AG1 Athletic Greens Review

Is Athletic Greens Good For You?

Updated March 23rd 2023

AG1: The Most Popular, But Is It The Best?

Athletic Greens, or as it is known now as AG1, has managed to position itself as one of the most popular green powder food supplements on the market.

The product makes solid health claims by being formulated with 75 whole food ingredients. They claim the supplement boosts energy levels, supports recovery from exercise, and improves the immune system and digestion. And Athletic Greens isn't a bad product, it sneaks into our best greens powders list , sneaking into last place, so as you'd expect we're going to tell you that there are better options than AG1.

Many of the ingredients contained in the AG1 formula will be difficult to consume in your average diet. But does that mean we should be going out of our way to consume absolutely all of these foods? If it is not part of our national or cultural diet to seek out and consume Lycium berry fruit extract or ginger rhizome powder, why do we suddenly need it now?

It can often be a case that less is more, especially if the ingredients are high-quality, provided in the most bioavailable form, and delivered at beneficial doses. Let's take a closer look to see if their health claims can be justified.

What Does Athletic Greens Taste Like?

The main problem that plant-based food supplements have always had is that they can look unappealing, smell like a compost heap, and have a bitter taste and chalky mouth feel.   As the years have passed, many green-based food supplement manufacturers have spent time improving their formulations to look, smell and taste better. AG1 tastes pretty good compared to other green-based supplement alternatives on the market.    

The company have worked on smoothing out the mouthfeel, and it does taste less grassy or chalky compared to other green-based powder drinks.    

The powder does blend well in water and combines well when added to smoothies without overpowering the flavour.   

Best Greens Powders 2022

Want to find the best greens powder for you? Not sure if AG1 is what you're looking for, then check out our list of the best on the market in 2022.

Best Super Greens

Athletic Greens Review FAQ

We answer some of the most commonly asked questions in AG1 Reviews.

Are Athletic Greens Worth It? 

There are better value options on our best greens list, but AG1 is a good greens powder. It's not our number one, but if you're new to greens powders in general and asking whether or not it's worth trying out, then we'd say yes. 

Is Athletic Greens Safe For Pregnancy? 

Yes athletic greens should be safe for pregnant people unless they have any allergies, that said if you've never had AG1 before, we wouldn't recommend trying it for the first time if you're pregnant.

Benefits of Athletic Greens

The benefits of athletic greens are functionally the same as taking a good multivitamin and eating some leafy greens. Which all in all isn’t a bad thing. If we remove some of the more out there health claims the realistic benefits are. 

-        AG1 aids digestion 
-        Supports your immune system 
-        Promotes brain health 
-        Improves recovery 
-        Boosts energy 
-        Tackles common vitamin deficiencies 

There are also a lot of claims about detoxification and anti free radical benefits, which there is some evidence to support, but it’s not the main benefit of taking a greens supplement. 

Athletic Greens Side Effects 
The most common side effect of athletic greens as far as customer complaints go is digestive issues, this isn’t all too surprising seeing as the product contains Ashwagandha and whilst this has a host of health benefits, it is also known to cause this in some people. Other than that a few people have reported allergy reactions. 

Athletic Greens Heavy Metals Contamination 
Athletic greens (AG1) has not been shown to be contaminated with heavy metals although a study conducted by consumer labs found that several of the 13 greens powders they tested did exceed lead levels, so it is a concern for several green powder supplements.   

What's In Athletic Greens? 

According to the marketing information, AG1 contains 75 whole-food ingredients. The manufacturers claim it will give you an antioxidant load equal to 12 servings of green vegetables in a single scoop.   Looking at the label on the packaging, while it may seem like great value for money because it is packed with a lengthy list of ingredients, you have to question whether or not many of the elements are beneficial or add any value to the formula.    

Also, wouldn't adding more things to the formula dilute the effectiveness of any nutrient-dense ingredients and lower the amount contained in each scoop? While there may be some good quality ingredients in the formula, getting too little of them isn't going to help you meet your health goals.    

We also question the need to cram 75 ingredients into the formula. We don't think there will ever be space to fit everything you need into a single 12g serving. And when in history did humans ever go to the length of consuming 75 different foods every day of their lives?    

What does AG1 contain?    

AG1 is primarily made up of three proprietary blends:    

Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense, Raw Superfood Complex (7388mg)
Nutrient-Dense Natural Extracts, Herbs, and Antioxidants (411mg)
Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex (154mg)

      The apparent issue we have with this is that although AG1 claims to be made up of 75 whole-food ingredients, they are counting each component contained in each of the three proprietary blends like it is a substantive and notable element of the formula.     

In reality, some of these ingredients may be present in such low trace elements in each scoop of AG1 that they could be considered negligible. They would hardly contribute any of the health benefits they may be able to deliver in higher doses.    

Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense, Raw Superfood Complex:    

Organic spirulina, lecithin, organic apple powder, inulin, organic wheatgrass juice powder, organic alfalfa powder, organic chlorella powder, organic barley leaf powder, acerola fruit juice powder extract, broccoli flower powder, papaya powder, pineapple fresh fruit concentrate, bilberry fruit extract, beetroot powder, rosehip fruit powder, carrot root powder, spinach leaf powder, cocoa bean polyphenol extract, grapeseed extract, green tea leaf extract, liquorice root powder, Lycium berry fruit extract, ginger rhizome powder, slippery elm bark powder, kelp whole plant powder.   Nutrient-Dense Natural Extracts, Herbs, and Antioxidants:   Alkaline pea protein isolate, citrus bioflavonoids extract, artichoke extract, citric acid, Rhodiola Rosea root dry extract, Eleuthero root extract, Gotu kola extract, rosemary leaf extract, milk thistle seed extract, R, S alpha-lipoic acid, ashwagandha root extract, dandelion root dry extract, hawthorn berry root extract, beta-glucans, policosanol, co-enzyme Q-10, stevia rebaudiana leaf powder.    

Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex:    

Astragalus root extract, bromelain, burdock root powder, reishi mushroom powder, shiitake mushroom powder, stevia.   AG1 also boosts its health claims by including 38mg of dairy-free probiotics from Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Bifidum. However, questions have been asked about the stability of non-dairy probiotics in a green-powder-based environment and whether they deliver any practical digestive benefits.  

Athletic Greens Review Conclusion

Through our own research and product testing of AG1, we agree with those customers who report this product having an artificial flavour with a lingering aftertaste. The product isn't bad, but at the same time we can't give it top marks when it uses a prorietory blend as we simply can't tell if it has effective dosages of all it's ingredients.    

We think this is an expensive product compared to other green-based food supplements on the market. We also feel that cramming 75 ingredients into a product is overkill. It is like throwing a bucket of plaster at a crack in a wall in the hope that some of it will stick. We think most of the ingredients contained in AG1 simply won't be absorbed.

It is certainly not the best greesn product for those on a budget. We recommend you choose one of our better choices if you want to benefit from a plant-based food supplement that is better for your purse or wallet.  

Best Super Green Options
Criteria Rating
Taste 4/10
Essential Nutrients 9/10
Health Benefits 6/10
Ingredient Quality 5/10
Customer Satisfaction 8/10
Value 4/10
Recommended 7/10