Because I receive so many emails inquiring about popular nutritional products out there, I am writing a series of posts to review them. In my first post, I reviewed Plexus’ products. Today I am going to share my thoughts on Thrive’s products. I’m quite selective, as some of you know, and only want the best for myself, my family, and my clients. There are so many health products available today that I find it totally unnecessary to compromise my standards!
So here’s my honest, unbiased take on Thrive’s line of health products:
Thrive M
This multivitamin formula for men is pretty good, except that it has synthetic folate (folic acid). You can click here to read my post on Plexus products where I explain why I recommend against folic acid. This is unfortunate because it’s got some great nutrients as well as probiotics and amino acids that are especially desired by men who want to build muscle. (I will note, however, that there is some new research demonstrating that amino acids like l. glutamine in their isolated form may carry some risks and may be best from their whole food sources.)
The amount of the various B vitamins in this product are a bit low to provide sufficient benefits for any adult.
Thrive W
My review of this product for women is the same as the Thrive M above. Low amounts of nutrients, synthetic folate, and isolated amino acids. Not terrible by any means (except for those with MTHFR mutations as described in the post linked above which is many people who don’t realize it) but definitely could do better.
Thrive Mix
Absolutely NOT recommended! Please do NOT use this product! Two of the main reasons why I say that is because it contains soy protein and sucralose. Please click here to read my post on why protein powders with these ingredients are BAD NEWS!
Thrive DFT, DFT Ultra, and Black Label DFT
Looking at the label for these skin patch products, I don’t really see anything that I would warn against. I’m not sold on the efficacy of these ingredients, but they don’t raise any red flags either.
Thrive Activate
Drinks like these frustrate me. They come so close to being good but then they throw in sugar in a bunch of different forms and, in this case, synthetic folate again. The other ingredients include fructose, maltodextrin, glucose, and food starch–all various forms of very fined starches/sugars that steal nutrients from the body. So I’d definitely pass on this one.
Thrive Boost
If it wasn’t for the fructose, maltodextrin, and food starch, I could totally get behind this product! It’s got such a nice wide range of beneficial nutrients and other things–from probiotics and enzymes to greens and herbs. With any product containing chlorella, I like to make sure the chlorella is sourced from Korea or Taiwan (and definitely not from China or Japan which tends to be high in heavy metals). But overall, a decent product.
Thrive Balance
I don’t recommend any fiber supplements containing psyllium husk unless it is for a short period of time. Frequent use of psyllium husk can cause/exacerbate diverticulitis by extending the colon and leaving pockets for waste to accumulate. Leafy greens, probiotics, and magnesium are a better way to keep the colon clean in the long term, but a temporary cleansing program with something like this would be okay.
Thrive Move
This would be a decent product if it wasn’t for the fructose, gums, and potassium sorbate.
Thrive Rest
Even without the fructose, gums, and potassium sorbate, I wouldn’t recommend this product. Hops extract isn’t one of the things I recommend as it is very high in phytoestrogens and since most people already have too much estrogen, it’s a good one to avoid. There are other products out there with the beneficial ingredients in this product without the undesirable ones, so I’d personally go with those instead.
Summary
Like my review of Plexus, I’d have to say that Thrive also has some okay products, but not enough that I would get on board with the company. But for those who are experiencing improvements in their health with these products, keep up the good work!
Blessings of good health,
~Sara
