I Tried The Viral Athletic Greens Powder Seen All Over Instagram And TikTok — Here Is My Review And What Experts Had To Say About This Trend
Hi! I'm Fabiana — a person who loves all things health and wellness. I not only love trying new products and methods in the ~health~ category, but I also love sharing my wellness experiences, advice, and hacks with others.
I've written about how I became a morning workout person, my experience with trying acupuncture for the first time for stress and anxiety, and I've even gotten candid about my journey getting off of birth control. With that being said, when I hear of a health and wellness trend that's being talked about, I have to jump on the bandwagon and check it out. Enter: Athletic Greens and the green powder trend.
I'll give myself credit where it's due and admit that I'm a person who has a fairly well-balanced diet. And in addition to that, I take my vitamins every day like it's my job. So, finally after listening to a recent podcast episode once again talk about Athletic Greens — I finally caved, clicked on their link, and subscribed to the green powder to see if I could take my health to the next level.
To be honest, Athletic Greens isn't cheap. Right now on its site, it's $79 for a single monthly subscription + five free travel packs, or you can just purchase one month for $99 if you're not ready to commit. I ordered the subscription because I was ready to commit, and my package came with a pouch with the green powder inside, a pretty green canister to hold the powder, and a shaker bottle.
What Athletic Greens claims about its product is that "75 vitamins [such as vitamin A, vitamin C, Biotin, B6], minerals and whole-food sourced nutrients are in one convenient daily serving." Every AG1 scoop is like 9 health products in 1, giving you the equivalent of a multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, and more." However, it does not contain vitamin D or Omegas.
Jordana Hart, holistic nutritionist and founder of I Hart Nutrition Inc., explained how exactly green powders work and shared her thoughts on taking them.
"With green powders, essentially the nutrients get extracted and dried. In theory, it does sound pretty crazy, but once you remove the water and fiber, the actual nutrients are tiny," Jordana told BuzzFeed. "Each serving, however, is still a big scoop. If the formula was put into capsules, we would need to take multiple capsules to get the same serving you get in a scoop."
Jordana added that green powders — such as Athletic Greens — should not be a substitute but rather a supplement to one's diet. "I always say I believe in food first as your main source of nutrients."
"That being said, it’s impossible to get all of our nutrition from diet alone, so I think it’s great to supplement, and I like the idea of a greens powder that is generated from whole foods," she told BuzzFeed.
"I am a fan of green powders if they come from a reputable brand. It’s a great way to fill in the gaps in addition to a well-rounded diet. Make sure to look for one that is free of fillers, pesticides, and artificial sweeteners." In full transparency, AG does contain a small amount of Stevia, a plant-derived sweetener.
Rhyan Geiger, RDN, owner of Phoenix Vegan Dietitian, emphasized the point that green powders should not be the end all be all when it comes to getting your nutrients in.
"I think they can be beneficial, but eating one single food won't drastically improve your overall health. As long as people are choosing third-party-testing, good-quality green powders, I don't see a problem with that, but I often see misleading advertisements that lead people to believe that it is a cure-all, which isn't true," she told BuzzFeed.
For how to take it, the brand recommends customers take one scoop of the powder mixed with 8 ounces of water on an empty stomach.
"Athletics Greens suggests drinking this on an empty stomach to increase absorption of nutrients. Some nutrients like iron can be inhibited by foods like coffee, so they suggest also waiting 30 minutes, which is pretty standard for all vitamins," Rhyan told BuzzFeed.
You could also add a scoop of the powder to another liquid — such as nut milk or coconut water — and even blend it into a smoothie. You'll get the same benefits as adding it to just water.
After learning all of this information about green powders, I felt good about my decision of ordering Athletic Greens. So the morning after receiving my package, I eagerly grabbed my ice roller (to de-puff, of course) while sipping on my new trendy green powder juice. Talk about a self-care moment!
Instead of using the shaker bottle — which I might save for travel — I filled up my glass with the recommended amount of water and added a scoop of Athletic Greens to it. I took a straw and mixed it together. The mixture wasn't clumpy at all like I expected it to be, and the taste was interesting. It didn't taste like I was drinking spinach, but it also didn't taste that great. (If that makes sense!) Overall, considering it's a green drink filled with vitamins, the taste is tolerable. I chugged it quick, and then after about 30 minutes, I proceeded with making breakfast and coffee.
I was excited to embark on this green powder journey, but I was also confused about what to do with the vitamins I currently was taking on a daily basis — which consists of a multivitamin, vitamin D, and Omegas (although I just ran out).
![<div><p>"Every person is different; I would connect with your healthcare practitioner, but I would recommend supplementing [the green powder] with the basic essentials that aren’t found in the greens powder supplements, which are vitamin D and Omega 3 fatty acids," Jordana told BuzzFeed. </p></div><span> Science Photo Library / Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF / Via Getty Images</span>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/k2VW0pU6agQ24m9y7ekP3w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/97c3a919810aa148fe504c150fd07084)
"Every person is different; I would connect with your healthcare practitioner, but I would recommend supplementing [the green powder] with the basic essentials that aren’t found in the greens powder supplements, which are vitamin D and Omega 3 fatty acids," Jordana told BuzzFeed.
Overall, I really loved the addition of Athletic Greens to my morning routine. Here are my honest thoughts on it:
Will I remain a subscription member?
Yes, I plan to keep my subscription because I think it's worth trying out Athletic Greens for a few more months. With anything regarding your health, I believe that you need to commit to it for a significant amount of time to really feel and possibly see the benefits.
Is Athletic Greens worth the cost?
Vitamins in general are pretty expensive. My multivitamin subscription used to cost me $30 a month, and I would take other vitamins in addition to that. So if I were to add it all up, my former vitamin routine probably costs about the same. The only difference is since AG doesn't have vitamin D or Omegas in it, I have to continue purchasing those two supplements in addition to the $79 monthly price, which can get costly. But I feel that my health is an investment I'm willing to make.
How did Athletic Greens make me feel?
One of the main things I noticed after about a week of taking it was how it made me feel specifically after a late night out at the bar consuming one too many drinks.
After a night out dancing and drinking one too many tequila sodas with friends, I expected myself to be hungover the next morning — especially because I didn't drink enough water when I got home. Shockingly, I woke up with only a slight headache and a dry mouth. As soon as I got my zombie-like body out of bed that morning, I made my green concoction, chugged it, and felt 100 times better. I was convinced that drinking my Athletic Greens before and after drinking helped spare me a gnarly hangover because I was nourished with all of those vitamins.
Did it change my appetite?
I didn't notice a change in my appetite at all.
Did it change the way I went to the bathroom?
I've always been pretty regular with going to the bathroom, but I did notice a difference in how it looked. Let's just say what I was producing looked how it should look.
If you're interested in trying Athletic Greens or any green powder for that matter, the experts advised you to speak with your doctor and get bloodwork done annually to know which vitamins and minerals to add or reduce.
"I think you have to remember that it’s not some magic formula, and it’s important to do your research. You need to engage in an overall healthy lifestyle that includes a well-rounded diet, movement, sleep, and self-care," Jordana told BuzzFeed.
Athletic Greens specifically are safe for pregnant women to consume. When it comes to who is not recommended to consume green powders: "Generally, anyone who is taking coumadin or other medications that can interact with leafy greens would be advised to pass on taking any green powders," advised Rhyan.
