Shake it! by Christine, on Flickr
I have built my reputation and such following as I have on the basis of healing myself with food. I’ve blogged about the paleo lifestyle, and the conflicts I encounter while maintaining a kosher dairy kitchen. While I sometimes dream of making myself bone broth, or even chicken soup, to heal my gut, for the time being that is just not going to happen.There is some chance of kosher pastured chickens becoming available locally, and in that case I will have to reconsider. But for now, I can’t eat liver or any of the other superfoods recommended by Dr. Terry Wahls.
Still, I am the poster girl for Real Food. I have literally got the t-shirt. I am proud of myself for (mostly) controlling my autoimmune disease with diet. I walk and lift heavy weights, and I am working on improving my stress and sleep. I want to be healthy through lifestyle, and I want to do it by avoiding industrial food.
And yet.
As you know, if you read this blog, I have taken the plunge into network marketing. I have chosen BlackBox Cosmetics as my vehicle, for many reasons. It is a small, friendly company, it doesn’t have quotas or sales requirements, and I truly love and use its products. I hope to increase my network as people become more familiar with it, and have it be a serious contributor to my family’s income. It’s going to take time, though.
I have been approached to join another company, one that doesn’t clash with BlackBox. This is a company that has done very well by its distributors, and claims to support the health and well-being of its customers.
It sells shakes, bars and cleanses.
My first impulse is to shout NO very loudly and run away. I am JERF girl, for heaven’s sake. Just Eat Real Food, and all will be well.
Except, you know, I can’t eat a lot of the nutrient-dense foods that my body needs if it is to heal. So do I need supplements? And if so, which? Why not these?
Would I totally destroy my credibility with my audience if I solved my paleo problem by espousing meal-replacement shakes? Put like that, it looks like I really would. But is that the fair way to pose the question?
If I tried the shakes and found that they actually supported my health, would it be OK, then? Is the product tainted forever, regardless of any positive experience I might have with it? Should I just let it go? Or is it an opportunity I should seize, with the potential to solve my family’s very real financial problems? Given those, do I even have the luxury to be picky in this way?
What would you do?
Yes, Asdis, nutritionally is a word! Thanks so much for the wise thoughts!
Hadass Eviatar recently posted…About Shakes and Integrity
I think the bottom line here is that Paleo is not a religion (much as it may feel like one sometimes). And unless I’m missing something, it’s not an ethically based eating choice either. It’s simply a means to an end, and that end is better health. If supplementing “true Paleo” with bars, supplements and shakes improves your health, then obviously you should do it. And if not, then obviously you should not.
As to whether or not you should sell them, I’d assume you’ll only be comfortable doing so if you end up feeling that using them works for your health (and meets your other ethical and religious needs). If that ends up being the case, then go for it (keeping in mind of course that not everything that works for you will work for someone else). Good luck!
Thanks Robyn, and everyone else who responded with thoughtful analysis of my waffling ;-). I think I’m going to order a couple of canisters of the shake, try it for 30 days or so and see how I feel. Stay tuned ;-).
Shakes, bars and cleanses don’t fit into what you have been doing nutritionally (is that even a word?) to keep yourself healthy. If you’re curious about the effects, by all means try what you’re being offered. For a couple of months, maybe longer. Then you’ll definitely know if it works, if it does something better for you than what you have been doing and if you’ll start believing in it! That’s the big issue here, I guess.
If you don’t try it, it may become that nagging feeling of “what if..” and we don’t like those very much, do we?
If this works for you, you will not be cursed to h*ll by Paleo people or anyone else. You have a condition which needs you to be careful with your nutrition choices and I think anyone will understand that you’d want to try to see if something new works.
I guess the question is…do you believe in the bars, and shakes, and cleanses? If you do, then you can sell them. If you don’t believe in them, then it doesn’t matter how great an opportunity it is. And if you DO believe in them, is it because of claims they’ve made or because of results you’ve experienced?
I’m realizing, as I’m on the “how do I make a living on the internet” journey myself, that at the end of the day, I’m personally not willing to settle on a “maybe,” even if it’ll make me few extra bucks.
As long as you believe in the company, the products, and what they stand for–as long as they’re a “yes,” then there’s no problem moving forward.
Kaila Prins (@MissSkinnyGenes) recently posted…Trigger HAPPY Thursday: Change One Rule at a Time
You are right, of course. And yes, I must try them myself. The scientist within me will never allow me to accept a mere claim that I haven’t verified at least somewhat. I just can’t do it.
Thanks for not telling me that I will go to hell because it isn’t Paleo ;-). But hey, it’s made from grassfed dairy …
you have painted yourself into a corner with incompatible principles…kosher, paleo, real food.. because they are incompatible, you need to choose which one to compromise. I think you have actually hit on the ultimate criterion yourself — if they support your health, then they are good — anything else is not relevant (except for godly decrees..). Try them and see if you feel better – and if they work for you, you will want to share and be happy to sell.
Yes, that’s kind of where I was going, but I guess I was looking for validation ;-). You’re right, I will have to take the plunge and try them before I can make a decision on this. I would also have to sell them very differently from the people who are trying to sell them to me. Telling me that they can replace a meal I’m too busy to cook makes me want to RUN AWAY ….