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AG1 Athletic Greens review

Athletic Greens Review (AG1): My Experience After 30-Days

Athletic Greens (AG1) is a dietary supplement that claims to provide a wide range of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, in a single serving.

Like 9 out of 10 Americans, I struggle with getting greens in my diet every day and so AG1 is marketed as a convenient way to help meet your nutrient needs, especially if you have a busy lifestyle or have difficulty getting all the nutrients they need from food alone.

AG1 is the first greens powder I ever drank. I tried it for 30 days and share my experience and thoughts on AG1 here. And, importantly, I reveal if AG1 is the best greens powder I have drank!

Athletic Greens (AG1) Verdict

The average rating of this product is calculated based on the evaluation of the following factors:

Coupons: None available

Rating:

4.0

  • Ingredients / Dosages:4.0
  • Ingredient Safety:4.5
  • Value for the Price:3
  • Brand Transparency:3.0
  • Taste:5.0

Did Athletic Greens make it into my best greens powders I recommend list?)

AG1 by Athletic Greens reviewed by Adam

September 2021 UPDATE: Athletic Greens has recently rebranded and is now called ‘AG1'. It's the same formula only the branding has had a significant refresh – it looks great!.

My Experience with AG1 Athletic Greens

I have purchased and tried Athletic Greens on three occasions – each time when they have re-branded.

The first time buying from Amazon (UK) in 2018 when it came it was surprisingly in a tub with the old Athletic looking branding. Checking the official United States website at the time showed Athletic Greens in a dark blue pouch instead of tubs.

It turns out that the company had recently rebranded (July 2018) to use much better and cleaner-looking pouches to look more healthy lifestyle brands.

In September 2021 Athletic Greens rebranded again to AG1 and they replaced the ceramic tub with a metal canister to store the powder in the fridge.

How Athletic Greens branding has changed over the years

It’s not easy buying supplements to send to Malaysia. So, the second time I purchased from the official USA website I had it shipped to me via a different company. This made it super expensive for me – I ended up paying $125 USD for one pouch that lasted just 30-days!

I was excited to try Athletic Greens, and immediately enjoyed the taste and experienced no side effects. After consuming for one month straight I didn't notice any massive changes to my well-being or necessarily in my energy levels.

This could be because I need to drink it for longer to notice many benefits.

PROS

  • Contains 75 ingredients, including probiotics
  • Tastes great in water or smoothies
  • Vegan friendly
  • Available in pouches or sachets

CONS

  • Expensive: $79 to $99 per month + shipping costs
  • Proprietary blend, no full disclosure of ingredient amounts
  • Probiotics can be unstable in these types of formulas

Athletic Greens ingredients and benefits

There are 75 ingredients in Athletic Greens, they claim this gives you the antioxidant equivalent of 12 servings of vegetables in one scoop.

Athletic Greens AG1 Label

There are some great ingredients in the formula but I am a little skeptical of the huge number of ingredients listed in each serving.

At best there may be one or two ingredients with two low amounts to having little benefit.

With supplement formulas containing many ingredients having sufficient dosages of every ingredient is difficult. There isn't enough room in the formula to have everything in a 10/12 gram serving!

Although Athletic Greens is not organically certified it does contain some organic ingredients.

Let’s take a look at each of the proprietary blends:

Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense, Raw Superfood Complex (7388mg)

Organic spirulina, lecithin (95% phosphatides), organic apple powder, inulin (FOS prebiotics), organic wheatgrass juice powder (leaf), organic alfalfa powder (leaf), organic chlorella powder, organic barley leaf powder, acerola fruit juice powder extract (4:1), broccoli flower powder, papaya (Carica papaya) powder (fruit), pineapple fresh fruit concentrate (9:1), bilberry fruit extract (100:1), beetroot powder (fruit), rosehip (Rosa Canina) fruit powder (4:1), carrot root powder, spinach leaf powder, cocoa bean polyphenol extract, grapeseed extract (120:1), green tea leaf extract (10:1), licorice root powder, Lycium berry fruit extract (4:1), ginger rhizome powder, slippery elm bark powder, kelp whole plant powder.

Nutrient Dense Natural Extracts, Herbs, and Antioxidants (411mg)

Alkaline pea protein isolate, citrus bioflavonoids extract, artichoke extract (15:1), citric acid, rhodiola rosea root dry extract (15:1), Eleuthero (eleutherococcus senticosus) root extract (10:1), gotu kola extract (10:1), rosemary leaf extract (4:1), milk thistle seed extract (70:1), R,S alpha-lipoic acid, ashwaganda root extract (5:1), dandelion root dry extract (4:1), hawthorn berry root extract (10:1), beta glucans, policosanol, co-enzyme Q-10, stevia rebaudiana leaf powder.

Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex (154mg)

Astragalus root extract (4:1), bromelain (dietary enzyme), burdock root powder (4:1), reishi mushroom powder, shiitake mushroom powder, stevia.

Dairy Free Probiotics (38mg)

Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Bifidum.

[Ingredient profile correct as of September 2021 as new AG1 brand]

How Does AG1 Taste?

Drinking Athletic Greens is super easy because it tastes pretty good. Sipping a glass is pleasant without the grassy or chalky taste common with other green powder drinks.

I have even rated Athletic Greens the best tasting greens powder.

Any Side Effects?

I experienced no side effects with AG1 Athletic Greens powder in the morning drinking on an empty stomach.

This was to be expected as there isn’t anything in this powder that should cause a problem. I stuck to the recommended one serving of about 12g in a glass of 200ml of water per day.

Athletic Greens Health Benefits During and After 30-days?

Taking Athletic Greens is not going to give you superhuman strength overnight or even after a few weeks of taking it. So, understanding exactly how much healthier or vibrant you will be from taking Athletic Greens daily is hard to gauge.

Many of the ingredients in the formula will be difficult to consume in your average diet.

Taking a greens power is going to contain way more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than just a multi-vitamin.

The effectiveness of a greens powder is down to proper dosing and with so many ingredients in a serving it’s likely some ingredients are not in the right amounts.

As with ALL supplements, the effectiveness will come down to the nutritional breakdown of the formula.

This is where I was a little disappointed with Athletic Greens.

The use of proprietary blends in the AG1 formula means it's impossible to know precisely how much of each ingredient is present.

This is a big deal for me and should be for you too.

Ingredients don’t work just because they are present in a formula. They need to be in the right amounts, e.g. proper effective dosages.

I am confident in the vitamin and mineral content as this is clearly stated on the label (700% daily dosage of Vitamin C, 300% daily dosage of Vitamin E, etc).

Proprietary blends! Oh no!

Most of the ingredients in AG1 are in two main proprietary blends.

One simple example, the Reishi Mushroom powder in the “Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex” is certainly going to in my opinion too low.

Picture of Reishi mushrooms

Why?

Well, the blend of six ingredients is only 154mg and according to Examine, Reishi needs to be consumed in quantities of 1.5g to 1.9g depending on the portion of the extract is used.

Another example is, that it’s unclear from the label if the organic Chlorella is of the “cracked cell” variety.

The cracked cell-wall version of Chlorella is more bioavailable, and the reason it's the preferred choice.

This is why I like taking supplements that fully show their formula on their label, you get to know this information. This was the main motivating factors behind me developing my own greens powder, Supergreen Tonik alternative and this one from Huel.

The last word on gut health, having both probiotics and prebiotics present may not be as effective as suggested. This is because combining probiotics within a greens powder can make them inert and therefore of little use.

So, if you’re keen on digestive health you may be best off buying a separate prebiotic/probiotic supplement.

AG1 order by Adam

Athletic Greens Reviews

I took a quick look online at reviews of Athletic Greens, this included their official website and Amazon.

As you would imagine the official site has glowing reviews, everyone rates the supplement a 4 or 5 stars.

Common statements like “great product”, “pricey but worth it”, “drink Athletic Greens every morning”, “amazing flavor” etc etc.

“pricey but worth it”….. “amazing flavor”

Checking Amazon feedback could be a little less biased shows an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars from 822 reports when I wrote my review. (AG1 is not available on Amazon).

I took a quick look at the one-star ratings to see what negatives come up.

Most of these consumer reviews reported “gastric problems”, “didn’t notice any difference”, “Ingredients are not worth 4x what similar products cost.” and “arrived with a hole in the bag”.

It tastes like forest droppings and vanilla whey procreated with some lawn clippings thrown in 😉

Interestingly a few customers reported they taste as having a “Very artificial flavor” and “tastes absolutely horrible and the aftertaste is even worse”.

The funniest one being “It tastes like forest droppings and vanilla whey procreated with some lawn clippings thrown in” – just goes to show that taste is very personal!

Money Back Guarantee / Returns Policy

There is a 60-day money-back guarantee but I found the information lacking on the site that outlines the conditions for this.

Reaching out to their support team they explained I could return my Athletic Greens within 60-days either opened or unopened.

That said, I see a number of customers seeing unopened AG1 pouches online and so ensure why this is the case.

AG1 monthly subscription

Where to Buy AG1?

The most obvious choice is from the official website.

They used to be available on Amazon but they appear to have stopped selling on there now (as of September 2021).

You can buy a one-off or monthly subscription to AG1 Athletic Greens or go for their handy travel-sized pouches.

Out of the Super Greens I have tried so far, Athletic Greens is on the high-price end.

Is Athletic Greens worth the price?

Super greens at super high prices!

This is one of the most expensive greens powders around.

At $99 , daily servings cost $3.30, with the subscription serving slightly better at $2.63 per day (excluding shipping).

You should also consider that shipping will also be added to the overall cost of one-off or subscription options, pushing the daily price to over $3.

These greens are not for those on a budget.

If the price is a factor, you may wish to check out Athletic Greens vs other green powders.

Frequently asked questions

What Does Athletic Greens Taste Like?

The stevia leaf gives you a faint taste of the main flavors of pineapple, vanilla, and papaya with a hint of sweetness.

I found the taste is good, but some customers struggle.

Am I Supposed to Put the Powder in the Container for Storage?

It is recommended to store Athletic Greens in a cool environment and so you should ideally put the greens powder in the canister & put the canister in the refrigerator.

When Should I take Athletic Greens?

It is recommended to take AG1 on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating food in the morning.

Is AG1 a Meal Replacement?

Athletic Greens is not meant as a meal replacement. There is no reason you can't include your serving within a meal replacement shake though. You may need to experiment to see what tastes best.

Are Athletic Greens Safe?

Yes, for most consumers it will be 100% safe as long as you take in the recommended dosage. There is a caveat here though as we don't know the exact breakdown of the ingredients in the proprietary blend. If you have a particular allergy or sensitivity to any ingredients, you may need to choose an alternative.

Is AG1 Keto and Vegan Friendly?

The formula is 100% keto and vegan-friendly. Each 12g serving contains less than 1 gram of sugar.

Can I Easily Cancel my AG1 Subscription?

The cheapest way to buy AG1 is via their monthly subscription plan. Many consumers are concerned with auto-billing subscriptions. However, Athletic Greens makes it easy to cancel with a “click of a button”. The company is reputable, so I am confident in its customer service team.

Athletic Greens Verdict

I am a fan of Athletic Greens, the company focus on ingredients and not on overhyped marketing.

The greens powder is easy to mix and tastes great, but I have some reservations.

The formula uses proprietary blends which means we don’t get to see how each ingredient is dosed. Without a fully transparent label and ingredient list, we don’t get to see if the correct dosages are within the formula.

With the focus on so many ingredients in the formula, there will certainly be sacrifices in some ingredient amounts. Ultimately this means some ingredients will be less effective.

To pay out nearly $100 for a monthly supplement, I want to know exactly what you’re consuming. I need to be 100% confident the ingredients are clinically dosaged.

So, even though I am a fan of the taste of Athletic Greens (AG1) powder, it's not a greens that I would regularly use and this was the reason why I started my search for the most effective greens powder.

Adam Author

About the LifeHacker Guy

Hi, I'm Adam the founder of the LifeHacker Guy.

I have a First Class Honours degree in Sports Science from Brighton University, specialising in exercise physiology and nutrition. In my youth I was a competitive Triathlete and long-distance runner placing top 10 in most triathlon races I completed.

Since suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I moved into web development, after a couple of years I then moved onto developing a number of online businesses. I've recently taken a sabbatical and I'm now looking to make big changes in my life, hopefully this may resonate with you - join me in my journey!

50 comments

  1. Trying it now for a 3rd time. I don’t notice anything. I should note that I’m already vegan, and eat plenty of plants. maybe the people that feel better are only eating meat and potatoes.

    what I do notice: I’m full after drinking it

  2. I saw on a site some woman boasting it’s gluten free. That woman needs her head examined! How is wheatgrass gluten free! That means I will never try this product

    1. It’s wheatgrass leaf juice powder. Gluten comes from grains, not leaves. Google “wheatgrass and gluten”. Literally every result explains this.

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