Are you looking for a greens powder to buy?
Let me help! I do know quite a bit about greens and I am happy to share these findings. When you think of greens, your mind may immediately correlate this with health and you would be right.
Greens powders present an easier way to consume vegetables and fruits which may typically bulky in appearance and for some people, these foods may be somewhat challenging to consume in the required daily quantities. Unfortunately, it can be challenging for people to get even 5 servings of vegetables and fruits in their daily diets [1].
To get the daily recommended serving of fruits and vegetables, we may need to do things differently. “Yes, but how?”, you may ask. Greens powders can be one solution and a way to provide this nutrition.
However, if you are planning on purchasing greens powders, the following are 6 things to look for to ensure to get a quality greens powder product:
1. Look for Nutrition
Yes, my friend. This may seem like a no-brainer or something that should be the basic part of any greens powder but it is worth emphasizing as there are different products which may be advertised as being greens powders but which do not really provide you with the required daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Hence, when you are looking for greens powders to buy, aim for products that have optimal quantities of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics and other elements that are essential to good health.
Do not settle for the seemingly average version of greens powder with fillers or ingredients which add no value to the body. Trust me … not all greens powders are created equal! Especially for items that we consume, we need to be very careful of doing something that could harm the body. So, please pay close attention to the nutritional composition that the greens powder product has.
2. No GMO!
If you are curious about genetically modified organisms or GMO, the non-GMO project [2] has a lot of information regarding this topic. You do not want to eat food that has been genetically modified because it simply goes against nature. Plants that have undergone gene splicing can become unstable and quite frankly, it can be difficult to know what dangers lie ahead if you consume such foods.
So, it would be wise to completely avoid GMO foods. This includes greens powders that are produced from agricultural products which have gone through some type of modification. There are high risk groups of plants that typically get genetically modified including zucchinis, alfalfa, soy, beets, papaya, squash and flax. If you don’t believe me regarding staying away from these GMO products, explore the non-GMO project and you will be glad you did.
3. Gluten-Free
Do you have a gluten allergy? Sometimes, gluten in foods could present complications and people that have specific stomach sensitivities to gluten would be best served to find a gluten-free greens powder. You do need to be careful here too because it can be easy to claim that a product is gluten-free when in reality it is not [3]. (Also check out this blog post.)
So, I tell my friends to seek products that have been independently tested and verified by an unbiased third part gluten testing facility. Please do not just believe the labels. This is your health we are taking about and you should be ready to dig a little deeper to get the facts. There are gluten-free greens powders that are out there. Just make sure you find the right one and you will be glad you did!
4. No Wheat
Sometimes, greens powders depend on various fillers including the use of wheat as a base ingredient to help the product create a filling effect. While some people may be okay with wheat, having this item in your greens powder could be a bit misleading. Actually, it can be significantly misleading because it could take away the benefits you actually think you are getting.
Remember that greens powders are supposed to be great for you because this product provides you with nutrition from fruits and vegetables. Essentially, greens powders should be made up of the purest and highest quality of vegetables and fruits.
Thus, this is my main point. If you are not getting these fruits and vegetables in the form of green powder, then you may be wasting your time. I like to ensure that I receive value when consuming products that should be good for me. I don’t know about you, but for me, if I am seeking greens and the benefit from greens, then this is exactly what I want to get.
5. No Eggs and Dairy Products
Yes, I have seen it all. Dairy products include anything that comes from the milk of mammals. Some greens products may also contain eggs! Eggs and dairy products included in greens powder for a variety of reasons. You will be surprised to know the various hidden ingredients that could be found in a container of greens power!
There are people who do not tolerate or eat dairy products or eggs and these items can change the flavor of greens when included in the list of ingredients. So, yes, you do need to pay close attention to those food labels and carefully read the list of ingredients. You want greens? Please stick with products that provide these greens in high quantities.
6. Beware of Chemical Sweeteners
The great world of sugars! Indeed, there are different types of sugars ranging from the more organic versions that come from food items like cane sugar to sugars that have gone through immense chemical processing to such an extent that all the nutritional aspects of the sugar has been zapped or depleted.
Many of these chemical sugars and sweeteners do your body no good at all. Hence, please listen to me when I ask you to stay away from chemical sugars. There are sugars like fructose, saccharin and aspartame and these do not provide value for the body. Research studies potentially link aspartame to seizures and neurologic effects [4].
Greens powders that are loaded with these chemical sweeteners simply include these ingredients to entice buyers to keep consuming these powders.
Think about it for minute … the sweeter the greens powders are, the more likely a person could think that it merely contains delicious goodness and people may not pay much attention to the possibility of high quantities chemical sweeteners including artificial colours which could also have adverse effects on the body. Don’t get of enticed by chemical or artificial sweeteners that some greens powders contain!
If you are like me, you really want to get your money’s worth and also do more good than harm to your body. There are so many products out there in the marketplace that claim to do what you hope these products will do, but in reality some of these products should have a big BEWARE! sticker on the front label! The body needs fuel in the form of good nutrition. Sometimes, hidden ingredients and also unnecessary items that are mixed with low quantities of actual greens powders are marketed to unsuspecting consumers with the goal of making fast profits.
Do you know that the health craze and possible hype regarding green products may also help these diluted product marketers get away with selling and reaping benefits from their sub-standard products?
Yes, people do try to cheat. Hence, don’t be fooled! Knowledge is power and the more you know about what to look for when attempting to buy greens powders, the more prepared you will be able to recognize high quality greens powders products. The good news is that high quality greens powders do exist! Yes, there is hope…
There are greens powder products that have undergone minimal processing, contain high quality nutrients and do not wreak havoc on your body. The Athletic Greens product is an example of a product that provides daily servings of fruits and vegetables [5].
You can get up to 12 servings of vegetables and fruits with a single serving of the Athletic Greens Premium Superfood Cocktail. The bottom line when looking for greens powder is to try to stick with a product that is as close as possible to the natural state and constituents of the fruits and vegetables.
Don’t let your body get confused with all the stuff that some product manufacturers try to add in to make a quick profit or make their products more marketable. It’s your body, so don’t settle for greens powders that contain junk or items that will create problems for you later. Using all the information I have discussed above, you will be well on your way to discovering a great greens powder that can meet your needs.
To your health and fitness,
Rick Kaselj, MS
