Beyond the Hype: The truth about green powders
Green powders are often marketed as convenient alternatives to eating your greens and mask as a substitute for meeting your nutrition needs from a whole food diet.
Here are my top 3 reasons why you won’t see me as a Registered Nutritionist jumping on the green powder bandwagon:
Most green powders are formulated as “proprietary” blends and maximise the number of nutrients and vitamins they can include in their formula. However, one issue that many of these brands have not considered is that minerals and vitamins can compete for the same absorption channels in the body. In green powders, high concentrations of various nutrients are mixed together, potentially leading to competition for absorption (e.g., between iron and zinc, calcium and magnesium, calcium and iron). This means that you won’t likely be absorbing all the nutrients and vitamins contained in that one serving of green powder that you take every morning – the one that is advertised to meet all your daily nutritional needs in just one scoop! On the other hand, when you consume whole foods, the nutrients are naturally balanced and often come with their own built-in mechanisms for absorption.
Green powders often lack comprehensive scientific studies conducting specifically on their “proprietary” blend and the exact product being sold. Instead, manufacturers rely on research conducted on individual nutrients or ingredients found in the green powder. While these studies may demonstrate the benefits of specific vitamins, antioxidants, or plant compounds, they do not provide insight into how these nutrients interact and function together in the body when combined in a powdered form. Factors such as bioavailability, absorption rate and potential interactions between nutrients are crucial considerations when evaluating the effectiveness of a supplement. Since green powders often lack this scientific scrutiny, there are many unanswered questions about whether they provide the health benefits claimed on the packaging.
Many green powders currently on the market also include “gut-loving” ingredients such as probiotics in their formula (and with it, include a hefty price tag). Oftentimes these ingredients are in much smaller quantities than the doses used in research studies when a health benefit has been observed.
In the UK, most people meet all their vitamin and nutrient needs through a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, lean proteins, and dairy or fortified dairy alternatives. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, although they are few and far between – Vitamin D being a case in point.*
Our dietary guidelines emphasise the importance of consuming a diverse range of foods to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients. With such a diet, you can naturally obtain the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in the right proportions for optimal health, without the need to fork out the hefty cost for a green powder currently being marketed as a silver-bullet for you to achieve ultimate wellness.
*It’s important to note that individual needs may vary based on factors such as age, gender, health status, and dietary preferences. Consulting with a healthcare professional such as Registered Nutritionist or Dietitian can help determine specific supplement needs.
Follow Dr Emily Prpa, leading gut health nutritionist, on Instagram (@TheNutritionReporter) for evidence-backed nutrition and lifestyle tips.
