...probably because what you told me is the same thing that 98% of the MLM distributors out there tell people. Not that THEY are trying to purposely mislead you - they're just repeating what their upline tells them to say.
"...they had research done by third parties...and published in peer reviewed journals..." I bet they didn't tell you that the companies PAID to have the research done by those independent labs. The way this is done is that the MLM company will go to a third party lab and say "we have such and such a product and we want a study done to show that it will cause weight loss" or whatever. This is how the tobacco companies years ago were able to produce studies showing that cigarette smoking did not cause cancer or lung disease.
"Peer-reviewed journals" can mean the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) or just a trade magazine sent to physicians which is usually tossed in the trash. The manufacturers know that for many of their intended customers, if there's something published or in writing, people tend to believe what they read...without looking at all the facts.
It might also surprise you to find out that many of those articles in major magazines about this or that product are pretty much advertising - product placement articles. As you probably know, magazines depend on their advertisers to stay in business, so if an advertiser says 'we would like an article on our new weight-loss product written by one of your staff writers' and guess what, they will even supply research documentation - the magazines do it. A lot of women's and health-related mags do this regularly. (It's also common in other industry publications - I read horse breed magazines and they will do a feature story on a stallion or farm, with lots of photos - followed by about 20 pages of ads for that farm, stallion, or stallion's get).
Here's an article from Quackwatch regarding Centrum's advertising from a few years back - even though this happened in 1997, it should make you aware of how far ads can twist the truth!
http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...s/centrum.html
Actually what you've been told sounds a lot like what the distributors of an MLM product called Juice Plus say. Check this article out:
http://www.mlmwatch.org/04C/NSA/juiceplus.html
And while you're at it there's a whole slew of articles linked here:
http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...uppsherbs.html
As far as fruits and veggies go - you can pay tons of $$ for a 'whole food supplement' (which is manmade by the way - it's processed isn't it?) or less than a dollar a pound for apples, bananas, fruit and veggies in season, etc. In addition, you will be getting the all important FIBER from the vegetables, if you're worried about the health of your colon.
And by the way, frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh ones. (I'd stay away from canned ones for the most part).
And really, you should not buy anything from an MLM. Unless, that is, you want to spend a lot more money on something you can find in the store! Trust me - I know this from experience. I used to be a 'distributor' for one about 7-8 years ago. They all want you to think their products are unique and the only way to lose weight or stay healthy or whatever. But think about it! If these companies REALLY had a miracle product, wouldn't it make more sense financially to market it to the general public? I mean, if this is such a great product they're peddling, why not just sell it at Wal Mart to millions of people? Hmm?
IMO, most MLMs - if not all - are operating barely legal pyramid schemes. Before wasting your money, do some research on your own - don't just rely on the company's/distributor's materials and/or website. Quackwatch and MLM Watch (there's a link though Quackwatch's site) are excellent places to begin research.
Take care - and don't get ripped off like I did!