The question was about Spark (from Advocare). She said she had heard mixed reviews and wanted my opinion on it.
First off, there are thousands of nutrition products out there. Obviously, I have not tried every one so I am not an all knowing authority on every product. But I do try to stay on top of what it is current and trending and Advocare has been trending the past couple years especially due to Cross Fit and certain NFL players so I did know a little bit about it.
Second, I do not like "bashing" other companies because I know there have been people that have experienced a certain amount of success with certain products, including Advocare. And with that success comes a certain emotional attachment. So just know that this is based on my experience, my research, and it is my opinion. Do what you want with it. I know I've got a lot of friends that use Advocare and love it. This is not meant to offend or start an argument. But since it's a question I get a lot I did want to address it.
Is Advocare Healthy?
Short Answer: No.
Long Answer:
1- Look at the Ingredients
Anytime something comes with a label, I always tell my clients to read the label. Read the label for your macro nutrients and the ingredients listed. You can usually judge by the label alone if the product is going to be healthy and natural enough for you based on the ingredients.
I tried Spark and some of the other Advocare products but once I saw the ingredient list, I knew it wasn't for me. I really try to stay away from anything artificial, and sucralose is in just about everything in Advocare's products as well as many weight loss products out on the market today. There are plenty of studies that show how damaging sucralose can be and how it is related to many diseases today. Ace-K is another artificial sweetener that is used and not particularly good for you as well. Natural and artificial flavors. Again with the artificial. Why use artificial flavors at all when you could be using natural. There isn't a whole lot out there on the effects of artificial flavors either. Mostly because there are those believe that a little bit here and there is not going to kill you. But where are the long term studies again? The ingredients listed in many of their products go directly against what nutritionists in general recommend to their clients.
2- Where do the ingredients come from?
Short Answer: Man Made Chemicals
Long Answer:
I also decided to not use Advocare's products because many of them are in fact genetically modified. This raises a whole other debate, but when it comes to soy and corn products I personally like them to be non-genetically modified.
Apparently, the standard for testing the ingredients of the products is a little lax as well. Think back to the whole Jessica Hardy incident, an Olympic athlete who tested positive on the dope test because she was taking Spark. Lab tests came back saying there were trace amounts and it was so negligible that they thought it was ok to pass them through. I would guess they have revamped their ingredient processing standards since then, but still for a company to allow that to happen to an Olympic athlete is crazzzzyyyy.
3- What types of peer reviewed studies are avavilable?
Short Answer: Only a few
Long Answer:
Just by looking at the label itself, I was not impressed. When I was offered the opportunity to work with Advocare products, I could see there was money to be made from it. It appeals to people who are either athletically inclined, want to lead a healthier lifestyle, and possibly looking to lose some unwanted inches. At the time I could have made a lot of money with them, I had people that wanted to buy product from me and I hadn't even started yet! In true Katie fashion though, I always research a company before I decide to work for them. If I'm going to be representing someone, even if it is a business I want to make sure that their standards are in line with my standards. Unfortunately, I found Advocare's standards to be off and misleading. There had been several product recalls, at the time it was very hard to get a hold of any research that had been done, and when I finally did it was research that was done and paid for by Advocare itself. There were a few shady things being approved by the company like using Dr. Oz's name illegally
Wrap Up:
So based on those things, I decided not to represent the company. I felt it was not up to my standards, and even though I could have made a lot of money from it, I decided against it because I didn't want my clients ingesting artificial, genetically modified anything.
My clients aren't perfect, and I'm definitely not perfect either. I love my parmesan cheese fries and a juicy hamburger, and will totally eat some smores around the campfire. But the key is are you eating these things every day? With these products you are supposed to. And if it's something you are going to be ingesting every day you better be darn sure there's some studies to back it up, not just short term but long term as well, and that the ingredients aren't going to be damaging your insides.
Why listen to me- I am a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. I take continuing education classes every year. Went to school for nutrition for 4 years. Took 500 hours of school for fitness as well. No I am not a doctor, but the image below just goes to show that even Doctors recommend things that aren't always good for you :) :
A registerd dietician would be the next step up as far as qualifications go, I of course would love to go in that direction, but do not have the time or the money right now to do so. So you can read up on a RDN's opinion on Advocare here: http://crave-health.blogspot.com/2014/01/Advocare.html
In summation, you're going to eat what you want to eat. Healthy or not. If you are wanting to put healthier things in your body go for the whole foods first and then supplement accordingly. If you need help, assistance or recommendations feel free to contact me!
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