I wasn’t interested in green drinks for a long time, though I heard about them. They didn’t seem like “real food”, had lengthy ingredient lists, and also had little taste appeal (or so I thought by the looks of them). But they are starting to win me over after all! Today I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on green drinks, a simple recipe for a better tasting green drink, and reviews of four different brands (including a taste test at the end).
My interest started when my mother-in-law gave me a glass of her green drink. Not only did she prepare it in a way that made me like it, but I also noticed that it gave me an energy boost. Energy boosts are always good.
Some Thoughts
So I started to research green drinks a bit. Here’s what I have found so far. Different brands have a wide variety of ingredients, but they usually contain the following: Cereal grasses (like wheat grass, barley grass), Sea weeds and vegetables (like kelp and spirulina) herbs, probiotics, and enzymes. Often they have fiber added as well. Some have fruit like acerola as well as fruit for flavoring or added nutrition . Basically green drinks contain a plethora of good for you ingredients, the aim being a drink that can give you plenty of nutrients.
One disadvantage I have found with having this huge list of ingredients is that sometimes I like, let’s say, 90 percent of the ingredients, but wish it didn’t have the other ten percent (like certain herbs or fiber). Most of the green drinks also have raw crucifers in them as well (read about my concerns here).
But the advantage of having the huge ingredient list is that there really is a lot of good stuff to be found in a glass of this stuff! Because there are so many ingredients, I couldn’t even possibly go over the health advantages of each ingredient. But I think that most of know the pluses of sea vegetables and greens.
To get a better idea of green drinks, I contacted four companies about their products. They graciously sent me samples. Here are some reviews of the companies that interested me. Let’s take a look at some of their differences.
Some Reviews
(Taste Test at end of post)
Vitality Super Green
Let’s start with the Body Ecology Vitality Super Green. I would say that this green drink is the most like a supplement as many of it’s ingredients, like “glutimmune”, chicory root inulin, and aloe vera extract are formulated for “intestinal support”. Many of you are probably familiar with the Body Ecology Diet, which is a diet to help heal digestive issues. This is the green drink that they have formulated to go along with the diet, though you don’t need to be on the diet to benefit from it.
It also contains fermented vegetables and algae, which is unique compared to the other brands listed here, as well as unfermented vegetables, greens (like barley and alfalfa juice), algae, and includes probiotics and enzymes. It’s the lightest in color compared to the other brand, and I assume that is because of the “intestinal support” ingredients which would not be green. It is lightly sweetened with stevia.
Going on, let take a look a Amazing Grass Superfood drinks.
This contains Green food (like wheat, barley, alfalfa, spirulina, spinach, chlorella and broccoli), an antioxidant blend (including maca, acai, carrot beets, goji, green tea, and acerola cherry) as well as fiber, digestive enzymes and active cultures, and” energizing herbs”. They have several different flavors, including a chocolate one, which I remember enjoying. I have their berry flavor drink powder, which I find quite tasty when I added just a pinch or two of stevia powder. This brand was the most “flavored” green drink, which many would probably like.
Let’s go to the brand, Vibrant Health, which has a green drink with the most ingredients and another with the least.
Green Vibrance definitely had the most lengthy ingredient list. The company owner told me Green Vibrance was the “original” green drink. And it certainly does contain a huge variety of nutrient dense foods! I won’t list all of the ingredients since it is rather lengthy, but here is an overview. Under Nutrient dense, healing and support foods, we find a wide variety of greens and vegetables (such as barley grass, alfalfa grass, oat grass and wheat grass juice, parsley, beet and zucchini, carrot, spinach, spirulina). There are more “supplement” type ingredients such as vitamin E and a few others for “Cell Membrane and Nerve Support”, as well as high fiber foods (which there are several) and prebiotics. There are 6 ingredients under the “Antioxidants and Circulatory Support” which includes ginkgo biloba extract and green tea extract. There are some herbs and other supplement like additions under “adaptogens and immune support”, and a lovely sea vegetable complex with rockweed, bladderwrack and nova scotia dulse. Finally we have enzymes, skeletal support (vit D3 and phyto-boron) and fortifying phyto-minerals and tonics (ginger and cayenne), and mango powder for taste.
I like that they use mango to sweeten it because it’s good for you too! ( It doesn’t taste at all like mango, by the way. I think it just sweetens it a bit) Also, important to note- just about everything is organic or wild crafted. This formula is very dark green in color. I also noticed that the powder was more moist compared to the other brands. It wasn’t as dried, perhaps? And it smells very fresh.
However, if you wanted a more simple formula, Field of Greens from the same company may be a good choice for you. It contains only 14 ingredients -all of which are either greens (like kale, broccoli sprout, parsley) or grass juice (like oat, barley, alfalfa grass juices). And that’s it! Nothing else, no fibers, no vitamins, no herbs, etc.
I was interested in this product for my daughter Elena, because I wasn’t sure I wanted her to have some of the herbs that were in the other formulas. I love the simplicity of it and appreciate that everything is organic. They also, by the way, have another product that we have tried and liked, which is Rainbow Vibrance, which contains a plethora of “reds, yellows, and greens, and blues” fruits and vegetables for a antioxidant rich drink. This is delicious, especially when mixed with juice. Perhaps a good way to get in some vegetables and fruit for picky eaters?
Finally, the last brand, Vitamineral Green not only has great ingredients, but is the most frugal choice as well.
It’s a pretty straight forward mixture of greens For example- grasses: barley, oat, and wheat juice and vegetables: broccoli, kale, spinach, parsley, American basil, herbs: holy basil, nettle leaf etc.
It also has seaweeds (like spirulina, chlorella, kelp, dulse, nori, etc), enzymes, and probiotics. While this one is more complex than the “Field of Greens”, it’s also quite straight forward and simple without adding in “energizing herbs” or fibers, like many of the other brands do. That is one reason I love this brand.
Rather than going for an organic label, they claim the title of truganic for their ingredients, which I have never heard of before. It’s supposed to be a higher standard than organic. And, of course, the biggest advantage is it’s price! I think it’s about 20 dollars for a jar. I definitely like the price! I love how dark green the formula is too. It looks like it is bursting with nutrients.
So there are the four brands that I have tried so far and here is the recipe I use with most of them.
A Recipe
Green Drink Recipe
I find that having your green drink cold really makes it taste better. You can also add more cinnamon or stevia to taste, if you like. If you wanted to use another sweetener, I am sure that would work as well. This recipe is based off of what my mother-in-law served me, but she used cinnamon oil instead of powder. One last note, you can vary the amount of water you use. I like mine more thinned out, my husband likes it thicker.I serving of Green drink (your brand choice)
8 ounces of water
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/8 teaspoon stevia powderThoroughly mix together and serve over ice.
Taste Test
I didn’t use the flavored Amazing Grass brand for this taste test, since it’s already flavored.
Body Ecology Vitality Super Green-Lightest in color, more supplement like taste (not so “greeny” tasting), sweet. Almost didn’t have enough “taste” as it’s so light in flavor. Those who have a hard time with most green drinks, may find this one the easiest to handle.
Green Vibrance-More green like taste, but not bad. I liked it a little more sweetened, so I added a pinch more of stevia and found it just right. Husband’s favorite.
Field of Greens-Most “greeny” taste of all the ones I’ve tried, which makes sense since that’s all that’s in it. Probably would be best mixed in juice, though my husband liked this product as well (he likes it to actually taste like something, so he liked that it was stronger in taste).
Vitamineral- Surprisingly mild, my favorite. Had a nice dark green color.
So there you have it. Do you have any thoughts to add? Do you like green drinks? Have any favorite brands?
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Thanks for doing this. I really like Dr. Ben Kim’s greens drink: http://drbenkim.com/greens.html
Maybe you could have him send you a sample to taste test.
I notcied that you did not mention the Naked brand… which I find all their products very tasty and already in liquid form. They also have a lengthy ingredient list. They are all naturally flavored by the fruit they contain and have many different vareties. I was just wondering, is all. This is a great blog/post though. Happy to have someone who has researched these super foods!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the link! I checked it out and it looks good. I think it’s actually the same formula as Vitaminerals! Perhaps that’s where Dr. Kim sources it from. It was great to read how people have benefited from it.
I’ve just recently tried Berry Green by New Chapter as it was on sale at Whole Foods. It’s not bad! I have been adding a little bit of stevia and a little unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juice with it.
I agree that Body Ecology’s drink is the least grassy tasting and possibly the most palatable for some. (Though pricey.)
Thanks for the cinnamon idea!
great article. i havent had any of these but i actually have the vitamineral green in my cart on amazon! thanks!
i use Miracle Greens daily, every morning. heres the link:
http://www.macrolifenaturals.com/home.htm
its really tasty. it may have a little stevia, but the food ingredients are pretty much in line with the ones you reviewed.
I have had Boku greens drink, too. its definitely not as palatable as the Miracle Greens. Once youre used to green drinks you could go for Boku, but initially i think itd be tough.
I *love* Vita Mineral Green by HealthForce. See http://www.healthforce.net. This is a high-integrity company that supports vibrant living through vibrant nutrition.
The only green supplement I’ve ever tried is Dr. Kim’s but I “liked” it (in terms of benefit, not necessarily for it’s tastiness). All the supplements he offers are very TF-friendly and of high quality. I haven’t been doing greens for a while as I apparently react to barley and it’s hard to come by one without it but it might be time to start looking again.
Great info! Especially the information about a drink you would possibly give to your daughter. My kids definitely need more vegetables in their diet. Kimi, are these products safe to use while pregnant, in your opinion?! Thanks!
Cassie,
That’s really hard to answer. I would definitely avoid the ones with herbs and such in it. Then to be really safe, you could look up the individual ingredients for safety during pregnancy. I would think that something like the Field of Greens or the Vitamineral green drink would be just fine, but if it was me, I would probably double check the ingredients. 🙂
Anyone else have comments on pregnancy and green drinks?
Thanks, everyone for sharing what you’ve tried before! Very helpful.
We use the Enerex greens mix for myself and my toddler – no herbs, unsweetened, dark, organic…
I do prefer to make fresh greens drinks in season – blend the lettuce, spinach, carrots, and so forth in with our base ingredients.
Victoria Butenko has been at it a while:
http://www.greenforlife.com/
Thank you for this post, I love how thorough you are on this topic. Any chance you can review my morning drink? I would appreciate your input on Superfood Plus.
https://web2.herbdoc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=38&c=1
I have a giant jar of the Garden of Life version. I think it’s called Perfect Food. It doesn’t taste good at all, but I choke it down occasionally. I’ve fallen away from the practice lately, but I think it would do me some good if I tried to re-establish the habit. I agree that a little bit of stevia helps. I’ll have to try the cinnamon. Sounds interesting!
The best green drink I ever tried was one from a naturopath’s office, and for the life of me, I can’t remember the name of it! It was lightly sweet and just a bit minty. It was actually delicious and gave me an energy boost. I couldn’t believe it. Unfortunately, it was horribly expensive. I do like that I can get Perfect Food through Vitacost.com at a big discount. I’ll look into the brands you reviewed here, and I think I’ll call up that naturopath’s office to get the name of the one they sell. Maybe I could find it online at a discount!
I use Garden of Life Perfect Food, the ingredients are amazing, lots of sprouted and fermented foods and probiotics. I have also struggled with the taste and have just switched to the pill form…which is much easier to take.
I’ve tried and researched many green powders over the years and the Amazing Grass wheatgrass is the best I’ve had. I don’t like long ingredients list, either. I think it’s too much for the body to process. For example, Garden of Life Perfect Food can cause detox symptoms. Being hypothyroid I avoid green powders with cruciferous veggies in them. I also avoid soy (lecithin), which a lot of the greens formulas include in their ingredients, like the plague.
I’ve tried and researched many green powders over the years and the Amazing Grass wheatgrass is the best I’ve had. I don’t like long ingredients list, either. I think it’s too much for the body to process. For example, Garden of Life Perfect Food can cause detox symptoms. Being hypothyroid I avoid green powders with cruciferous veggies in them. I also avoid soy (lecithin), which a lot of the greens formulas include in their ingredients, like the plague.
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
Great article, thanks so much.
Regarding Pregnancy – I’d be extremely careful with the Green Drinks and research every ingredient. That 10% of ingredients that is not specified would be enough to stop me from taking it during pregnancy. The safest thing is to hold off until after pregnancy. You can load up on tons of healthy whole foods and your baby will be just fine. Pregnancy is such a blessing and also a time of sacrificing our body over for the little one.
Can’t wait for the next article!!
My ‘green drink’ is from Pure Prescriptions [www.pureprescriptions.com] and it’s called NEW GREENS. I also like GREENS FIRST, from Doctors For Nutrition, which Pure Prescriptions also sells. I’m even on their autoship, I like it that much. Anyhow, I put these into my morning ‘vitamin’ smoothie. I often drink it straight with water or OJ. It’s sweetened with stevia too, which I like. Very nice taste. Also contains mint which I find VERY refreshing!
I like Green Magma, which is just barley grass and brown rice. I get a little nervous about all the herbs that are in some of the other drinks. I worry that they might interact with other foods or even basic over the counter medicines like Tylenol. I have looked at the Amazing Grass and thought about trying it, but haven’t done it yet. Great post. Thanks for the breakdown of info.
I’ve tried almost every green drink out there. When i was following “The Ph miracle” diet I found a great green drink called Alkavision GreenShield. The book says to find a green drink that is rich in electrons. “You can witness that if you use a plastic scoop the green powder will cling to the positively charged plastic, the way opposites do”. Alkavision’s greens also have Montmorillonite Clay in it (which i LOVE). They are not very expensive either. We buy it in bulk (my inlaws and brothers/sisters all drink it) so it ends up being around $38 for 1 pound.
Kimi,
I also was hesitant in the green drink arena. I have found 2 REALLY great green drinks however.
1-Perfect Foods Nutrition-Octomega Clean Green
8 wonderful ingredients; organic barley grass, wheat grass, parsley, celery, spinach, flax seed, cayenne and honey powder. This can be found at http://www.perfectfoodsnutrition.com
2-Homemade green drink-start with pineapple juice (this really makes the drink) then add whatever vegetables you want. This way you could cook the cruciferous veggies if you want to. Add some fresh parsley, spinach etc etc.
You really need to try this with pineapple juice, or any other green drink for that matter.
I think I have the Green Vibrance at home. I find it a bit gritty, but mixed into a smoothie it’s not bad. I used to add it to my raw morning smoothie (kale, veggies, fruits, other supps). Guess raw kale is not a good idea… (sigh)
I recently found out alfalfa is not good during pregnancy (phyto-estrogens, similar to soy). Interestingly, I see alfalfa in my prenatals. Hopefully it’s not too much.. I haven’t been extremely regular about my prenatals anyway..
I think I’m going to try Vitamineral Green – sounds good.
Oh, i also wanted to add that i have been drinking my green drink my entire pregnancy. I’m due this Aug 27 =D. I ate a very poor (SAD) diet during my first pregnancy. I felt terrible the entire time, had morning sickness, fatigue, swollen feet, and was very achy the last few months of my pregnancy. I also had a very hard and long labor. During this pregnancy i have followed Nourishing Traditions/Body Ecology. This has been the best pregnancy ever! I haven’t had any of the problems most pregnant woman have during pregnancy. I decided to drink greens rather than take a prenatal. So far i have a had a great pregnancy.
Have you (or anyone out there) found green drinks to have an impact on blood sugar? I am hypoglycemic and have to avoid smoothies and other drinks where the fiber has been removed because they hit me so hard! I realize there would be little naturally occurring sugar, as compared to fruit smoothies, but I’d still like to know it’s not going to leave me in a haze before I buy a jar of it.
Thanks.
I have the Amazing Grass “green superfood”. I put it in our “green” smoothies every morning (although the kids will tell you that they are purple soothies). Some frozen blueberries, a frozen banana, (sometimes we add frozen raspberries or strawberries if we have them), some keefir or yogurt, some braggs cider vinegar, (and a small bit of raw honey or agave nectar if I over did the vinegar 🙂 ), a scoop (or two if I’m making a large batch) of the grass powder and a little water. YUMMY!!! The kids and I love it!!! If there are left overs they go into popsicle molds and into the freezer. The kids love those too!
I really haven’t tried other brands of green drinks. I like this one. Even when I have it in unsweeted juice, it isn’t bad, I just don’t like the “swamp water” (as my husband calls it!) look. At least in the smoothie, it is totally hidden!
I was just given a juicer. So far I have only made carrot, beet and apple juice. Even though I am not getting the fiber I still love the juice for an energy treat.
Is juicing as good for you as green drink? Does anyone have any comments on juicing. Thank you, Victoria
Hello! I have read the concerns on eating raw crucifers and I think that alot of people are really confused on this issue. It ends up that the only time they can be bad for you is if you are lacking in iodine. For more information on this just click on this link or copy and paste: http://www.youtube.com/user/kevingianni#play/uploads/11/k5o2kICC4Tg
It is so informative and will really help you to understand this better.
Have a blessed day!
Hey Jenny,
Thanks for the link. I will check it out. One thing to keep in mind is that the majority of us are low in iodine! Or so some researchers believer…..
mm, I was just going to say I like Dr. Ben Kim’s mix too. It’s wonderful. No soy lecithin or other fillers. It seems similar to David Wolfe’s “Nature’s First Food” or whatever it is called now, but less expensive.
Hi, Bonjour, — I’ve been taking green for over ten years now. I started with some super blue green algea stuff and then switched to Dr Kims after I returned from living in Japan – very simple ingredients – mostly barely grass and nothing else if I remember. I then explored every other greens product at Whole Foods, but did not really like any of them as I liked Dr Kims — esp the Garden For Life brands.
But then I found Univera’s MetaGreen (from Lifescience): http://us.univera.com/products/fortify/metagreens.
This by the way is my daughter’s (now 2) favorite and she likes it thick like swamp juice with jsut a little water and has been drinking it since she was 9 months or so. I also love their Ageless Xtra: http://us.univera.com/products/xtra. I was on their auto ship as well. But then moved to Europe and had to stop shipments.
I switched to Body Ecology’s Vitality as they would ship on occasion to my parents house, but my daughter does not like the taste of this one and I don’t like the taste as much as the Univera MetaGreens either — not as fresh tasting. It is also strange that it does not require refrigerations or to be in the freezer…? But I like that they have a fermented blend and microflora blend……
I now jsut get monthly orders from a Nikken (a Japanese Co) representative here where I live. It is called Jade Greens and is very simple with just Barely grass and kombu powder. I love that it is bright green and in a glass container vs plastic. At first it seemed too strong, but now it just tastes so fresh and I mix it with my left over Body Ecology stuff since the Nikken brand seems like “not enough” in that it is only barley grass and kombu?…. but it is so fresh tasting! But my daughter does not like the Jade Greens or the Body Ecology. Mixing the Jade Greens and Body Ecology together tastes and feels the best whilst not having the Univera one.
It was interesting to read about “electrons. “You can witness that if you use a plastic scoop the green powder will cling to the positively charged plastic, the way opposites do”. The Univera MetaGreens does that.
In response to the Q about hyperglycemia: greens are great for that! They alkalize the blood which is what is important for Hyperglycemia. I imagine some are better at this than others. I found that the Univera MetaGreens was the best for me in this regard. It is also generally best to have greens with just water and on an empty stomach to better absorb them.
On a side note: Since I started drinking raw milk (a few months now) and making and drinking my own raw milk kefir’s my craving for greens has sort of dissapeared. I used to HAVE to have my greens every morning b/c I got so hyperglycemic and shakey in the mornings after I moved to Luxembourg and lived off bread and yogurt and chocolate for the first year (while nursing). But I was so anemic and postpartum I was just trying to survive and make it through day by day. But since I have been taking my homemade raw milk kefirs I never feel the need for greens or desire them…. Or mostly I just forget about them, whereas before I physcally had to have them, my body craved them. Now in the mornings the kefir with a raw egg yolk feels more satisfying. Maybe it is jsut a phase (happy to now have milk and probioics phase) and then I’ll go back to the greens routine. But admittedly my energy level and skin and immune system is better since I started taking the kefir. I’m thinking perhaps the greens will be better in the afternoons as an afternoon energizer when the cravings for dark black ceylon tea kick in. But I always assumed greens were more of a morning drink and should be avoided in late afternoons and especially evenings….. ??
Another note: It is also nice to have greens packed when traveling since we always seem to eat so badly on trips – lots of white bread.
Last note: My sister studies w/ a top herbalist in Nashville who says that barely grass/greens has clotting effects. Does anyone know about this? My mother has been taking greens for eyars as well and is the most strict eater I know but has clotting problmes a few years ago! My sister believes it is from the greens. Maybe that is why I know am not so sure about the Nikken plain barely grass brands and prefer Univera os Barely grass is the 5th ingredient after Alfalfa, spirulina, inulin, rice solubles, and kamut.
I took lots of notes on this post Thanks Kimi! I look forward to trying some of the other brands as suggested on my next visit the US and look more seriously into the different ingredients!! Before I just judged on taste.
No one else I know, aside from my mother, takes greens.
En Bonne Santé, In Good Health,
-lg
I have been a wheatgrass enthusiast for years. While visiting a health food store I discovered an organic wheatgrass that combines the roots with the blades.
It is the only wheatgrass powder in the world, using this technique. It is aeroponically grown, soil free, fungus free, and pollution free in 100% purified oxygen.
The roots contain cancer fighting nutrients not found in the blades. Not only that, but by combining the roots with the blades the taste is more like a “green tea” and is not strong and nauseous as fresh wheatgrass is. You can drink this straight, no need to mix with anything else to hide the taste, just enjoy wheatgrass! Even kids love it!
Try a free sample, simply go to http://www.BestOrganicWheatgrass.com and fill out the form on the home page. Let me know what you think!
The great guy in my health food store told me to mix the green powders with some diluted apple juice and this is my favorite! I tried many other mixing mediums before this – be sure to get the good, cloudy type of apple juice and go 1/2 juice, 1/2 filtered water. Dr. Ben Kim’s greens are on the way – can’t wait to try!
For everyone interested in Dr. Kims green drink, check out Vita Minerals brand. I believe that they are the exact same, but Vita Mineral sells theirs for only 20 dollars (compared to Dr. Kims 50 dollars per bottle).
Just a money saving tip!
If you are allergic to grains, grasses or gluten intolerant, what about the grasses in the drinks? Are they OK or do they set off reactions?
I’m very late to the party here, but saw this and thought I’d comment if someone else was wondering. Vitamineral Greens is gluten free and they regularly test to make sure.
Nanci,
I don’t know for sure, but I do have a friend who has been off of wheat for a long time but tolerates wheatgrass just fine.
I started using green drinks about 13 years ago. They were super expensive then.
I stopped when it became too expensive. I gave my juicer away recently.
I still enjoy green drinks. How?
I put a handfull or two of the greens I grow or buy organic, of course, and blend them in my blender with the fruit I have on hand. My kids love them, and best of all I get all that fiber that is being dried out of the packaged product, and left behind in the juicer. I used to have a tough time making enough muffins to use up the fruit pulp left over.
This works really really well. google green smoothies and you will find loads of info.
I use parsley one day, spinach the next, followed by kale, it’s wide open.
talk about frugal . . .
I take Garden of Life Perfect Food in the tablet form. Anyone have any thoughts on why the drink would be better? And why would it, as Dina commented above, cause detox symptoms? I also drink a carrot/celery juice with a Tbsp. of liquid chlorophyll.
London based company, Raw Fairies have started the first delivery service of raw foods in the UK. Their menu includes the Green Smoothie with Chlorella and Spirulina (kiwi, banana, spinach, chlorella and spirulina): http://www.rawfairies.com
Pretty interesting concept isn’t it? Are services like this happening in the States?
Do you (or any of your readers) add small amounts of green drinks (or seaweeds) to smoothies?
A comment for Rachel R. — my husband makes a smoothie each morning with organic frozen blueberries, one banana, raw tahini, Body Ecology’s Vitality SuperGreen and a scoop of ImmunoPro Whey protein concentrate (Well Wisdom). He was totally a SAD eater and addicted to sugar and processed foods, but this smoothie got him off of it. I am a Certified Body Ecology coach, so while I’d normally have someone move away from sweet fruits until their gut healed, I found this was a perfect transitional drink for him.
It also made it much easier for him to get the greens and he can make it in less than 5 minutes.
Thanks so much for the postings! I suffered from bad acne and since I have been eating less sugar and consuming greens powders….my skin has been so clear. I also have more energy. My husband and I are hoping to get pregnant soon and I am worried that I will have to stop my greens powder…and it will trigger more acne. Does anyone have any suggestions? What brands can I consume (if any) and is there a great pre-natal vitamin that you recommend? Thanks so much for your help! Be well!
I’ve been doing research on this, I have 2 daughters with juvenile diabetes I’d like to get this to boost their immune systems and make sure there are getting all they need to stay healthy. Of course the whole family would be put on it too. One is also celiac (gluten free – no wheat etc). Its my understanding that the gluten comes from the wheat berries and not the grass so these drink should not bother those with gluten sensitivity. Check with your doctor if your uncertain though.
Hello, I have been taking Green Vibrance daily (I don’t think I have missed even 1 day) for almost 2 years now, mainly for the probiotics as a natural way to subdue my many allergies. I have been reading some scary stuff about spirulina and blue green algae and have begun to worry about any toxic effects from long-term use of this product. Do you have any information on the source of their ingredients? Is there any way to get information about their safety? Do people generally take this product on a daily basis for extended periods of time? Thank you, any input will be appreciated, DC
Thanks for the link! I checked it out and it looks good. I think it’s actually the same formula as Vitaminerals! Perhaps that’s where Dr. Kim sources it from. It was great to read how people have benefited from it.
i would really love to try the vitamineral green drink! would you give it to your 1 year old? also, i don’t see where you can buy it for $20…could you please give a website? the cheapest i found was amazon for about $45 (w/ free shipping). thanks!!!
Hi Kimmi,
I happened upon your site looking for reviews on Dr. Kim’s green powder. Anyway, I was wondering where you can purchase the vitamineral greens for approx $20?
By the way I love your website!
Martha
Hi Martha,
Vitamineral seems to have raised their prices to match the other brands. While they were probably under priced, as a consumer, it’s disappointing!
I have tried many of the green drinks. My first superfood was Spirulina from Light Force. I lived in Santa Cruz back then and I could hitchhike over to Boulder Creek and pick it up from the company. I drank it with apple juice. When I moved to San Diego I sold many high priced MLM nutrition products from Herbalife, Cernatine and Sunrider to name a few. Then I used and sold the Vitamineral Green because I knew the owner and I thought it was good. I was in Sedona when Pure Planet was a small company and bought their Mint carob spirulina. I have tried Synergy products and others. I have done some research. I recommend that people try some of the product dry in their mouths and feel the texture and energy. In many of the products are put very cheap grass powders which have little taste and sawdustlike texture. Test yours out and compare. Your taste buds have great intelligence. Far more than your mind that can see and be fooled by a pretty label.
I started Whole Life Superfoods (which I called RC Superfoods) 10 years ago and just repackaged one food at a time at first. I bought the best ones I could find. I found a Spirulina and Chlorella farmer who I like and sold his products only, then I added maca Then Organic Alfalfa, Barley and Wheatgrass Juice powders and more.
I set out to make something for myself that would be richer, more flavorful and more nutritious. I don’t think that the more ingredients the better. Keep it simple sweetie.
I created simple Green Mix and Greens and Maca which have 4 ingredients in each just the richest Organic Algae and Organic Barley Grass juice powder and enzymes.
These are my favorite green drinks. Simple Rich and Delicious. I can drink them with water and they are delicious. Many people aren’t used to the flavors can want something that tastes sweeter so I suggest mixing them with 1/2 apple juice and water.
Very long time i heard about it and this is very good for health Green Brinks amazing
I love Vitamineral Green, but I’d like to know where you found it for $20???!!! more like $50, unfortunately, that’s the only draw back for me. I love the taste, and the quality.
Since I did this review, they have raised the price. So sad.
I make my own simplified version of the Green Drink. I am 3 months pregnant and was searching for an answer myself about the safety in drinking ‘green drinks’ (or drinks high in cholorphyll to be precise) when I came across this blog. My mother made a green drink when we were kids and we oddly came to love it and look forward to it. So as an adult I’ve sort of taken my mother’s recipe and modified it. It doesn’t contain any supplements or commercial ingredients so I’m hoping it is safe for consumption during pregnancy, but you always want to be sure with these things. I absolutely LOVE my own concoction so I’ll go ahead and share it. It’s super easy to make and can be adjusted to taste.
I make mine with 100% pineapple juice (no added sugar) because pineapple enzymes are good for digestion and it adds natural sweetness).
1 carton pineapple juice
A handful of fresh, washed parsely, no need to chop (add more or less to taste) I like mine light green whereas my mom likes her darker
One whole, large apple peeled and cored, cut in smaller pieces
Ice (because I like mine cold too!)
Blitz in a blender until the parsley is thoroughly pulverised.
Pour and drink!
It’s amazing and gives a great, refreshing energy boost.
=)
Do they all contain lutein? I am trying to avoid macular degeneration which runs in my family. Kale, mustard greens etc are high in this nutrient along with zeathanthin This is what I’m looking for. Great article, thanks!
I’m so confused! I eat full GAPS with some additions. I have celiac, sluggish thyroid and adrenals, clotting issues, and am breastfeeding. I’ve been using Garden of Life Green Superfoods powder in my smoothies and wonder if I should? I can’t find any info on green powders and breastfeeding or thyroid/clotting issues and either green powders or green smoothies. Any thoughts?