Okay, a couple of questions. From whom did you order the Juice Plus? Is the dietician a distributor and you ordered through her? Did she give you the name of a distributor? Or did you call the company and they assigned you to someone? If the last, that's okay. If not, it's not really objective on her part - she's profiting in some way. On what basis did she recommend the product? Does she use it herself? Has she been receiving clinical data from the company? Or does her neighbor or sister sell it? That doesn't mean it's bad - but you should know.
Now, Juice Plus is a member of the Direct Selling Association, which is a watchdog organization that only admits (actually, INVITES into membership) companies which have ethical business practices. Their books are scrutinized for over a year, and so they have to be honest. So that's a good thing. So DSA membership is a really good thing to check any time you are dealing with a direct sales or multi-level marketing company. It's way more significant than a Better Business Bureau membership, which is great but not as strong.
Juice Plus also, I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong), offers powdered products that you mix in water at the time of consumption - that's a good thing too. 99% of pills/capsules are not a good idea (poor absorption by your body) and pre-mixed liquids are not as potent because they degrade on the shelf. So if their stuff is all powder or perhaps with some entirely vegetable-based capsules, that's also a good sign.
However, I don't understand their products that are made up of different vitamins. That's not really the way nutrition works - you need a whole lot of ingredients together to make these various elements absorbable including vitamins, minerals, trace elements, phytonutrients and so on. I don't know if they do that.
Another thing to look for in a nutrition company is the presence of patents, and especially on the entire formulation and not just an ingredient or two. A patent in food is VERY hard to obtain, and the company has to prove effectiveness, safety and uniqueness - meaning no one else has this product/formula. Also, are there clinical trials on any products? If clinical studies are done by independent institutions (universities, hospitals, etc.) that's a good sign. So the company's claims can only be based on clinical data.
Are the distributors trained to only make claims that are supported by research? Does the company hold them to high standards? I'm not sure what you mean about your son getting it for free. Is there an introductory plan that gives you a discount?
Are ingredients quarantined when they come into the plant? (That's assuming that they do their own manufacturing rather than outsource it. Where does their Chief Scientific Officer rank in the most recent evaluations? Is the CSO on the Council for Responsible Nutrition? Does the company have the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices recognition?
There ARE products that can boast all of the above.
Did you get a guarantee? There should be 30 days money back, no questions asked. If you bought at a discount through some sort of bulk order, then is there at long-term guarantee, such as 90% buyback within a year? Do you have to order every month? Are there certain products you MUST buy in order to get some others, or is the discount open-ended? If you have quotas to fill, you might want to look at it more thoroughly.
If you have more questions, I'd be happy to be more specific. I don't blame you for being confused - this is a tough subject.
And FYI, even if you and your son DID eat "enough" fruits & vegetables, you might not be getting enough nutrition because our food supply is so nutrient-deficient these days. However, you need more than fruits and vegetables in a balanced and absorbable, comprehensive formula. So some form of highly absorbable supplementation is recommended (and was over 10 years ago by the AMA).
