Last week on November 13th, 2009 – I had the chance to fly out to Long Beach, California for a Nutrilite Sports Nutrition Blogger Event.
This was a full one day event, that took place on November 14, 2009.
During this event I had a chance to be introduced to and learn more about the biggest vitamin, mineral and supplement producer in the world, have personal health testing done and also learn about their state of the art facility – the Nutrilite Health Institute Center for Optimal Health.
This invitation to the event was fully funded by Nutrilite for each of the bloggers who attended. However, even though all of our expenses were taken care of for this event, I would like to share a review for you of that day from as objective a state as possible. I do not sell Nutrilite products, nor do I have any ties because of this event to the company. Thus in today’s article I will share with you the overview of the day, my experiences and what was shared, taught and learned.
The Nutrilite Sports Nutrition Blogger Event Attendees
As mentioned this event took place on Saturday November 14, 2009 in Buena Park, California at the Nutrilite Health Institute Center for Optimal Health.
The event was organized by a group of staff from Nutrilite and Amway Global, with the main coordinators being Joel Van Kuiken, Lindsay Pott, Andy Gamm and Jeff Ambs.
8 bloggers attended this event. Here you can see our group photo and below a short explanation of who is who.
Second row (from left to right):
Steve from Steve in a Speedo?! Gross
Sarah (Steve’s wife) from Rx: Ironman
Roni from Roni’s Weigh and Roni’s mom
Jennette from Pasta Queen
John from John is Fit
Mark from My Fitness Hut
Me (Evita) from Evolving Wellness
Israel from Fat Man Unleashed
Dr. Duke Johnson – the medical director of the Nutrilite Health Institute Center for Optimal Health
First row (from left to right):
Tom O’Rourke – an Olympian, recent 4-time masters cycling World Champion, and current holder of 2 masters cycling World Records
Joel Van Kuiken – Amway Global/Nutrilite event co-ordinator
Linsday Pott – Amway Global/Nutrilite event co-ordinator
Jenn Stuczynski – an Olympian, top US female pole vaulter and silver medalist at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Andy Gamm – Amway Global sports nutrition brand manager
The Event Overview
We were all flown in on Friday November 13, 2009 at various times into the Los Angeles airport, and from there transported to our hotel – the Avia in Long Beach, California. Depending on when we arrived we had the day to ourselves.
The event began early on Saturday morning at 7am, with our group being transported over to the Nutrilite Health Institute Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park, California. Nutrilite also provided a sport suit for each of us to wear for the event (as you can see on the photo above).
First we began by filling out some paper work, including a survey of our health habits. We then each had a very thorough, individual health assessment performed. This included some blood work, blood pressure test, weight measurement, flexibility test, bone density test, grip test and body fat composition test. For detailed pictures of what this all looked like, check out Steve’s view of the day’s events here.
After everyone had their testing completed, we all sat down together to breakfast. After breakfast we began a tour of the facility, which was guided by Bob Tully – the Nutrilite tour supervisor.
The inside of the center is very beautiful, and features several stations, which each offer their own explanation in terms of what Nutrilite tries to promote – optimal health.
Bob explained to us the history and present state of the company, which has been in business for 75 years.
After the tour, we all headed into the auditorium for some presentations from some of the key note speakers. Bob Tully was the first one to speak. His presentation was entitled “Perfect Balance“.
He talked about the idea of phytonutrients - the natural and very beneficial, chemical compounds found in plants, like lycopene or resveratrol. He mentioned that many people know nothing about these highly beneficial compounds, and then explained why it is important to eat according to the colors. Fruits and vegetables give us a clue about the different phytonutrients they possess, through their colors. Hence, an optimal diet should include many different, natural and fresh fruits and vegetables each day.
We then saw a short movie, about where most of the raw compounds come from for the Nutrilite vitamin and mineral supplements. Perhaps the biggest characteristic that sets Nutrilite apart from other typical vitamin and mineral makers, is that they include many phytonutrients into their products, especially their famous Double X formula.
The story the movie presented, was quite impressive I have to say. It explained how Nutrilite has 3 key farms where they grows many of their fruits, vegetables and herbs they use for their supplements not only in an organic way, but a highly environmentally and community sustainable way. The movie explained how the workers are treated fairly no matter what country the farm is in, and the benefits the people of those areas receive from Nutrilite creating a balanced and healthy environment for all.
The second presentation was from Dr. Duke Johnson. His presentation was entitled “Optimal Health“.
As this topic resonates with me so much, and it is so much a part of who I am and what I stand for, I enjoyed his presentation the most.
Dr. Duke made some very important points. He first stated that indeed this is a health center, not a supplement center. Along this idea, he explained that supplements are not a substitute for good nutrition. He stated that what we put into our body is like a “river”, and supplements are like “gold dust” sprinkled on that river. While they can greatly complement ones health, they alone cannot ensure good health. If we eat natural, healthy, nutrient dense food, adding in a supplement ensures that we fill in any tiny gaps we may have missed. When we however eat a diet that is based on processed food, or junk food – the river of nutrition we put in turns into something that would more resemble a river of sewage, and adding in some of that “gold dust” makes very little difference to the ultimate state of health.
Dr. Duke explained the 8 pillars of optimal health as well. This was to show that in order to have optimal health, we must have balance in several areas, not just one or two. This includes not only putting in high quality nutrition, but also things like achieving proper sleep, exercise and having a positive attitude – all the things that I also stand for and promote on this site.
Dr. Duke explained that the cause of all of our chronic diseases today can all be traced back to some form of inflammation in the body. He stated that early man versus modern man differ so much in that modern man has: decreased exercise, nutrition and sleep, while having increased stress and pollution, as compared to early man. All these things take a huge toll on our bodies, and hence it is no wonder we see the spikes in disease rates as we do today.
Ultimately, Dr. Duke did state that it is almost impossible to combat all the stressors we have today and supply our body with everything we need from nutrition alone for the majority of people. Here is where he said that the right supplements can be a very beneficial addition to ones lifestyle. However, he did add to this, that proper nutrition should still be our number one goal, and especially plant-based nutrition – which as you can imagine I was not surprised to hear, as all major research shows this today. At the conclusion of his presentation, we were all also given a personally signed copy of Dr. Duke’s book The Optimal Health Revolution: How Inflammation Is the Root Cause of the Biggest Killers and How the Cutting-edge Sceince of Nutrigenomics Can Transform Your Long-term Health.
Following this, we had a presentation from Diane Paetz on fitness. Diane was a dynamically energetic spirit.
Diane has been a member of the Nutrilite Wellness Team since 1993. At the Nutrilite Buena Park, California facility, she works with many people, including employees to facilitate fitness testing, programs, and wellness classes.
She taught us, that all we need to get ourselves on the right track of being active is just 10 minutes each day – and we know we can all fit that in. Hence, she made it clear, that in order to stay active, no one can really use the excuse “I have no time“. We all can fit in 10 minutes a day for ourselves.
In the 10 minute exercise, Diane asked us to participate in, we covered getting our heart beat up – interval training, some toning exercises, core exercises and breathing exercises.
These are broken down into 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 minute segments, and one can even do them in their chair at the office. There are many variations to this routine.
All of this is explained on the site 4321 Fitness or in the book The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough.
The next presentation was by Micheline Vargas. Her presentation was an overview of Nutrilite Sports Nutrition.
Micheline is a research scientist who specializes in the development of botanical products with functional properties designed to maintain health and well-being. She also develops sports nutrition products for Nutrilite.
Micheline focused on the needs of athletes when it comes to nutrition and performance. Her most prominent statement was that protein is way too overemphasized in our society, with most people getting too much. She explained the importance of carbohydrates as the key nutrient for athletes, especially those involved in events of long duration.
After Micheline’s presentation, Andy interviewed Jenn Stuczynski – the Olympic silver medalist in women’s pole vaulting, in terms of her experiences as an athlete and with the Nutrilite line of products. Jenn currently holds the record in the United States, as being the only woman who has cleared 16 feet.
It was great to hear about Jenn’s experiences, ask her some questions to learn a little more about her, and share in some of her successes and trials.
The last presentation was from masters track cyclist and world-record holder Tom O’Rourke.
Tom’s story was fascinating, as it was inspiring. As a young man Tom started cycling in his teens and quickly became not only an athlete, but also participated in the Olympics. However due to some injuries he retired from all events quite early in life.
In his later years being out of shape, Tom decided to turn things around. He dedicated himself to lose weight and start cycling again. He participates in world competitions to this day.
After all the presentations were completed, we had a break for lunch, after which we had some free time to talk amongst each other and with some of the speakers who presented their material.
In the later afternoon we were transported back to the hotel. After a short break our group went for some activities on the nearby boardwalk, where some of us went for a run, while others went for a walk.
The day finished with the members of Amway Global/Nutrilite taking us out for dinner in the evening. We went to the restaurant named Wokcano - an Asian restaurant and lounge.
They had an amazing variety of choices to suit every one’s tastes, and pretty good vegetarian/vegan options as well. We all enjoyed chatting and learning more about each other’s health journeys.
It was so wonderful to meet the great staff who organized this event, as well as the awesome bloggers who attended this!
Personal Commentary
I know that a lot of people either flock towards supplements, or completely shy away from them. I also know that many people are not big fans of multi-level marketing platforms such as how the company Amway Global operates. Hence I want to give you just a short summary of what I got out of this event, and how I saw it in general.
First off, let me begin by saying that before this event, I have personally never heard of Nutrilite or Amway Global. Perhaps it is because I am based in Canada where although their products exist, I just have not come across them or anyone who sells them. Their products are available world-wide, with the biggest market for them existing in Asia.
The whole event was in my opinion meticulously taken care of. All the details were covered exquisitely. The Avia hotel was extremely beautiful, with a prime location in Long Beach, and I highly recommend it to anyone who may be visiting that area. The Nutrilite Center was pretty impressive as well, and I was greatly pleased that although they manufacture supplements, their primary goal is to empower people to seek optimal health, by choosing high quality nutrition and lifestyle habits. Whether their story is as perfect as it was made to look, remains to be seen. In terms of the Asian restaurant – Wakcamo - we visited, I also highly recommend that as well to anyone who may be in the area.
As for the results of the health tests, we will be getting those mailed to us, with a follow-up phone consultation from Dr. Duke himself. I do get annual blood work done, so I am not expecting any major surprises, however there were a few tests that I have never had done before, and very interested to see their results. I will share some points about this with you when I get all the results.
The staff who facilitated this event were all extremely friendly, and not once were the products pushed on us, or were we solicited to sell them in any way. We were simply educated on what the facility can offer in terms of health testing and the products available. While Nutrilite believes that everyone can benefit from supplements, even given a good diet, I probably would have to disagree a bit here. I know a lot of optimally healthy vegans and raw foodists now whose diets revolve around and are based on only wholesome, natural and all organic nutrition – with no processed food whatsoever. Can the supplement still aid some benefits here – perhaps. It comes down to a personal decision in how one feels, etc. That is something that I am not yet ready to make a final call on, as I will continue to gather research on it. I have to say though, if I were to take a multivitamin, knowing what I know about typical companies like Centrum or Jamieson, never mind store brands, I would seriously consider Nutrilite’s products.
In terms of their sports nutrition line, not being an athlete myself in any sense of the word, I don’t feel I can adequately comment about the products in terms of effectiveness. Would I take sports nutrition products personally? No. However, I respect that athletes in many cases must take these products in order to continue in whatever event they are doing. Having looked at the ingredients of the sports line products, they did include sugars and dairy products, which rules out vegans from using them, or anyone who does not eat refined sugar or majorly processed food. I did voice this suggestion to the staff, as perhaps a recommendation of something to look into changing in the future. The athletes who do use them, like Jenn and Tom seem to swear by the products, so that is something to consider as well if you are an athlete yourself, and interested in the effectiveness and quality of the products.
Finally, I really was very grateful for the opportunity to have experienced this event, become more knowledgeable about the company, the health testing, their products and the people behind them. What I also gathered as a big bonus is that Nutrilite products are available online, without the need to go through a sales person. I really liked this option, as I know not everybody is as I mentioned a fan of the MLM way of purchasing things. If you are located in the US and interested in their products, they can be viewed or purchased here. If you are located in Canada, you can get the products here.
More to come, when the health testing results come in. For now, feel free to comment and share any experiences you may have had with Nutrilite’s products or any topics you would like to discuss dealing with optimal health in general.
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.
13 Comments to “Nutrilite Sports Nutrition Blogger Event”
Great overview of the day Evita, I don’t remember seeing you with a notebook so you must have a very good memory! It was great to meet you. I have on my grocery list to try some quinoa!
It sounds like you had fun! I agree with you on the supplementation issue, but I also know that there are times when a little extra help is needed, and then one really wants to make sure that what you’re taking is good.
Evita, I’m with John! I’ve often wondered how you manage to attend such fully informative events and remember everything in such detail! :) It’s your natural inquisitive nature and inquiring, research-focused mind, I think, and we all benefit from your reports so much! Thank you.
A couple questions came to mind as I read your account. Are these plant products or manufactured from man-made ingredients? Another is what I remember from my dad’s work with nutrition: to question the shelf life of supplements.
Products from even the highest caliber companies, in terms of being as true-to-source and meticulously balanced in their blends as possible, often suffer to the point of being virtually worthless if the supplement ingredients are old. There’s such a huge time lag in the whole process that I wonder about the efficacy: from harvesting the plant, to processing, to manufacturing, to storage for shipment, to how long the product remains on store shelves, to—finally—how long (and where) it sits in our own home (warmth is not a good location).
As you might guess from this, yes, I used to take supplements (and they were of the highest quality, researched by my father the nutritionist). At one point, I was convinced they made a difference. The time came, though, when finances changed and I couldn’t justify the expense. A funny thing happened—I noticed no difference in the way I felt! I never went back.
Everyone, of course, will have varying experiences. I find, though, that when we tell ourselves we’re healthy, when we eat mostly plant foods, when we are physically active (whether we “exercise” or not), our bodies respond accordingly by providing us with optimum health.
That’s an excellent and detailed wrap up of our day. It was great meeting you! Do you guys celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? If so, have a Happy Turkey Day (or Tofurkey Day in your case).
Julie, I’ve a health research background and have marketed Nutrilite products for many years, so I thought I’d address your questions. Nutrilite’s products are a mix of organic plant concentrates fortified by man-made ingredients where the science supports their use – as the Nutrilite slogan goes “Best of Science, Best of Nature”. I’ve always appreciated this approach as it doesn’t ignore and diminish science, as unfortunately the “everything must be natural” brigade can do sometimes, but also recognizes that there’s a lot we don’t know about nature and it’s had millions of years head start in co-evolving the nutrition we need.
With regards processing, Nutrilite leads the field in this area also, testing plant concentrates to determine the optimum time to harvest as well as controlling and testing for nutritional quality throughout the manufacturing *and distribution* process. You can give Nutrilite the batch number of a bottom of a bottle and they can tell you which farms the ingredients came from and when – and yes, next to that batch number is an expiry date.
Regarding supplementation and “how you feel”, there’s really two separate issues. If your one of the unfortunately raree people who is relatively conscious of your diet, exercise, and eat well, then standards supplements are not likely to make you feel noticeably better. If you’re not one of those people then filling a need for say Iron, or Zinc or whatever may make a noticeable difference. I’ve found if I use the Nutrilite Daily product it doesn’t tend to change how I feel on a daily basis, but I don’t seem to get sick as often. With Double X, I notice the difference. It’s definitely way easier to get out of bed in the morning!
That to one side, the second issue is what’s going on that you *don’t* feel in the short-term. All the stuff that’s having a long-term effect on your health. Independent studies on Double X have for example indicated it helps prevent DNA damage. You’re not going to feel that, but without getting into trouble with the FDA, I’m sure you understand the implications! When I meet people who’ve been using Nutrilite for decades, you can see the difference. They clearly look younger and healthier than the same aged peers. Anecdotal evidence I know, but added all together it’s turned me from a supplement skeptic into a Nutrilite evangelist – and it’s not just anecdotal, it also makes sense when you read the science. Hope that helps!
David, thank you so much for all the wonderful detail. The more information people have, the more informed decisions they can make. :)
Evita…wow the event sounds so informative and cool. Thank you for sharing. I definitely learned a few new ideas from your article!
Peace,
Katie
@ JOHN – Hello John and thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the feedback and compliment on my “memory”.
Although you are right, I did not use a notebook for most of the day, I did use one to jot down a few notes for Dr. Duke’s presentation.
As for the quinoa, be sure to cook it well according to the instructions, it is super easy though, just as long as one put the right amount of water to quinoa and adheres to the time specified.
Then I find that for me it tastes best if I add some steamed peas, corn, etc to it. Some people like it on its own, but I prefer to add stuff to it – just makes the taste that much better. All the best with it and your health journey :)
@ HANLIE – Thanks for your comment Hanlie. You know all this talk about supplements has inspired me to write a detailed post on the do’s and dont’s of supplements according to my research and opinion. Am going to try for early next month….
@ JULIE – Thank you Julie – you made me smile and blush, as you often do with your loving and kind comments.
As for your question, I guess David beat me to it. The most important thing that I am seeing create a lot of confusion either for or against supplement use is what supplement are we actually talking about. Today we have numerous vitamins, minerals, herbals and more! While I don’t doubt the efficacy of some, I know that others are more hype than anything else.
But I won’t go into more details here, for it would be looooong. So as I mentioned above to Hanlie, what I am going to do is write an article on what I think would help people understand supplements better and make decisions from there.
And I have to agree when it comes to the power of our thoughts. While my academics are rooted in science, I know today the the power of our mind and thus thoughts can be more powerful than any scientifically proven drug or supplement.
Anyhow I hope to have the article on supplements out early next month, where I will address further some of the points you made.
@ PASTAQUEEN – Hi Jennette and how wonderful to have you stop by! Thank you so much for the feedback.
As for our Thanksgiving, we do have it here in Canada, but it is on a Monday, the first weekend of October. Go figure… Anyhow yes it would be tofurkey for me – LOL :) – although I don’t eat that either. Have never tried it actually. Something about imitating animal meat just doesn’t sit right with me… ;)
@ DAVID – Hi David and thank you for your response to not only Julie, but many other people who I am sure are wondering the same thing.
I appreciate that you gave us a further glimpse into how Nutrilite prepares its supplements.
You bring up some great points too, which I feel need to be addressed further.
So as for the health component, feeling better or worse and the whole issue of to supplement or not to supplement, as I mentioned above I will cover that in more detail in an article soon, as I know this is a confusing, yet very important area for people to know more about.
@ KATIE – Thanks Katie and thank you for stopping by! It is always great to learn new things, the way I see it. As Julie above mentioned, “the more we know, the more informed decisions we can make.”
Do let me know if you ever have any questions when it comes to a nutritionally optimal diet, etc. as this is my passion and I love to help others get the best health that they can – naturally.
Hi Evita,
Great post!
One thing that I’d like to point out is that David, whose comments you and others found very helpful, is a distributor (IBO–Independant Business Owner) for Amway Global (as I am as well). I point this out, so that, yes, while there are some annoying peeps associated with Amway, there are many, many other ones who are a real asset to customers.
Nutrilite’s products and philosphy do sometimes require education, and that’s where an IBO can be very helpful in suggesting a product or two based on a person’s expressed need.
While it is possible to order directly from the Corporation, there is great benefit in having personalized assistance from a knowledgable, non-irritating IBO. :)
@ BRIDGETT – Hi Bridgett,thanks for stopping by and providing more insight into Nutrilite and its products. Much appreciated.
I like to hear other health companies doing well, as I am in the health business myself.
Hi Evita,
do you have some experiences with Jamieson vitamins?
They have longer history than Nutrilite, but Jamieson prices are 50% lower.
I would like to compare Nutrilite and Jamieson vitamins. Do you have some experiences?
For example Nutrilite Omega 3. The capsule looks the same as Jamieson. The difference is only the grams. Nutrilite recommends to take 1 per day and Jamieson 2 – 3 per day. Despite this Jamieson is 50% less expensive.
Is there anybody who can share their experience?
Thank you!
Robert Molnar
robino.molnar@gmail.com
Hi Robert,
Thank you for stopping by and your question.
When it comes to supplements, I am very wary of all the companies, because even though I know that there are some benefits or must needs for them, a pill is still a pill and cannot replace the benefits of real, wholesome, natural food.
My experience with Jamieson is similar to my experience with other supplement companies. I will use one of their products if I must, for example I have used their B12 before or their echinacea, but generally speaking, they are not my first choice of companies. Jamieson is a typical drug store brand, which actually few health food stores carry. I also have not heard positive feedback on this company or their quality from some of the clients or naturopaths I have worked with.
Having visited the Nutrilite facility, they have definitely become more reputable in my mind for many reasons, however, I did not visit the lab or see exactly how the supplements are made, their source, purity, quality, etc. I can only go by what I was taught there. The same goes for all other companies like Jamieson, Swiss, Natural Factors, etc. None of these in my opinion are better than the other. One way I know for sure is just to look at some of their non-medicinal ingredients. They all have fancy looking web sites and ad campaigns, but really unless we experience their supplement making process for ourselves, those fancy ads and claims mean nothing.
I know, I know that we have to give some benefit of the doubt and put some trust and faith in others and I do, but when it comes to supplements today, it is a very competitive and lucrative market and I would guarantee that Jamieson isn’t today as high quality as they were say 30 years ago. So if I had to recommend a company, it would not likely be Jamieson. It wouldn’t necessarily be Nutrilite either. It all depends on the product needed. The problem with all these companies and supplements is that no 3rd party has yet done some sort of purity or potency test comparing across the board. EWG is amazing at doing things like this, they have done it with cosmetics and bottled water for example…maybe one day they will do it with supplements.
When it comes to the omega-3 for example, both companies have several varieties. The first thing to do is compare the type of ingredients, as in what fish is used in each one. This alone can make a big difference in price. If you let me know what 2 specifically you are looking at, I can give you a better explanation of their quality. When it comes to fish oils in general, there are many, many poor quality ones out there today regardless of which company they come from. You almost have to cut the capsule in half, and smell/taste whether the fats are fresh or rancid. Secondly, look at the ingredients for fish which are low-mercury or toxin containing. (I don’t eat fish, so I cannot tell you off hand which it would be.) However, research appears to point to krill being the optimal omega-3 seafood source.
Anyway I hope this helps somewhat.