As a busy mom of 5 kids (#6 due Oct 2016), I set up this FAQ page to help minimize the amount of time spent on emails answering the same common questions. Please forgive any typos or grammatical errors. đ I compiled this quickly from all the emails I have sent in response to past questions about InLiven and Fast-Tract. There may also be some odd timing and tense changes in the personal stories shared, as I originally typed this up in May 2013, but updated parts of it in April 2016 with current discount info. đ If your question is NOT answered below, please do feel free to contact me.
Blessings,
Lacey đ
Here is an overview list of questions answered below…
What makes InLiven and Fast Tract so different from supplements or home ferments?
What is the difference between Fast Tract and InLiven? Which one is gluten free?
Serving sizes for adults & children / Guidelines for gut healing / How long will a tub of InLiven or bottle of Fast Tract last?
Tastes and Ways to Eat/Drink, Including Ideas for Kids
Do InLiven or Fast Tract need to be refrigerated?
What is the expiration date length / Better to stock up or order monthly?
Fermenting or Cooking with InLiven or Fast Tract
Time of day to eat/drink InLiven or Fast Tract
Is it good switch probiotics products now and then?
How is it made? Are the probiotics in InLiven considered live or dead? How does the drying process contribute to preserving the nutritional value of the foods and life of the probiotics?
Are the bacteria in the pro-biotic “human strain”?
Could this replace any vitamin, mineral, or enzyme supplements I am currently taking?
How soon will I see improvements or responses in my body, and what might I notice?
InLiven and GBS tests during pregnancy
… I have severe gluten issues and just prefer to stick to Fast Tract to be safe; but then I am not getting the full nutritional benefit of the 26 foods in the InLiven powder⌠Are there any other Miessence supplements that would complement the liquid well and provide the nutrients from the 26 fermented foods that are in the powder?
Price, quality, and value questions
Ordering Options â Customer/Lifestyle Member vs. Representative Accounts
Budget Challenges and/or Large Family Situations
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What makes InLiven and Fast Tract so different from supplements or home ferments?
Many things, but one key distinction from most other probiotic products on the market is that they are just fermented foods; the âbugsâ are cultured only on certified organic food sources â not cultured in questionable media such as genetically modified substances, fecal matter, or bio reactors. Additionally, they have been bred via natural selection processes over the course of 20+ years to be extra hardy against common assailants to our gut, which gives them an extra-hardy potency over your basic home ferments and cultures. See overview video and/or overview brochure for more details.
What is the difference between Fast Tract and InLiven? Which one is gluten free?
Beyond the simple fact that Fast Tract is gluten free, while InLiven is technically not, the primary difference is that Fast Tract is basically the 13 super-hardy probiotic strains in a more concentrated liquid form, whereas InLiven is the same 13 super-hardy core strains, plus the diverse nutrients from the 26 fermented whole foods (as well as 18 amino acids and 81 essential enzymes).
Because wheat and barley are among the 26 whole foods fermented in InLiven, it is not technically gluten-free. However, the 3-week fermentation process breaks down the foodsâ proteins to such an extent that most people with gluten or other food sensitivity issues do not have a problem with the ingredients in InLiven. That said, if you have a severe gluten allergy or other allergy issue, or you’re just more comfortable doing so, better safe than sorry and just use or at least start with Fast Tract.
For more details on serving sizes to regain gut health, please see the serving sizes section.
Serving sizes for adults & children / Guidelines for gut healing / How long will a tub of InLiven or bottle of Fast Tract last?
This obviously depends on how much you eat/drink per day, which can vary from person to person according to individual health needs.
The âofficialâ (general recommended) serving size of InLiven is 5 grams, or roughly a tsp – of which there are 30 servings in a tub. That’s using a “heaped” tsp. Katie Kimball, from Kitchen Stewardship, said she measured out exact, leveled tsps and got something like 53 servings in the tub.
So, if using 1 tsp-ish a day, about 4-6 weeks. If using 2/day, 2-3 weeks. 3/day, 10-17 days or so.
The âofficialâ (general recommended) serving size for Fast Tract is 25 ml, of which there are 30 servings per bottle, but again you can drink more or less as you feel your body needs at any given point.
If you have any special sensitive health issues, you might want to start Fast Tract and then “graduate” to InLiven for the long term additional nutritional benefits. Many people with gluten or other allergy/health concerns will either start with Fast Tract and then “graduate” to InLiven for the long term additional nutritional benefits, OR simply start with a smaller serving of InLiven and build it up gradually.
Example 1: Start with 1/8 teaspoon of InLiven and/or 1 teaspoon of Fast Tract. After a couple weeks and all is well then increase InLiven by 1/8 teaspoon a week until a 10 day course of 3 teaspoons a day is accomplished, or if using Fast Tract increase by a teaspoon every two weeks until you can drink a bottle a week for two weeks. And then, back down to normal “maintenance” servings, roughly 1 tsp/day of InLiven or 5ml of Fast Tract (though this can vary from person to person, too). This is general advice and may vary due to circumstances.
Example 2: If aiming to âgraduateâ to InLiven from Fast Tract, start with the Fast Tract to flood the gut with the beneficial “bugs” (at most perhaps 1 bottle per week for two weeks, though you may well find that less is effective, perhaps even as little as 1 bottle for 30 days – again, it’s really case by case) and then, when you’re doing well on that, gradually add InLiven into your routine, starting with 1/8 and working your way up to whatever serving size suites your body’s needs (generally 1 tsp per day, maybe less or more depending again on the situation). Again, this is general advice and may vary due to circumstances.
Once you find your general maintenance serving size, stick with what works for you and keep listening to your body – keep in mind that your serving size needs may change from time to time as your body and life situations change. As a few examplesâŚ
I know of some people who eat 1/3 or 1/2 tsp of InLiven per day, or 1 full tsp every few days â often because they are already doing a variety of home ferments/cultures and are just looking for food-only sources of extra-hardy and diverse strains to boost their gut bacteria and health.
I’ve also heard of people eating 1/4 TUB of InLiven per day during an intensive cleanse or detox – that’s obviously an extreme, though. đ
When I first started eating InLiven in 2010, while pregnant with #4, I definitely didn’t eat more than 1 tsp/day, and if I recall, I may have even done 1/2 (or 1 full tsp every other day) simply to stretch it for budget reasons (canât recall exactly now). And then for a time in summer 2011, I found that 1/3-1/2 was fine, and boosted back up to the full tsp for cold/flu season. And now, pregnant with baby #5, I feel like my body needs 2-3 tsp/day. Iâll also up my serving size, or add a serving of Fast Tract if any illnesses are threatening the house, I know I have had too much sugar or have otherwise not eaten well, or Iâve had an unusually long stretch of late nights and know that Iâm run down.
People will also adjust serving sizes as needed to regulate detox or die off responses. For example, some people prefer to have a quicker but more intense few days of detox and so flood their gut with mega-servings and tough out feeling icky for a few days. Others prefer to lower their serving sizes and have a longer, less intense rebalancing period, then gradually increase their serving size as they regain their health.
The key is experimenting to figure out exactly what works best for your body at any given stage of life. Take the general 1 tsp/day and then up it or lower it depending on your particular health and life variables.
For preschool and elementary aged kids, a 1/4-1/2 tsp should be fine, though a full tsp won’t hurt them in any way since it’s just fermented food.
For infants, probiotic benefits are conferred through breastmilk. When baby starts drinking water or eating solids, I introduce a little Fast Tract (maybe 1/8-1/4 serving) in water, or a little InLiven (again, 1/8-1/4 serving size) in avocado, banana, or apple mash.
Because it’s just food, kids (and adults) can’t “overdose” on it – i.e., the full tsp can’t hurt them (unless there are specific and severe food allergies that require other gut healing methods first, such as Fast Tract, prior to introducing InLiven gradually – though, because the foods/proteins are predigested by the probiotics, many with sensitivities/allergies do fine with the product… it’s case by case.)
Just as with adults, you might vary serving sizes for children depending on their other food habits, tastes, and health needs.
Tastes and Ways to Eat/Drink, Including Ideas for Kids
It never ceases to amaze me the different responses I get on the tastes of InLiven and Fast Tract. Some people love them, some don’t mind them, and some really donât like them (at least at first).
My experience?
It took a month or two for the taste of InLiven to really grow on me. Now I don’t mind it at all. I’d even call it yummy when blended up with a bit of farm/homemade yogurt or apple juice and a banana. Yum!
The Fast Tract I really didn’t like at first, but now I could chug it straight from the bottle if necessary – really love the taste now.
Czerral says, âShaking up InLiven with a good organic apple juice, in a jar with a lid, is the easiest way and tastes yummy. And I can assure you that after awhile the taste will be a non issue.â
Bottom line?
You just have to experiment over time with options to find how you’ll like it best. Adding it to smoothies is also a popular option. And, depending on how creative you are in the kitchen, you can also mix into homemade salad dressings, guacamole, or just about any way you want to try as long as it’s not cooked at high temperatures. Here’s a recipe book of ideas too.
If youâre among the very few who never get used to the taste, you might just prefer to stick with the quick and done approach, like I did with FCLO! đ
As for getting kids to eat InLiven, it really depends on the kid and again will just take some experimentation. Between trying different recipe ideas and educational approaches appropriate to the age level, kids will usually warm up to it eventually.
My boys (4 & 2 in 2013) love it blended up with some homemade yogurt (or apple juice) and a banana. We also sometimes eat it mixed up in applesauce – that was a popular option with them when they were babies starting out on solids. And both boys will drink Fast Tract straight and enjoy it.
My girls (8 & 6 in 2013), who remember more of how we used to eat a few years back, still refuse to even try InLiven just because itâs green (they wonât try smoothies either â sigh) even though I think theyâd really like it if they just tried it. BUT they have really taken to Fast Tract, even calling it their âspecial stuffâ and adding it to juice on their own. So for now, I don’t push InLiven with them â I figure they’ll keep seeing me eat it in various ways, and hearing me talk about it, and someday they’ll open up to try it. To get the girls to drink Fast Tract, I initially started sneaking it into their small cup of breakfast juice, and gradually upped the amount â eventually also explaining to them what I was doing, why, and how it would benefit them.
UPDATE 2016: My four older kids happily drink either Fast Tract or InLiven in a splash of juice, and a couple of them even drink InLiven just in water. My little guy #5 gives me a big green grin with his ‘green juice’ of InLiven and Deep Green in a shot of OJ and cheers when he opens the monthly Miessence box, pulling out InLiven and Deep Green, saying, “Yay, this is mine!”
Again, each kidâs tastes and personalities are a little different, so you just have to play with it to see what works.
Do InLiven or Fast Tract need to be refrigerated?
They do not need to be refrigerated before opening. Once opened, they are best refrigerated, especially the Fast Tract. Although, the opened tub of InLiven powder is fine if not refrigerated, and thus great for travel or camping, Czerral recommends you treat it just like any other food â it will last longer if refrigerated.
What is the expiration date length / Better to stock up or order monthly?
The expiration date is generally quite a ways out (a year at least?) unopened. Once opened, it is best to drink Fast Tract within a month at most and eat the InLiven within 3 months.
So, expiration date-wise, there is no need to order monthly. And the 3-pack is a great deal – saving you an extra 10% via the value pack, in addition to the regular customer discounts available at all times based on order size.
However, there are great perks available if ordering 75+ PV worth of product every or *every other month* using the MiRewards flexible autoship program. For example, many people do a 3-pack of InLiven on an every other month autoship order. You control all the settings of your standing order and can adjust them or cancel at any time, and as you’ll see on the discount and shipping chart, you get access to higher discounts on smaller orders, free shipping on smaller orders, plus reward points on all purchases that can be redeemed for free products.
Fermenting or Cooking with InLiven or Fast Tract
You can mix them in to things, and perhaps warm them slightly, as they are resistant to heat (and cold); however, high temp cooking or boiling will kill the bugs.
See Fast Tract Recipes for more ideas. Here are a couple examples:
Make ice blocks using Fast Tract. Add to your drinks or mix fruit pulp with Fast Tract, and remake ice blocks. Fast Tract has been inoculated against cold and heat; it will withstand the freezer and medium oven temperatures.
For cold viruses: Warm Fast Tract, add some honey and drink. Do not boil or add boiling water as this temperature will be too hot for the bacteria (body temperature is perfect).
Time of day to eat/drink InLiven or Fast Tract
You can eat it anytime of day that best suits you. Czerral said some eat it first thing in the morning, others right before bed. Ideally 15-20 minutes before a meal, but I’ll be honest – I usually have it with my breakfast or dinner (or really random times of day because my day with small children can sometimes be a bit scattered) and feel that it has still given me great results.
Ultimately, since everyone’s body and health variables are a bit different, you have to experiment a bit not just with serving size, but also with time of day to find what’s best for you.
Is it good switch probiotics products now and then?
Keep in mind that this is often suggested because many probiotic products out there contain only one or perhaps a few strains (not to mention how they are cultured). The key here, as I understand it, is really diversity and strength of the flora. Because the 13 strains in Fast Tract & InLiven are both super hardy and already provide a diversity that makes up the core of the strains that support the other hundreds of lesser strains that work in our guts, rotating probiotic products when drinking Fast Tract or eating InLiven is not as critical. That said, anything is possible in life. đ Listen to your body – it will tell you what you need. đ Who knows what the future may hold, but so far, after almost 3 years, I have not yet found a need to switch to any other probiotic product, though I have found myself needing more or less InLiven at different times (i.e., when pregnant, I find myself benefiting from 2 tsp/day, instead of 1.)
How is it made? Are the probiotics in InLiven considered live or dead? How does the drying process contribute to preserving the nutritional value of the foods and life of the probiotics?
The probiotics would definitely be considered alive. That is a huge point Czerral always makes – they must be alive and able to reproduce in your gut. As for how they are made, here is a response from Czerral…
âAll ingredients are solar dried before fermentation. Any plant from the moment it is picked starts to lose nutrient value. This is why we harvest each order when the order is placed and do not store raw materials. As soon as we receive raw materials we solar dry and then ferment. Once of the exciting things about fermentation is that the bacteria produce lactic acid to protect themselves from all invaders including oxygen. As they ferment the foods they surround the nutrients with this lactic acid hence forming a natural preservative for the nutrients. When you understand that oxygen is the destroyer of nutrients this all makes sense. Think black bananas.â
Are the bacteria in the probiotic “human strain”?
Depends on what you mean by “human strain.” That is a term that seems to have varying interpretations out there. If you mean, are they strains that are naturally found occurring in the human gut based on a diet of naturally fermented foods (i.e., not genetically modified etc), then yes. If you mean, are the strains taken from humans (i.e., cultures from fecal matter), then no – they are cultured through the natural fermentation of the 26 foods in the InLiven formulation.
Could this replace any vitamin, mineral, or enzyme supplements I am currently taking?
With any such “advice” please keep in mind I am not a doctor – only a lay person who loves and uses these products. However, that is how Iâve personally used InLiven myself, yes. The more I have researched synthetic vitamin supplements, even food-“based” ones, the more I am committed to getting my nutrition from real foods, and “supplementing” only with real food – such as in the case of InLiven, or Miessenceâs Deep Green and Berry Radical, or occasionally FCLO. I so appreciate InLiven because it’s just 26 fermented foods, with all their nutrients preserved and predigested, readily available for my body with the 13 strains of diverse bacteria, plus 81 essential enzymes, 18 amino acids etc. (See brochure here for more details.)
How soon will I see improvements or responses in my body, and what might I notice?
This can vary depending on your current state of health, and whether you are trying to regain health or maintain health.
Personally, I experienced some significant improvements with InLiven within my first 3 months or so of eating it: 1- fewer and less lengthy or intense bouts of common illnesses, 2- more frequent and healthier bowels, 3- controlling/eliminating vaginal yeast infections, and 4- testing negative for group B strep with my 4th baby, after being consistently positive with the first 3 (and have tested negative again with baby #5 in 2013).
If you and your gut are already healthy, you may not notice much change even when eating InLiven it regularly… the benefits would be more in the form of the extra hardy and diverse strains, and increased nutrient absorption from the whole foods, enzymes, and amino acids for long-term health, rather than more ‘immediate need’ noticeable healing changes.
If you are dealing with specific health challenges (such as Crohnâs, IBS, gluten intolerance, Celiac, allergies, leaky gut, etc), how quickly you see responses in your body will vary from person to person depending on the specifics of the situation and the servings sizes you choose to start with for regaining health. I am not a doctor and so cannot make any diagnosis or prescription. I can only offer anecdotal stories from others with various conditions, give you general guidelines on serving sizes commonly used for regaining health or maintaining health (see serving size section), and advise you to work with a qualified Naturopathic Doctor, or MD who is supportive of a âlet thy food be thy medicineâ approach to health.
Keep in mind also, of course, that when it comes to health, there is rarely ever âone quick fix.â In addition to eating high quality fermented foods for their beneficial bacteria, you will likely need to make other dietary and lifestyle habit changes. For example, of special importance when trying to heal your gut⌠no sugar! Sugar feeds bad bacteria and yeast. Use medical grade honey. Drink pure water and fruit juices. As Czerral says, âWe must remove all the habits and foods that have cause the problem. Start new, let the body heal itself and then decide what to add from there.â
With regards to specific desired health improvements, as an example – you’ll likely experience the digestive differences far sooner than the skin improvements. The skin is essentially the “final frontier” of our bodies, right? It has helped me to think of it as feeding my body well enough to push the nutrition all the way out to the skin. If all your other cells need nourishment/repair etc first, it makes sense to me that the skin may improve last, but that’s the goal. At the same time, that’s no doubt an overly simplified way of looking at it and there are so many variables to health that it’s entirely possible to see skin improvements and still have some other issue(s).
Gas, bloating, lethargy, etc can all be part of a normal âdie offâ of bad bugs occurring (never pleasant, yet nonetheless the body’s healthy response to getting in the gut bacteria and nutrients in better balance). If it is the normal healthy reaction, it should clear up in few days to a few weeks, depending on just how strong a foothold the bad bugs have in your gut and the serving sizes youâve chosen to start with. If it’s unbearably uncomfortable, you might try backing your serving size down to 1/2 or 1/4, then gradually building back up to the full serving size. This should slow down the die off and rebalancing process, making it a longer, but not so intense process.
The self-health-assessment in this PDF booklet (see p.14-15 and 18) can help you determine whether to start with full servings of InLiven or half-servings. bit.ly/VitalityBooklet
And of course, we always have to be mindful of the many other variables and things going on in our world when examining whatâs going on… For example, did you have an unusually busy (late nights) or stressful (little/poor sleep) week, or was there a family occasion where the food was not quite up to your normal standards and you ate a lot of junk, or a whole host of possible variables. Not always easy to get to the root of things â keep experimenting and observing.
InLiven and GBS tests during pregnancy
I remember being shocked to learn that I was GBS negative with my 4th (after being positive with my first 3 children), because I’d always been told it was just part of my “normal flora” by my very conventional (though lovely) OBs. Now that Iâve researched it more, I know itâs not the kind of ânormalâ I want in my system.
The only two things I can pin point as possible reasons for my being negative with my 4th were…
1) My third was born in 2008 with dairy and soy allergies, so I had to cut all dairy and soy out, which also was the kick in the pants our family needed to ditch a lot more of the packaged foods. That also would have gotten rid of more preservatives that could have messed with beneficial bacteria. However, all the way up until I started learning about fermented foods and probiotics in the summer 2010, I still thought conventional sugar laden yogurt was a good source of âprobioticsâ (whatever that was â hadnât really thought about it) and that was all I was eating in terms of probiotic foods. Doubt that was helping much.
2) I began eating InLiven daily in August or September of 2010, before baby #4 was born in December. I did not add any other home ferments/cultures into my diet at that time, but turned out negative. So, while it could be coincidence, I feel it was from the probiotic fermented superfoods in InLiven that really helped to flood my gut with the good guys and get rid of the GBS.
So, again, my story could be totally anecdotal, but I think InLiven had a LOT (or most everything) to do with the unexpected change in my GBS test from babies #1-3 to baby #4 (and tested negative again with baby #5 in 2013).
Even though I understand it might be fine because of the fermentation process breaking down the proteins, I have severe gluten issues and just prefer to stick to Fast Tract to be safe; but then I am not getting the full nutritional benefit of the 26 foods in the InLiven powder⌠Are there any other Miessence supplements that would complement the liquid well and provide the nutrients from the 26 fermented foods that are in the powder?
While not exactly the same, there is some overlap between the foods in InLiven and the foods in Deep Green – and Deep Green is gluten free because it contains the grass juices, not the grains. I do love Deep Green also. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INhxzSStbrA
So, you might combine Fast Tract for the gluten-free liquid source of probiotics, and the Deep Green for the algae and deep leafy green nutritional variety and benefits.
Price, quality, and value questions
Peopleâs perspectives on price vary greatly depending on their unique situations. I confess I had some initial “sticker shock” when I first saw the products, three years ago. But, as I began to really dig and research a) into the quality behind the products, and b) their standing in the overall broader marketplace in terms of price comparison, I came to find that the overall VALUE is excellent for the money.
Sure, there are less expensive probiotic (and personal care etc) products on the market, but I haven’t found any of truly the same âapples to applesâ quality (ingredient standards, purity, potency, efficacy, quality, etc) that are less expensive. And there are some that are the same price or more expensive that don’t have the same overall quality in terms of ingredient standards, purity, potency.
Also, all Miessence customers have access to discounts up to 40% off depending on the order size. And most customers eating the superfoods opt to take advantage of the MiRewards flexible autoship program for access to higher discounts and free shipping on smaller orders, plus rewards points on all purchases that can be used for free product…
At the average MiRewards discount of 30% off, the price paid on Fast Tract comes down to $61 per bottle and InLiven down to $53 – which is in line with other “top-notch, high-quality” probiotic products often recommended by chiropractors etc… though again, I haven’t seen any of these others yet that are actually just fermented foods (minus the pills, capsules, synthetics, etc), let alone strains that have been bred over 20 years via natural selection methods to be extra hardy against common assailants of the gut flora.
Other value points –
1- The overall sustainability initiatives of Miessence… i.e., their manufacturing facility is run on wind power, so there is less of an energy burden placed on the world through support of these products; when you order from Miessence, the emissions placed into the atmosphere from shipping your package to your doorstep are audited by a 3rd party non-profit and then Miessence pays for reforestation work (tree planting) of mixed native species to 110% offset their global shipping emissions; all the packaging is non-leaching safe plastic and fully recyclable, etc.; and of course, the support of local organic farmers all over the world through their fair trade ingredient sourcing, not adding all kinds of toxic and economic pollution to the world through the support of more conventional agrochemical operations.
2- The humanitarian work of the company⌠1% of all profits company-wide go to fund the Miessence Foundation to support environmental and humanitarian work of all sorts, on both big and small scale (i.e., community support – individuals looking for grant money can apply etc, not just big established non-profits, etc).
Add all that “impact to the world” product life-cycle value and “full cost accounting” to the overall ingredient/potency quality/value, and again, I find, they are truly a great value in the broader marketplace.
All that said, they can still be out of some people’s limited budgets, even if someone really wants to prioritize their health in this way – which is why I appreciate the various ways that you can make things stretch (see question below about large families or tight budget situations).
Ordering Options â Customer/Lifestyle Member vs. Representative Accounts
Because all Miessence customers (called Lifestyle Members) have access to the same discounts as Reps do, there is no reason to open a Rep account just for discounts.
A Rep account is really only appropriate for someone who wants to actually sell the products on some level – whether that’s just casually here and there to some interested friends, or one has big goals for a thriving and ethical home business in the global organics movement.
If as a customer you are using 75+PV of product every or *every other* month (for example, many households get a 3-pack every other month), you can save even more by taking advantage of the MiRewards flexible autoship program for access to higher discounts and free shipping on smaller orders, plus rewards points on all purchases that can be used for free product. You control all the settings on your standing order and can change or cancel the order at any time.
Budget Challenges and/or Large Family Situations
We’re a family of 7 (8 come Oct 2016), and my husband was a public school teacher in the States when we first started eating InLiven. And now he’s in full time ministry with a small church in England (= pay cut)… so I can understand budget issues. ;o)
When I first started using the product in 2010, I just researched and used it myself – to make sure it was something I really wanted to bring in to the whole family. So, I made ~1 tub/month a priority for a few months. Because I really valued the product and the benefits I seemed to experience from it (more frequent and healthful bowel movements, less frequent and less intense bouts of illness, controlling/kicking vaginal yeast infections, and testing strep B negative with baby #4 after always being positive), I then began the gradual process of “making it work” for our larger family.
As Czerral pointed out on the call, health is always worth the investment, but some people only have x amount of income, no matter how much they may want to prioritize more nutritious foods, etc. Obviously, everyone’s situation is different, so you have to simply find what works for you… But here are a few options to consider…
1) Halving daily serving sizes for all, with the idea that some is better than none.
2) Putting family members on varying serving sizes depending on their other habits (i.e., if you have some kids who eat really healthily and will eat a variety of home ferments etc, you might only give them InLiven every few days or so to super charge their bacteria, whereas if you have picky eaters who love the junk food at Grandma’s, or a hubby who hates home ferments, you might want to make sure they get it every day).
3) Any other ways you can come up with to stretch it as needed in budget.
4) If your budget works better with less frequent but larger bulk orders (for example, real estate agents who earn lumps of income at a time, and possibly nothing for a time in between the sale of homes), stocking up with a 700 PV (point value) order to get 40% off.
5) If your budget needs more regular but smaller ordering… Using the MiRewards flexible autoship program every or *every other* month to get access to higher discounts and free shipping on smaller orders, plus rewards points on all purchases that can be redeemed for free product.
6) And lastly, only if you’re actually looking for an ethical and flexible home business in the global organics movement, or are open to part or full time marketing and sales consulting work with a product you personally use and genuinly believe in, you might consider becoming a Rep at some point to earn referral commissions to pay for your own products – and possibly an income on top of that if you choose to work further with it. While I’ve obviously gone on to work this further as a business for income aligned with my values, I am first and foremost a happy Miessence customer myself, and the Rep referral commissions were especially helpful for our family in the beginning – and they’ve continued to provide us with these organic products for ‘free’ (that is, out of the business income, not drawing on our small personal budget from our work with the church) since 2010. We are very grateful both for the products and the ethical and flexible business – and thankful to be able to serve you as your Rep.
Originally compiled: May 2013
Last updated: April 2016