Does Greens Superfood Powder Reward Your Body or a Gimmick? 2022

We have had been through, where our parents or school teacher repeated time and again, “Don’t skip your veggies.” And you must be wondering, “I don’t like and don’t wanna eat veggies, but how can I stay healthy. I hate veggies so much, even the thought makes me sick.” We all had been through this. But again, we can’t just ignore the importance of it, when it comes to a healthy gut, digestion, or prevention of some of the important diseases. That’s why you have seen so many adverts about greens superfood powder everywhere started popping up.

Also, bear in my mind if you are struggling to meet your daily green intake, this could be a solution (Again I said, could be )

What is greens superfood powder?

Green Powders are generally dietary supplements or powders which are easily soluble in water and can be consumed on the go. They typically taste a bit grassy and greenish in colour. Generally claimed to meet the daily dietary requirements and support the body’s immunity, digestion and help in detoxification.

I also spoke about Collagen which is also considered a Superfood and discussed some of the benefits which actually helped me in my workout regimen

How are these supplements made?

Greens superfood powder contains 25–40 or more different ingredients, depending on the brand. They are dried or dehydrated vegetables and fruits which provide an adequate amount of nutrition like A, C, E, K, B6, and B12, which can further be classed as “Superfoods”

According to NHS UK, every adult should have 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Top ingredients include(vary depending on brands) :

Kale, Brown Rice Powder, AncienTrim™ (Millet, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Chia), Spirulina, Wheat Grass, Oat Grass, Alfafa Grass, Pomegranate, Beet, Carrot, Tomato, Spinach, Broccoli, Lemon, Acerola, Parsley, Blackberry, Blueberry, Ginkgo, Green Tea Extract, Bilberry, Grape Seed Extract, Elderberry.

Reading this might make you ecstatic that you don’t have to munch on that boring vegetables from today. Well, that may not be exactly correct. Remember, they are powdered form, which means they are processed and as a result, they lose all the macros like fibre, which is a very critical component, especially if you are planning on a weight loss regimen. So, you may be confused, Vegetables or Greens Powder?

I will help you to break it down.

Greens Powder vs Vegetables :

On average, one scoop (10 grams or two tablespoons) of greens superfood powder contains

• Calories: 40
• Fat: 0.5 grams
• Total carbs: 7 grams
• Dietary fibre: 2 grams
• Sugars: 1 gram
• Protein: 2 grams
• Sodium: 2% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
• Vitamin A (as beta-carotene): 80% of the RDI
• Vitamin C: 80% of the RDI
• Vitamin K: 60% of the RDI
• Calcium: 5% of the RDI
• Iron: 20% of the RDI
• Iodine: 100% of the RDI
• Selenium: 70% of the RDI
• Chromium: 60% of the RDI
• Potassium: 5% of the RDI

The bottom line is greens powder may fit well for a balanced diet but cannot replace the benefits of consuming the whole food which provides fibre. Also, goals can be different for everyone. For a person like me who does a lot of resistance training, to maintain a caloric deficit or surplus, veggies help a lot to keep me full depending on my need.

For eg, If I go on a cutting phase, where I would eat 2000 cals (500 cals deficit) every day. Veggies would help make me feel fuller. Now the point is, if I have to consume only powder greens, then my caloric intake would further drop, which would have a negative effect.

So the top dollar question is, Do you need a greens supplement or it’s just a waste of money?

The nutrients and compounds present in Greens Superfood Powder may help improve immunity and stamina when taken with a combination of healthy food and lifestyle.

For instance, Greens Powder contains a high amount of Vitamin A and C which is a major contributor to increasing immunity and fighting against diseases like flu and cold. Additionally, some may have added Probiotics which improve digestion and other benefits may include:

• Support hormone balance
• Support detoxification
•  Increases nutrient density of your diet.
•  Balances blood sugar
•  Supports brain health
•  Protects heart health
•  Helps balance pH
•  Reduce oxidative stress

So the bottom line is, that this can be used as a wellness supplement for overall nutrition. As per my understanding, it only provides competitive micronutrients, more or less enough. Especially you are a fitness freak and travelling or maybe you have a busy schedule and have less time to maintain. So supplementing this can well fit your lifestyle.

Bottom line: Can they replace real vegetables?

Though Greens superfood powder can benefit you in many ways, like improving immunity or providing enough micronutrients and probiotics. It would ideal rather for people who live a fast life, don’t have enough time for a complete diet, or may help people who got gastric or IBS issues. This can work. Think in this way, if I am given a choice I would instead buy a good or complete Multivitamin, rather than not spend my energy on another supplement. Most, nothing can replace real foods

PS: I suffer from IBS, so adding greens powder helps sometimes, since I have to follow a FODMAP diet.

So which is the best 1 to buy?

Very good question, there are brands like Athletic Greens which can make a hole in your pocket, I got no idea why you spend 100s of pounds on mere greens. Whilst there are cheaper respectable brands from Myprotein Super Green Blend or related brands.

Honest Disclaimer: Do greens powders actually do anything?:

Companies have found this marketing term “Superfood”, which is very handy for selling products like hotcakes and people keep buying them like wild sheep. Even blueberries are called a superfood. Imagine, if you only eat berries all day, since it’s a superfood. What do you think would happen. Share your ideas in the comments