What Are Powdered Greens and Are They Good for You?

Powdered greens are probably the hippest trend in food right now. It’s been endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow among others and it’s showing up all over TikTok. According to many people, powdered greens have a ton of health benefits. Celebrities are either starting to use them on a daily basis or investing in companies that produce them. There’s even a hashtag #greenspowder that has been viewed three million times on TikTok and has basically nothing else than people raving about how much their health and skin have improved since they started using powdered greens.

But is it really as good as everyone says?

What is it?

First things first: powdered greens are a dietary supplement that you can mix with some water to easily boost your system and get your daily vitamin intake out of the way. It’s made up of a bunch of superfoods like seaweed, kale, broccoli, and antioxidant-rich fruits. Since most people living right now don’t have enough veggies or fruit in their normal diets, this product could be a big step towards getting your body back into balance. As the name pretty bluntly suggests, the fruits and vegetables that are a part of the mix get powdered up together. Most nutritionists say you need about five servings of veggies and fruit per day and one spoonful of powdered greens could take care of about two of those five servings.

Are There Downsides?

It’s just taking a daily green drink, what could go wrong? Well, first of all, just flat-out buying the vegetables and fruits is probably going to be cheaper. Depending on which brand you pick, you could end up with a glass of green goo that costs you almost $4 per serving. And while there are some obvious and proven health benefits to taking powdered greens, there’s also been research saying that we’re maybe not getting all the goodness we’d be getting from the vegetables if we just ate them as-is. Especially leafy greens seem to lose out on a lot of nutrients when they get powdered up. You could also potentially overdose on vitamins A, D, E and K if you’re already getting enough of those in your regular diet. Lastly, powdered greens can cause gut imbalances since they contain probiotics.

For Who Are They?

Since we’re talking about a dietary supplement, it should be pretty obvious that that means it’s not for everyone. If you already have a healthy diet where you get all the nutrients you need, there’s no reason to start using supplements at all. The biggest two groups that could benefit from this are on the one hand the people that struggle with getting their veggies in and drinking plenty of water. On the other hand, athletes that require a high-calorie intake may also benefit from using this supplement. Never use any supplement at all without first consulting a doctor and/or a nutritionist.

Summary

When it comes to powdered greens, despite all the hype that’s been caused around them, we really have to stick with the conclusions we have for most food supplements. It’s not a miracle product and it’s not something that’s going to be better than or a replacement for a healthy diet where you get all the necessary nutrients the regular way. There have been some obvious downsides when the supplement gets used in the wrong way or by the wrong people, so consider visiting a professional first and get some advice on whether this is the supplement for you. You may not even need to get more veggies and fruit in.