Patriot Power Greens Review: Ingredients, Dosages, Serving Costs

That said, when researching best greens powders, I often saw this brand and so had to check it out.

I tried to buy Patriot Power Greens via the official website but it’s only available in the US and Canada. So, I had to get a friend to order for me and have it sent over to Malaysia where I live to give this product a try.

After taking for 5 days I wanted to write my Patriot Power Greens review and give my insight into this product and why it definitely doesn’t make my top greens health supplement!

I tried over 40 brands: For the best greens powders go to this page!)

What are Patriot Power Greens?

When first taking a look at Patriot Power Greens I saw a lot of big claims made by the manufacturer, Patriot Health Alliance.

The strong claims suggest you can turn back many age-related health issues and get back to your youth (and even feel half your age!), without the need for harmful prescription medication.

Statements such as unlimited stamina, relief from joint pain, less gas and bloating, and healthier heart and blood pressure. Whilst this isn’t common amongst supplements, especially some Super Greens, claims of turning back your clock and feeling in your 20’s again is surely overstated!

Apart from anecdotal evidence, there doesn't appear to be any science to support these claims.

You can buy Patriot Power Greens in two sizes, one in a single 160g size canister and the “double sized” canister. Interestingly the double-sized Power Greens version still says 30 servings, which each serving size at 5g.

I presume this is so you can either share with your partner or you take double the daily dose.

Background on Patriot Health Alliance

Patriot Power Greens are manufactured by Patriot Health Alliance who are based in Texas, USA. Their brands are mostly aimed at senior citizens in the US and although they are most famous for their Power Greens supplement, Patriot Health Alliance also produces a fair number of other health and nutritional brands.

Patriot Power Reds, Patriot Power Proteins, Patriot Vital4, Patriot Renewal, American DreamZzz, Patriot Ultra-Biotics, and Sinus Complete.

The company is very patriotic (as the name suggests) and they support the US Armed forces by making donations from every 3 or 5 canister orders placed. I couldn’t see anywhere how much they donate or how much so far has been donated though.

Patriot Power Greens Ingredients

Each scoop of Patriot Power Greens contains forty fruits and vegetables, which include probiotics and digestive enzymes too. I noticed that the scoop size is on the small size, with each scoop only being 5g!

The next thing I noticed when checking over the ingredients – Proprietary blend, proprietary blend, proprietary blend!

To be honest, now I am not that surprised seeing this as most of the Super Greens I have researched use blends. I really dislike this practice though and I outline why I hate the use of proprietary blends. You can check out the post I have linked to for me, but in short, using proprietary blends means you don’t know for sure how much of each ingredient is available.

When Patriot Power Greens contains forty ingredients and the serving size is so small, it’s simply not believable that there are enough ingredients to provide the benefits claimed!

There is a big deal made about the probiotics contained in Patriot Power Greens, but no information on the amount contained in each serving. This again makes it impossible to compare against other Green powder brands, such as Green Vibrance and Green TONIK supplement, who outlined all their ingredients.

How does Patriot Power Greens Taste?

When mixing power greens with water as recommended I found it mixed fairly well. The taste is okay actually and has a berry flavor that is a little sweet.

It’s not as sweet as Athletic Greens though for comparison.

Patriot Power Greens Side Effects

The good news is that I didn’t experience any negative side effects when taking Patriot Power Greens.

I found a few customer reviews complaining of stomach cramps and diarrhea, but I had no digestive issues at all.

Does Patriot Power Greens work?

Yes and no. I believe that Power Greens is unlikely to give the benefits outlined in the companies claims.

In the ingredients section above, I outlined my concern that the serving size was tiny at only 5g. Delving into the nutritional facts and it’s clear the amounts are certainly too small to have much, if any, benefit at all!

A good example is with the Spirulina content, as the “Greens and Sea vegetables” blend is only 1,067mg in size. According to Examine.com, you need a minimum of 1-8g per serving of Spirulina to experience any benefit from this ingredient.

Clearly, there won’t be enough of this ingredient in each tiny scoop of Patriot Power Greens, and almost certainly not for many of the other ingredients too!

On the positive side though, there is a good range of ingredients that could act as a nutritional top up. This could be helpful if you’re finding your diet often poor at many times.

Having said that, this is an expensive way to “top up” your diet though, especially when it’s not clear how much of each ingredient you’re actually getting!

I am simply struggling to find how Patriot Power Greens can substantiate the claims of reducing fatigue and inflammation from the ingredient amounts in their formula – you simply need more to improve or in some cases prevent these conditions.

So, I am not too convinced.

Patriot Power Greens Customer Reviews

Checking out online reviews for Patriot Power Greens it’s clear that the feedback is very mixed.

Some customers are sold on the benefits of this supplement whilst a number feel no difference and complain about the poor (or non-existent) customer support!

This by far is the best tasting green's formula ever. (Believe me, I've tried them all!) No grassy earthy taste like most. I think that for the price it's the best out there. Richard.

My husband and I love this product. I'm 50 and he is 52 and we have been drinking it daily for 6 months. We both experience higher energy, and faster hair and nail growth. Teresa.

DO NOT ORDER. The only reason I gave it one star was because I couldn't proceed without a rating. They don't deserve any stars. Customer service is non-existent. Tried calling 10 times, each time placed on hold then call is dropped. E-mailed 7 times, no response until I threatened with an attorney. Hali M.

Junk product – terrible taste, no noticeable benefits. And don't even think about trying to talk to their customer service about their alleged guarantee — nobody answers the phone, no email, no nothing. Maureen.

Of course, please bear in mind these are just a few reviews, I have tried to keep a fair balance in selecting a few of the Patriot Power Green customer reviews.

Money Back Guarantee / Returns Policy

There is an impressive “lifetime 100% money-back guarantee” on every order of Patriot Power Greens. With many supplements, their return policies include tricky clauses it’s really great to see what seems to be a no-nonsense guarantee.

So, you can give Power Greens a try and if not happy can contact Patriot Alliance for their returns address. Once they have received the order back, they will refund 100% of your money minus any applicable shipping fees.

Where To Buy Patriot Power Greens?

It seems that you can only really buy Patriot Power Greens directly from the manufacturer via a somewhat long (and I mean very long) web page.

Searching on Amazon.com and online in general I only came across simple affiliate sites promoting the product. Interestingly when clicking on these I often came to a blank page, or web page displaying an error.

This is most likely due to the product ONLY being available in the US and at the time was at home in Malaysia! As I mentioned at the start of this review, I had to order this via a friend and have them post to me in order to give it a try.

Is It Worth The Price?

As far as Super Greens go, Patriot Power Greens is very reasonably priced. I would even go as far as saying that opting for the special five canister deal is a bargain.

There are three packages available, with one canister costing $49.95 with $8.95 shipping, three canisters $149 with free shipping, and the biggest package of five canisters for $149 (actually a special buy 3 and get 2 free).

At first glance, it seems that Power Greens is well worth the price tag. This is the case if you’re just comparing price but it’s really about the ingredients and amounts, and it’s this that makes me question if this supplement is actually good value.

The company tries to sweeten the deal even further by giving away five “free” gifts with your order. These include a shaker bottle, a few nutritional PDF guides, free shipping, and donation of Patriot Power Greens to active duty military men and women.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a senior citizen based in the US and on a tighter budget, I can see the appeal of Patriot Power Greens. In my opinion, though it’s a sub-par product that just doesn’t live up to the claims made.

The fact is it’s unlikely to contribute much to your diet and overall health. At best it could be a palatable replacement drink instead of a calorie-laden frothy coffee.

It’s not easy to buy either if you’re not in the US/Canada, and definitely not worth going through the hassle of getting forwarded to you like I had to do. There are other Greens Supplements around that ship globally, so why bother?

Even with the relatively low cost, it was never going to be viable for me to take Patriot Power Greens regularly, and the shortfall in ingredients and amounts was a no-no. I demand more from my Super Greens, and so should you!

So, as is most likely obvious by now, I will skip this product and look for a better-suited greens brand that ticks all my boxes.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review

You’ll know exactly what you’re putting in your body and how much of it.

This gives Green Vibrance a certain amount of credibility in my book, as does the fact that it has been available since 1992. (To stay in business this long means you must be doing something right, eh?)

This vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO supplement is available in both powder and capsule form – a rare occurrence. If you are someone that likes to drink a supplement mixed with water or your morning smoothie, the Green Vibrance powder is perfect for you.

I was excited to give this popular powdered greens supplement a try, so here is my Green Vibrance review after daily use for 14 days.

What is Green Vibrance?

This Super Green powder is plant-based and is designed to aid in nutrition, digestion, circulation, and finally immunity. It is a product that will help in each area of your body and overall health. Green Vibrance benefits people of all ages. It is even safe for pregnant and lactating women.

Green Vibrance claims to assist users in “seizing the day.” It will help you achieve your health goals. Once you reach those goals, the manufacturers encourage you to continue to take Green Vibrance so that the benefits continue. This is a long-term solution.

One of the best parts about Green Vibrance is that the company appears to be upfront. This means that they are transparent and use no proprietary blends in their formula. Green Vibrance has produced amazing results according to many customer testimonials.

When I received Green Vibrance I was pleased with the container size, it felt like a substantial product. After opening the green powder nearly filled the tub too, so clearly there was a proper 30 serving count here.

Background on Green Vibrance

Green Vibrance started back in 1992 with three concepts in mind.

• Diets today are not bringing people to their optimal health. They are missing key nutrients to allow them to function at their best.
• The second is that many of the calories consumed today are not as nutrient-dense as they once were. Because of this, people lack many nutrients that are no longer a part of a daily diet. Green Vibrance fills in the gaps of where these nutrients once were.
• The body is self-healing. The body, in fact, wants to be healthy. When given the opportunity, it heals itself. By feeding it Green Vibrance, you are allowing it to do just that.

The company have 10 guiding principles that focus on providing the customer with a transparent product, that fits what people need in their lives, and forever learn to improve. They provide recipes, healthy tips, and company updates too via subscribing to their email list.

Vibrant Health looks to be an ethical company that isn't just focused on profits but provides a range of great supplements and gives back to the community.

Green Vibrance Ingredients

I really like the fact that every ingredient used in Green Vibrance has its amount stated on the label. This is one of the few greens powders on the market that is transparent about the ingredients used.

Ingredient transparency makes it easier for us to evaluate whether it’s going to be as effective as the marketing by the company.

There are a lot of ingredients in Green Vibrance to fit into a 12g serving size though, in total 70 ingredients that also include probiotics (check out the supplement label). So, I was dubious there would be a sufficient quantity of each ingredient where it counts.

A simple example can be seen regarding in the single serving size of 500mg Spirulina. According to Examine.com amounts of 1-8g of Spirulina daily is required to have any beneficial effect.

So, you would need at least two daily servings of Green Vibrance to consume the minimum amount of Spirulina according to the present research.

I'm not so sure of the benefits of including Probiotics in Greens powders though. As we discovered when delving into the research, most probiotics in supplements may not serve much purpose other than looking good on the label.

Many of the Green Vibrance ingredients are good for your health. Since the ingredients include active probiotics but no preservatives, it’s important to store the bottle in the fridge or freezer.

Green Vibrance is recommended to be consumed 30-45 minutes after eating. Therefore, it’s a great idea to get into the routine of eating breakfast and, after a short break, taking the supplement. I wasn't so keen on consuming after breakfast as my normal routine is to consume a greens first thing upon waking.

The company states that it can be taken up to three times per day, but most people only take it once daily. There are some advantages of taking more than one serving per day as this will ensure you consume sufficient amounts, as discussed above.

How Does Green Vibrance Taste?

I drank the Green Vibrance drink for 7-days straight and although not the best tasting Super Greens it certainly is not the worse. I took the “original” flavor and found it palatable enough to drink without needing to mix with anything else. Many customers say adding it to a fruit smoothie will mask the taste.

The official website does not come right out and mention taste, many reviews ask how to make Green Vibrance taste better. While the flavor isn’t terrible, it does have a “green” taste since it does not include added ingredients to make it sweet.

Side Effects

Since all of Green Vibrance’s ingredients are natural and plant-based, there are few dangers of side effects. However, any change or addition to a daily diet can cause noticeable effects on the body. Sensitive individuals might experience Green Vibrance powder side effects like gas, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.

In the spirit of full disclosure, a recent ConsumerLab report found that Green Vibrance contained traces of arsenic. However, Vibrant Health addresses this controversy directly on its website, saying that whatever small amounts of organic arsenic are in the product are naturally-occurring and non-toxic. It concludes, “Green Vibrance is no more poisonous – and is indeed far more healthful – than any other natural or whole food a person might consume.”

Taking Green Vibrance for 7-days I experienced no side effects and found it fairly pleasant.

Does Green Vibrance Work?

Green Vibrance could well have some great benefits, there are two big butts though. Firstly, only if taken on a regular schedule and secondly you will need to take 2-3 servings per day to consume sufficient nutrients.

As outlined in the ingredients section above, having so many ingredients in a serving size of 12g means it’s impossible to get much of each ingredient in each serving.

This can be resolved by drinking the powdered Green Vibrance drink 2-3 times per day, which means you’re double or triple dosing.

The number of positive Green Vibrance customer reviews and a long track record of the company and product means you can be confident this is a good product.

Clearly there are some positive benefits to taking this supplement.

Green Vibrance Customer Reviews

There are many reviews that talk about the positive effects of Green Vibrance. The good news for potential buyers is that there is hardly a bad review out there.

Here are a few Green Vibrance testimonials we want to highlight:

Don't waste your time looking for a better product! I used this during chemotherapy in my green smoothie every morning. Some of my chemo nurses starting using it seeing how well I was doing! Can't recommend this product enough!

I did the Keto diet (female, age 45) last year and supplemented once daily with this powder mixed with blueberries, a half banana, and water. Not the best taste, but not horrendous. I felt better than I had in years and I lost 20 lbs. in 8 weeks!!!! I kept it off for 6 months, but unfortunately, by Summertime, my bad habits reared their ugly head, Margaritas, Chips and Salsa, and all those darn carbs! I stopped taking Green Vibrance and I feel like I am 5 years older than I was and the 20lbs returned!!! UGH. New Year’s resolution began yesterday. Green Vibrance, keto diet and I will be on my way to feeling amazing again!!!

I have been drinking Green Vibrance for exactly one month. I felt a change a week ago of wellbeing, energy, and level mood. I realize now that it is the effect of Green Vibrance. All my life I have had very low energy with periods of overwhelming sleepiness and depressed feelings. I had always neglected nutritious eating, especially vegetables. Now I am feeling so much better … Green Vibrance is a miracle for me.

Money Back Guarantee / Refund Policy

Vibrant Health, the company behind Green Vibrance, offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are underwhelmed with any product you purchase from their website, you can return the unopened package within 90 days and receive your money back.

If you have already opened the item, you will receive the full price in-store credit.

Where to Buy Green Vibrance

You can buy this superfood powder at the official Vibrant Health website as well as Amazon.com. It’s also available from retailers like Walmart and The Vitamin Shoppe.

There are a few different options depending on how many you want to start out with. If you like the product, make sure to purchase it in larger quantities which will save you money.

The company makes it easy to purchase from because they have free shipping on every order. If the order is placed by 3 PM, it will typically get to your door in two business days.

I would not suggest going for the Vegicaps option though as I don’t believe you can get the required ingredient amounts very easily this way.

Is It Worth It?

Green Vibrance reviews are consistently positive, both on the Vibrant Health website (4.6 out of 5 stars) and on Amazon (4.5 out of 5 stars).

If you purchase from the manufacturer, a single 30-day supply will set you back $54.00, or $1.80 per serving, though if you buy in bulk and order a subscription, that price can go as low as $1.14 per serving. If you want to give it a shorter try before committing, order the 15-day bottle for $32.00.

Given the comprehensive nature of the labeled ingredients, Green Vibrance has few competitors who can match it in terms of the number of antioxidants and probiotics. Between the great reviews, the satisfaction guarantee, and the availability of a 15-day test purchase, Green Vibrance is a supplement worth trying for yourself.

The only real question is over whether the ingredient amounts are sufficient to work as well as marketing. With so many ingredients in one supplement, the quantity of each tends to suffer. That said, if you’re happy to take two servings per day (as long as this is healthy to do so) then this supplement may still work out cheaper than some green powder supplements, but means you need to take AT least twice per day and will cost you TWICE as much.

The Bottom Line

There is no wonder Green Vibrance has been around for so long: it does seem to get people results. The three biggest positives of Green Vibrance that we noted were that it is transparent with its ingredients, it has proven itself by being around for many years, and it has a lot of great health benefits from consumer reviews.

An issue does seem to be the taste for some people. While it is not as off-putting as some other supplements out there, most consumers recommend the powder mixed into a shake with other ingredients. At least you’ll be able to taste the lack of additives or sweeteners.

The biggest drawback though is ensuring enough of each ingredient to work as suggested when taking one serving per day. Easiest way to deal with this is to look at having 2-3 servings per day.

If you are looking for a product that your entire family can use (including athletes, busy professionals, seniors, and pregnant women), then Green Vibrance could be an excellent nutritional supplement to purchase.

For me, this is one of the contenders for being my daily greens of choice. It’s not perfect but it is the nearest supplement so far (apart from my own greens that I developed from the ground up!) from all the ones I have tried.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review

When I first saw this supplement, I thought I was looking at a dieting product. The emphasis seems to be on fat loss along with eliminating bloating, easing digestion, and increasing energy levels. Users have certainly claimed it’s changed their life.

Detox Organics is not a meal replacement though; it should simply be added to your regular, nutritious meals. By having a healthy diet throughout the day, adding Detox Organics to it is claimed to make you even healthier.

Looking at the official website clearly, this greens powder is aimed at women, although looking at the Detox Organics customers some men are fans too.

I have to admit I wasn’t sure this superfood powder supplement was really for me. But, the number of positive reviews though made me keen to give it a try, so here is my Detox Organics review.

What is Detox Organics?

In order to get the benefits of any Greens powder supplement, it’s important to drink it every single day. I like to take it first thing in the morning as part of my wake-up routine. Taking it as soon as you wake up in the morning can be a great way to kickstart your day.

For added benefits, you can have two Detox Organics shakes per day, although that is not necessary. Depending on how your body is responding to it, some people seem to take it two times daily. However, once-daily is the minimum recommended amount.

It’s worth noting having two servings per day could work out expensive in the long run as one tub will only last 15 days, which means you will need two tubs per month.

The powder is very easy to mix and can be consumed in a shake or by itself. The simplest way is to mix it with water, which is delicious since it has a chocolate taste. Other options for mixers are almond milk or coconut milk.

I prefer to try and take Super Greens just with cold water for ease and avoid mixing with other drinks. This is also a great way to see how palatable it is. Unlike most Super Greens this powder is not green as much as more brownish in color, this is because of the chocolate flavoring.

Do the results of Detox Organics speak for themselves, or is this another green supplement over-promising and under-delivering?

Background on Detox Organics

The official website has no information as to who is behind the company, only knowing that they are based in Scottsdale, Arizona in the USA. All we could find is a brief page on Better Business Bureau (BBB) that’s showing they have been in business since 2015 and have 3 complaints in total.

Doing some basic research online I can only see the company website being live since January 2017 suggesting the company hasn’t been trading too long. There are no negative reports online about the brand with most of the reviews being on Amazon.

Detox Organics are very active on social media mostly on Instagram and Facebook. With lots of great pictures of the tubs with customers and brand ambassadors sprinkled with the odd motivational message.

The Detox Organics company offers an ambassador program where you can promote the product and receive a commission for each sale. This is a common way for supplement companies to spread your brand at a low cost as they only pay out upon receiving sales.

Whilst this can be a great way to gain exposure to the product, consumers need to be wary of overzealous marketing in order to get a commission.

The company does have some other supplement brands too although the Daily Organics Daily focus looks to be discontinued now. They also have a protein supplement too.

Detox Organics Ingredients

Each scoop of Detox Organics is 16.4g in size, 130 calories per serving, includes 25 Organic superfoods, and is certified USDA organic.

I did a quick calculation and added the ingredient amounts together for each blend and the remaining nutrients come to approximately 8g. This means the remaining 8g in the serving is either the chocolate flavoring or filler or both!

Label Updated January 2021

So, whilst initially, I was impressed with the 16g serving it seems that the actual active ingredient amount is only 1/2 of the amount. Sounds less impressive now eh? Having 25 ingredients in an 8g serving size means the amounts aren’t going to be high.

This leads to the issue all too common with Superfood supplements and in fact, most supplements are hiding of ingredient amounts in proprietary blends (see the label and highlighted bits in red).

There are three blends used in Detox Organics are Detox and Cleansing blend (1.7g), Alkalizing Blend (2.5g), and Digestive Support Blend (3.6g).

The source of the chocolate flavoring is Organic Cocoa Powder but we don’t have any further information on this.

On a positive note, the manufacturers chose organic products as well as non-GMO ingredients, which are also “gluten-friendly”, which is always something to keep in mind if you are gluten intolerant. With that said, it is not gluten-free.

How Does Detox Organics Taste?

Mixing a scoop of Detox Organics with water and you have what looks like a chocolate drink. For me, this was a little off-putting as I am not a fan of chocolate drinks, even though I love chocolate (I know strange!).

The taste was pretty good although a little sweet, which is fine for me but may not suit everyone. From reading feedback from other customers mixing with unsweetened chocolate almond milk works well, but I didn’t try this.

Considering most other Super Green drinks on the market today have a grassy taste, this supplement tasted good and I could see myself drinking this daily. Many consumers won’t just endure the taste of these greens – they will enjoy it. This is one of the things Detox Organics is most proud of.

Detox Organics does not have any added artificial flavors or sweeteners. Many supplements and detox products add sugars to help them taste or smell better.

Side Effects

The Detox Organics side effects that you experience will depend on the state of your previous diet.

It’s possible to experience mild gastrointestinal effects such as effects like gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Some people have skin breakouts or intense cravings for unhealthy foods. Others experience headaches, brain “fog,” fatigue, headaches, low energy, or irritability.

Consuming Detox Organics for 7-days straight I was fine without any gastrointestinal side effects.

Does Detox Organics Work?

The Detox Organics ingredients have been selected to alkalize, detox, and energize your body in what they say is a 3 phase plant-based supplement. Key benefits also include boosting your immune system, removing harmful toxins, promoting fat loss, eliminating bloating, and easing digestion.

This all sounds great but I am not too confident about how well Detox Organics actually works.

For starters, it's unlikely there are sufficient ingredient amounts in one serving size to support 100% of the claims made by the manufacturers. This is because they use a number of proprietary blends, a common practice by companies who wish to hide the individual ingredient amounts.

To be fair, some but certainly not all, of the ingredients may be sufficient but it’s impossible to know for sure.

The claim is that this is the first detox product of this kind, making it a powerful detox supplement. Whilst there are customers who feel this works for them, there is no science supporting the claims made by the manufacturer.

Detox Organics claims that each scoop contains the equivalent health benefits of 10 lbs of superfoods and vegetables. Again, how they come to this conclusion is not explained and so I am not too convinced but such vague statements.

Related: Benefits of Green Superfood Powders

Detox Organics Customer Reviews

According to the official website over 250,000 people have purchased and tried Detox Organics, that’s a lot of people. With so many customers they must be doing something right eh?

The focus of the official website is customer testimonials with many of them showing before and after pictures. A few of these are fairly impressive to be fair.

Here are some Detox Organics chocolate superfood reviews from real customers.

I absolutely love this product takes away all my bloating and it even helps with my mood! I have so much more energy and confidence now that I drink this every day

Not only do I LOVE the taste, but I love how regular it has helped me and my bloat is so minimal. I love drinking this first in the morning or in the evening after dinner for a little snack. It tastes delicious. I really look forward to it each day!!!!

Not all feedback is positive though and customers on Amazon had this to say about the taste and stomach upset:

Was very excited to try this. By the 3rd day had stomach pain and discomfort. Stopped and the GI upset went away. If you tend to have a gentle stomach, I would not recommend using this. 24-36 hours of awful GI distress is not worth the $68 price.

I enjoyed the taste of it, but it did not work to ease my digestion or make me any less bloated. I was more bloated after consuming this every day.

Money Back Guarantee / Refund Policy

The manufacturer of Detox Organics is so sure customers will enjoy their product that they have a money-back guarantee. If the purchaser is not satisfied, they will receive a full refund within 60 days as long as you haven’t opened the tub.

The home page says “just send us the empty tub we’ll give you your money back within 60 days” but digging into the FAQ it says “We cannot take opened containers back, it’s unsanitary.” This means if you open any tubs you won’t qualify for a full refund.

If you have opened the tub though they do not offer a refund. In which case, you cannot try the product and receive a refund – which means if you don’t like the taste or the experience you're out of luck!

Where to Buy Detox Organics

You can buy this product straight from the manufacturer’s website in a variety of tub sizes. It’s also available at retail stores like The Vitamin Shoppe, you can also buy Detox Organics from Amazon.com.

Is Detox Organics Worth It?

You may be thinking it sounds too good to be true. Weight loss and better health? As well as a healthy chocolate drink? Well, it comes at a cost though, and this works out to be around $2 USD per serving.

So, depending on if you take one or two servings per day, consuming Detox Organics may end up costing you $60 – $120 per month. Fairly expensive for a tasty chocolate drink where you’re not sure exactly the ingredients in it eh?

This is the issue I have with Detox Organics, the too common issue of using proprietary blends for the most important ingredients in the supplement. As discussed in the ingredients section above, the active ingredient amounts in one serving are likely to be insufficient. This means paying a premium price for a supplement containing too few amounts.

To be more confident of consuming enough ingredients to work you’ll most likely need to have two servings per day – this makes this a very expensive supplement to take on a regular basis.

Photo by Lifehacker guy

Detox Organics Verdict

Are you ready to purchase Detox Organics after reading this review?

Although juicing is a great way to increase the number of vegetables you consume, it takes a lot of time and supplies to do properly. Detox Organics takes the workout and time commitment out, while still benefiting from so many healthy ingredients.

Unless you spill the powder, there is no cleanup time.

Detox Organics does great in marketing their supplement, hitting all the pain points, and making it taste like chocolate too! On top of this, it’s one of the few Super Greens that has 100% USDA organic ingredients, so will suit many consumers.

Well, I would suggest considering the downsides to buying Detox Organics if you’re looking for a health supplement backed by science. Already discussed is the crucial fact that most of the ingredient amounts aren’t revealed.

Maybe this supplement should be called Super Browns, although I suspect the name won't catch on as it’s not the most appealing name 😉

If you’re looking for a low-calorie, tasty chocolate drink that contains a range of Superfoods and doesn’t mind the cost, then buy Detox Organics as this could be the supplement for you.

For me, I prefer a non-chocolate tasting Super Greens and one where I can be confident I know 100% what’s in it. I won’t be choosing Detox Organics as my daily greens supplement.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review

Green Detox claims to be different than many other detoxes on the market today.

Just like the title says, this greens supplement is “science-based.” This powdered supplement provides consumers with 13 superfoods packed with antioxidants and other ingredients that if the marketing is to be believed, can do wonders for your health.

The Green Detox product is easy to take as the scoops are small and take about 20 seconds to consume. It is recommended to take one each morning. Science-based Green Detox assists consumers with any nutrient deficiencies. It could also help to boost the immune system.

Whether the consumer is an athlete looking to help their diet even more, or just starting their health journey, Green Detox’s manufacturer states that it is great for everyone.

This Green Detox review goes into every ingredient in the product, the results people have had, whether it’s worth purchasing, and what I personally think about this product.

What is Green Detox?

There are a lot of Green Detox reviews online showing how it can help people of all different sizes, ages, and health goals. Although it works to supplement a diet, it also is the solution for people that are just beginning to pay attention to their health.

As I have already mentioned, I have been researching the greens detox supplements that best suit me (you can see all the greens powders I recommend). Having first seen adverts for this product on Facebook, I was skeptical, especially the “science” angle used in marketing.

Green Detox supplement also caters to vegans, is soy-free, and is gluten-free, and so this will appeal to consumers who can take neither soy nor animal products. Many products on the market today are gluten-friendly; however, until they go through rigorous testing, they can’t be labeled as truly “gluten-free.” This is a huge benefit for users who cannot tolerate gluten in their diets.

What was disappointing was when I received the product in the post (well my sister-in-law and then posted to me in Malaysia), the tub is small for a Super Green supplement. And like a few customers have discovered and reported on Amazon, the green powder was not even half full!

I haven’t counted, but it’s hard to believe there are 30 servings in the tub. If so, this makes Green Detox incredibly expensive – not the best of starts.

Background on Science-Based Green Detox

Many companies talk about the science behind the product and the chemists that invented it; however, readers don’t know anything about these people – not so with Green Detox, which was created by Thomas DeLauer.

Thomas DeLauer is a nutrition and business coach. He has a successful YouTube channel and a transformation story of his own. DeLauer used to weigh nearly 300 pounds. Once he applied the same principles he still believes in today, he dropped a significant amount of weight, reaching 185 pounds today.

You may recognize DeLauer from the covers of many popular health and fitness magazines. After losing weight, he decided to share his story with others, so they could benefit from the same strategies he used to get healthy.

He invented his Green Detox science-based product as a part of his daily detox plan. He soon started noticing a big difference and shared it with clients he was coaching. Now, it is on the market for anyone to consume. He made the Green Detox price affordable for anyone.

Thomas DeLauer’s Green Detox reviews tend to be positive, he is a charismatic guy and lives and breathes health and fitness. Consumers would appear to continue to stay on the supplement after their first experience with it. I do have concerns with the ingredients though and how this is marketed, let's take a look at why.

Science-Based Green Detox Ingredients

Gone is the previous tiny serving size of 5 grams, and now the new formula is a whopping 14 grams!

Most of the formula is in the form of Corn fiber (4 grams), and so we are still seeing a tiny “green balance” formula, just 3 grams, that contains the greens' nutrients.

The previous version of Green Detox actually contained 4 grams of greens, so we see less greens in this updated formula.

The “Beta berries” blend is 500mg mix of berries typically seen in red superfood supplements albeit in higher dosages.

Interestingly, their second version of Green Detox revealed the exact ingredient amounts of all the ingredient weights – this version doesn't, which means all the ingredients are wrapped in proprietary blends.

So, we don't get to see how much of each ingredient (and, importantly the power) in the formula.

How Does Science-Based Green Detox Taste?

The flavor of Green Detox may surprise users at first. Many superfood detox supplements on the market taste like drinking a cup of spinach or a mouthful of grass. Not this supplement, though. Green Detox reviews show that it tastes like apple pie.

I liked the taste although the smell was a little off-putting!

The only concern about having a supplement that tastes that good is that there must be added sugars or synthetic ingredients to make it taste that way. It does not claim to have any sweeteners added to the product, so, unfortunately, it is not a completely pure form.

Are there any Side Effects

Since Green Detox is meant to supplement a diet rather than replace it, you won’t have to worry about the dangerous side effects of many “detox cleanses” that put you on a liquid-only diet. However, any time you introduce something new into your daily diet, your body might have unexpected reactions.

With Super Greens, there is a chance you may experience gas, bloating, stomachaches, or diarrhea when first trying Green Detox. However, as long as you are balancing the supplement out with other healthy foods, these symptoms should disappear quickly. If they remain, stop using Green Detox and consult with a medical professional.

I was fine taking this supplement first thing in the morning and didn't feel any adverse reactions.

Science-Based Green Detox: Does It Work?

The goal of Green Detox is not to supplement your entire diet, but to fill in any holes that may be there.

As with many of the Super Greens benefits, this supplement claims to detox your body, boost energy levels, support a healthy metabolism, improve immunity, reduce stress, and provide mental clarity.

If your diet is lacking in micronutrients then consuming Green Detox drink each day may help but it’s unlikely considering the serving size. Not having the exact ingredient amounts it's impossible to tell if you’re consuming enough of each to provide any real benefit to your health and well-being.

In order for actual science to support the claims made by the manufacturer, we need to know the ingredient amounts used. Only then can we compare them to actual studies that back up the claims made.

Although not scientific, the reports by some consumers seem to suggest that it works for some of them.

Science-Based Green Detox Customer Reviews

I checked out a number of Green Detox reviews online and found a rather mixed result. Clearly, the supplement works for some people but the main negatives are the cost and amount of greens you receive in the tub (exactly my feedback).

It does what it says it will do. Pleasant taste!

“Best tasting greens on the planet with the greatest company backing it up with a solid program that gives top-notch results. I have had a great start and game plan to incorporate this detox to achieve results!

Some of the negative reviews of Green Detox didn't pull any punches, here are a few:

The container is less than half full. There is no way that there are thirty servings. I could not believe my eyes.

This product is absolute garbage. The container itself is only 4inches tall, and only half of it is filled with powder. Half! In addition, the supposed “Apple pie flavor” is a false advertisement, it does not taste remotely close to that. Overall this product is overpriced, the amount of powder they deliver is ridiculously small, and the taste they claim is false.

Money Back Guarantee / Refund Policy

The scientists behind Green Detox believe in their product. They offer a 60-day money-back guarantee, so consumers should be able to order with confidence. If you are not satisfied for any reason with the product, then you can contact them via their support.

Where to Buy Science-Based Green Detox

Green Detox is available through a number of online sellers, including Amazon and SixPackAbs. You can also find it in a number of retail stores such as GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, and even Walmart.

Check out the prices and reviews on Amazon.com.

Is Green Detox Worth Buying?

Green Detox is now much more affordable. The daily cost of this supplement is $2.50 (USD) for ingredients that I am, not 100% confident are in enough quantities to work.

For me this is too expensive for what you’re getting. Green Detox does not provide a lot of information about any other ingredient manufacturers may have added. Fillers are easy to hide from ingredient lists, and because it tastes like an apple, we wonder if it might contain some.

It tastes better than many Super Greens, especially if you’re into Apple Pie. When a product is hard to swallow, it is difficult to sell, and consumers will be less likely to continue using it in the long term.

Considering the choice of greens supplements on the market, for me, Detox Detox isn’t worth the price.

The Bottom Line

Green Detox falls very short in my opinion.

Yes, you get some good ingredients, but there is a question over whether the amounts are enough, which for me questions the “science-based” bit.

There is also no getting away from the cost of this Super Green, especially considering the size of the tub and the half-filled powder inside.

On the plus side it's palatable (at least I found it so), more than could be said for many such supplements. So, if you have deep pockets and can forget you may not be getting enough ingredients, then this could be the product for you.

The team behind Green Detox does a great job in marketing their supplement, but once you delve into the “actual” science you find it’s more hype than substance.

Overall, science-based Green Detox is not for me. There are too many negatives for me to consider taking this as my daily super greens of choice.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review

I ordered most of my Green Superfoods from Amazon in the UK and brought them back home to Malaysia on my last trip to visit family and friends. I could have ordered from Amazon to have shipped to Malaysia but it’s not quick and some merchants don’t like shipping here.

I had a good experience trying my first Super Greens (see my AG1 Greens review) and was keen to see how I got on with Amazing Grass Super Greens. Since writing this review, I have been drinking the greens supplement every morning for the last 7 days.

What is Amazing Grass?

There are a number of serving sizes and flavors but I went with the Original Flavor and the 30 servings tub. It’s easy to see which flavor you have because the label on the tub is color-coded – mine being Original is green.

As well as Original, you can also get Berry, Chocolate, Holiday Cookie, Orange Dream, and Pumpkin Spice and the first three flavors are available in both 30 and 60 serving tubs, the last three in 30 serving tubs only, although I am not sure why.

Mixing my first scoop of 8g Amazing Grass Green powder with 200ml of cold water I noticed it was less frothy than Athletic Greens. Even after quite a vigorous stirring, the green powder could still be seen floating in the water.

My first impression of the drink was that it’s not as appealing as Athletic Greens. The taste certainly has a grassy taste and so this is certainly one for mixing with another drink, even combining with fruits or possibly yogurt, as some consumers have suggested.

Background on Amazing Grass

Back in 2002 two guys, Brandon and Todd discovered they both had a passion for outdoor healthy lifestyles. When Brandon convinced Todd to try his green drink instead of his usual coffee, he was sold and so were their friends and co-workers. They teamed up to start the company Amazing Grass and to this day are a popular choice with consumers.

Amazing Grass stocks a large number of supplements for both adults and kids, they mostly focus on health and wellness. As well as powdered supplements, they have effervescent tablets, organic Superfood bars, capsules, and accessories like shaker cups and t-shirts.

I really like that a proportion of each sale goes towards supporting “The Whole Planet Foundation”, a charity that works with local communities around the world to lift them out of poverty. This is really great, although I was unable to find out any further information on how much they support the foundation.

Reading through some of the Amazon customer reviews it sounds as if the formula changed sometime in 2017. I searched for more information on this but was unable to dig up anything on it. So, I cannot confirm if the Amazing Grass Green Superfood formula has been changed.

Related: Do greens powders have heavy metals.

Amazing Grass Green Superfood Ingredients

My pet hate as you will hear in several of my reviews is Proprietary blends!

Okay, so I got that out of my system, well sort of. Looking further, I immediately see my second Super Green supplement is also hiding their ingredients using a pseudo-scientific blend.

Again, it’s impossible to really tell how much of the individual ingredient amounts are present in the Amazing Grass Green Superfood ingredient list. The label only lists them in the order of the largest amount in the blend.

This is disappointing, but it is a familiar practice with supplements these days.

On a positive note, many of the ingredients are Organic and the usual suspects are evident, such as Spirulina, Spinach, Chlorella, Wheat, and Barley Grass, etc. Although many of the ingredients are Organic the product is not certified Organic – Having said this very few Super Greens are USDA certified.

The fact the supplement isn’t 100% organic is not an issue for me, it’s nice that the Greens and many of the other ingredients are organic though.

Following a popular trend with Super Greens, Amazing Grass has included a “Pre/Probiotic blend”, as discussed in my Super Greens and Probiotics section, including these, are most likely for window dressing and will not serve any nutritional purpose.

I found the supplement label lacking in nutritional information. No details of individual ingredient amount and actually what does “lots of antioxidants” really mean? Would drinking a serving of Amazing Grass green powder per day give you all your veggie and antioxidant needs? It’s doubtful.

The inclusion of fiber is great, but I don’t believe 668mg will give you that much so that it will have any meaningful impact, especially as the daily intake is 25-38gms of fiber per day (source).

You would get over 5 times more fiber from eating just a small apple.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients in each blend:

How does Amazing Grass Taste?

After opening the tub and removing the protective cover you can smell the Super Greens powder. It’s not unpleasant but smells very earthy, like mown grass.

The taste is okay, certainly has more of a “grassy” taste than some of the other Super Greens I have tried. Although it didn’t put me off drinking it, it doesn’t taste as great as other green supplements I have tried – such as Athletic Greens.

However, the taste did linger in the mouth a little too long. This is something I wasn’t so keen on and I took to drinking another glass of water afterward to “rinse” my mouth out.

Checking out what other customers have said about the taste it seems mixing it with another drink is the answer to making it taste better!

Side Effects

The first time I tried Amazing Grass super greens was after lunch, I had mild stomach discomfort but could have been due to something else I ate at lunch.

The next morning, I experienced no issues after taking it. Trying Amazing Grass superfood for the following 6 days was fine too, so the mild stomach ache on the first day was a one-off.

Reading other customers’ experiences with Amazing Grass, it does seem that some people suffer from mild stomach upset. This soon disappears though and could occur when getting used to the product. To be fair is not an uncommon issue with this type of supplement.

Does Amazing Grass Green Superfood work?

As outlined above, it’s difficult to tell due to the use of a proprietary blend.

We know that there is a minimum required dose required in order to have an effect, whether Green Superfood contains enough is doubtful considering the number of ingredients in the blend. I say doubtful as we don’t know, but I suspect if the amounts were higher this would be shown on the bottle.

To give an example, according to Examine the daily dose for Spirulina is between 1-8g, in the “Amazing Grass Green Food Blend” there are seven ingredients amounting to 5.7g, Spirulina is 5th in the list.

With Organic Wheat Grass being the main ingredient in terms of quantity in the blend, it’s unlikely that Spirulina makes up 20-25% of this blend.

Sadly, we will never know, unfortunately.

The same goes for Chorella, which is needed in even higher dosages.

The antioxidant blend of ingredients reads to be like something out of a diet supplement, a fad fat burner with the latest “Superfoods”. The quantities are similar too, with the blend coming to 1.1g the same quantity seen in two standard capsules. Again, very unlikely to have enough to do much, if anything.

Amazing Grass Customer Reviews

I checked out the Amazing Grass Green Superfood reviews online and the common customer complaints seem to be around the change in formula back in 2017 and the taste.

This powder tastes like the earth

The most notable comments on Amazon are;

Awesome Product Turned To Junk

You've got to mix it with something, but finding your right combination is like hitting the jackpot.

new to greens superfood powders then you're pretty much guaranteed to hate the flavor of these powders

However, it's worthwhile keeping in mind that taste is highly subjective.

On the plus side, there are many Amazing Grass Amazon reviews, at the time of writing this article over 8,350 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.2 out of 5.

Over 75% of consumers gave Green Superfood 4 or 5 stars.

Money Back Guarantee / Returns Policy

The returns policy does depend on where you have purchased your Amazing Grass greens from but there doesn’t appear to be a way to try the supplement and return it if you don’t like it.

So, the 30-day money-back guarantee ONLY applies to unopened products and will only consider exchanging your product for another one.

If you return unopened products you won’t receive a full refund either as any shipping costs are deducted along with a $15 handling fee. This seems fairly high especially considering this works out to be 50% of the monthly product cost!

For a company that “stands behind our products” the money-back guarantee is pretty poor, come on guys.

Where To Buy Amazing Grass ?

You can buy Amazing Grass from a number of high street stores such as Walmart, Target, GNC and lots of smaller retainers. You can also buy Amazing Grass online from a number of popular sites like iHerb, VitaminShoppe, Vitacost, Bodybuilding.com, and of course directly from the official website.

Like I did, you can also buy from their Amazon Store, so if you’re an Amazon Prime member you may wish to try this and save on delivery charges and waiting times. I found the costs to be a little cheaper on Amazon too!

The cost of Amazing Grass Green Superfood varies according to seven available serving sizes and flavors. This Super Greens is also available in different forms, such as sachets, powders, and capsules too, although I wouldn’t recommend Amazing Grass Super Green capsules as they won’t deliver enough ingredients easily.

Currently, Amazing Grass super greens can be bought in 15 sachet box, 30, 60 and 100 servings tub, and in 150 capsule bottles. Flavors include Original, Berry, Chocolate, and Orange Dream (currently not available on Amazon).

Is It Worth The Price?

This is one of the cheapest Super Greens I have seen on the market. Unfortunately for me at least this was reflected in the taste and the number of ingredients available in each serving.

With the huge doubt over the quantity of the ingredients and to ensure you consume enough, you would likely have to take a minimum of two servings per day. Doing so makes the Amazing Grass Super Greens supplement comparable in price to more premium products.

Saying all this it’s difficult to see what is to be gained from choosing this brand over a better brand that is open with its ingredients.

Amazing Grass Verdict

This is marketed completely differently to Athletic Greens as this is much cheaper at under $30 per month.

I wasn’t keen on the taste when consuming directly with water. This did put me off the product and would affect my decision to buy this for everyday use.

The refund policy is poor for a company of long-standing and appears to have a good customer base, according to the number of customer reviews and how long they have been running. Basically, if you buy the product that’s it, you either try it and use it or exchange it for another one of their products (if you’re lucky).

In summary, if you’re on a budget and looking for a cheap way to get some of the Green Superfoods in your diet and can put up with the taste, then Amazing Grass Green Superfood could be a choice.

Buying something because it is in the budget isn’t a sensible solution for me, especially as I don’t know if I will get the right amounts. For me, I am looking for something that I know what the ingredients are and the amounts and they to work for me.

For me, I am skipping Amazing Grass Superfood greens and will keep searching for an amazing green superfood.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review

Since I first drank a super greens smoothie in my local café; I’ve been trying to figure out, tastier, and more interesting ways of getting my five a day.

So, really what are super greens powder supplements?

Super greens and green powder supplements are marketed as energy-dense and a nutritious way of getting improving your health quickly.

So like most people, the thought of getting all my veg’s in less than a minute each day was very appealing.

What was most encouraging was not having to stress about the number of veg of fruit portions I have daily.

Really does anyone know what 5 a day really means?

Sure I know what 5 means and I know what Fruit and Veg mean – but 5 a day? 5 apples or 5 oranges is that 5 a day? 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 pear, 1 pea, 1 bean?

I of course know that 1 pea doesn’t count but is it 10 or 50? So many questions!

So a drink that ticked all the boxes, this was the silver bullet for me.

Deep down, we all know greens are good for us, even my Granddad who was a two bacon sandwiches a day man knew this. But I first took notice when Tim Ferriss endorsed Athletic Greens on his blog.

So “Super Keen” for ways of making “Green Powder Supplements” my daily staple had me searching everywhere for “super greens” that were perfect for me?

I would, therefore, implore you to join me on my super green journey.

Super Safe or a Super Scam – Here lies what I believe is the truth about greens powder supplements from my research.

Super Green Powders & Capsules, a health food fad or the healthy option?

It’s difficult to ignore the health market nowadays in 2016 and the UK alone it was worth a staggering £1.2 billion.

Appearing on the market in the mid-2000s, Super Greens were marketed as Vitamins on steroids. More accurately it’s probably better to say that Vitamins are so 1990s and that Super Greens are the new breed of health supplements!

And even just a few years ago, you would need to visit a specialist store to buy super greens.

But green powder supplements are still nowhere near as popular as other supplements, such as diet pills.

They’re here to stay and are the vitamin supplements of the 21st century.

Green Powder Drinks for Lazy Juicers?

If you juice, you have to buy fresh veggies, wash and prepare them, chop them, juice, and then clean up after yourself, a good twenty minutes out of your day.

Whilst this is certainly the most effective way to get your daily greens, the novelty soon wears off. Now compare the fuss and the time it takes to make a fresh juice against pouring two scoops into a glass of water, you can see the appeal of buying in a powdered form.

Of course, if you’re fanatical about ensuring you get the most nutritious veggie juice every morning, then you may have the motivation to juice, but remember this is only true if you buy the freshest produce.

It wasn’t for me, I tried juicing but gave up after one month. I hated the prep work, the cleanup, the angry wife, the kids demanding their own drink. The convenience of the powder was just too difficult to ignore.

From now on it’s a powdered green supplement for me.

However, it’s not just ease of use, it’s also the practicality when I travel, it’s easy to take a green powder supplement with me, have you ever tried taking your juicer with you?

Why use Super Greens?

Whilst the daily recommended portion size of fruit and vegetables is in question. The link between eating fruit and vegetables for promoting a healthy longer life is well established.

If you’re eating lots of vegetables, fruit and have a mixed diet – do you really need to drink a daily Super Greens Juice?

Well, most probably not! But the fact is most of us simply don’t eat enough fruit and veg on a daily basis.

Sure every Wednesday we may eat more veg, but healthy eating once a week, is “Not Healthy Eating”
Do you? I know I didn’t!

The US Government recommend that adults eat about 3 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day. Source: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate

In a report by the NHS (US BASED) in 2017, only one in four adults ate 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

10 per day! You can bet that the stats for 10 per day are even more shocking.

Deep down, we all know that if you’re not eating enough daily veggies the risk of deeply unpleasant long-term disease is considerably higher.

So why are we not eating enough fruit and veg?

For many reasons, in the good old bad days, meat was expensive and fresh veg were easy to find. Most streets had a “Fruit and Veg” shop and then the world changed. Supermarkets, Fast Food, Fast everything else, better pay, and a restaurant on every corner arrived.

The pressure of modern life means that for many of us, life can be hectic, so ensuring you’re consuming 5 plus portions of fruit and veg on the go can be very challenging.

For me, it was certainly habit mixed with poor choices, with eating out is the biggest problem.

I was lucky my wife is super healthy, we always get our veggies when she cooks, but left to my own cooking devices, I’m more a Roti Canai man (see picture – it's tastier than it looks!), whilst delicious it’s hardly low in fat.

Living in Malaysia where eating out is a national pastime, the food is amazing but good tasty food often comes with a hefty price.

Fried food and curries are tasty but hardly top of the healthy eating guide.

Should Super Greens be a replacement for a healthy?

We all know the answer to this is NO.

Super Greens vs Multivitamins

Multi-vitamins had the monopoly as the “GO TO” supplement when feeling run down or sick.

Whilst you can get all your micronutrients with a household multivitamin, there are now healthier ways to get your micronutrients.

Unlike multi-vitamins, Super Greens contain more than your typical trace vitamins and minerals.

So what do Greens Supplements offer over Multi-vitamins?

All greens powders should contain beneficial phytonutrients and antioxidants, which are often found in plant-based foods, these are essential for keeping you alive and healthy.

Often there is an abundant supply of other superfoods too.

Spirulina, Gogi Berries, to name but a few, not only contain a good range of vitamins and minerals but contain carbs, proteins, and fats that are essential for healthy living.

I have been taking a multi-vitamin for months now as a health insurance top-up.

However, I would rather consume a Greens drink in the morning that’s packed with vitamins as I am not keen on popping lots of pills every day.

What do Super Greens Powders really taste like?

Reading through some of the verified Super Greens reviews online and one topic regularly comes up – that is the issue of taste.

It’s a fact that many of the top-selling greens supplements are shocking in terms of taste.

Some of them really do taste truly awful – imagine finely chopped grass with water!

This can be one of the main reasons consumers go back to juicing or give up entirely with Super Greens.

Even with using great sounding flavors like Apple Pie, Berry, and Chocolate (erm why? don’t get this one), they can’t mask the poor taste of the supplement.

For some people, it may take some getting used to, especially if you’re a first-time user.

Green powder drinks taste very different from other powdered supplements like whey protein and pre or post-workout.

I want a good greens product that tastes palatable on its own.

This way I know when I am away from home I don’t need to worry about taking any other supplement, just to mask the taste.

If I choose to mix with a smoothie or protein supplement, then it should taste great.

Super Food Health Terminology Explained

What do all those fancy looking icons really mean?

When I first checked out these supplements I soon saw a number of “health” badges and wasn’t immediately sure what they all meant, more importantly, the significance of these.

Some are obvious, such as “organic”, others aren’t so and I outlined them below.

Is ORAC relevant?

When the Super Food craze hit the supplement market much was made of the so called ORAC rating.

What is the ORAC rating I hear you say?

Well ORAC is short for Oxygen Radiance Absorption Capacity and was created by USDA scientists in an effort to quantify the antioxidant capacity of foods.

This rating gave food substances an antioxidant scale you could rate one over another.

It was commonplace, it still is now to a lesser extent, to find the latest Super Fruit supplement quoting their ORAC rating to enhance their supposed effectiveness.

As you can imagine when the marketing gurus found this, you started to see massive ORAC claims in the media.

This has changed now as the ORAC rating has fallen out of favor.

The number one reason is due to its misuse.

ORAC values are routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products and by consumers to guide their food and dietary supplement choices.The USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory

Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/orac-_b_1594115.html

So if you see a Super Green, or any other supplement actually, quoting ORAC figures we would disregard it. In fact, maybe even be dubious about the product you’re seeing this on too!

Does Science Support the Greens Powder Supplement Claims?

Here is the thing, the elephant in the room for the supplement industry.

Many of the claims made by brands use pseudo-science or fake science.

To fully understand what’s going on behind the supplement label it’s important to cut through the marketing hype.

The bottom line is your Super Greens supplement will only be as good as the quality ingredients and amounts contained inside.

Scientific studies are often quoted alongside supplement claims that cannot be taken at face value.

Why?

The problem is that the ingredient amounts within supplements are typically lower than what’s needed to exert a similar effect quoted in some research papers.

This is why ANY supplement be it a Super Green, fat burner, or protein powder, that uses a Proprietary blend is bad news – You can NEVER tell if the ingredient quantity is ENOUGH.

The easiest way to demonstrate this is to look at one popular Super Green ingredient found in many brands – Spirulina.

Checking the science for Spirulina on Examine reveals you need between 1-8g per day for any noticeable benefit.

That’s a fairly hefty amount considering some of the Greens powder (not even looking at the capsule versions) I looked at had a serving size of 3-5g per day.

This is the fun bit.

Let’s check out three popular Super Greens on the market that actually reveal the quantity of Spirulina in their formula:

Clearly these Super Greens products despite promoting Spirulina they just don’t have enough!

Quickly looking at a Super Greens capsules product, Elite Super Greens. The Spirulina dose is pitiful at an incredibly low 90mg per capsule!

Just to even more fun let’s check out five of the Super Greens with proprietary blends (hidden ingredient quantities):

The simple fact is DON’T BE FOOLED by fancy-sounding pseudo-scientific blends – they are hiding the effectiveness of the supplement.

On a final note, as I discussed in our Super Greens Benefits above, some of the claims are tenuous whilst others are just plain wrong.

When to take Super Greens?

I was curious to find out whether there was an optimum time with which to take my Super Greens.

Most of the advice suggests in the morning as a great wake up drink. But can you take your greens powder any time of the day?

Well in most cases you’re probably okay taking any time.

The caveat is if you regularly workout, in this case, it’s best to avoid drinking your greens immediately before or after training.

In any case, you want to be loading up on other key nutrients around training, such as protein.

Most people seem to like taking it in the morning – I will most likely make this part of my early morning routine as well.

Can you Overdose on Super Greens?

If taking a glass of Super Greens is amazing for your body, then another one won’t hurt eh?

The thing with supplements is to study the label thoroughly.

I know being a guy we don’t like reading the manual, but it really does pay when considering supplements.

The more is better approach rarely applies. Over consumption could be led to unwanted side effects.

Unlike some nasty over the counter supplements, these are unlikely to be serious, especially if you overindulge a little.

Whilst easy to consume be mindful of the recommended serving amount – always read the label, don’t OD on the Greens!

Can Anyone Take Super Greens?

Most manufacturers recommend adults over the age of 18 not taking any prescription medication are fine to take Super Greens.

There is are some age-targeted Super Greens products for kids available.

Can you take Super Greens when pregnant?

Most super greens powders will advise you shouldn’t take when pregnant or breastfeeding.

The reasons typically relate to one or more ingredients can potentially having an adverse reaction.

In addition, manufacturers may wish to err on the side of caution and avoid any legal issues down the road.

Can kids take Super Green supplements?

In general no, as the supplements I looked at were all aimed at adults (over 18 years of age).

However, some of the bigger supplement brands do have kid super green supplements in their range. One, in particular, is Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood.

Whether you should be giving your kids a Super Green is another question. I have two kids and honestly, I would be reluctant to give this supplement to them.

Why?

I can see the irony here, but we (I really mean my wife) is great at ensuring our kids eat vegetables and fruit daily, we should all want to promote healthy eating habits with our children.

They also have a kid multivitamin too, additionally, they still enjoy drinking formula milk in the morning and night – so we are confident they get their daily intake requirements.

We (again I mean most likely me) on the other hand… erm.

How safe are Super Greens?

On the whole, greens supplements are safe.

Generally, they don’t rely on stimulants like diet pills or pre-workouts, etc.

They mostly contain fruits and vegetables, which technically you should eat daily, and so should be safe.

That said, as with any supplement the usual safety precautions apply. These are: Seeking medical advice if you’re taking any prescription medication and/or have a pre-existing health condition.

I am sure few people seek such advice in many cases but if you do have any medical conditions I really would suggest visiting your doctor.

Take along your chosen supplement and please double-check.
 

Will I have side effects drinking Super Greens?

I have to say I didn’t experience any side effects from taking the products I tested, then again, having lived in SE Asia my stomach is pretty resilient – it wasn’t always like that mind!

A quick search online does reveal a few common super greens side effects.

Can you drink Super Greens on low carb diets?

If you’re on a low-carb diet, then you may have to be careful as to the Super Greens supplement you choose.

Some Super greens contain a relatively high amount of carbs per serving – depending on the ingredients and serving size they use.

So, what is too high of a carb content for Super green supplements?

This depends on the strictness of the low-carb diet you’re following.

If you’re following a Keto diet, then your daily carb intake is around 20 grams per day.

According to Diet Doctor, low carb veggies consist of Avocado, Broccoli, Spinach, Kale and Green Beans, etc.

An excellent article that looks into the number of carbs in all sorts of vegetables can be found on Diet Doctor. (This is an amazing website if you’re looking for information on Keto!)

With this in mind if you are on a Keto diet you may wish to avoid using these Super Greens:

However, there is another way of looking at this.

If you’re eating a low-carbohydrate diet or a small number of fruits and veggies, then a greens supplement can be a beneficial addition.

But to be sure your Super greens supplement is Keto friendly you may wish to look for one that has a lower carb content (3g or less).

Super Greens and Probiotics a great idea? Erm.. maybe not

Probiotics, are the good bacteria that live in your digestive tract and encourage your healthy bacteria to thrive.

Many, if not most, Greens Supplements include a “probiotic blend” as a way to boost gut health and your immune system. On the face of it, this seems like a no brainer?

Especially as my immune system is not that great having suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome some 20 years ago (see about me page).

Taking probiotics should be good to ensure my digestive health stays on track and my immune system could do with a boost in the right direction as well!

By combining Super Greens with Probiotics this means I get two effective supplements in one, right?

Digging a bit deeper into this I found some surprising revelations. The issue is that by combining probiotics with Super Greens can make them inert and therefore ineffective.
 
Why?

A major problem with probiotics is that the bacteria are very sensitive to the way they’re prepared and stored. If too hot or too cold the bacteria die – meaning they simply won’t work!

If that’s not bad enough, then the bacteria may also die in the stomach before even reaching their destination (small intestine). Source

Probiotics in many Greens supplements may just be clever marketing and window dressing!

It’s worth considering that Probiotics aren’t suitable for everyone and can cause side effects. They can cause unwanted symptoms such as allergic reactions, mild stomach upsets, gas, bloating, or diarrhea.

If you have low or immune-related issues or any serious medical complaints, then the advice is to avoid Probiotics, at the very least you should speak to your medical doctor (Source).

Lastly on the matter of Probiotics – the science is not conclusive and most of the health claims for probiotics are argued as being pure hype.

There is no evidence to suggest that people with normal gastrointestinal tracts can benefit from taking probiotics,” says Matthew Ciorba, a gastroenterologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

There could be a small benefit though, in some cases recent studies have shown that during and after a course of antibiotics they seem to decrease the chances of subsequently developing opportunistic infections.

Considering the above I see very little value in a Super Greens supplement just because it offers a “probiotics blend” in their formula.

I can’t completely dismiss them though, but the circumstances for use, would be highly specific, what other ingredients are included or have I been on a long term course of antibiotics?

That said, the inclusion of probiotics and the pushy marketing of them raise my guard.

Super Green Powders, Capsules or Bottled Juices?

If you’ve ditched the idea of juicing (like I have) then there are a couple of options for how to take your Super Greens.

The common forms are either, as a powder that you mix with water, or in capsules that you swallow with water. The last option is pre-made bottled juices that you would find in your local supermarket.

There are of course advantages and disadvantages of using these options, let’s take a look.

Pros and Cons of Super Green Powders

Reading through the reviews of many Super Green brands it’s clear, taste is a big factor.

Taste is a personal thing, so it’s understandable that what you find tasty, I may not. (this is from the guy who enjoyed dunking cheese on honey spread on toast).

So, the main disadvantage of powders is the taste. Many brands counter this by offering a number of interesting flavors.

We have seen the usual Mint and Berry flavors to the more exotic Apple Pie variety.

Some brands stick with the natural flavor and encourage customers to mix with other drinks, such as smoothies – Not a good idea if you are on a Keto or Low Crab diet.

The last thing about green powders, these are available in tubs or pouches of varying sizes. The typical size is between 240-360g although some brands provide 500g+ package sizes.

Whether you prefer your super greens in tubs or pouches is a personal preference. It may be slightly easier to scoop out your greens from a tub but does mean it’s bulkier for transport if you’re on the go.

I am open to either a tub or pouch as it’s more about the serving size and ingredients for me.

Pros and Cons of Super Green Capsules

Swallowing capsules isn’t for everyone, but if you’re fine and never have a gag reflex, then why not take Super Green capsules I hear you cry?

Well the biggest disadvantage to capsules is the amount of ingredient you can consume at one time.

An average capsule contains 600mg of ingredient. Even if you took 3 capsules you’re only consuming a maximum of 1,800mg (1.8g).

This is a pitifully small amount compared to powders!

Most of the Super Green powders I researched had a serving size of 5g or more. Many provided 8-10g of nutrient-dense powder.

Taking a scoop of a green powder might be the equivalent to what is found in 30 to 50 capsules,”says Michael B. Wald, MD, Ph.D., ND, director of nutritional services at Integrated Medicine & Nutrition in Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Do you really want to be swallowing this many capsules to get a similar quantity of ingredients – I certainly don’t!

For me, capsules aren’t a viable delivery mechanism for taking sufficient daily super greens.

In the Super Greens powder vs capsules debate, I am definitely for powders!

Pros and Cons of Super Green Bottled Juices

A store purchased premixed green juices and smoothies can be convenient, but the ingredient profile is far inferior to powdered or even a capsule variety.

A fresh green juice may also not be that fresh. Depending on how long it’s been in the shop!

But the main concern is a large amount of sugar likely to be inside.

This coupled with the lack of sufficient nutrients means bottled green juice drinks are best avoided.

Are Super Green Supplements Regulated by FDA?

The short answer is no.

Like every over the counter supplement, they don’t need to be regulated or inspected by the FDA.

What does this mean?

Well, you shouldn’t just grab the first super greens supplement you see on the shelf or marketed online.

You need to do your research!

The supplement industry is a competitive multi-billion-dollar industry with every marketeer and manufacturer after your money. Like everything, there are good ones, even great ethical companies out there. But there are many that use inferior ingredients and exaggerated claims.

Again, you need to do your research.

Alternatively, you can read mine by letting me have your email address to send you more useful stuff.

Are all Super Greens effective?

Unfortunately, not.

Not all Super Greens are created equally, and some are much better than others.

The more I dug deep into researching Super Greens, the more I found out about a number of factors that influence their effectiveness.

From my research, I would say the number one issue is the ingredients used, and importantly the quantity in each serving.

When taking a supplement, I want to be 100% confident that what they say is in it I am consuming.

If it’s organic – it needs to be organic, simple right?

So, I advise carefully checking the supplement label. Know what you’re buying and consuming.

Why do I Avoid Super Greens with Proprietary Blends

Checking out supplement labels that contain 20-40 ingredients is not easy.

But you know what’s more tiresome?

When a supplement wraps a bunch of ingredients into a “Proprietary Blend” then you’re not getting the full picture.

When they do this, there is no way to know how much of each ingredient is inside – so how effective is it really?

What was interesting was by the end of my research, I had become pretty good at knowing even before seeing the label if the supplement contained a proprietary blend or not.

I have taken a picture of one such Super Greens proprietary blend below.

You typically get a fancy-sounding pseudo-scientific name for the blend, something like “immune support blend” or “Digestive enzyme complex”.

The bunch of impressive-sounding ingredients only contain the weight of that particular “blend” – NOT the individual ingredient amounts.

The effectiveness of the ingredient for you is mainly DEPENDENT ON ITS QUANTITY.

It’s a simple leap to say if you don’t know the ingredient amount you don’t know if it ACTUALLY WORKS.

Armed with ingredient amounts you can find out if the science supports it.

Source: https://examine.com/

I really dislike proprietary blends and you should too!

The reason quoted by manufacturers is to “protect” their special formula.

This is pure BS.

There is no magic formula out there of a special combination of veggies that will give you Super Powers. Instead, this is a legal way to hide ingredient amounts.

The only legislation is for the first ingredient used in the blend to be the main one (FDA).

At best this practice is to try making the brand sound more exotic, the new big thing.

At worse it could be selling you a completely ineffective product.

In any case, having a proprietary blend in supplements is most likely misleading and ultimately you have no way of knowing what is inside.

I will be avoiding Super Greens using proprietary formulas.

Super Greens Marketing – Being Supplement Savvy

As with all supplements, greens are marketed by celebrity fitness coaches/authors or as part of a brand within a range of products in a bigger store.

Whilst I don’t believe that necessarily one is better over another. You do need to be aware of the marketing tactics used by particular products.

In my experience single product brands tend to be more heavily marketed using a more direct marketing approach.

What does this mean?

Be prepared for stronger claims and in some cases a bigger wallet.

That’s not to say they are a poor choice and to stick with bigger brands. It’s more to be aware of what is being said about the supplement.

End of the day do the claims made by the product stack up?

What to look out for when choosing a Super Greens Supplement?

I enjoyed delving into the popular super greens on the market, reading between the lines of the marketing messages, and fact-checking against proper research available online.

During my extensive research, I put together a little checklist to help me assess any supplements pedigree.

Which Super Greens Powder is the Best for Me?

After digesting all this information which Super Greens powder have I chosen?

Well, the answer is actually a few but not all the ones on my “would like to try” list.

Why is this?

There are actually a few really good Super Greens on the market and I wanted to compare them all.

Taste is really important if you’re going to drink Super greens powder daily. So I decided to not only look at the ingredients but to actually do the Super Greens taste test.

So below is the list of products I am trying at the moment (of course not all at the same time!).

To clarify I am not stating that this is a definitive list of greens I believe are good.

Some I am trying to buy but they aren’t making it easy. I won’t out them yet and it depends how I get on 😉

I’ll be writing up my experience with each one of these in the coming weeks.

I purchased all of these through the Amazon store and so I have added an Amazon link for the above if you’re interested in learning more about them.

My Final Thoughts on Super Greens

I have really enjoyed delving into the Greens supplement market.

Without a doubt, it’s a growing market and it’s not going away.

Consuming a daily Super Green won’t replace eating a healthy balanced diet, there are too many benefits to ignore.

The convenience of having a nutrient-dense drink first thing in the morning means I will get my veggie and micro-nutrient needs for the day.

I am sold!

Clearly, my takeaway is that I and well most likely you too, could benefit from taking a daily greens supplement.

That is as long as you choose wisely and pick a high-quality one. Taking a look at the products available it’s clear there is a range in quality.

There are many sub-par products out there – and that is being polite!

Well-known brands didn’t always score highly in my research. This means I won’t necessarily be going for a well-known brand.

Price varied significantly too.

Although the price is a factor, I try not to shop primarily on price as the more important measure is “value”.

If you’re paying only a few cents per serving, then are you really getting top quality super greens? Equally, why spend over $3 per serving when you don’t have too?

From my research a good greens powder is going to cost you between $0.54 and $3.23 per serving (per day).

To wrap up…

These days I believe Super Greens have broken through the stigma of being seen as a “hippie food”. Not that I really worry about such stereotypes.

If you’re looking for a convenient way to get your daily dose of super greens, then a supplement in powder form could be just the ticket.

I believe I found some worthy Super Greens supplements to give a try and will let you know the results.

Are you currently using a Super Greens supplement? I would really like to hear your feedback, please comment below.

LifeHacker Guy Greens Recommendation

Some Call This An "Extreme" Step...

Most super greens supplements are disappointing.

I learned this the hard way. After creating this blog in 2018, I spent months buying and testing all the most popular brands.

I wasn’t happy with the results so I did something you might call "extreme"....

In 2019 I created my own brand that ticks every single box of what I look for in a super greens product:

• No hidden ingredient amounts - we have full disclosure labelling, so you know EXACTLY whats inside
• Ingredient amounts that make a difference - we include the minimum effective amounts supported by research, and most of the time, MORE
• Ingredients that help immunity, boost mental clarity and shake off brain fog - making for a much more productive and happy lifestyle

No more worrying about ineffective ingredients or too low dosages. I finally have a product I KNOW does the job it’s made to do.

I use it every day and, after years of battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I now have my energy (and my life!) back.

The good news? I made my brand available to the public so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.

Read Review