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It used to be that we got (or at least were supposed to get) our greens in veggie form. But now, with “greens powders” popping up on vitamin and supplement shelves across the country, many Americans are choosing to scoop their way to their five-a-day.
Combinations of plants that have been dried and blended into a powder, greens powders are designed to help you easily score an array of health-boosting vitamins and minerals. Exact ingredients vary by brand, but common ones include wheat grass, spirulina (an algae), chlorella, kale, kelp, pineapple, beets, ginseng and green tea extract. Many brands also contain pre- and probiotics as well as digestive enzymes. Mix the powder into your beverage of choice and you’re good to go.
Greens: What Are They Good For?
According to greens powders labels, pretty much everything. Brands boast improved immunity, energy levels, exercise performance, nutrient absorption, fat loss and hormonal health. While it’s important to keep expectations in check, greens powders may confer some benefits in those departments, says Vandana Sheth, a Los-Angeles based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She notes that many common greens powder ingredients have been linked to improved exercise endurance, diabetes management and blood lipid levels. In one study of 40 men and women reported in the journal of Chiropractic Medicine, those taking a fruit and veggie powder blend daily for 90 days did reduce blood pressure.
After all, eating your vegetables (at least in whole form) has been linked to longer, healthier lives, and greens powders are designed to help you get the veggies you need.
However, if you want to simply “get out” of eating your broccoli, well, you’re out of luck. “You cannot out-supplement a poor diet,” explains registered dietician Lori Zanini, creator of For the Love of Diabetes online program. “Greens powders should only be used in addition to a diet that’s still rich in whole plant foods, including fruits and vegetables. Greens powders do not give the ‘green light’ to not eat your vegetables.”
After all, the body reacts quite differently to whole foods than it does to isolated vitamins. And, while greens powders do contain many whole foods (in extract form), eating broccoli powder and beetroot extract is still very different from eating a plate full of broccoli or beets, Sheth says. And most greens powders also contain a pretty generous helping of isolated, lab-created compounds.
Sheth explains that whole foods have a synergistic effect, complementing each other and boosting how well the body can effectively absorb and use their nutrients. For instance, in one Advances in Nutrition review, researchers concluded that lycopene from tomatoes was more beneficial at improving cardiovascular health compared to lycopene from supplements. Meanwhile, numerous studies have found that multivitamins pack minimal benefits compared to whole, nutrient-rich diets.
Plus, whole foods are just way more satisfying than a glass of water with a powder mixed in.
The Fine Print You Need to Read
Before you buy, you need to realize that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements, greens powders included, and it only steps in when multiple case reports link a supplement with adverse effects or even death. Yikes.
So, basically, it’s on you to make sure that any greens powder contains what it actually says it does – and nothing else. After all, in one Consumer Labs study, one third of greens powders marketed as “healthy, healthy, healthy” were found to be contaminated with heavy metals, such as lead and arsenic. That’s definitely not what you want out of yours.
To stay safe, Zanini recommends buying only from companies that have been certified through a third-party lab such as NSF or Informed-Choice. Such bodies test product ingredients for safety and purity – and make sure they match exactly what’s listed on the ingredient label, which you also need to read.
“The only ingredients listed on the product should be from recognizable plant foods, digestive enzymes and probiotic strains,” Zanini explains, noting that many products contain added sugars, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers such as lecithin and other fillers. And while those additives can improve taste (yeah, greens powders taste pretty rank on their own), they can interfere with the nutrient bioavailability, or how usable the powder’s nutrients really are, she says.
Meanwhile, it’s important to note that, when it comes to supplementation, more isn’t necessarily better. Serving sizes are generally as small as 1 tablespoon yet still contain several times your daily recommended intake of vitamins C, E and various B vitamins – and labels recommend taking multiple servings per day!
“With supplements, it’s very easy to go overboard,” Sheth says. “Typically, excess water-soluble vitamins [C and B-complex] will flush out of your body. But, in excess, some minerals and fat-soluble vitamins [A, D, E and K] can build up to toxic levels as our body does not excrete it.”
For example, while many studies have linked excessive beta-carotene intake to cancer and excess vitamin A to liver damage, one headline topping 2017 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology concluded that supplementing over the long term with high doses of vitamin B6 and B12 may significantly increase the risk of lung cancer in men.
So before buying a greens powder (or any supplement, for that matter), Sheth recommends discussing your options with your primary care provider and opting for a blend that doesn’t contain more than 100 percent of your daily recommended intake of any vitamin. If it means you stop yourself at half of a serving per day, so be it. As a bonus, that could help out both your taste buds and budget.
You Found the Right Tub for You … Now What?
No matter how solid your greens powder’s nutritional label is, it’s still best to use it as a supplement rather than as your main produce source. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends filling half of every plate you eat with fruits and veggies; that should come out to eating 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day.
So, on those days when you’re on-the-go, too busy to cook or just know that you won’t hit your produce goals, mix your greens with your water or tea (the flavor works pretty well with green tea) or blend the powder into a whole-foods-packed smoothie to make yours into a full meal replacement. Great add-in options include milk and Gree yogurt for protein, half a frozen banana for carbs and a nut butter for unsaturated fat. If you add in a serving of whole veggies like spinach, even better! (After opening your tub, store your powder in the refrigerator, and always use by the expiration date.)
Written for USNews.com