Read this holistic nutritionist’s Herbalife review and learn whether Herbalife products and shakes really help you with weight loss.
Herbalife Review: This is what I, as a holistic nutritionist, think of Herbalife products for weight loss!
While recently surfin’ Instagram I came across this hashtag: #herbalife.
So I decided to check out their website and what Herbalife products were all about. It’s shocking.
Are people consuming this stuff thinking they’re making a good move for their health and weight loss goals?
People are selling this and calling it healthy? Disgusting. So here is my unbiased review of Herbalife products.
Herbalife is a scam disguised as healthy living.
According to their website,
Our Mission is to change people’s lives by providing the best business opportunity in direct selling and the best nutrition and weight-management products in the world.
Unfortunately, Herbalife by no means sell the best nutrition products – not even close.
Before it’s asked, this is the protein I use and recommend. I couldn’t find one good enough on the market, so I made my own. Grass-fed collagen with six organic superfoods: kale, spirulina, wheatgrass, broccoli, spinach and turmeric. I drink it in my daily smoothies and it gives me LIFE. Aka a healthy gut, glowing skin, strong digestion and energy for DAYS. Use code 10OFF for 10% off!
Here is the ingredient list for their Herbalife protein drink mix:
Here’s the ingredient list for the Formula 1 shake, which is labeled as healthy but is basically cancer in a can.
And the peanut butter protein bars:
The creamy chicken soup, with a side of MSG and hydrogenated oils!
*I wrote this article years ago and have since discovered that Herbalife has changed the ingredients in the chicken soup to be slightly less horrible. I’d link to a picture, but it’s very blurry. Find updated ingredients here.
Let’s examine the ingredients of those Herbalife products further.
I wish I could explain to you the full scope of the several horrible ingredients Herbalife uses, but I don’t have ten hours for this Herbalife review. And you likely don’t have the time to read a 20-page blog post.
Soy Protein Isolate
This isolate is the very first ingredient.
In my opinion, soy isn’t even food. You can read more about how much I hate soy here.
Soy is rich in phytic acid, which blocks mineral absorption. It’s rich in goitrogens, which negatively impact the thyroid.
It’s rich in phytoestrogens. These substances mimic estrogen in the body and boast links to cancer.
If you’re looking for a non-denatured protein with recognizable ingredients from grass-fed cows, I buy this protein powder
for Scott.
Sucralose
These products contain the artificial sweetener, sucralose, also known as Splenda. From the mouth of the beast,
Sucralose is made through a patented, multi-step process that starts with sugar and selectively replaces three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with three chlorine atoms. The result is an exceptionally stable sweetener that tastes like sugar, but without sugar’s calories.
That’s right, it’s chlorinated. Sucralose destroys beneficial gut flora, thus impairing immune function and promoting obesity.
As for the food recommended by Herbalife, they miss the mark again.
While it’s nice that they advocate fruit and vegetable consumption (I mean, who doesn’t?) they also advocate highly processed low-fat foods that are devoid of nutrients.
Yet again, processed soy rears its ugly head in their breakfast burrito recipe. They do make their own food that people can buy. Like their creamy chicken soup:
Canola Oil
Canola is one of the largest GMO crops and is likely genetically modified in Herbalife products. It is a rancid industrial oil that undergoes an unbelievable amount of processing.
It is extracted with hexane, a neurotoxin, then bleached, deodorized and a slew of other disgusting techniques. Find out more and see how it’s produced in the video below!
MSG
Monosodium glutamate can be tricky because it masquerades under so many different names. Any of the following can contain it: yeast extract, natural flavors, artificial flavors, maltodextrin, corn syrup.
If you’re not concerned with MSG, you should be. The body does not process glutamate the same as naturally occurring glutamic acid. MSG is an excitotoxin and can cause overeating.
Carrageenan
Carrageenan is a processed food additive from seaweed. Experiments reveal ties to cancer in lab rats, colitis, ulcers, and overall terrible consequences for the gut and digestive tract.
Let’s sum up this Herbalife review:
If you need tips on healthy eating and healthy weight loss, click here, because Herbalife products are not only unhealthy but promote disease.
I mean really, I can’t even count the ingredients in the Herbalife junk above. These include hydrogenated soy, canola and cottonseed oils, margarine, autolyzed yeast extract (also known as MSG), artificial flavors, wheat protein, and corn syrup.
Is Herbalife good for weight loss?
While Herbalife may be an effective weight loss tool, it is not a safe or healthy nutrition regimen.
There are better ways to lose weight and you should not sacrifice your health to accomplish that. In the same regard, it is also not the ideal product to put on muscle or use for bulking.
There are healthier options, starting with eating real, unrefined food grown locally, organically and sustainably. If you would like a healthy nutrition program, I highly suggest starting with my 21 Day Lifestyle Transformation.
Here is the recipe for the protein shake I make, it is unprocessed and actually good for you.
*I do not recommend most protein shakes and meal replacements, excluding the organic, grass-fed protein powder I linked to in this article. If you have a question about a particular brand of protein shakes and/or meal replacements, please provide a link to the product so I can more efficiently answer your question.
Sources:
http://az31823.vo.msecnd.net/content/en-us/pdf/catalog/100907_sku1122_us_label.pdf
http://az31823.vo.msecnd.net/content/en-us/pdf/catalog/0291_soupmix_carton_us.pdf
http://az31823.vo.msecnd.net/content/en-us/pdf/catalog/120906_sku0058_us_label.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800291
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16965913
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11694625
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/68/6/1431S.longhttp://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/5/10/785.short
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/
