Superfood powders are all the rage

In the past, a green drink may have been something that your older sibling concocted from who knows what and dared you to drink when no adults were around.

Now they are hot items at the juice bar and the chosen beverage of wellness warriors looking for a quick and easy jolt of the beneficial plant nutrients from fruits and vegetables.

Those green drinks are often made with green powder supplements, and you likely have seen people downing them at the gym or having them for breakfast at their desk. Maybe you are already part of the club and start your day with a scoop of green powder in your smoothie or yogurt bowl.

But are powdered greens good for you? Do you really need them if you already fill your plate with fruits and vegetables? Let’s take a look.

Green powder supplements – the basics

What is green powder? Whether it’s called green powder or greens powder, superfood powder or super green powders or any other combination, they are typically powdered versions of vegetables, fruits, grasses or other nutritious compounds designed to be mixed with liquid for an easy serving of plant nutrients. The usual ingredients include spinach, kale, spirulina and a variety of other green plants.

There are various methods for turning the whole plants into powder, including drying, crushing, juicing and grinding. That process can vary by manufacturer. Different manufacturers also choose unique blends of ingredients depending on what benefits they are targeting.

Green powder supplements appeal to people with busy lifestyles who want to get plant nutrients but find it difficult to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables in their regular diet—which is quite a few people, said Dawna Venzon, a principal research scientist for Nutrilite™ products and a registered dietitian with more than a decade of experience in the dietary supplement industry.

According to Health Canada, only 26% of people consume the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. “People are looking for ways to add more nutrients from greens to their daily diets in a convenient, simple way,” Venzon said.

Do green powders work?

If you are choosing a quality green powder from a reputable company, you can feel confident that your green beverage is delivering the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that typically come with their whole food counterparts.

And research has tracked benefits from taking some fruit and vegetable powders daily. But green powder supplements are not a substitute for ensuring fruits and vegetables are part of your regular meals, Venzon said.

If you limit your plant nutrients to powders or juices, you are missing out on some of the perks of the real thing. While quality green powder manufacturers take extra care to preserve the plant nutrients during processing, it’s impossible to maintain as many nutrients in the powders as in the whole food.

And the simple act of eating fruits and vegetables in their whole form—the chewing and swallowing—is thought to help satisfy hunger and make you feel fuller longer versus a powdered version. That’s why you need to remember that green powder supplements are just that, supplements. They can help fill any nutritional gaps.

What do greens do for your body?

Dark green leafy vegetables are the cornerstone of a healthy diet. It’s why so many parents and caregivers spend hours coaxing and cajoling their children to eat their vegetables.

“It has long been recognized that green vegetables and plants are vital sources of nutrients, including antioxidant phytonutrients like carotenoids that help fight oxidative stress,” Venzon said. “For optimal benefits, people can’t just eat a green vegetable here and there, they need to eat enough of the right kind—those that are naturally rich in plant nutrients like carotenoids that can help support overall health and general wellness.”

Green powder benefits

That’s where green powder supplements can help. The benefits of green powders will depend on their ingredients. Take the Nutrilite Organics Green Superfood Powder. It is a combination of four carefully formulated superfood blends designed to provide different benefits.

• The Organic Green Vegetable Blend of spinach, broccoli, kale, parsley and collard greens is naturally rich in carotenoids.
• The Organic Grass Juice Blend is from alfalfa and barley grass, which are rich in carotenoids and also polyphenols.
• Chlorophyll-rich spirulina and chlorella—two powerful blue-green micro water plants with thiamine to support energy production.
• And moringa leaf powder and Jerusalem artichoke inulin to provide a good source of natural fiber.

“Nutrilite Organics Green Superfood Powder was designed with a focus,” said Rick Kitisin, a senior research scientist for Nutrilite products. “We selected natural, wholesome ingredients specifically to help boost your intake of natural plant carotenoids and  fill green gaps in your diet.”

What to look for in a green powder

In addition to benefits the green powder supplements are aiming to deliver, it’s important to consider the manufacturing process and where the ingredients come from. The plant ingredients for the Nutrilite Organics Green Superfood Powder were grown on USDA certified organic Nutrilite farms and partner farms.

And each organic superfood is processed from raw whole foods without heat treatments. Doing so helps preserve each plant’s nutrients in the final product. Click here to learn more about the Nutrilite Organics line. And check out additional articles about nutrition on Amway Discover.