Gundry MD Primal Plants Review

If you read a lot about supplements for wellness (which I do) you will sooner or later come across products that contain polyphenols (plant-derived substances containing abundant micronutrients) which are supposed to be great for your health and improved wellness.

I’m taking a look at some products by Dr. Stephen R Gundry (Gundry MD) in this review. The brand is best known for its Vital Reds and their Gundry MD Primal Plants ‘Essential Superfoods Blend’ which contains, first and foremost, plant polyphenols.

Other products by Gundry MD have been developed to support overall digestive health, with a view to improving general health and wellbeing.

I was about to buy Primal Plants but thought I would do an in-depth review first to see if it's worth the high price point. So, here are my thoughts on this slightly different super green supplement.

What is Gundry MD Primal Plants?

The website contains a wealth of information about Dr. Gundry MD and his products and also contains a blog that gives general information about specific ingredients or symptoms you may want to counteract with supplements.

I am specifically interested in Dr. Gundry Superfood blends (Vital Reds and Gundry MD Primal Plants), two products that have been developed with the purpose of helping people support their digestive and overall health with the addition of plant polyphenols to the daily diet.

Studies have been conducted to establish whether polyphenols are beneficial to human health, and it appears that as part of a balanced diet they may help with some antioxidant processes in the body. Dr. Gundry is especially interested in how they may help to improve the quality of the skin, and digestive processes, and improve energy.

Background on Gundry MD

Dr. Steven Gundry (Gundry MD founder) has but one aim: “to dramatically improve human health, happiness, and longevity through my unique vision of diet and nutrition”.

What I particularly like about this statement is just how broad it is.

Not only does this medically-trained professional want to improve health, but he also wants to improve happiness too, and drastically! But all cynical thoughts aside, he seems well-qualified to do so, being an experienced heart surgeon (for over 30 years).

Throughout Dr. Gundry’s career, he claims to have witnessed patients transforming their lives and their health through improved nutrition and diet.

This is precisely the sort of testimonial I can get on board with. Real, proven lifestyle changes lead to health benefits.

But how does this lead to a change of career into nutritional research and product development?

The good Doctor has a deep interest in gut microbes. He wants to get microscopic with your gut. Believing that this is the basis of many health issues, he has dedicated his research to this area of the body and how what we eat can affect our entire body.

Many of the products available on the Gundry MD site are digestion-related, aimed at improving the entire digestive process and therefore improving overall health, wellness, and energy levels.

As the founder of the Center of Restorative Medicine, Dr. Gundry now focuses his research on how to help patients avoid the kind of surgeries he was performing. It’s a strong story, I like it, and it made me want to know a little more about the products he promotes.

It's worth mentioning that Gundry MD has also written a few books on the subject, most recently the The Plant Paradox that looks at the hidden dangers in plants.

You can check out all his books on Amazon here.

But we're looking at his supplement, so let's continue with my Gundry MD Primal Plants review.

Gundry MD Primal Plants Ingredients

The 25-ingredient formula “combines polyphenol-rich green superfoods with cutting-edge digestive & metabolic support blends. Primal Plants are formulated to help promote better digestion, increase energy levels, and give you more youthful, healthier skin…from the inside out!”

So let’s take a look at the ingredients and see if this is a product we can get behind.

There’s a lot to get your head around here, I particularly like that the blends are divided up so you can see which ingredients have been included to support each area of health.

However, once again I have found a product that is not being transparent about the amount of each individual ingredient contained in this product. The specific weights of each blend are included, but that doesn’t tell me how much – for example – kale I’m taking.

There is also caffeine in this product, which is slightly unusual for a superfood blend. Gundry MD uses Green Tea Leaf extract which has a small amount of caffeine, but some caffeine is nevertheless more than none, and I would expect that many customers would rather not take caffeine in a product such as this.

This being said, they are at least transparent in saying that it is included for the polyphenol content, along with supporting energy levels and weight loss.

Related: Recommended greens powders for weight loss

How Does Gundry MD Primal Plants taste?

I would need to turn to the independent reviews on sites such as Amazon to establish this as – although they describe the taste on the Gundry MD site as a “delicious all-natural green apple flavor” – this is of course subjective!

I am personally not a fan of green apple if it is too sour, but also wouldn’t want super greens to blend to taste too sweet. Often there is a little sweetener added to most products in this area in order to make it palatable to most tastes.

So turning to the reviews, how have customers described the taste?

One reviewer, despite giving the product 4 stars, says they are ‘not a fan of the green apple taste’. Others opt to mix the powder with other flavors, such as into a smoothie or fruit juice.

Side Effects

As with most dietary supplements you are encouraged to look at all the ingredients on the label to ensure you are not allergic to anything included in the blend.

Furthermore taking a digestive-support supplement for the first time may actually result in some digestive discomfort, although this may feel that there is actually something ‘working’ – so this could be seen as a benefit rather than a side effect.

I would personally like to know more about this – especially as Dr. Gundry is so interested in digestive health.

Does Gundry MD Primal Plants Actually Work?

A reviewer on the amazon page says ‘Excellent product – it has reduced my breakouts by 90%, and I feel better.’ and gives the product 5-stars.

The problem with looking to reviews for results is that everything about taking a new product leaves you wide open to the power of a placebo. I would like to believe that taking a supplement can improve your health, just one easy dose of something can add to your energy levels or help with chronic symptoms, but

I’m dubious about a product that has a small portion size (at 4.4g this definitely puts it at the lower end of portion sizes) and is not transparent about the quantity of each ingredient included in the blend. The Dr. Gundry Primal Plants Superfood Blend promises a lot, but I’m unsure of exactly how it delivers.

I’m a little wary of claims about boosting metabolism and whether or not specific ingredients or products can actually do this. I also am a little disappointed at the lack of actual research to support the claims due to the founders’ medical background.

Gundry MD Primal Plants Customer Reviews

On the Amazon page, I found 76 reviews, of which 49% were 5-star. 20% were 1-star, with some of these being due to taste.

One particularly astute customer says

I am currently reading The plant paradox where Dr. Gundry advocates eating organic vegetables and avoiding pesticides and GMOs. So I blindly ordered this product assuming that it would follow his own guidelines. Well, none of the greens are organic, in fact, none of the ingredients that I could see are organic. I also called the company and was informed that it contains GMOs. I am returning.

Others complain about the price and taste.

To give some balance, customers also credit the product with improving energy levels, aiding in improvements in chronic conditions, and overall digestive health benefits (this I’m especially interested in).

However, and this is a big one for me, I didn’t find much in the way of independent reviews, feedback, or testimonials on their own site. This is disappointing as I’d expect to find a company with such good credentials being more honest and open on their own site.

Money Back Guarantee / Returns Policy

There is a money-back guarantee if products are returned within 90 days. The site claims that there will be ‘no questions, no hassle’, and I suppose you would have to try this out to see if that’s the case!

Where to Buy Gundry MD Primal Plants?

You can buy the products direct from their own site (and benefit from a $5 discount per jar on multiple purchase – see below) and you can also buy from sites such as Amazon.

Is It Worth the Price?

I have to say, it would be an immediate no from me if it’s just down to price. The Gundry MD site carries this product at a hefty $99 USD for 1 jar (30 days supply) and you only get a $5 discount per jar for buying three (at $284.97 total).

This is a huge amount of money for a three-month supply of any superfood supplement.

The price of Primal Plants is inline with the likes of AG1 Greens or Supergreen Tonik which to me look like a better all round supplements.

Primal Plants Verdict

To recap, I really like the fact that Dr. Gundry Superfood products have been developed by a medic with over 30 years experience in the field of healthcare. I especially like the story on the website as it shows why his vision is all about improving health and lifestyle choices.

The Vital Reds are a very popular product with a proven following, so I would expect some of the other Gundry products to be building popularity.

I was disappointed to find little in the way of feedback on their own website.

I was a little disappointed that the ingredients are not all organic, specifically due to the founder being so vocal about organic foods.

It’s very expensive for what you get, I don’t think I would pay $99 for a tub.

But the bottom line is, once again, the use of a proprietary blend. I really want to know what I’m taking in my superfoods blend because I really want to know if it works! I can’t say for certain that the inclusion of specific plant polyphenols in these concentrations is going to make any difference whatsoever.

So, even though the good doctor looks the real deal, my concern over the ingredient amounts and cost of Primal Plants I will continue my search.

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