I’d like to thank my friend and fellow dietitian for sending me the link to this hilarious infomercial for the NutriBullet. I just sat in my office and watched the entire 26 minutes in between clients. You know the saying about laughter being the best medicine? Well, I’ve definitely gotten my dose for the day!
Perhaps you don’t have time or inclination to watch the video yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the highlights. I just want to begin by saying that the notion of a “superfood nutrition extractor” is complete and utter nonsense. In fact, by “pulverizing food on a cellular level” you may actually be depriving yourself of the benefits of intact fibre.
What is the NutriBullet? It’s not a blender or a juicer. It has “exclusive cyclonic action” and uses “turbo extractor blades” to “unlock the nutrition so your body can actually absorb it and use it.” Umm… I’ve got news for the makers: our bodies have this amazing system that does the same thing. It’s called the digestive system. Yep, our bodies are amazing machines and do a pretty good job of breaking down foods and absorbing the nutrients. True, we can’t break down whole flax seeds but you can buy those milled or grind them up yourself.
The spokesperson for the NutriBullet is David Wolfe. You may remember him from such hokey productions as Food Matters. I looked him up as his title “longevity and nutrition expert” provided very little insight into his qualifications. Surprise, that’s because he has none. In the infomercial he tells us that “both my parents are medical doctors” as if that’s supposed to impart him with some credibility. Well, my dad’s a doctor of history and he can attest to the fact that I am not expert on historical matters.
According to the infomercial the NutriBullet will: “supercharge your metabolism” and “reverse aging” among other outlandish claims. There are testimonials from individuals with various medical afflictions. I think that my favourite was from the cancer survivor whose hair started regrowing after just two weeks of using the NutriBullet. Obviously this regrowth must have been a result of use of the NutriBullet, not the cessation of treatment.
I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with this contraption. I do think that there’s something inherently wrong in making unsubstantiated claims regarding miraculous health benefits regarding the use of the NutriBullet.
