Greens powders have rapidly become the biggest health trend in the last
few years, and it seems pretty intuitive that drinking your greens is a pretty
simple way to make sure you get your recommended daily intake.
Unfortunately
not all greens powder supplements are created equal, as such we break down the
best greens powders on the market today, scoring for taste, nutritional
content, use of digestive enzymes, quality of ingredients and value.
We'll as
always knock points off for proprietary blends, which some companies...
athletic greens, for example, insist on using, despite this being something of
a faux pas in the health sector these days. People like to know what they're
putting in their bodies, who knew? So let's get down to finding out who makes
the best greens powder.
Menu
Super Green Tonik
- Best Greens Powder Overall
Spruce Greens
- Best Super Green Powder For Men
Enso
- Best Value Greens Powder
8Greens - Best Greens Pill
AG1
- Most Popular Greens Powder
Biosteel
- Best For Athletes
Garden of Life - Best Organic Greens Powder
The best greens powders on the market help you make sure you get all the nutrients you need in a day as well as extra fiber, healthy bacteria and a lot of other good things that you wouldn’t just get from a multivitamin. They are of course a bit more expensive than that option. Greens powders are however more readily absorbed by the body as they’re a lot closer to how we should ingest our nutrients. Most advocates use them as a way to make sure that they cover all bases rather than as a way or replacing fruits and vegetables.
What Are Greens Powders? What Do You Need To Know?
The best greens powders generally contain quite a wide range of ingredients, some of the better ones are Spirulina, barley grass, leafy greens and then typically things vary depending on the purpose of the greens powder itself.
All the products on our best greens powder list are 100% safe, with the exception of allergens.
Generally most greens powders are as simple as add a scoop to water and shake, although a lot of people do prefer to blend them into fruit juice for a better taste.
Generally speaking the most well known health benefits are a boosted immune system, cognitive improvements and chronic illness improvements, although the claims on the latter may be a little bit overblown.
Supergreen Tonik is not one of the best known greens powders on this
list, but it is by far the best, packed with premium quality ingredients,
proven to boost immunity, cognitive function and reduce anxiety, it's perfect
for modern life, beyond simply making sure that you get your required
micronutrients.
It mixes well with fruit juices as well as water (unlike some
competitor products) and as greens powders go tastes pretty good. The flavor
options are pretty solid with berry coming in as our preference.
It goes above and beyond the normal supergreens offering an additional blend of herbal extracts that improve brain health and function, and boost your immune system, normally reserved for far more expensive supplements and not included in the other greens powders on the market.
visit supergreentonik.com
Supergreen Tonik meets almost all of your micronutrient requirements,
meaning you should be good for the whole day, it's one of the better options on
this list, packed with leafy greens, digestive enzymes and nutrients it's no
surprise it's made it to the top of our list. Boating heaps of spinach,
spirulina, collards, barley grass and more, it's a clear winner. The barley
grassy taste is relatively mild making it a great mixer. It also comes in a
fair bit cheaper than the likes of AG1, which is always a nice plus. As expected,
it's great for your gut health, and we also noticed that it was particularly
gentle on the stomach, with no bloating, no artificial sweeteners, just a solid
greens powder blend, with a great taste. It's also the best greens powder for
anxiety by far, with a whole host of ingredients you'd normally find in
nootropic supplements, like ashwaghanda (proven to significantly reduce stress) [1] and ginko root, which
helps emotional regulation [2]. It also contains L Theanine, which promotes calming without drowsiness [3] and Bacopa.
If all that wasn't enough it hits all the standarrd areas that the rest of the greens powders on our list manage, such as barley, spinanch and the like, and then goes on to add in a host of immune boosting ingredients like garlic and dandelion extracts. Lastly topping it off with bioperine (black pepper extract) which helps the body aborb larger amounts of vitamins in one go. Again, something that's normally missed entirely by supergreens and left to more highly priced and less natural capsuled supplements.
On top of all that, it's certified usda organic. It's a great option and we can't recommend it
enough.
Visit SuperGreen Tonik
| Pros | Cons |
| - Good Value - Contains Everything In The Competitors And More - Tastes Great |
- Only Available From Their Website - Limited Flavor Selection |
| Category | Score |
| Flavor | 9/10 |
| Nutrition | 10/10 |
| Ingredients | 10/10 |
| Value | 10/10 |
| Customer Ratings | 10/10 |
| Overall | 10/10 |
Ensō Supergreens is relatively new to the greens powder scene, but the company has produced as well-rounded a supplement that could be made at this price point. Their focus is on all around health, packing their product with a variety of superfood ingredients, plus a few health-boosting extras.
Covering all the bases, let’s start with quality. Supergreens is GMO free, third party tested, organic, no artificial or added sugars, no fillers or preservatives, and free from dairy, gluten, and nut free. They’re also free of caffeine, something a lot of other greens powders slip in there without us knowing. Instead, the boost of energy you get from this supplement is from its high vitamin and mineral content, and whilst it isn't the best here, it's pretty good for absorbality and holds up better than any of the competitors in it's price bracket.
We’re impressed with Supergreen’s taste, which isn’t too grassy like a lot of other budget greens powders. Definitely a benefit if you’re not one who enjoys your veggies. Plus, it mixes in easily with water or any other liquids. Ensō recommends adding it to a smoothie first thing in the morning to get your energy and metabolism off and running.
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This greens powder has over 20 ingredients, including greens, grasses, herbs, microalgae, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. Looking at some of the whole-body health benefits, there’s microalgae spirulina and chlorella that have been shown to reduce oxidative stress and bind to heavy metals, helping excrete them from the body; nettle and dulse that support blood sugar control; and probiotics and digestive enzymes for gut health. As for the
weight loss element it largely focuses on coffee bean extracts and ginger, whilst
these aren’t the very best supplements for this, the best would not be viable
in an organic greens drink as they’re not actually organic (in the case of 5htp)
or don’t actually mix with water (in the case of glucomannan). As a result we
think that this isn't the best area for them to focs on in terms of selling points.
With all that said, Ensō Supergreens makes it onto our list because of its value. You get all that at just $1.33 per serving. That’s an incredible value, one of the best on the market, without skimping on quality or ingredients. Plus, they have a 30-day money back guarantee.
Overall, we’re looking at a quality product with great value and ingredients to rival the best greens powders out there.
| Pros | Cons |
| - Good Value - Organic and GMO Free |
- Only Available From Their Website |
| Category | Score |
| Flavor | 8/10 |
| Nutrition | 8/10 |
| Ingredients | 8/10 |
| Value | 10/10 |
| Customer Ratings | 9/10 |
| Overall | 9/10 |
Spruce aren’t
typically known for their greens powders, that said they’ve waded into the
market anyway. And with a product that’s quite interesting. There’s a couple of
particularly interesting ingredients for men, and even more so for those who
are on calorie restricted diets. In other words, men trying to lose weight. We’re
not actually sure if that’s what they designed it for, but we like the idea all
the same.
The taste
is particularly good as greens powders go, so that’s a good start, and it’s
mixability is as expect from anything on our best greens powders list. It doesn’t
have quite as good a nootropics blend for mood and brain health as Super Green
Tonik, although it is a close second. But as we’ve already said that’s not
where it shines.
In terms of customer reviews the ones that currently exist are really positive. That said Spruce Greens are really new to the market, so we don't have a great sample size to go off right now, although we definitely like the product so far.
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So, what makes
it good for men? Well simply put that’s the Ashwaganda and Maca extracts. There
is a decent amount of Ashwaganda for most benefits, such as improved mood,
although it isn’t as strong as would be required for the maximized benefits
that men can get from it. Maca on the other hand has a lot of benefits for men’s
“ahem” nighttime performance and overall health [5]. It’s dosed correctly for
this, and this can be particularly beneficial for men on low calorie diets as
this area of their health can over suffer as a result.
As for the
weight loss element it largely focuses on coffee bean extracts and ginger, whilst
these aren’t the very best supplements for this, the best would not be viable
in an organic greens drink as they’re not actually organic (in the case of 5htp)
or don’t actually mix with water (in the case of glucomannan). As a result we
think they’ve been pretty smart with this and they’ve gone for proven
ingredients with no risk.
Visit Spruce
| Pros | Cons |
| - Ingredients Specific To Mens Health - Tastes Great |
- Only Available From Their Website - Just The One Flavor - A Bit Expensive |
| Category | Score |
| Flavor | 10/10 |
| Nutrition | 10/10 |
| Ingredients | 10/10 |
| Value | 8/10 |
| Customer Ratings | 9/10 |
| Overall | 10/10 |
8Greens makes the best greens powders list for one big reason, the
innovative delivery method, they're not the best in terms of ingredients, but
the fact that they come as a soluble pill does mean that unlike a lot of other
green powders, they're easy to take travelling with you.
It doesn't quite taste
the same as the other best greens powder options, it is a little worse, but
considering what it's for it's brilliant. It's negligibly subpar in terms of
taste, but that could be our taste, we don't really mind nor like the
artificial sweeteners, but some people are a lot more bothered by it.
The main issue with 8Greens is that they are once again a proprietary blend,
so we must expect that of the spinach, wheatgrass, kale, blue-green algae,
spirulina, aloe vera, chlorella, barley grass listed as ingredients, they
probably load up on the cheaper options, otherwise they'd want to focus on
those elements.
8Greens are probably also the most endorsed greens powder, that
doesn't always mean the best, but we can see why it's loved by supermodels
seeing as it's good for an on the go life style, especially if you're
travelling to countries where healthy food and leafy greens aren't as easily
available. Is it the best greens powder overall no, but it is a trusty travel
companion to take with you when you can't get all the green vegetables you'd
want.
Garden of Life Raw Organic Perfect Food is something of a mouthful, but
that's pretty standard for all the Garden of Life products. The question is, is
it any good?
Well yes, enough that we wanted to include it on the list, but not
so good at any one thing that we ended up going with a rather unnecessary
category of "best organic greens powder" a lot of the powders on the
list are organic. But, they do have a great flavor range and good nutritional’s.
The unique flavors available is where garden of life raw shines. The apple is a clear winner, whilst the chocolate, was an idea.... We don't recommend the chocolate, we're sure most readers can imagine how those tastes, and unless you've ever really wanted to know what kale dipped in chocolate would taste like, it's probably not for you, but it still deserves its spot on our best greens powder list.
Check Deals Starting with the usual, it's GMO free, Dairy free, all of the free
(except the price), they go with a fully transparent label, and they're fully
certified organic. They're also quite possibly the best value greens powder on
the market, coming in at just $1.33 per serving.
The acai lemonade tastes
great, but unlike a lot of greens powders they don't offer a money back
guarantee, and not all the flavors are quite so good. This is probably as a
result of the budget price point meaning they can't absorb the costs.
The inclusion of inulin is a good choice and as far as digestive enzymes
go, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilu is a
really good greens blend considering the price point and should be all you need
to maintain good gut health.
They're a little lower on spinach than a lot of
green powder supplements, but it's one of the more expensive powders used in a
greens supplement so this isn't too surprising. Overall, we'd say that Biosteel
is not only the best for athletes it's also the best value greens powder. It's
a great cheap alternative to athletic greens.
The best greens powder list had to have something that was on here predominantly because it tastes great, not everyone likes the taste of greens powders, but does want the benefits. Ancient Nutrition’s watermelon should appeal to almost everybody, and unsurprisingly it’s one of the more popular products on their site.
In terms of ingredients the oat grass and alfalfa grass are a good start, and whilst they do have a lot of similarities there’s enough variance to avoid them clashing too much, between the two you should be good for zinc manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and copper. Spirulina is in most of the best greens powder the biomass of bacteria has a host of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits. The bacteria culture is pretty standard, and it has the added bonus of being fully USDA certified as organic.
Check Deals Athletic greens powder is by far the most well known meal replacement
powder on the market right now. As such it's the benchmark to which most greens
powders are measured against. And it's good, it's not our favorite by any
stretch of the imagination, but it's a solid green powder supplement and if
it's your first time trying greens powder you could definitely do a lot worse.
They pretty much always have a promo code running which does make their high
pricing a little bit more tolerable, but we wouldn't recommend it at full
price. We also dislike the fact that they use "proprietary blends"
which is a fancy way of saying they won't tell you everything that's in the
package. Whilst the 3rd party testing does mitigate this slightly, we cannot
ever fully recommend a product, even a well known one, with hidden ingredients.
It also falls down from having a lack of flavored options, although if
you're happy with the greens taste that should be fine and most consumers do
rate it as one of the better tasting greens drinks, although this is always
going to be subjective.
Green powders are generally vegan as is AG1, and with
it being very much geared towards mass market appeal it is good that everyone
can use it. Alongside being the most popular greens powder we'd say it could
well be the best green powder for first timers.
AG1 is as you'd expect pretty good for you, pretty much anything that helps you get your essential nutrients is and most greens powders typically manage this. It may well be the most well known green superfood powder, it's not not quite good enough to take the top spot for anything else.
There’s a lot of options that could go into greens
supplements as most of us are missing quite a few nutrients with the west at
large not having a healthy diet. So here’s a few things you can look out for in
superfood powders.
Spinach
We all know what spinach is, arguably king of the green
superfoods. It’s low calorie, high in protein, but it’s also high in vitamin E
and magnesium which helps defend your body from toxins. [5]
Wheat Grass
Not many of the greens powders contain wheatgrass, but it’s high
in antioxidants and vitamins such as glutathione, vit c and e. It’s also
incredibly low in calories and has been shown to have free radical scavenging effects
[6].
Vitamins and Minerals
It goes without saying that you want your supergreens to be packed
with vitamins and minerals to help promote overall health. The best green juice
however will be particularly rich in vitamin D seeing as this is the most
common deficiency in the USA effecting nearly half the adult population [7].
No Added Sugars
Typically speaking most of the good super greens are
naturally sweetened, although a few do have added sugars, this is something to
watch out for as the calories can stack up if you’re not being careful with
your green juice selection.
Spirulina
Less well known outside of green supplements, Spirulina is
popular in a lot of super greens. It comes with a host of health benefits that
you’d expect from a green superfood. It’s high in nutrients, particularly b
vitamin, is a powerful anti inflammatory containing a large amount of phycocyanin
which can fight free radicals [8]. It can lower cholesterol and bad LDL with
just one gram a day [9] and can even improve Allergic Rhinitis.
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979308
2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6422825/
3 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25759004/
4 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184420/
6 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30059150/
7 - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
8 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19299804/
9 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23754631/