You have likely noticed that the new Absorb Plus is certified gluten-free and has a slightly different taste. Some people have emailed to say they like it better, and some have asked me to bring back the old one!

While I know that change is stressful – especially when you’ve come to rely on something that’s so crucial for your health – if you can just bear with me I’ll explain WHY I felt it necessary to make Absorb Plus a better, healthier shake, even if it changed the flavor:

1. I have replaced the corn maltodextrin with cassava root (tapioca) maltodextrin:

It is nearly impossible to find non-GMO corn anymore in North America. Not just due to the farmers actively growing genetically-modified corn, but also due to “crop drift”. As you know, winds will blow across fields and so these winds pick up the GMO seeds and spread them to other farmer’s fields, thus contaminating their crops. The only place you can get a reliable supply of CERTIFIED non-GMO maltodextrin is Europe – where they had the brains to ban GMO seeds in the first place. However, can you imagine how much that would put the price up if I had to import the maltodextrin from Europe? So I didn’t think that would be a solution that people would be happy with.

Secondly, many people with IBD are allergic to corn. The top allergens for most people with IBD or IBS are: Dairy, wheat, corn, soy and potatoes. Now, whilst a corn allergy is usually due to the protein component of corn, not the carb component; taken together with the GMO issue, I figured it was best to look for a healthier alternative. So for these reasons, I have switched to cassava root maltodextrin (commonly called tapioca maltodextrin) instead of corn maltodextrin. Cassava is a staple food in many African countries and has been for centuries.

2. I have replaced the fructose sweetener with a blend of stevia and fructose:

As you know, Candida albicans (yeast, fungus) is often a problem for people with Crohn’s, colitis, or diverticulitis. Since Candida feeds off sugars (even a natural fruit/vegetable sugar like fructose) I wanted to decrease the amount of fructose, yet still maintain the palatability of the product. If I took away ALL the fructose and just sweetened with stevia, many would not like the taste. Stevia on its own has a very strong licorice-like aftertaste that many (including me) just do not like. However, when you cut stevia with any sugar (or honey) it masks the aftertaste. This is what I do when I bake cookies or muffins for my kids – and they can’t tell the difference. Now, because Absorb Plus is an elemental product, the stevia taste will come through a bit, especially if you know what stevia tastes like, you’ll be able to recognize it. But it is mostly masked by the small amount of natural fructose I have left in the product (this is NOT high fructose corn syrup, by the way). By using natural stevia herb as a sweetener, I have been able to cut the fructose by 50% – making it healthier for you.

3. I have added more healing nutrients:

This improvement does not affect the taste at all, but I wanted to also let you know about these very important ways I have improved the formula and how these additions will benefit you. I have added:

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone MK-7 form) – Way back in the 1920′s, Dr. Weston A. Price identified this substance in the food supply of every tribe he analyzed that had a tooth decay rate of less than 1% and no degenerative disease. He did not know what this substance was though, so he just referred to it as Activator X and identified the foods it was found in. Today, we now know that Activator X is Vitamin K2. But it is very important to consume it in the right form and for it to be a natural extraction.

More potassium iodide – potassium iodide is used to support thyroid function (and hence has a beneficial effect on all the glands/hormones). It is also a pathogen (bad bug) killer – it is used in third world countries to make water safe to drink. Lastly, it is one of those super minerals that the body seems to use for all kinds of helpful tasks, like dissolving cysts, fibroids and scar tissue. It also increases immunity against colds and flus.

More Vitamin D3 – protective against cancer, crucial for healthy bones and teeth and a nutrient that most people with IBD are deficient in. You will still need to supplement with additional Vitamin D3 during winter months, but this will at least give you a better base.

Less Calcium – those of you who have read my blog post about concerns that too much calcium is building up in the arteries and contributing to heart disease, already know why I would want to reduce the calcium per serving. I’ve left in enough to contribute to the alkalizing effect of Absorb Plus, but I prefer you get your calcium from the easily and completely absorbed Bone Support nanoparticle-sized supplement instead.

So, as I said, although the taste will not be what you’re used to, I encourage you to stick with it to train your tastebuds – think about kids tasting a new food and they need to have it several times before they will accept it and then grow to like it. Adults can also train their tastebuds and quickly adapt to a new flavor, if they want to.

At the end of the day, if you were to do a blind taste test, you may find you picked this formulation as better-tasting anyway! This is what happened when I tested the new Chocolate Royale Absorb Plus on my daughter and her friend when we changed the formulation, here’s the video: