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NATURAL Alternatives to Plexus
Ahh, it seems like I see the Pink Drink everywhere. The year before, it was Juice Plus. When I first wrote this post in 2016, Plexus was EVERYWHERE. It is still pretty popular, but it’s still something I do NOT recommend. The original purpose of this post was to show how ridiculously overpriced Plexus was, as well as show that the items are not natural. There are many natural alternatives to Plexus that will be better for you in the long run.
Just a note – these comparisons are just to show that there are cheaper and better quality options to these “Plexus” products- I don’t typically recommend these things to my own clients. I only recommend whole foods, herbs, and other truly natural solutions.
Why I don’t like Plexus
My beef with Plexus is mainly the prices and the synthetic nutrients. You know me and my food based preferences. Other than the simple reason that food has more than just isolated nutrients, a lot of people can’t even handle synthetic nutrients because of a sluggish liver.
I have also heard from a couple dozen women that they developed kidney or liver issues after using these products- big red flag to me! And to be honest, I have read through their site and errors like calling Vitamin C a “pro” oxidant instead of an antioxidant makes me suspicious! Plus, there have been other issues like lawsuits about some items containing lead and many issues with fraud (source).
So let’s try this- if you are interested in Plexus but don’t love the price (or the gimmicks) look at these comparable products that I wrangled up. I found some that still use synthetic nutrients but the prices are WAY better, as well as the quality.
I am using the Plexus TRI-PLEX Combo as my example here. This kit costs $140 and you get a one month supply of the 3 products.
Instead of the Bio Cleanse: Mag 07 These 2 products both target colon health and detoxification. They contain magnesium oxide which is a very poorly absorbed form of magnesium but it is effective for cleaning the colon. The Mag 07 is the better quality because it not only is a specially formulated magnesium for this specific purpose, it also is lacking the synthetic ascorbic acid that the Plexus product has. (Read all about why I hate ascorbic acid here)
Instead of the Pro-Bio5: Garden of Life Ultimate Care Again, this Plexus product packs in ascorbic acid, as well a form of b6 that isn’t very bioavailable. The Garden of Life has nothing synthetic, has 34 strains of probiotics, and 100 billion CFU per serving. The Pro-Bio5 has only 2 billion CFU and only 5 strains.
Instead of the Slim: GTF Chromium from NOW Chromium is huge for blood sugar control, and can significantly reduce sugar cravings. The chromium in the Plexus Slim is not the most bioavailable form of Chromium, plus it has controversial ingredients like green coffee bean extract, Stevia, “natural flavors” (which seriously could be anything), and silicon dioxide.
What I ACTUALLY Recommend
SO! The above 3 supplements total a whopping $69 if you purchase them from Amazon. 2 of these products would also last at least 2 months. That is a savings of $71! Wow! You’d have enough to add in a bag of nettles for infusions, a whole food vitamin C, a whole food fiber powder, and a desiccated beef liver supplement (or cod liver oil).
So not only would you be focusing on gut health, colon health, and blood sugar with the Plexus substitutes but you would be able to fit in some REAL WHOLE FOOD NUTRITION as well for the same price!
So while I will never bash anyone for getting benefit for something like Plexus- it pays to do your research! Plexus is over-priced, and there are PLENTY of other options that you can go with to fix your health. I am tired of seeing people taken advantage of by gimmicks like this, and there seriously seems to be a new one every year!
2020 Update: I am still NOT a fan of Plexus, and most of the people I know that have used it gave up on it pretty quickly. The price is ridiculous, and some people actually reported some harsh side effects (especially relating to kidney health). I’m still a fan of whole food nutrition, and it will always be my first recommendation. Health doesn’t come from a few bottles!
Better Than Plexus Options: Whole Food Nutrition
Grass-fed collagen for gut health
The BEST Beef Liver Supplement!
Herbal Nutritional Support
Nettle Leaf for Herbal Infusions
Gut Health Oil
Cod Liver Oil
Read to start your healing journey?
Ready to start a REAL natural health journey with no gimmicks? Get started with HTMA nutritional counseling today!
The body is a whole and we must treat it as such! I have my Bachelor of Science in Natural Health Sciences, certificates in Herbal Studies from Herbal Academy, and I am constantly learning more about health to help my clients and followers.
My goal is to help you unleash your own inner healer! You already hold the power to heal inside you. My role is as a guide to help you realize this potential.
Kristin,
Thank you for sharing your alternatives to some of the Plexus products. I too had been on Plexus for years and there were two issues I had which was the price and the fact it was a MLM. I have been struggling to find alternatives for a few extra items I bought. I was wondering if you saw anything in your search for MegaX, Ease, Active or Vitalbiome? If you could explain where or how you were able to find the alternatives I could look up these items myself. I definitely liked using some of the products for mental clarity.
I would appreciate anything you can offer me on my search.
Hey Tina! Yea, the price was nuts. I originally wrote this 4-5 years ago too, so I can only imagine if the price is even worse now. I didn’t research the other products though. I don’t really recommend direct alternatives to them though as mentioned in the post. It is really best to stick with truly natural foods and herbs.
Kristin,
Thank you for sharing your this information, I have a friend currently using Plexus and will share this with her. For myself, I’ve tried enough products to help lose weight or just eat healthier. My main problem is craving salty foods, is there anything you would suggest to help with those cravings.
Hey Kathleen! I hope this info helps your friend. For salt cravings, I highly recommend working on adrenal healing as that is a big sign of stressed adrenals. I have a free ebook with some tips that will likely be a good start for you: https://www.sassyholistics.com/adrenal-healing-book/
Hi Kristin I have been looking at plexus as I crave sugar like crazy!!!! And I just went off depressants and feel overall yucky, any suggestions?
Hey Corisa! You might benefit from our HTMA service to help determine which imbalances are most prevalent right now- you can read more about that here.
Working on gut and liver health will likely be a huge helper!
Hi Kristen…thank you for the information about Plexus. I have used the Biocleanse and Pro Bio for several years and they do help me stay regular. I have noticed that my liver enzymes are always high when I have blood work done and now I am thinking it may be related. I am willing to try the alternatives you listed above. Do you think this will help lower my liver enzyme count? Thank you for your help.
Hey Brenda! Yes, we’ve seen items like dandelion root tea and Liver Life from Bioray to help with this exact issue. Time frame varies depending on what the person is going through and if there are a lot of underlying issues going on.
Hi. Is there a substitute for Plexus Accelerator and Mega Burn?
Hey Drema! I’m not sure as I haven’t really delved into the rest of their items. I wouldn’t personally replace specific items like that- I would look to find your personal needs and imbalances and work from there. Hope that makes sense.
Hi I just started using the plexus triplex and the 3 day reset. But when it’s gone i won’t reorder it can you tell me how much and when to take your suggestions? I would rather use natural products with less crappy ingredients
Hey Tammy! Which ones were you hoping to switch to? I can’t give a lot of specific info just over comments without knowing your history or current mineral imbalances, but I can point you in the right direction.
Hi Kristin, you mentioned synthetic nutrients. What do you mean by that? Are they synthetic ingredients? (That is man-made in a lab, right)…. Are you saying there are synthetic ingredients?
Yes, man made in a lab. they are not derived from food. This post goes over more about synthetics: https://www.sassyholistics.com/how-to-tell-if-a-supplement-is-synthetic/
As an alternative to the BioCleanse you recommend Mag7, and then you say “these 2 products”… what’s the 2nd one? Or is that referring to the BioCleanse and ProBio5 products? Thank you!
Hey Katie! So at the beginning of the post I actually wrote that I don’t recommend these- they are just an example of more affordable products than buying them directly from Plexus. Everything I’d actually recommend is in the second half of the post. But yes, I was referring to those 2 items from Plexus in that sentence.
What would you recommend for a multi vitamin that’s all natural for women? I liked the X factor by plexus, I don’t like the ridiculous price and the fact that it’s an mlm.
Thank you
Hey Tracy! Nettle infusions are the best natural “multi” that I often recommend. The best thing to do is figure out your personal imbalances so you’re working on getting what you need, and not too much of what you don’t.
Awesome!! Thank you!!
Hello! What do you recommend as an alternative for active?
And sleep products?
Hey Jessica! I’m not familiar with all of their products so I’m not sure about that one.
For sleep, I have my main post with suggestions here: https://www.sassyholistics.com/natural-sleep-support/
wondering if the Mag 07 is a longtime maintenance supplement? The label says to use 7-10 days only.
Thanks in advance!
I actually don’t recommend it because it’s synthetic. I just used those as examples for pricing 🙂