When we think about how and why we make purchasing choices, the name of a product as well as how they are sold to us is absolutely key.
Think of the marketing of supplements and you are most likely thinking of images and words related to health, vitality, fitness, weight loss, and the rest. Now think whether the natural logical conclusion of these images is to picture yourself naked?
If this is the case then possibly this product – Naked Green Machine juice could be the product for you!!
The brand is called Naked. This is a bold and risky name which I’m not personally sure will appeal to a lot of customers, but let’s take a look at their products and see how they stack up against the competition.
What is Naked Green Machine?
‘Looks weird. Tastes amazing’.
I like it! Honest, vaguely funny in a wry sort of way, it makes me want to see really how weird this juice looks and whether it actually does taste amazing. But the reality is, any juice with this amount of fruit probably would taste very good indeed.
Also, you may notice that the name – Naked Green Machine – represents something that works, is reliable, is scientifically engineered perhaps. This is clever as it goes against the grain of other products which are perhaps similar in terms of ingredients but maybe going for a more natural take on the name for their product (green goddess, green giant…).
But why have they chosen to formulate Green Machine in the way they have, and what is actually inside the bottle?
Background on Naked Juice Company
In 1983 the fledgling ‘Nakeds’ (primarily founder Jimmy Rosenberg) were selling juice out of a backpack up and down Santa Monica Boulevard. Flash forward to the present day and the company has an estimated 63% of the market share in the fresh juices and smoothies market in the U.S.
The range now includes the ever-popular protein blend and is branching into a new area that appeals to lifestyle weightlifters as well as people who are looking to make just one healthy change per day.
In 2000 it was bought by a private equity company and presently it is wholly owned by PepsiCo Inc.
The corporate social responsibility angle is covered off by their ‘Drink Good Do Good’ venture.
Claiming that ‘Nearly 30 million Americans don’t have access to affordable, quality, fresh fruits and vegetables’ the annual Drink Good Do Good campaign aims to raise awareness of this issue and ‘help increase access for those in need’.
Naked Green Machine Ingredients
I’m looking at the juice-based drink, Naked Juice Green Machine. The bottle says;
a flavored blend of 5 juices with added ingredients & other natural flavors
So what actually is inside a 15.2oz bottle?
Their website lists the Naked Green ingredients as:
2.75 Apples, ⅓ Mango, 1/12 Pineapple, ½ Banana, ⅓ Kiwi, 1335mg Spirulina, 409mg Alfalfa, 102mg Broccoli, 102mg Spinach, 76mg Barley Grass, 76mg Wheatgrass, 51mg Garlic, 51mg Ginger, 51mg Kale, 51mg Parsley.
Let’s break this down. The marketing says ‘no added sugar’ and as a portion for an adult, with 53g sugar per bottle, this just about represents double your sugar allowance per day. The American Heart Association recommends you only consume 100 calories in sugar per day (26g or 6 teaspoons).
So firstly it has to be said that there is a staggering amount of sugar in this product. More than in the equivalent amount of Pepsi. I’ll repeat that in case you missed it. For 10oz of Naked Green Machine, there is 35g of sugar whereas in 10oz Pepsi there is only (only!!) 34g.
there is a staggering amount of sugar in this product. More than in the equivalent amount of Pepsi.
There ARE sugars present in the fruit. This product DOES contain a fair portion of fruit. But whether or not a fruit-based juice can be considered to be a health product is really a matter for debate. In fact, in 2016 the company was the subject of a lawsuit by consumer advocacy groups because of the sugar content in their drinks (note a bottle of their Pomegranate Blueberry juice contains 61g sugar).
Under the official ingredients listing the first ingredient is Apple Juice, followed by Mango Puree. The ‘boosted with’ ingredients are really the ones I am interested in, as a drink with the word Green in the title, these potent plant ingredients are the ones I am looking for when comparing super greens blends and products.
Starting with Spirulina, Healthline suggests that a daily dose (for any effect) could be about 1-3g, so you're just getting enough of this ingredient in one bottle. However, all the other ingredients are in low amounts unlikely to have little, or any effect.
How Does Naked Green Machine Taste?
It goes to say it is probably very sweet. As I’ve mentioned above the primary ingredients are fruit juices (the choice of fruits is also notable in that they are sweeter varieties and therefore likely to be higher in naturally-occurring sugars per gram than some others like berries).
Side Effects
One of the side effects of this product could, for instance, be, a serious sugar hit!
You may not realize it because the huge selling point is the amount of healthy stuff inside, but actually, there is more sugar in this product than should rightfully be in a health product.
Does Naked Green Machine Actually Work?
Whether something actually works is obviously down to both its intended purpose and the ingredients (whether they will do the job or not).
If the intended purpose is to quickly ingest a large number of sugars (perhaps to replenish energy stores after an intense workout??) then this could work.
This is really more a juice, at best a smoothie, than a greens product. The greens content is actually relatively low per portion, and one bottle of the product (at 15oz for example) is unlikely to last more than a day.
What is gained by convenience though, ultimately, be lost in substance?
Naked Green Machine Customer Reviews
Customer reviews on Amazon.com are the usual mix of positive through to negative.
At 51 customer reviews, 75% are positive, while only 21% are negative (2 stars or 1).
Here are a few examples:
Favorite flavor ever, the best!5 stars
Love this stuff, I could drink this all day every day. Great product5 stars
they changed the ingredients, now it leaves a bitter aftertaste1 star
I was drinking it because I was duped by the green, and healthy label of this drink. There is so much fructose in this drink that is just unbelievable for a product touted as healthy.1 star
Money Back Guarantee / Returns Policy
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see one on their website, this may be because juices really can’t be returned.
Where to Buy Naked Green Machine?
You can buy Naked Green Machine in health stores, online and on Amazon.
Is It Worth the Price?
A 15.2oz bottle costs $2.50. There are larger bottles available but I have my concerns about whether or not these represent value for money as, really, they don’t keep for long once opened and therefore unless you are sharing with family or friends this isn’t a product where more is more.
Would it be fair to weigh this product, which is primarily a juice-based drink boosted with greens ingredients, against a super greens powdered product (check out my guide) that doesn’t contain any juice? Perhaps not. But there’s no way for me to calculate the cost of ‘just’ the super greens ingredients.
It goes without saying that there are numerous review sites which ‘debunk’ and claim to ‘expose’ juice drinks for their hidden sugar content, but for me, it is more disappointing that there’s so little real plant power in this product.
Green Machine Verdict
How long people will be buying into the notion of the convenience of juice drinks over the hassle of getting ‘whole fruit’ benefits remains to be seen.
I, for one, would sooner choose a bar of gourmet chocolate if I really wanted to consume such a large amount of sugar in one hit. But then I am happy to supplement my diet with other super greens powder products where I know what is going into my body (through transparent labeling) and then add in additional ingredients if I need a fruit boost.
My verdict: When you look at the sugar content and the too few greens ingredients, I would rather mix-up my super greens powder (click here) or my other favourite Green Vibrance, than go for this juice.
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
Whether something actually works is obviously down to both its intended purpose and the ingredients (whether they will do the job or not).
Just got one out of the machine at work.
I bought it, fully aware of the 53g, because we have the opportunity with our new machines to take it out and read it before buying.
I always become suspicious whenever I see the big ole “No Added Sugar” logo or tagline. It’s ridiculous – sugar is sugar, whether it’s added, naturally occurring, or something that turns into sugar while taking the trip through your gut (can you say “bread”?).
But I am stuck here for lunch today and I wanted something to drink and I hate pop and I’ve already had my caffeine for the day, so my choices were limited. I got this one.
I agree the amount of sugar is ridiculous, but I also agree it tastes way too sweet. They should have bumped up the spinach and kale and left out the pineapple and kiwi altogether.
However… I have to tell you, the most disturbing part is the Nutrition Facts Label. They list the total sugars as 53g, and then right below that the “added” sugars as 0g – and then they are ALLOWED to put the % Daily Value on the “added” line only, making it “0%” when you read the daily for the sugars. This is an APPALLING go around, and I am shocked the FDA is allowing this on their precious label. BOTH of them should be listed as a Daily %.
This is not the first label I have seen this on lately. I smell kickback…