Here’s the story: I was actually in the middle of writing a review of another diet product (Juice Plus, you’ve been spared…for now) when an email from a reader popped into my inbox. In her message, she described her experience with the Zija diet system and begged me to review it. Needless to say, I abandoned my first review mid-sentence and immediately check out Zija. This was too good (or should I say, too good, in a bad way) for me not to review right away. Here we go!

The Zija company calls moringa ‘Nature’s Miracle Tree’, but is moringa a miracle? Apparently people do call this tree the ‘miracle tree’, but that’s because it’s such a valuable food crop for third world countries where there is actually very little other food. Zija seems to have borrowed this designation for its own purposes.

Moringa hasn’t really been studied extensively in humans (but hey – there’s some anecdotal evidence from your wife’s boss’s mother-in-law, isn’t that just as good?)

Moringa does appear to be rich in some antioxidants (same with whole fruit and vegetables) and may be anti-inflammatory (same as whole fruit and vegetables), but nothing in any research indicates that it’s even close to being ‘magical’ in any way, shape, or form. Indeed, the antioxidant potential of moringa isn’t known to be any better than any other antioxidants out there. Show me that ‘miracle’ again?

The Zija website states:

“Ongoing Moringa research has been validated with hundreds of thousands of positive individual experiences. Moringa is changing lives every day, and Zija is positioned to deliver it to the world!”

Wow! Did I miss something, because credible research isn’t usually validated using anecdotal experiences! This may be your first indication that all is not kosher with the Zija brand.

The interesting thing about moringa – and this we DO know – is that it may do more harm than good when it’s taken in large doses. Unfortunately, Zija seems so interested in protecting the ‘proprietary’ status of their products that their labels don’t indicate just how much moringa their products contain.

I mean, sure – take whatever supplements and crazy woohoo nutcase diet pills you want, it’s a free country. But if something is potentially harmful – and in particular if it’s difficult or impossible to obtain relevant information about the product ie mg of an ingredient each capsule/serving contains, then now we have a problem. The only information that’s on the labels is the number of grams of ‘proprietary blend’ the product contains.

You see, in certain doses, moringa may be harmful to kidneys, may cause miscarriages, and it also has anticoagulant properties – which can affect people who are on blood thinners, as in a ‘help-I’m-bleeding-out’ sort of way. Yikes!

Now, the leaves have less toxic potential than the seeds, but unfortunately Zija doesn’t think to differentiate how much of which part of the tree they use in their products. All they say is that they use all the parts – leaves, ‘seed cake’, and fruit.

I notice that the site seems to contain quite a few vague, nonsensical-appearing claims like “All of our Energy and Performance products are packed with moringa to feed your body real nutrition and keep you at your peak”, which doesn’t even make any sense, since moringa doesn’t feed your body anything. It’s a supplement.

Okay, enough of the chatter. Let’s look at some of the weight management products that Zija has to offer.

We’re going to examine the XMProtein, Supermix, and the Premium Tea.

The weight management page on the site claims the following:

“Designed to work with your body’s natural abilities, Zija’s Weight Management System utilizes the amazing health benefits of Moringa to deliver maximum nutrition all day and night. Each product provides a healthy dose of 90+ verifiable, cell-ready vitamins, minerals, vital proteins, antioxidants, omega oils, and other benefits.” 

Wow! 90+ ‘cell-ready’ things! Doesn’t that sound so exciting! And moringa is going to deliver maximum nutrition like it’s a boss…all day and night! That’s 24 hours! Thanks, Zija! Except…wait! Like I said earlier, moringa doesn’t deliver anything except maybe a few antioxidants. It has never been proven to affect weight at all, and I’m not sure what the 24 hour claim or the ‘cell-ready’ assertion is about. My cells are always ready to receive proper nutrition, and so are yours.

Zija, I’m starting to notice, seems to build its entire business on claims that don’t seem to mean anything and frequently don’t even make sense.

The Supermix ($76.00 US for 32 packets) is one of the nutrition supplement drinks that Zija has under its weight management portfolio. It’s basically 48 calories of moringa, sugar, and mango flavoring. Even though the nutrition panel looks to me like it’s screaming: ‘nothing! you’re drinking nothing!’, the company makes a really vague claim that the Supermix feeds ‘your body real, absorbable nutrition’. Zija states that Supermix does the following and more: heightens mental clarity, has nutrition that’s easily absorbed by the body, promotes healthy digestion, and increases energy. I’m not sure how Supermix does any of these because moringa hasn’t been shown to have any of these effects. And because moringa is the only active ingredient in the product, I’m not sure what’s going on here.

On to the XMProtein (about $85 a bag), because you know protein shakes are key to a healthy diet! I jest, of course. Predictably, there are more vague health claims that go along with this product, like this one:

“This low-calorie, low-fat blend delivers protein and fiber to keep you fuller longer and maximize metabolic benefits.”

Now, that’s just silly. How do protein and fiber maximize metabolic benefits? The metabolic benefits of what?

I’m getting tired AND confused. As far as the ingredients, there’s nothing exceptionally surprising in there. 20 grams of protein, moringa, a bit of sugar, and even less fiber (so much for the fiber claim they make). There are no added vitamins and minerals (they probably sell those separately). A serving contains 150 calories – which isn’t enough to power my 5 year old through 5 minutes, never mind an adult who is looking for a snack or god forbid a meal replacement. Hangry time!.

I want to talk about the Premium Tea ($39.00 US for 30 pouches) for a second, because this is a product that was specifically referred to by the reader who told me about Zija. The Tea gave her major gastrointestinal issues, which is no wonder, because first ingredient in it is senna! For those of you who don’t know what senna is, I’ve got one word for you: laxative.

Senna is a natural plant that irritates the lining of the bowels and causes diarrhea, which is probably what Zija is referring to when it says that the Premium Tea ‘cleanses your body’. You’re supposed to drink the Premium Tea at night, and the chamomile in the product supposedly promotes sleep – although if you’re up all night pooping from the senna, I’m pretty sure chamomile ain’t gonna do you any good, people. There’s a few more ingredients: “Peppermint Leaf, Althea Root, and Uva Ursi Leaf cleanse and eliminate foreign particles while promoting a feeling of fullness.”

What’s a ‘foreign particle’?

Sorry, I’m actually laughing out loud now.

Having just breathed an audible sigh at the thought of anyone spending their hard-earned money on this product line, I think I’m going to wrap this up.

The Verdict:

No. Not in a million years. In my opinion, please don’t be fooled by Zija’s flimsy science and vague, seemingly nonsensical claims. Moringa isn’t magical. You know what is magical? Eating real food, and feeling great because you’re not spending hundreds of dollars a month on a scam.

For more on diets, check out my reviews of: Isagenix, Shakeology, Herbalife, and Plexus