New Product Friday: Plants by People Thrive Immunity Tonic
New Product Friday: Plants by People Thrive Immunity Tonic
COVID changed the world of food and beverage by letting one type of product stand out—immunity beverages. Most immunity beverages are formulated with Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc—the “trifecta” vitamin/mineral blend that has the most research behind its immune fighting properties. Other products contain plant-based adaptogens that have just as much immune supporting power as their vitamin/mineral counterparts. Plants By People utilizes the power of adaptogens and other herbs to support immunity, digestion, energy, and detox. For today’s New Product Friday, we will be looking at their immunity tonic; a combination of adaptogens and other herbs that help support immunity. Let’s look at the ingredients to see how effective they are:
Grape Juice Powder—Grape juice is high in Vitamin C, the main vitamin that supports immune health. It also contains other polyphenols and antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress.
Elderberry Juice Powder—Elderberry has been well studied to shorten the duration of the common cold and flu. It is also loaded with other antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress.
Apple Juice Powder—Like any other fruit, apple juice contains antioxidants. Otherwise, they do not offer any significant amount of any vitamin or mineral.
Lemon Juice Powder—Lemon juice is high in Vitamin C, the main vitamin that supports immune health. Lemon juice does improve digestion, but only lemon juice that contains pulp. A lemon juice powder would have the pulp removed.
Jujube Date Extract Powder— High in Vitamin C, jujube might help improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety, and improve memory. These benefits have only been proven on animals and there are little to no human studies on any benefits.
Ginger Root Powder— Ginger is known to support digestion, reduce nausea, reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and more.
Licorice Root Powder—Used in traditional Chinese medicine, licorice root has history to reduce inflammation and provide digestive support. Any and all potential benefits of licorice root have not been studied in humans.
Schisandra Berry Powder—Packed full of antioxidants, but not a lot of human-based research behind its efficacy.
Passionfruit Flavor Powder—Please note that this is not the proper way to label this. This “flavor powder” includes flavor chemicals from organic sources (plant, fruit, vegetable, spices)
Rice Maltodextrin—Rice is processed and broken down to produce maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is slightly sweet and is used to bulk a product up. In this case, it is probably added to aid in the manufacturing the product
Rice Syrup Solids—Rice is processed and broken down to create chains of molecules that are sweet. Here, it functions as a sweetener.
Acacia Gum—Extracted from the acacia tree, acacia gum is a source of dietary fiber and gives mouthfeel (or creaminess or thickness) to a product.
Monk Fruit Extract—A sweetener derived from the Monk fruit plant. Monk fruit is grown in China and is about 200 times sweeter than sugar.
Final Evaluation
Ingredient Quality: A. This beverage is organic certified, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free.
Ingredient Clarity: C+. At first glance, all ingredients listed are functional, botanical ingredients. However, upon further investigation, this is not the case. Rice maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, acacia gum, and flavor make up the remaining ingredients. Rice maltodextrin does not add any functional or nutritional benefits and is probably added to ease the manufacturing of the product. Rice syrup solids are highly processed and adds sweetness. Acacia gum does not add any nutritional benefits and is probably added to increase the mouthfeel (thickness) of the product. Finally, the “passionfruit flavor powder” is mislabeled and does not indicate whether the flavor is natural or another designation.
Functional Benefit: B-. Be aware of ingredients that are listed in a blend! A blend does not need to indicate the actual amounts of any ingredient. Although grape juice is high in Vitamin C and some antioxidants, it is not known for its immune boosting properties. Lemon juice and jujube date are also high in Vitamin C but considering that the label does not call out the Vitamin C content, it is doubtful that either one of these ingredients contributes a significant amount. Elderberry juice powder is the only functional ingredient that has proven benefits to immune health. (Studies have shown that it helps reduce the duration of the common cold.) The other functional ingredients are high in antioxidants, which helps reduce overall inflammation in the body, but does not necessarily target the immune system.
Nutritional Value: A-. At 5 grams of added sugar and 35 calories this is in the mid to low range of most functional drinks.
Overall Score: B+. This beverage contains a blend of functional ingredients. Typically, companies that list ingredients in a blend list the cheapest ingredients first and “fairy dust” in the remaining ingredients. Although grape juice contributes to the flavor and color of the product, is not special to immune health. It does contain a good amount of Vitamin C and some antioxidants, but it has not been studied for any immune health benefits. Thankfully, elderberry juice powder (the second ingredient in the blend) has been studied for immune benefits. The lemon juice and jujube date are high in Vitamin C, which contributes to immune health. The rest of the ingredients are high in antioxidants, but not necessarily have been studied for any immune health benefits. Finally, the other ingredients in this product are not as prominently listed. The passionfruit flavor powder is incorrectly listed and it is not clear why the maltodextrin and gum acacia are added. At $2.80/serving, it is on the higher end for a powdered beverage, however with all organic ingredients this might be worthwhile to try.
Would you buy this product? Why or why not?