Vega Energizing Smoothie Choc-a-lot - 9.9 oz. Formerly Sequel Naturals

Vega Energizing Smoothie Choc-a-lot will energize your day with a convenient, on-the-go nutrient boost. Energizing Smoothie gives you the all-natural, plant-based goodness you expect from Vega -compete with protein, fiber and Omega-3-but unlike traditional smoothies, you only need water to shake and go.  In four mouth-watering flavors: mixed tropical fruits, chocolate, vanilla almond and berries (plus an unflavored natural), Energizing Smoothie is so delicious it will make you forget how healthy it is.

One serving of Vega Energizing Smoothie features:

• Two servings of veggies
• 10 g of complete, plant-based protein
• 5 g of fiber
• 1 g of Omega-3
• Just add water, shake and go!

Formulated by Brendan Brazier, vegan professional Ironman triathlete and bestselling health author on plant-based nutrition, Vega Energizing Smoothie is alkaline-forming, free from dairy, gluten and soy, and contains no added sugar, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. Available in Bodacious Berry, Choc-a-lot, Oh Natural, Tropical Tango and Vanilla Almondilla flavors.

The Vega Story

Vega Sport is the first all-natural, plant-based performance enhancement system specifically developed to help athletes perform at their best - before, during and after training and competition. Formulated by Brendan Brazier, professional Ironman triathlete and best-selling author on performance nutrition, Vega Sport products are 100% plant-based, dairy, gluten and soy free and contain no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.

Brendan Brazier, Vega Ambassador, Vegan Ironman, Thrive Diet author

Vega began with a vision, determination, and a serendipitous relationship that bore the first Vega product, now called Vega One.

Told from the onset that a plant-based diet wouldn't cut it on the professional Ironman circuit, Brendan Brazier's nutritional journey began with unpromising results. Several months of chronic hunger, the need to constantly eat and a decline in energy culminated in a decline in athletic performance.

Brendan's stubborn curiosity persevered however, and after many years of research, trials and tribulations, he created a plant-based, whole food diet that worked better than he had ever expected. Brendan went on to become one of the top professional Ironman triathletes in Canada, crediting his diet for his success competing in one of the world's most demanding sports.

For years Brendan packed plant-based whole foods into a daily blended shake to supply his body with premium fuel in liquid form for easy digestion. It worked great at home, but when he traveled it became troublesome dragging around a blender and shopping for (or packing along) his favorite whole food ingredients. Brendan began searching for a convenient, healthy, plant-based, whole food derived, all-in-one protein and nutritional supplement option, but was disappointed in his findings.

He found most protein shakes on the market were whey protein-based—off limits for a vegan. Though some vegetarian options existed, they were almost exclusively soy protein-based, an ingredient Brendan was trying to cut back on due to his concerns regarding GMOs and phytoestrogens. All the protein supplements he found were also lacking in essential fatty acids, especially Omega-3, which required additional supplementation to deliver the all -in-one nutrition he was after. To make matters worse, most contained large quantities of low-quality carbohydrates (e.g,. maltodextrin), artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners—all ingredients Brendan wanted to avoid.

Brendan realized there was a need for an all-in-one nutritional shake that did not compromise quality, nourishing ingredients for convenience. He approached several nutritional supplement manufacturers, but everyone told him it wouldn't work—”you can't put whole food ingredients into a commercial protein shake or meal replacement” they said. "It would have too short a shelf-life, low product demand, poor taste and texture, and too high a cost" they said. There were too many negatives and not enough positives to warrant such a product. So Brendan put his idea on the back-burner and continued to lug his trusty blender and cooler-full of whole foods wherever he traveled.

A couple of years later, Brendan was struck by a car while training on his bike and injured his leg. Told by his doctor to take 6 months off from training and competing, Brendan sought alternative options. He underwent intense physiotherapy and began taking a product his naturopath recommended called ChlorEssence, hoping the high level of growth factors in it would help heal his injury. At the same time, Brendan also began taking a supplement called MacaSure, helping him deal with the physical and emotional stress of his injury.

Within 8 weeks of rehabilitation, all the while taking 10g of ChlorEssence and 10g of MacaSure a day, Brendan made a full recovery. Though he was not in his top form, remarkably, he was able to compete professionally again, participating in the Ironman Canada triathlon event and finishing the grueling race despite his recent injury. Brendan was so pleased with his rapid recovery that he contacted Sequel Naturals, makers of ChlorEssence and MacaSure, and shared his success story with the company's President, Charles Chang.

Brendan and Charles also discussed the concept of producing a complete, whole food-derived nutritional shake that was made from 100% plant-based ingredients. Only now, Brendan wanted to include ChlorEssence and MacaSure in every serving of this nutritional shake as well. Charles was intrigued by the passion of this young athlete and he loved the idea of the whole food-derived nutritional shake. Aware of the many challenges that developing such a product would present, Charles was confident that together they would be able to overcome them.

Brendan was given the job of product formulator and Sequel Naturals would take care of the ingredient sourcing, production, quality control, packaging, sales and distribution. They agreed that this nutritional shake would be made without compromises and had to meet several key criteria:

• Made with all natural, plant-based ingredients (absolutely no animal products)
• Made primarily with whole foods in their freshest, least processed form possible
• Provide a balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats, plus a significant contribution to your daily intake of vitamins and minerals when mixed in plain water
• Feature proteins from a diverse variety of vegetarian sources that combine to deliver a complete essential amino acid profile
• Provide carbohydrates that are naturally occurring, complex and low-glycemic, with no added sugars or sugar- derivatives
• Deliver essential fatty acids of the highest quality, the majority being Omega-3s, with no trans fats
• Free of dairy, gluten and soy
• Include no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners
• Taste good with pleasant texture and flavor when mixed with plain water
• Easy to prepare for on-the-go convenience
• After a year of product formulation and testing, the first version of Brendan's nutritional shake was a close replica of Brendan's favorite blender smoothie. Now available in its third generation of the formula, all the ingredients in Vega One nutritional shake were chosen by Brendan to work synergistically to nourish the body and reduce nutritional stress. And now Brendan doesn't have to lug his old blender with him when he travels anymore.

Prologue

Vega One (and its predecessors, Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement and Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer) has been so successful it inspired the development of all the Vega products you know and love. Each new Vega product is formulated based on the Guiding Principles of Vega and Brendan's passion for clean, plant-based nutrition. Rooted in the shared belief that the closest you can get to perfection is constant improvement, Brendan and Vega are on a continual mission to discover new ingredients and explore new ideas on how to make existing—and future— Vega products even better.

About Brendan
Brendan Brazier is one of only a few professional athletes in the world whose diet is 100 percent plant- based. He's a professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author of The Thrive Diet (Penguin, 2007), and the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called Vega. He is also a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion.

Brendan is recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on plant-based nutrition. He is a guest lecturer at Cornell University and teaches an eCornell course called The Plant-Based Diet and Elite Athleticism.

Brendan was chosen as one of the 25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians by VegNews Magazine, the Top 40 Under 40 most influential people in the health industry by Natural Food Merchandiser and has been nominated for the prestigious Manning Innovation Award twice for creating Vega.

Brendan's intentions of spreading the word of an ethical, environmentally friendly, and healthy lifestyle through plant-based foods have taken him across North America, speaking at events such as the Chicago Green Festival and the United States Humane Society Gala. Brendan was also invited to address US Congress on Capitol Hill, where he spoke of the significant social and economic benefits that could be achieved by improving personal health through better diet. The focus of his speech was to draw attention to the role that food plays in the prevention of most chronic diseases currently plaguing North Americans.

Spanning the whole month of October of 2008, Brendan was a keynote presenter on a cross-Canada university speaking tour called Students for Sustainability. Speaking at 21 universities, along with others such David Suzuki and Stephan Lewis, the tour went coast to coast offering practical environmental preservation solutions to students. It was Canada's largest environmental tour.

Among Brendan's other achievements are his active involvement with initiatives such as a new exploratory adventure movie on health and wellness, Back from the Edge, and a photo feature alongside the likes of Barack Obama and Bill Maher in the Charity book A Rare Breed of Love (Simon & Schuster) recently featured by Oprah Winfrey.

Having appeared on CTV and CBC in Canada and on NBC, ABC and FOX in the United States, Brendan has become a sought-after speaker.

Aimed at helping individuals and companies improve productivity through greater fitness Brendan's latest book, Thrive Fitness: Mental and Physical Strength for Life, was published by Penguin in January, 2009.

About Sequel Natural

Sequel Naturals' Vision:
To deliver premium, innovative and authentic wellness solutions to their valued customers. In so doing, create an industry leading, profitable and fulfilling company for their people.

They Believe

At Sequel Naturals, they believe in the power of superfoods and the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That's why they search the globe, from land to sea for natural foods with the greatest potential impact on today's health concerns.

They believe that Hippocrates was on to something great when he proclaimed: "Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food." Their mission is to bring you Nature's finest superfoods with their innate healing powers intact.

They believe in authenticity. They use only the absolute finest raw materials, in their ideal and most proven delivery forms, and they source them directly from their proud and passionate producers.

They believe in science. All their products are backed by extensive scientific studies published in peer- reviewed medical journals and supported by health professionals worldwide.

They believe in sustainability. Their products are predominantly plant based, highly raw and organic, require minimal processing and ultimately leave a nominal footprint. They are committed to leaving a legacy for future generations to not only meet their needs, but to thrive.

They believe that the greatest wealth they can possess is their health, and as so sagely stated by Seneca, "To wish to be well is part of becoming well."

They believe you don't have to be all that big to make a difference. You do, however, have to know what you believe in and take action.