Ruby Reds Vitamin : A Highly Super Food

I have a friend who always seems to know about the latest big thing. She's especially good at discovering new and innovative anti-aging products in the health and beauty category. I benefit, because she always shares what she's discovered with me. It was no different a couple of weeks ago, when she called to tell me about her most recent find.

She told me that while channel surfing, she stopped to watch an infomercial about a new dietary supplement called Ruby Reds. I admit to only half listening to her at first, but snippets of "...and I didn't feel hungry all day!" as well as, "...it's only been a couple of days, but I actually feel better already" penetrated my sleepy brain. Actually, what really woke me up was when she said that the dietary supplement was a powder not only containing vitamins (such as vitamin C, B-1, B-2 and B-6 ) and minerals (zinc, calcium and magnesium) but also contained lots of fruit and even some vegetables. She even promised to bring over her container of Ruby Reds and make me a smoothie!

I don't know if you are like me, but I don't get enough fruits and vegetables in my diet. I'm lucky if can I get one or two servings in on a regular basis, and the food pyramid says we should be getting five daily! Hey! That doesn't leave me much room for my chocolate and potato chips...

Ruby Reds Contains Lots of Fruits and Veggies!

Being a skeptic, first I wanted to read the label on the container. The label said that Ruby Reds is "the best powdered super food" because it's health benefits come from being "phytonutrient and antioxidant-rich" and "providing vitamins, minerals, enzymes and probiotics." I immediately liked that Ruby Reds had so many fruits and vegetables in it; I counted over 30 different kinds of them listed on the label. Among the many fruits and vegetables were 1625 mg of tomatoes, 550 mg of carrots, 50 mg blueberries, 500 mg of red raspberries, 300 mg of strawberries,125 mg of pomegranates, and 100 mg of bilberries, just to name a few.

What the heck is ORAC?

Then I noticed the label said, "Over 4500 ORAC value," and goes on to explain that "a product's ORAC value is a measurement of it's total antioxidant power. In every serving of Ruby Reds there are 4500 ORAC units, and the same serving size of apples would give you 124 ORAC units, and carrots would equal 44 ORAC units."

I looked at my friend and said, "let's look up the term ORAC!" According to Wikipedia, "Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity," (ORAC) is a method of measuring the antioxidant capacities of different foods. The method was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Aging in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Baltimore, Maryland, although the NIH didn't necessarily approve this method. The US Dept of Agriculture listed a database of the ORAC value of foods on it's website, too. Many foods have been tested in this way, with fruits like berries, as well as legumes and spices rating high.
So yes, fruits and vegetables are good for you, even if the NIH didn't approve the method of measuring them

Ruby Reds Has Probiotics for Digestive Health

Ruby Reds also contains probiotics, which are what the label calls, "digestive aids." According to usprobiotics.org, probiotics are "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host (FAO 2001). The different types of probiotics in Ruby Reds include Lactobacillus acidophiles, Lactobacillus Plantarium, Lactobaccillus Casei, Lactobaccillus Rhamnosus-well, there's a total of five of these little critters.
Okay, probiotics are good for us too!

Is There Anything Else In Ruby Reds?

I then read that Ruby Reds has enzymes such as amylase, lipase, cellulase, invertase, and lactase. According to Wikipedia.com, enzymes are proteins that accelerate chemical reactions. Included in these enzymes are lactase, which is essential for digesting the lactose in milk; a deficiency of this enzyme causes lactose intolerance. There's also amylase, which breaks down starch into maltose molecules. Lipase performs essential roles in food's digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids, such as triglycerides, fats, oils. Plus cellulase, and invertase.
Yup, enzymes are also good!

Ruby Reds also has 125 mg each of barley, flax seed, oat and rice bran. There are 125 mg of soy protein too, as well as these antioxidants: 30 mg of grape seed extract, 100 mg of eleuthero root (ginseng) and 1 mg of astaxanthin.
Antioxidants are also good things!

How Much Does Ruby Reds Cost?

The price on the Ruby Red website was $31.45 for each 9 ounce container, or three for $59.85. I read on the label that there are 30 servings in a 9 ounce container, and so the price of $59.85 is for a three month supply. The directions say to take "one scoop of Ruby Reds in 4 to 8 ounces of filtered water or juice of your choice, once a day preferably in the morning on an empty stomach." Use a shaker or blender for maximum effectiveness. In trying Ruby Reds for the first time, my friend and I saved money by splitting the cost of a three month supply. I checked eBay and you can get Ruby Reds there too, where the average winning bid was $13-15.

Now, about those smoothies- they were YUMMY!

yogurt, milk or juice, as well as the serving of Ruby Reds, I found them to be filling, nutritious and satisfying. It's been two weeks, and I'm feeling good, and losing weight. When this container runs out, I will definitely Ruby Reds comes with a recipe booklet for over 30 different kinds of smoothies, all using a tablespoon of Ruby Reds. Because each smoothie contains a different fruit of your choice, low fatbuy Ruby Reds again.