Work, family, mental health: there’s a lot to manage. Throw in trying to maintain a balanced diet and it can become overwhelming.

Luckily, there’s powerful superfood blends to help you fill in nutritional gaps and reap the benefits of essential vitamins, minerals, prebiotics and probiotics. Enter: Green Superfood Powders.

Here we discuss green superfood powders, what’s inside, the top health benefits of green powders, any side effects or interactions and our top product picks.

What are Green Superfood Powders?

Green superfood powders combine many different natural ingredients to help fill nutritional gaps in an easy-to-take supplement.

Green powders are typically made from leafy greens and other vegetables, grasses, herbs and fruits high in antioxidants. Some manufacturers ferment their vegetables to enrich their nutritional levels and break down compounds that may interfere with mineral absorption [2].

Most green powders are high in polyphenols and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties [1].

7 Top Benefits of Green Superfood Powders

1. Help support immune function through high levels of vitamins A and C and enzymes added to support gut health [2].
   
2. Helps balance digestive health prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes to help regulate the GI tract and improve gut microbiome [2].
   
3. May protect you from oxidative stress through antioxidant compounds which may help you to fight off chronic disease [4].
   A 4 week study showed lower blood levels of oxidatively damaged proteins by 30% in those taking a green powder supplement [1].
   
4. Energy boosting effects from essential B vitamins to convert food into energy, and often green tea extract which contains caffeine, helping you to feel more alert.
   One 12 week trial showed that women who took a green superfood powder supplement containing green tea extract daily reported significantly higher levels of energy than the control group [3].
5. May help detoxify your body when used as a meal replacement due to increased water intake and metabolism increasing effects [2].
6. Promotes skin health through high levels of vitamins A and C which help fight inflammation. Antioxidants in green superfood powders help to fight free radical damage that can cause visible effects of ageing [1].
   
7. May assist with weight loss by helping you feel full and energised while you maintain a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Green superfood powders often contain ingredients including spirulina which is shown to have metabolism boosting effects as well as wheatgrass, barley grass and chlorella which research shows to support the body’s natural fat burning process [4].
   
   

What’s in Green Superfood Powders?

Green powders vary greatly depending on the brand. Some have more grasses and greenery whereas others that boast a sweater taste may include more fruit.

Here are the top ingredients to look out for:

1. Organic Spirulina
2. Spinach leaf
3. Kale sprouts or leaf
4. Wheatgrass
5. Rosehip
6. Kelp/ Seaweed
7. Chlorella
8. Rosemary Leaf
9. Green Tea Extract
10. Dandelion Root

You can expect your average green powder to contain:

• 40 to 50 calories per serve
• 5 to 10g of carbohydrates
• <2g of protein
• <2g of fibre
• <2g of sugar
• <1g of fat
• Plus loads of B vitamins, and vitamins A, C and K [2]
  
  

Best Prebiotics and Probiotics in Green Superfood Powders

Again, these will vary from brand to brand, but there are two strains you should look out for:

1. Bifidobacterium Lactis
2. Lactobacillus Acidophilus

The combination of these key probiotic strains has been shown to reduce inflammatory responses in the gut [5].

Top Product Recommendations

Side Effects, Precautions and Interactions

Green powders are often high in vitamin K, which can have a blood thinning effect. Seek professional advice if you’re taking Warfarin or blood thinning medication.

Detoxifying ingredients such as chlorella can have a powerful cleansing effect on the bowel. Consult your healthcare practitioner if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or on any medications.

Side effects of usage include gastrointestinal disturbances and bloating. It is a good idea to start taking green superfood powders at half the recommended dose while your gut adjusts, then gradually increase.

Summary

A healthy diet is often overlooked on your list of priorities. The right nutritional intake will help you feel more energised, improve your sleep and brain function which will allow you to be more productive and promote your general wellbeing.

Green superfood powders may be beneficial to fill nutritional gaps but should not replace a balanced diet. Green powders have a high quantity of essential vitamins and minerals as well as prebiotics and probiotics to support your general well being in an easy-to-take form.

References

[1] Shiftlife, 2022. Wellness Read: Green Powders: Wonder Food or Waste of Money? https://shiftlife.com/wellness-read-greens-powders-wonder-food-or-waste-of-money/

[2] Diet & Nutrition Experts Corner, 2022. Green Superfood Powders: Healthy or Hype? https://leaf.nutrisystem.com/green-powders-healthy-or-hype/

[3] Boon H, Clitheroe J & Forte T, 2014. Effects of greens+: a randomized, controlled trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15217524/

[4] Rao V, Balachandran B, Shen H, Logan A, Rao L. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties of the plant-based supplement greens+2011 Aug 3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21954333/

[5] Li SC, Hsu WF, Chang JS, Shih CK. 2019, Combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Shows a Stronger Anti-Inflammatory Effect than Individual Strains in HT-29 Cells https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566532/