and wrapping yourself to “lose inches.” As a dietitian, I know that people fall into the lose weight quick schemes all of the time. However, supplements and shakes are not the answer. I decided after hearing so much about this and almost having to get ugly with someone who kept pushing me to buy this ridiculous product to research it and here is what I found:
The Body by Vi meal plan provides a person with around 1200-1400 calories per day. Of these calories, 18% is fat content, 44% is carbohydrate content, and about 38% is fat content (CRAZY!). The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has evidence-based research that shows that a person only needs 45-65% of their daily calories from carbohydrates, 20% of their daily calories from protein, and 20-30% of their daily calories from fat and less than 7% of those fat calories should come from saturated fat sources.
Why are people losing weight on this diet? The calories are so low that of course people are losing weight on this diet. If you normally eat around 2,000 calories per day and you cut out 500 calories per day for one week, you will lose one pound because 3,500 calories equals one pound of weight. Therefore, if you were consuming a 500 calorie breakfast and a 500 calorie lunch and replaced these two meals with a Body by Vi shake that is around 200 calories or so, of course you will lose weight because you are creating a 600 calorie deficit daily. However, why drink a shake instead of obtaining your nutrients from food that has added benefits such as being natural?
Oh that’s right – Visalus advertises itself as being “all natural.” Well, the Vi-Pak states that it’s “all natural.” After looking at the ingredients it says that it contains kosher gelatin. I am not sure how you make cow hooves which are where gelatin comes from Kosher but good luck at figuring that one out. Another problem that I found is that the capsules Visalus sells are made from glycerin which inhibits absorption of nutrients. Therefore, Visalus is using a cheap product to sell for a big profit that actually inhibits your ability to get all of the nutrients it claims to provide.
What else is in the Visalus products? Soybean oil, Titanium Dioxide, trans fat in the form of Magnesium Sterate, talc residue, Maltodextrin, Aminogen, and soy-based protein. These are just a few of the ingredients that I found surprising to be in a weight loss/health product.
What is the problem with these ingredients?
Well soy-based proteins are fine; however, if you are a woman, you should know that soy-based protein is very estrogenic. What does that mean? Well if you have breast cancer in your family, I would steer clear of a majority of very estrogenic food items or supplements.
What about aminogen? Aminogen is a patented protease which is an enzyme. This enzyme breaks down protein which is most likely added to the Visalus mixes to help you break down all of the random excessive protein that is in their shake mix.
Magnesium Sterate used in the Visalus products is a trans fat. Yes, the dreaded trans fat that increases your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. Why would Visalus use trans fats in their products when it is not even recommended for a person to have in their diet at all? To make the shelf life of their product last longer. Not only do trans fats make the shelf life of a product longer, but they also inhibit the absorption of many nutrients in the body, sometimes up to 80%. It is also very cheap for them to add this however it makes the quality of any product go down. We should be working trans fats out of our diet and the realm of supplements and diet products, not adding it in.
Since talc residue is used when pills are made in machines, if you take Visalus pills, you are probably getting some talc residue in your diet as well. Talc residue is known as a carcinogen which is a cancer causing agent.
Soybean oil sounds so good right? It has to be a healthy fat is what most people would think when seeing it on the ingredients of a health product. Well, soybean oil is genetically engineered which causes problems. Genetically engineered products can inhibit the absorption of minerals, especially iron which the body uses for multiple purposes but mainly it is essential for the formation of hemoglobin and transporting oxygen throughout the body. Also, soybean oil is loaded with something known as goitrogens. Goitrogens slow down the thyroid gland. Anytime you eat or consume a soy product, if you are on thyroid medication, it interferes with how the drug works which is a problem.
Titanium Dioxide cannot be natural in any way. If you look it up, it is white paint. Look on most paint cans or containers and you will see this listed at the top of the ingredient list. Why is this added at all? I have no idea.
Maltodextrin is a sugar and really, it’s very similar to regular sugar (Sucrose). Your body absorbs sucrose and maltodextrin the same. However, Visalus claims that this Maltodextrin in their product is “digestion resistant” which seems a little farfetched. If it is truly altered, it could cause severe problems for people with stomach problems because poorly digestible sugars can definitely increase the risk of an upset stomach.
Another problem that I have with Visalus is that since the calorie intake is so low, they recommend that you purchase “Clear Control.” This is an appetite suppressant that will make you feel less hungry. However, I have yet to figure out what is wrong with feeling hungry. Hunger is a natural feeling that should not be suppressed because you are starving yourself using Visalus products instead of eating food that can give you a long lasting fullness effect. The fact that they want you to purchase an appetite suppressant is a red flag in itself. What kind of marketing is this company using?
What about risks with these products? There definitely is a risk when using any weight loss product. Particularly ones that promise you fast weight loss. Here is the problem with the Body by Vi shakes. When you eat less and consume less calories like you do when you drink these shakes, you definitely lose weight. However, if you are not consuming enough calories (1,200-1,400 calories is not enough to meet everyone’s needs) your metabolism will slow down and when you start eating more again, you will rapidly regain weight. Your metabolism will not speed up along with your appetite and intake so it will remain low while you gain weight and it takes time to build it back up.
Another thing is the cost of Visalus products. $56 per bag of vanilla shake mix is ridiculous. I can get the same nutrients through a multivitamin with minerals and not have all of the added extras that are not needed. This can add up to cost over $1,000 per year spent on a mix that can be easily replaced with a multivitamin that costs around $10 for 60+ pills. Plus, these shakes taste just as good without the expensive mix added to them. Google it, you can find tons of great nutritional shake recipes that do not require any mix whatsoever. You can take yogurt, add some fresh fruit, fruit juice, canned fruit, chocolate syrup, ice or whatever you want to it and still have a great shake that is low in calories and cost-efficient.
Another problem is the comparisons Body by Vi uses. They compare their powder mix alone (without the stuff you add to it in a blender) to products that are already mixed with milk or whatever else is used. Therefore, the Body by Vi mix looks as though it is a better choice when truthfully, its misleading.
Evidenced-based? I think not. Very little clinical research is out there about Visalus. I found a Registered Dietitian’s website that stated that Visalus had “white papers” (referring to clinical trials) that were evidence enough to prove the reliability of the product. However, their “white papers” are extremely biased. One of their lead researchers in the Body by Vi research is on their Visalus Board of Directors. That is a little questionable, don’t you think?
While I know that trends like this come and go, it is so misleading if you don’t look into it. You cannot always believe what you hear. A lot of people are getting paid to sell this product to you or getting free products if you buy it. I am not a fan of drink supplements, mixes, or food substitutes anyway but this is over the top crazy if you ask me. Also, the supplement industry has no one that regulates how it is sold or what is in the products. That is a problem in itself.
I know that people want an easy weight loss solution. I understand that shakes sound so easy and good. I know that people lose weight with this product. But why drink your calories when you can eat them? Why lower your metabolism for quick weight loss when you can keep it high and lose weight at a safe rate and keep it off for a long time? Visalus does not have well balanced products. While I love that they are promoting the use of fat-free/skim milk over other choices (which is something I think everyone should drink), these shakes compromise your health in the long run. Be educated before you buy. I personally don’t like products that have tons of ingredients listed. Look for natural ingredients that you know what they are when you see them on a label. Eat in moderation. Exercise. You can lose weight and save money by opting to just eat healthy and exercise.
Resources:
http://thesensiblefoodie.weebly.com/1/post/2012/04/diet-product-review-body-by-vi-part-two.html
