I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Kid-feeding is hard. Parents are just trying to do their best. What infuriates me, as both a mom and nutritionist, is seeing well-meaning parents and consumers get taken advantage of. Parents are purchasing Isagenix Isakids Super Smoothie, thinking they’re giving their kids a top-notch quality food, when in reality they are being duped by healthwashing.

Healthwashing

As Canadian nutritionist, Meghan Telpner, puts it, “Healthwashing is a term used to describe the activities of companies and groups that position themselves as leaders in the crusade for good health while engaging in practices that may be contributing to our poor health.”

Isagenix promises their “No-Compromise Quality”. I’ve even heard their consultants refer to their products as “higher than organic”. All of this is marketing gibberish that means literally NOTHING.

Today I will break down some of the ingredients in the Isagenix Isakids Super Smoothie to showcase at best it’s a cheap product and at worst an unhealthy one.

Fructose

As stated on the Isagenix website, “fructose, also known as fruit sugar, occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables.”

Right. But the stuff in this shake isn’t coming from fruits and vegetables.

When you consume fructose within the context of a whole food (like, say, an ACTUAL piece of fruit), you’re also getting fiber (which alters gut absorption and metabolism) and phytonutrients that are beneficial for health. Refined fructose as a stand-alone ingredient doesn’t offer any of this.

Fructose is not a health food. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

The link between excessive intake of fructose and metabolic syndrome is well established. But what’s even worse is that consuming fructose alters genes that are linked to other disease states, like hypertension, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

Fructose isn’t broken down like other sugars. It’s metabolized in the liver. Dr. Robert Lustig even refers to fructose as a hepatoxin (liver toxin) in his lecture, "Sugar: The Bitter Truth”.

Isagenix uses fructose so they can call it “low glycemic”, but the very thing that makes it low glycemic also makes it suboptimal for health. This is healthwashing at its finest.

When it comes to fructose, it appears that the dose makes the poison. Most of the research looks at “excessive amounts”. But children have a lower threshold for fructose. John Bagnulo (PhD Human Nutrition and Food Science) speaks out often about why fructose has NO place in our children’s food.

Do I think these smoothies are as bad as drinking soda? No, of course not. But do I think parents should pay boku bucks for a cheap (most fructose is derived from non-GMO sugar cane, sugar beets or corn) and potentially harmful ingredient? Hard no.

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For a company that prides itself on no-compromise quality ingredients (and charges a pretty penny for those top notch products), why would Isgenix use a cheap sugar substitute known for it’s health problems?

For this reason, I’m out. But let us continue…

Sunflower Oil Powder

Sunflower seeds are healthy. Sunflower oil powder is not. The two are not the same thing. Leading you to believe otherwise is healthwashing.

From the Isagenix website: “Pressed from sunflower seeds, sunflower oil is a rich source of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.”

The way they write it makes it sound like someone is out in the fields, hand-pressing the sunflower seeds to extract oil.

That is NOT the case.

Sunflower oil is made with a lot of processing and often chemical extraction. Then it’s further processed to create a powder.

Reading about sunflower oil production and extraction here and here will wipe clean the images of running around a sun-kissed sunflower field. Instead, you’ll see industrialized machines and chemical solvents.

Source: http://www.oilmillmachinery.net/sunflower-oil-production.html

I won’t get into the nitty gritty details of what makes a “healthy” oil and and “unhealthy” oil; I already did that 2 years ago for Episode 3 of The Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast.

In a nutshell, sunflower seed oil - like all other industrial seed oils - is heavily processed, unstable, pro-inflammatory fat. Don’t consume it.

Sunflower oil powder is listed as the fourth ingredient in the IsaKids Super Smoothie. They use it because it is CHEAP, not because it has health benefits. The healthier fats/oils (olive oil, flax and medium-chain triglyceride oil) are much further down the ingredient list.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is the (cheap) synthetic form of B9 used in a lot of (cheap) fortified foods and (cheap) supplements. It is NOT the same as the natural form of folate (5-methyltetrahydrofolate).

The two are metabolized differently by the body.

The natural form of folate is better absorbed, for starters, since folic acid is metabolized in the liver and goes directly into the bloodstream. Here’s the problem: if you have unmetabolized folic acid in your bloodstream, this can increase the risk of colon cancer.

On top of that, consuming folic acid can mask vitamin B12 deficiency.

And finally, those with MTHFR polymorphism can’t convert it to its active form.

I advise all my clients to steer clear of folic acid and look for folate instead.

CYANOCOBALAMIN: ANOTHER INDICATION OF A CHEAP PRODUCT

Vitamin B12 has a few different forms that vary in efficacy and safety. While cyanocobalamin is most commonly used (because it’s cheap), it is not the form of B12 that is found in nature. The most desirable, effective and safe form of B12 is methylcobalamin.

Cheap, Low-Nutrition Carbohydrates

The website explains how important carbohydrates are to “give growing bodies the fuel they need”, then they throw these bunk ingredients into the mix: Tapioca maltodextrin and Xanthan gum. Despite what Isagenix tells you, these cheap ingredients are adding bulk and texture without any real nutrients. Say it with me now: HEALTHWASHING!!!

Natural Flavors

From the Isagenix website: “Natural flavors” is a regulated term used to define flavorings that are created using only components found in nature. They are generally made of essential oils, essences, or extracts; fruit juices; and spices.”

Note how they state “they are generally made of…” but do not state what the Isagenix natural flavors are ACTUALLY made from. Weak healthwashing.

As many of us know, natural flavors can be anything but natural.

Nutritionist Meghan Telpner wrote a great article that busts the “natural flavors” myth wide open. Cliffs Notes: they’re not always natural, despite what Isagenix is trying to tell you.

In closing…

Do I think this is the worst, most unhealthy thing you can feed your kid? No, absolutely not. But beneath all the healthwashing, let’s just call Isagenix IsaKids Super Smoothie exactly what it is:

AN OVERPRICED MEAL REPLACEMENT POWDER WITH CHEAP, SUBOPTIMAL INGREDIENTS.

P.S. None of this is personal. I was asked (several times over) for my professional opinion on this product, so here we are. Please note: I have references to back up everything I said in this post. And if you have questions about the adult products, please see Dr. Christian Gonzalez’s post about protein powders here. Spoiler alert: Isagenix IsaLean Shake was flagged as one of the worst.