How does living longer, having more energy, making money and giving back to the community all wrapped up in one product sound?

MonaVie juice is all these things centered on the main ingredient, the acai berry. The berry grown in the Brazilian Amazon is one of the finest antioxidant super- foods in the world.

The drink combines the acai berry with 18 other fruits to create a great-tasting, healthy juice. With a shot of juice in the morning and a shot of juice at night, the company says you can improve your quality of life instantly.

Most Americans don’t get the recommended two to four servings of fruits a day (even though the USDA recommends produce take priority over other foods). In fact, less that 17 percent of Americans get their daily recommended servings, and 48 percent consume less than one serving a day.

Fruits not only have vitamins and minerals, they also contain important health-protecting compounds called phytonutrients. These phytonutrients are what give fruits their color and protect the plant from viruses, bacteria and fungi. When we consume these phytochemicals, we take in these protective agents.

The more variety in color that you consume in your fruits each day, the more phytochemicals you are taking in with different benefits in each. For instance, fruits that are red or purple such as red and black grapes, acai blueberries, strawberries, plums and red apples help support the heart and lower the risk of heart disease. The acai berry, which is rare, contains 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and can help prevent and reduce heart disease.

The acai berry, the main ingredient in the MonaVie juice, is found in the lush jungle region of northern Brazil. This region of about one and a half billion acres covers nearly half of Brazil. The humidity, rain and intense heat create a rich ecosystem for fruits and many plant and animal species.

The black-purple, grape-sized berry grows in clusters, and its main harvest season is from August to December. It has been proven to be an antidote for many health problems.

The fruit has been enjoyed in the Amazon for quite sometime, but it is only recently that its benefits have become known to other countries especially North America. MonaVie was started in January 2005 by president and CEO Dallin Larson, who has worked in the networking business for over 17 years. MonaVie is now the one of the largest users of the acai berry in the United States.

Scientists have continued studying the power of this tiny berry’s ability to remove free radicals from the body induced aging and the environment.

Many of the improvements people have found after drinking the juice range from a higher level of energy and feeling less tired throughout the day, as well as sleeping better at night to better joint health. These antioxidants that MonaVie includes prevent the cell destruction that often causes harmful effects on the body because these fruits are not only organic; coming from the Amazon, they are wild.

The combination of many fruits in MonaVie gives the consumer the maximum phytonutrients with fruits such as pomegranates, purple and white grapes, pears, cranberries, passion fruit, bananas, apricots, prunes, kiwis and blueberries.

In addition, there are more exotic fruits, which include the nashi pear from eastern Asia, bilberries, wolfberries, lychee from China and acerola fruit from the West Indies and northern South America. Even with this mixture, they still find a way for it to taste good, giving it a stronger grape taste and making it enjoyable to drink. The nutrients are maintained in a process called flash pasteurization in which the fruits are heated for about 15 to 30 seconds and then quickly cooled. This allows the taste and color to remain the same while killing microbes and keeping the beneficial phytonutrients intact.

There are two forms of the juice beverage: Movavie and MonaVie active, which includes everything the other juice has just adding esterified fatty acids and glucosamine hydrochloride to help maintain healthy joints. By consuming about two to four ounces a day, or by eating the one-ounce gel packet, you can get your needed nutrients and antioxidants.

Recently, on an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Nicholas Perricone reported that the acai berry is, “An almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to proper muscle concentration and regeneration.” The acai berry was also listed on the show as one of the great age- defying super foods.

Another great feature about the MonaVie juice is the ability to become an independent distributor and market the juice yourself with people in the company making more than $100,000 a week. It is a network marketing company that is one of the fastest growing young companies in America today. Many Southern Methodist students have started making significant amounts of money with the company as well as enjoying the health benefits of the juice. It costs $40 to enroll, usually under a current distributor, and then they will guide you giving you information, holding meetings, and answering any question you need to learn how to run your own business.

Whether you are active and need more energy, want to feel healthier, get the necessary fruit regiment into your diet, look younger, or if you simply want to make some extra cash in college, MonaVie has options and a plan that can work for you. The people you work with will help get you started and you can begin to feel the benefits for your wallet and your body.