Since I launched my diet review series, I think I’ve gotten the most requests for a review of a product line called AdvoCare. It seems people are super curious about if the products are really worth the money (and if they actually work).
In my research about this product, I noticed that AdvoCare is actually the number one multi-level-marketed product line in North America. That means that a heck of a lot of people are actually buying this stuff. But what are they actually buying, or should I say, ‘buying into?’ Let’s take a look!
The AdvoCare website is very well organized and easy-to-navigate. One thing I immediately noticed about AdvoCare is that every claim they make about a product or product line has an asterisk at the end of the claim sentence, which references your typical “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease” disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
So we know already that AdvoCare does an excellent job of covering its ass in terms of legalities. There are more asterisks and disclaimers on their site than there are stars in the sky. This also tells us that they are using disclaimers to do the bait-and-switch on you. When you read these great claims for these supposedly amazing products, you get to the asterisk and….Gotcha! They’re just kidding! Everything they’re saying is actually unproven..which leads me to my next point.
In terms of research, AdvoCare has never done any to test the efficacy of its products. The company has fairly large ‘advisory council’ rosters comprised of mainly doctors (and by ‘doctor’, I am referring not only to medical doctors, but also people who have their PhDs but are not actually physicians), coaches, athletic directors, and one RD.
I’m not denying that these advisory members have some valid input on AdvoCare, but I tend to believe that their photos/presence on this site and others is a grab at credibility by the company when they can’t really prove that their product works. “We haven’t bothered to do research on the product, but wait! This DOCTOR likes it! That’s worth something, right? Doctors know everything!!!” Um. No, they don’t. They can’t lend true credibility to a product that hasn’t been studied.
I decided to examine the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge – it’s a ‘jumpstart’ to “help you achieve your goals of weight management, energy, overall body composition, or overall wellness”.
The 24-Day Challenge consists of two phases. Phase One is the Cleanse Phase, and is meant to be done from day 1 through day 10. Day 11 through day 24 is the Max Phase.
One thing I love about AdvoCare is that they’re so transparent with their product information. They freely provide the 24 Day Challenge nutrition guide and product information on their site, which is definitely a step up from some other products I’m recently reviewed. So that’s definitely a plus.
The Cleanse Phase is done to “prepare your body for optimal nutrition”* (note asterisk..theirs, not mine). Apparently, using three products – the Herbal Cleanse System, OmegaPlex®, and AdvoCare Spark® – plus healthy food and activity, will “help rid your body of waste and prepare your body to better absorb nutrients*. This isn’t the kind of cleanse where you drastically reduce calories or consume only liquids – this is the beginning of a healthier lifestyle!*”
Wow! If it wasn’t for all those asterisks and my common sense, I’d sort of believe what they’re saying…except not!
The truth is, your body doesn’t have to be ‘prepared’ to receive optimal nutrition. It’s always ready, 24/7! Isn’t nature fabulous? Lucky for AdvoCare, they have those asterisks so their claims don’t have to be proven!
After looking in depth at the contents of the Cleanse Phase products, I want to advise you that eating some vegetables and a yogurt, taking a multivitamin, and drinking a coffee will literally give you the same nutrients/ingredients that are found in all three products. Most of us consume at least 3 out of 4 of those things I mentioned every single day of our lives, so I’m happy to say that you can save your hard earned cash, at least on the cleanse part of this challenge.
Once you complete your basically useless ‘Cleanse Phase’, it’s time to start the ‘Max Phase’!
The company states on their site that the Max Phase “is about fueling your body in order to achieve maximum results. During this phase you will take three products that work together to provide you with sustained energy, appetite control, core nutrition and overall wellness*” (there’s that pesky asterisk again!)
The three products used in the Max Phase are: Metabolic Nutrition System™, Meal Replacement Shake, and again, AdvoCare Spark®.
The Metabolic Nutrition System™ comes in three different formulations, depending on what results you’re looking to achieve, but the MNS®3 is their ‘most comprehensive system’ with appetite control and ‘sustained release energy’, as well as ‘outstanding core nutrition and wellness’.
My first concern about this phase is that there’s a crapload of caplets to be taken each day in the MNS®3: 4 before breakfast, 4 before lunch, and 6 additional caplets daily. That’s 14 pills a day! Who takes that many pills?
What I immediately notice is that if you choke down ahem I mean swallow all the caplets you’re supposed to, you’re getting well over 100% of your DRI for a lot of vitamins and minerals. I’m talking 400% of your recommended vitamin C, 625% of your recommended vitamin D, and 600% of your recommended Vitamin B12.
This is where the RD in me wants to advise you to always remember: when you consume extra water-soluble vitamins such as vitamins C and all of the B vitamins – folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, panthotenic acid, biotin, B6, and B12, all you’re getting is EXPENSIVE PEE.
That’s because your body eliminates the excess and you’re basically urinating out your hard-earned cash. Bummer!
You also don’t want to mess with high doses of fat soluble vitamins – A, D, E, and K. These guys are tough to overdose on with food, but start taking megadoses of them in supplements, and the excess is stored in your liver. Take too much, and they become toxic.
Your lesson here?
More isn’t better. There isn’t anything in the MNS™3 that’s magical, it’s just crammed with stuff you can get in a normal multivitamin and fresh foods. Nothing in there is proven to control appetite or give you any more energy than, say, a coffee. B vitamins help your body turn food into energy, but 99.9999% of you are NOT deficient in B vitamins, and more of them aren’t going to give you MORE energy. That’s a fallacy used by so many supplement companies.
As far as thermogenic herbs, the concept is pure malarkey, my friends. No food is going to raise your metabolic rate to the point where you’re going to lose a significant amount of weight.
The AdvoCare Meal Replacement Shake is fairly generous in fiber, protein, a lot of amino acids and vitamins. I’m wondering how this stuff actually TASTES.
My main concern with the shake is that it’s 220 calories that you’re drinking. That’s a snack, and one that you can throw down in about 2 seconds. If you want to replace your breakfast with a liquid snack, just realize that 1. You might be starving later and 2. You may lose weight, not because AdvoCare is amazing and magical, but because you’re replacing that McGriddle and hashbrown with a snack that’s significantly less calories.
If you prefer to drink your breakfast instead of chewing real food, go right ahead and have this shake. It doesn’t look harmful, but be aware that you might want to boost it with some Greek yogurt or at least some milk and fruit to up the calories a bit.
AdvoCare Spark® is merely a powdered vitamin and caffeine supplement, which is why the company claims it ‘helps fight occasional drowsiness*’ and ‘enhances mental energy and focus*’. No magic. Have a cup of coffee and a multivitamin – they do the same thing without the same price tag!
The 24 Day Challenge includes AdvoCare’s 13 page Nutrition Guide – which would typically make me shudder with the thought – but theirs is pretty solid (although a serving of vegetables is officially ½ cup, not 1 cup, as they state – but I guess it’s their guide, they can make the rules!). For each meal in the Cleanse Phase, they advise a protein, complex carb, and either a fruit (at breakfast) or a vegetable. Pretty good.
In Short:
Just because a company has medical professionals on its advisory board doesn’t mean that it’s a reputable, tested product. It just means, well, that they have medical professionals on their advisory board. So what?
Beware the asterisk, which may mean that the product claims aren’t proven and are basically anecdotal. This is not evidence that a product works, okay? When a company feels the need to disclaim anything they claim about a product and how it works, that’s sort of a red flag, I would say.
Your body is always ready to take in optimal nutrition, so don’t fall for the BS that it need to ‘prepare’. The problem is, most people don’t take the time to consistently feed their bodies healthy food, and therefore believe that a system like Advocare’s 24 Day Challenge is going to remedy that. It’s not.
Shoving a bunch of vitamins, minerals, and herbs together and saying that they work ‘in synergy’ to help you lose weight, be healthy or whatever – is usually a losing proposition when you’re talking about a supplement. Some real foods complement each other. This is not the same.
Large doses of vitamins and minerals don’t mean that you’re getting a ‘supercharge’ of anything. You’re probably peeing out a lot of the extras, and your body really doesn’t need megadoses of anything. In fact, they can be harmful. And, they don’t help you lose weight or increase your energy.
The Verdict?
Pass. Taking a multivitamin, omegas, and a probiotic, eating lots of fruit and vegetables, and drinking a coffee can give you much of what AdvoCare has to offer. Save your $200.