In this day and age, life often moves on the fast track for a lot of people.
Little time is given to personal health and fitness, but people want to look good nonetheless.
This has led to the advent of various weight loss shakes and dietary supplements which claim to reduce your girth in a matter of days.
Herbalife Nutrition is one such global multi-level marketing corporation that synthesizes and sells such concoctions.
Incorporating a massive network of 4.5 million independent members and distributors spanning 94 countries under its umbrella, it also has an additional 9900 employees worldwide.
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About Herbalife
Based in the Cayman Islands with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, Herbalife was founded by Mark R. Hughes in 1980.
It is currently headed by John O. Agwunobi, its chief executive officer and executive chairman since March 2020.
Herbalife has been embroiled in a number of various high-profile controversies, with accusations of running an elaborate pyramid scheme.
In a bid to save face, they agreed to a major restructuring of their US-based operations and also agreed to pay a fine of $200 million to the U.S Federal Trade Commission in 2016.
Herbalife had tragic inception, being the direct result of the untimely death of Mark Hughes’ mother.
Mark attributed her demise to an unhealthy eating disorder and weight loss practices.
With a vision to revolutionize the nutritional norms of the world, he started selling his weight loss supplements from the trunk of his car in February 1980.
Are Herbalife Products Expensive?
Herbalife products are cost-effective, nutritionally dense meal replacement solutions.
The main constituents of their supplements are 18 grams of high-quality protein and 25 essential vitamins and minerals.
Herbalife products condense down to an average of 1.45 pounds Stirling per serving, and on average, one canister of their meal replacement shakes comprises 18 such servings.
Such a competitively priced option is very rare in the market.
Every canister of a Herbalife supplement is the result of countless hours of scientific research and development, significant investments from numerous shareholders, and validated outcomes.
But still, for the vast majority of people, the price tag is pretty hefty for the long term if they plan to consume their products regularly.
But that is one of the downsides of investing in one of the largest nutritional companies out there.
Your overall bill is largely going to be dependent on what products you buy from Herbalife.
Typically most supplements last about 25-30 days so that the cost can fit nicely among your monthly budget.
It also depends on what country you are in, as different countries have different tax rates on these items.
One of the main reasons contributing to Herbalife being more expensive compared to off-the-shelf supplements is that the company works on a pyramid scheme.
Every distributor in the network, whether they are above or below you, needs to make some money off each sale.
Many people, due to these high prices, just recommend you engage in the tried and tested methods of weight loss, the ones which have scientific backing.
Herbalife products have not been the subject of much independent scientific research to prove their effectiveness.
Why Is Herbalife Not Good For You?
Many people have raised questions about the side effects and possible health risks associated with dietary supplements like the ones sold at Herbalife.
Their vitamins, minerals, protein shakes, and meal replacements, despite being popular worldwide, have also got some people concerned over the effect the products have on their kidneys.
Most Herbalife products are high on protein content, with their protein bars, drink mixes, and meal supplements being rich in the stuff.
While protein is vital for the healthy development of muscles and tissues, too much of it can cause waste buildup in the blood.
This can eventually lead to kidney damage and even impairment of kidney function.
For this reason, affected people are recommended strict monitoring of their protein intake and should consult their physician before ingesting high protein Herbalife products.
Another important and abundant constituent of Herbalife products is micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
People are also advised to limit the intake of these as kidneys are not able to excrete the potassium and phosphorus present in these nutrients as efficiently.
An excess of such nutrients in the blood can exponentially increase your chances of heart disease, hospitalization, and even death.
Some Herbalife products, like the Green Tea, the Herbal Tea Concentrate, and the Nature’s Raw Guarana tablets, also contain caffeine.
Caffeine is directly responsible for increasing your blood pressure because it acts as a vasoconstrictor, narrowing the blood vessels.
Is Herbalife A Gimmick?
As one of the best-selling nutrition and dietary supplements companies worldwide, it’s a bit harsh to call Herbalife a gimmick.
Herbalife Nutrition is strictly adherent to policies of high quality and transparency and even offers incentives such as low start-up costs and a 90-day money-back guarantee to potential distributors.
Although it offers services such as free social media marketing and sales rewards, Herbalife also requires its distributors to put in their fair share of work.
There is no quick path to a fortune and no guarantees of success in their business model.
Herbalife Nutrition’s Gold Standard of Guarantee is a codex of policies that they conform to safeguard their network of distributors.
Operating in over 90 countries, Herbalife stringently follows all the region’s laws and regulations to the letter.
Their Gold Standard Guarantee includes:
- Stating the benefits and method of use of each and every product on the label so that consumers can follow the right steps towards the intended effect.
- Distributors can refund any unsold or unused products purchased within the span of 12 months.
- No additional requirements such as extra business tools to get started.
- Everything is transparent and clearly defined beforehand, such as gettable goals, potential income, and information on growing and sustaining the business.
- There are no application fees or minimum purchase limit, so the startup costs are extremely low.
