Greens powders are dietary supplements made to help you consume the necessary amount of vegetables each day.
Ideally, adults should be eating at least 2 to 3 cups of these vegetables per day: kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens or broccoli leaves. Most people don’t consume enough veggies, which is nothing new. Less than 12% of adults in the United States consume the recommended quantity of fruits and vegetables, despite research showing their importance to general health.
Greens powder has gained popularity as a means of assisting individuals in consuming the appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals each day. The nutrient mix in greens powder is designed to provide the nutritional needs for a healthy diet while supporting your body’s immune system and energy levels.
The AG1 is marketed as a simple and efficient health supplement that gives you all the vitamins, minerals, and energy you need to lead a very active lifestyle. The Athletic Greens AG1 shaker cup has everything you need, whether you’re an athlete, a parent with a busy schedule, or someone who works long hours. However, it comes at a steep price.
You may be wondering what other greens powders match up to athletic greens and are not as costly. In this article, we explore athletic greens health claims and drawbacks, and the best alternatives to athletic greens that would give you the same benefits and go easy on your wallet.
What is athletic greens
Athletic Greens is a powdered combination of about 75 vitamins, minerals, superfoods derived from whole foods, probiotics, and adaptogens. This makes it one of the most comprehensive green powders in the market today.
It is a green juice powder that is designed to be quickly absorbed and beneficial for both athletes and non-athletes to have complete and practical daily nutrition.
Athletic Greens is not a completely organic product, although some of its custom blends do contain organic ingredients. Athletic Greens is made with premium organic and non-organic components.
The greens superfood powder, AG1, includes nutrient-dense extract, herbs, and antioxidants, a digestive enzyme and super mushroom complex, and an alkaline, nutrient-dense raw superfood complex. It is also vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto-friendly, paleo-friendly, and non-GMO.
About The Athletic Greens Brand
Chris Ashenden started Athletic Greens in 2009 in an effort to better his diet while battling digestive and gut health problems. This company is situated in New Zealand, and the facility where its products are made is TGA and NSF GMP registered.
The Athletic Greens brand’s goal is to enable consumers to take charge of their health. Professional athletes and health authorities have recommended this brand because of its positive attributes.
Athletic Greens Ingredients
Athletic Greens is a nutritionally complete supplement with a whopping 75 constituents in its comprehensive mix, including vitamins, minerals, and nutrients taken from whole foods.
These ingredients include fruit and vegetable powders and extracts, herbs and adaptogens, and probiotics and digestive enzymes divided into four groups:
- Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex
- Nutrient Dense Extracts, Herbs & Antioxidants
- Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex
- Dairy Free Probiotics
The supplement seeks to provide consumers with the greatest wellness and nutritional advantages in four key areas, including energy, immunity, gut health, and neural and brain function. One scoop of the supplement contains 12 grams and has 50 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.
Since the formula incorporates proprietary blends, the ingredients list is not fully disclosed.
It’s difficult to determine how much of each ingredient there is in a formula that uses proprietary blends. Thus, it is impossible to determine the formula’s effectiveness.
Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex 8453 mg
This superfood complex is packed full of ingredients that reportedly provide an antioxidant content equivalent to approximately 12 servings of fruits and vegetables. Some ingredients include organic spirulina, rosehip (Rosa canina), organic wheat grass juice powder, and organic chlorella.
A medical review published in the International Journal of Preventative Medicine analyzed data from years of clinical trials on multivitamins and found they had no health benefit, and may slightly increase the risk of certain types of cancer.
Nutrient Dense Extracts, Herbs & Antioxidants 3577mg
This blend contains adaptogenic herbs and nutrient-dense natural plant extracts to support hormonal function and antioxidant activity. Ashwagandha, citrus bioflavonoids extract, and vitamin K2 are among the ingredients.
Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic root that has been used for over 5,000 years in Ayurvedic Medicine, a healthy lifestyle system practiced by people in India. In clinical trials, ashwagandha extract improved attention, performance on cognitive tasks, attention, and cognitive reaction time. According to research, ashwagandha can help balance reproductive hormones and alleviate anxiety and stress symptoms.
Digestive Enzyme and Super Mushroom Complex 233mg
The digestive enzyme and mushroom complex aid in digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function. The digestive enzyme bromelain, burdock root, reishi mushroom powder, shiitake mushroom powder, and astragalus root powder are all included in this blend.
Bromelain is a pineapple enzyme that can break down proteins to amino acids.
Bromelain has been shown in animal and cell studies to be effective in reducing inflammation, inhibiting microbial growth, protecting against cancer, reducing diarrhea, enhancing antibiotic activity, improving liver function, protecting against ulcers, supporting immune function, supporting blood circulation, and reducing swelling, in addition to its digestive health benefits.
Dairy Free Probiotics
Probiotics are included to help with gut health, nutrient absorption, and immune system strength. Lactobacillus acidophilus UALa-01 and Bifidobacterium bifidum UABb-10 are both present in Athletic Greens.
Lactobacillus acidophilus UALa-01 is a strain of L. acidophilus designed to survive in the digestive tract.
Various strains of L. acidophilus have been shown to improve immune response, lower cholesterol, improve gut health, and prevent infection. This bacterium may also help with weight loss, though the research results are mixed.
You can purchase AG1 online at retailers like Amazon and the Athletic Greens official website.
Health Benefits Of Athletic Greens
Exercise Recovery
Reducing inflammation can help with exercise recovery. Athletic Greens’ nutrient-dense greens powders contain ingredients that have been shown to reduce redness and swelling, reduce tissue inflammation, fight oxidative stress, and provide nutrients to ensure optimal performance.
Improves Digestion
Many of the ingredients in Athletic Greens help with digestion. This supplement contains probiotics as well as prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and ingredients that reduce gut inflammation.
Boosts Immunity
Athletic Greens contains ingredients that reduce inflammation, prevent inflammatory cytokine overproduction, and support normal immune function.
Supports Energy Production
Athletic Greens’ vitamins and minerals are all required for proper metabolism and energy production. Other adaptogenic herbs and ingredients may aid in energy production, nutrient absorption, attention, and focus.
Support Nervous System
Athletic greens help the nervous system by supplying nutrients for neurotransmitters, adaptogens to improve cognitive function, and antioxidants to reduce inflammation in the brain.
Improves Liver Function
Athletic Greens contains several ingredients that have been shown to reduce inflammation in tissues such as the liver and may even be protective against fatty liver disease.
Supports Hormone Function
Athletic Greens contain vitamins and minerals required for hormone production, as well as adaptogenic ingredients that aid in the balance of reproductive and stress hormones.
Athletic Greens drawbacks
Contains Proprietary blends
Athletic Greens uses proprietary blends, which make it impossible for customers to know how much of each ingredient they are taking. This is a disadvantage for anyone who needs to ensure they are not taking too much of a specific ingredient.
Expensive compared to other plant-based green juice powders
The formula ranges in price from $2.63 to $3.30 for the pouch and $2.82 to $3.63 for the travel packs, depending on whether you buy it once or as part of a subscription. As such, you may want to look for a formula that is a little more wallet friendly.
May cause gastrointestinal side effects
Commonly reported side effects of Athletic Greens include nausea, diarrhea, bloating, and other digestive issues.
Athletic Greens should not be taken by children under the age of 18 without the supervision of a medical professional. Individuals who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications should also seek medical advice before using Athletic Greens.
So, let’s take a look at some of the best Athletic Greens alternatives!
Best Athletic greens Alternatives
Before we look into some of the alternatives to athletic greens, it is important to know what makes a good greens powder supplement.
Green foods supplements are advertised as “providing all of your daily needed greens,” which means that people expect these supplements to provide everything they require in their diet to be healthy. While many are beneficial, there are some vital nutrients, minerals, and additional benefits that you should always look for in a greens supplement.
Spirulina
Spirulina was considered a superfood by the Aztecs and may be one of the oldest living organisms on the planet. Phycocyanin (the plant pigment that gives spirulina its color) became popular in our modern culture when NASA began studying these algae that grow in both salt and freshwater. It is an extremely powerful source of antioxidants, pain relief, anti-inflammatory, and brain-protective properties. Spirulina is high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B1, B2, B3, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and trace amounts of nearly every other nutrient.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is another superfood that can help you achieve optimal health. It is made from the newly sprouted (7-10 days after planting) leaves of Triticum aestivum, the common wheat plant. With all of the gluten sensitivities that have recently emerged in our society, it is easy for many of us to avoid all things wheat, but it is important to note that wheatgrass is not the same thing and does not contain gluten.
Wheatgrass has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It aids in the elimination of toxins, aids digestion, boosts metabolism, lowers cholesterol, boosts the immune system, and can help your body fight cancer.
Protein derived from plants
Whether you exercise frequently or not, your body requires a certain amount of protein on a daily basis. Protein supplementation aids muscle recovery after strenuous workouts, which is why you’ll see people who frequent the gym carrying protein shakers everywhere they go, but we all need protein, whether we fit into that category or not. Protein also helps you feel fuller for longer, so if your diet is lacking in protein, a daily protein supplement may help you avoid the frequent snacking that you find yourself doing between meals.
Fiber
The main problem that most doctors and dieticians have with drink-based diets is that they lack fiber, which is one of the main things that nature provides in fruits and vegetables to allow us to fully absorb the nutrients that they contain. While some people dislike the pulp of fruit juice, it is the part of the fruit that allows our bodies to benefit from the nutrients other than sugar that the juice contains.
So what are the best alternatives?
Supergreen Tonik
Supergreen TONIK is among the top greens powders for 2023.
Supergreen Tonik is a superfood and adaptogen powder that combines 16 evidence-backed ingredients. It contains 22 vitamins and minerals that are comparable to those in multivitamin supplements. Additionally, it includes 38 plant-based superfoods and greens to support immunity, focus, and normal levels of energy.
Super green Tonik is free of toxins, caffeine, dairy, soy, and GMOs (genetically modified ingredients). It comes in berry and mint flavors which makes this product the best tasting greens powder.
Adam Wright, the company’s founder and creator was inspired by his personal experience when developing SuperGreen TONIK. For 25 years, Adam suffered from Chronic Fatigue and struggled to find an effective treatment.
This former triathlete is devoted to health and wellness and is well-versed in supplements. Using everything he knew about supplements, he created SuperGreen TONIK, a green powder.
SuperGreen TONIK Ingredients
This product’s ingredients are listed in optimal dosage instead of a ‘range’ in a bid to stay transparent to its consumers. The ingredients for this green powder are listed on the first page of its website. It usually has three major blends: Immune blend, Nootropic blend, and Organic Greens blend.
The following ingredients can be found in each SuperGreen TONIK blend:
The Organic Greens Blend:
Horseradish tree leaf powder – 500 milligrams
Moringa, also known as horseradish, is another component that is very nourishing. Organic Moringa Oleifera is loaded with natural minerals and vitamins. According to studies it can help with hypertension, diabetes, cancer, insulin resistance, and liver disease symptoms. It can also promote the growth and repair of healthy cells following an injury or infection.
There is currently insufficient information available regarding moringa dosage. However, studies have used doses ranging from 500 mg to 3 g. Supergreen Tonik contains 500 mg of the minimum recommended dosage.
Barley grass powder – 1000 milligrams
Barley grass is a leafy green that can support heart health. It has been shown in studies to significantly lower cholesterol levels.
It is also high in antioxidants, which, as previously stated, can aid in the reduction of inflammation in the body. It is also high in fiber, which can help with gut health.
Organic spinach powder – 1000 milligrams
Spinach contains a high concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation in the body.
It contains nitrates, which can be converted to nitric oxide. This can help widen blood vessels, which can help lower blood pressure.
Spinach also contains magnesium, which can help with mood, PMS symptoms, and sleep.
Collards leaf powder – 2000 milligrams
Collards Leaf, also known as kale, is a high-nutritional leafy green. It contains a lot of vitamins K, A, C, and manganese.
According to research, it can lower the risk of heart disease by increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and decreasing bad cholesterol.
Organic spirulina powder – 2000 mg
Organic Spirulina Powder is anti-inflammatory and may help lower blood sugar levels. According to research, it can also improve heart health. A study found that taking one gram of spirulina per day reduced triglyceride levels by 16% and cholesterol levels by 10% in people with high triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
Organic Chlorella Powder (1,000 Mg)
Chlorella, like spirulina, is an algae. It also contains a lot of nutrients and antioxidants.
One of its most significant advantages is that it can detoxify the body. Chlorella has been shown in studies to bind to heavy metals and other harmful substances and excrete them from the body.
The recommended dosage for chlorella is 6 to 10 g, according to research. Having said that, Supergreen Tonik contains one gram, which is less than the recommended amount.
The Nootropic Blend:
- Rhodiola root powder and extract (300 milligrams)- Rhodiola Rosea can alleviate anxiety, increase energy, reduce fatigue, and stimulate the nervous system.
- Bacopa leaf powder and herb extract (300 milligrams)