Athletic Greens is a supplement you buy as a supergreen powder. It comes in a resealable bags that contain enough powder to last for 30 days of use. As the name suggests it’s a “super greens” product. The best way to use it is to mix it with water and consume it as a health drink.
Super greens powders are becoming all the rage these days. Some people buy them to use for weight loss. However, although super greens have the potential to help people to lose weight, that’s not really the name of the game with this type of supplement. They are primarily intended to be taken on a daily basis to support good health.
POSITIVES
Contains some high grade ingredients backed by science
Over 75 Ingredients that are non GMO
Good customer reviews
Long 60 day refund policy
NEGATIVES
Expensive compared to competitive products
Autoship policy can be confusing to cancel
SUMMARY
A quality product that has a few caveats that prevent this from being a recommended purchase.
LOOK ELSEWHERE
We prefer Supergreen Tonik – click here to view the reasons and a full analysis
Content Table
What are Athletic Greens?
Take a lot of fruit, vegetables, and other natural ingredients and reduce them to a powder.
Then you mix them together. That’s the basic recipe for any super greens product. In the case of Athletic Greens the powder also provides digestive enzymes and some probiotic bacteria.
Most people are aware they should be eating at least five pieces of fruit and vegetable per day.
Government bodies all over the world recommend it. Fruit and vegetables provide the body with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients required for cellular repair and good health.
Fruit and vegetables also contain antioxidants that protect the body from oxidative stress and disease.
They say knowledge is power, but it’s a power that benefits nobody unless they put it to work. Despite the fact that most people are aware they should be eating more fruit and vegetables, they don’t.
Super greens products can help people get juiced-up on all that natural goodness in a quick and easy way. In some ways, they could be seen as a quick-fix solution.
However, super greens powders have evolved into something more. Most of them contain other natural compounds that support good health. Athletic Greens is no exception.
By providing probiotic bacteria, Athletic Greens delivers a healthy dose of this “good” type of bacteria that supports healthy digestion and bowel action. Probiotics also have the potential to benefit the health in numerous other ways.
The digestive plant-sourced enzymes in Athletic Greens are there to enhance the digestive process and help the body get the most from the nourishment it gets. There’s a lot of science goes into a bag of Athletic Greens.
Who Makes Athletic Greens?
Athletic Greens is manufactured in New Zealand, but the company behind the product is not based there. Athletic Greens is an American company that’s been trading since 2010.
The Athletic Greens company was founded by an individual called Chris who created the original formulation in response to a personal health scare. Since then the formulation has been refined and improved over 50 times. That’s unusual.
The fact that the product is constantly evolving is good in some ways but bad in others. On the one hand, it’s nice to see a company making ongoing efforts to improve its product. However, on the other hand, it makes customer feedback worthless. Unless it’s very recent, that is.
Who Is Athletic Greens Intended For?
Athletic Greens is intended for men and women of all ages. It’s a food supplement in the true sense. More than that, like similar products, it aims to be a superfood. That doesn’t mean it should be seen as a replacement for healthy eating, but it offers people a good way to top up their daily nutrient intakes.
Advertised Benefits
- Paleo, keto, and vegan-friendly
- Free from gluten and dairy
- Low allergen a less than 1g of sugar per serving
- High bioavailability
- Provides up to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables per serving
How Does Athletic Greens Work?
There’s nothing very complicated going on here. Athletic Greens is a nutrient-rich product that feeds the body. It provides it with the raw material needed to support healthy cell growth and repair while also reinforcing immune response and other important biological functions.
Don’t see it as a complete food or a food substitute. Rather consider it something that can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle as a way to underpin and enhance all the benefits healthy living provides.
Key Ingredients and Supplement Facts
Athletic Greens contains over 75 different ingredients, spread across four proprietary blends.
Blend Potential
Athletic Greens contains a lot of ingredients. Even for a greens powder, this is a very busy formulation and there are no inclusion rates. Rather than looking at the ingredients on an individual basis, it makes more sense to look at the four proprietary blends instead.
Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex
This is by far the biggest blend. It accounts for more than half the formulation and it houses a very varied combination of ingredients. In fact, they seem to have been jumbled together without rhyme or reason.
Is it going to be nutrient-dense? Absolutely. Even without knowing how much of each ingredient is involved it’s easy to see that. It’s packed full of so many plant extracts there has to be a lot of vitamins and minerals involved. Broccoli and spinach alone are renowned for their high nutritional value.
Organic wheatgrass and a few of the other ingredients provide prebiotic fiber. This feeds the probiotic bacteria that lives in the gut. That’s the good type of bacteria. It’s the type you want because it helps keep the digestive system healthy. In so doing, it also helps keep the rest of the body in tip-top condition.
Green tea is an excellent source of antioxidants, so it may have been a better choice for the Herbs and Antioxidants blend. It’s also a respected fat burner though. Put it where you want, it’s a good ingredient to have. [SOURCE]
Beetroot is a good source of nitrate. It boosts nitric oxide, relaxes the blood vessels, and improves the circulation. It also lowers blood pressure.
Grapes provide resveratrol and proanthocyanidins. Both compounds are good for the heart. Some research suggests they can also increase lifespan by inducing longevity genes. [SOURCE]
Kelp provides iodine which supports thyroid health and encourages healthy metabolism. There are plenty of other good inclusions too.
Nutrient-Dense Natural Extracts, Herbs & Antioxidants
This is another blend that doesn’t seem to have a clearly defined purpose.
Pea protein assists muscle growth and protein synthesis. It offers value in numerous areas. [SOURCE]
Dandelion is a diuretic. It’s also good for detoxifying the body. Milk thistle is a detox ingredient as well and is often used for detoxing the liver. Artichoke and hawthorn are two more popular detox ingredients.
Although many of the ingredients will certainly provide antioxidants, the first blend is likely to contain more.
Digestive Enzyme and Super Mushroom Complex
The digestive organs use enzymes to breakdown food into smaller particles it can absorb and make use of. Certain plants also contain these enzymes so consuming their extracts may improve digestive abilities.
For instance, pineapple provides the enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein. It also improves the immune system and offers an anti-aging effect. That may explain why it’s been included in the first blend instead of this one. No matter, there is some bromelain in this blend as well, but Athletic Greens isn’t saying where it comes from. [SOURCE]
Astragalus root aids digestion. Burdock is a laxative. Reishi mushrooms are alleged to lower cholesterol and shitake mushrooms are a good source of antioxidants. Again, it’s hard to see the reasoning behind the blend.
Dairy-Free Probiotics (3.6 Billion CFU)
This one’s easy. It’s just probiotic bacteria and the first blend contains some prebiotics for it to feed upon.
A lot of this type of good bacteria is taken from dairy sources. In this case, it’s not, so people who are lactose intolerant need have no worries.
Vitamins and Minerals
When it comes to vitamins and minerals, Athletic Greens has got your back. There’s little point in listing all the benefits each one provides. Attempting to do so would turn this article into a textbook. However, let’s look at a few key players.
| SUPPLEMENT FACTS |
One 12 g serving (heaped tablespoon) provides:
| Calories | 50 |
| Total Carbohydrate | 6g |
| Protein | 3g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g |
| Total Sugars | <1g |
| Vitamin A | 4000IU |
| Thiamine (Vitamin B1) | 3mg |
| Vitamin E | 100IU |
| Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) | 2mg |
| Niacin (Vitamin B3) | 20mg |
| Vitamin C | 420mg |
| Folate (Vitamin B9) | 400mcg |
| Vitamin B6 | 3mg |
| Biotin (Vitamin B7) | 330mcg |
| Vitamin B12 | 28mcg |
| Pantothenic Acid | 4mg |
| Calcium | 118mg |
| Magnesium | 26mg |
| Phosphorus | 57mg |
| Zinc | 15mg |
| Chromium | 25mcg |
| Selenium | 24mcg |
| Copper | 195mcg |
| Manganese | 400mcg |
| Sodium | 45mg |
| Potassium | 300mg |
Vitamin C is good for the immune system and aids healing. All the B vitamins support healthy metabolism and help the body extract energy from food.
Zinc and magnesium support testosterone production. For that reason, they are often added to testosterone boosting supplements.
Chromium regulates insulin and blood sugar levels. It’s a popular diet pill ingredient because this ability makes it useful for preventing blood sugar crashes and carb cravings.
Usage Guidelines and Considerations
You take Athletic Greens first thing each morning, on an empty stomach. It’s just a case of placing on serving (scoop/tablespoon) in a glass with 6-10 ounces of water or using a shaker if you’ve got one. Stir or shake, for 20 seconds, and the mixture is good to go.
Customer Feedback
Athletic Greens has a lot of excellent customer feedback. It’s surprising how many people have so many good things to say about this product. Unfortunately, it’s often hard to say how old the feedback is or to which version it refers.
Known Side Effects and Other Health Considerations
Side effect don’t appear to be an issue with this product but that’s not surprising. Food supplements of this nature are unlikely to present issues unless you have a food allergy and the formulation contains the offending ingredient.
However, women who are pregnant or nursing should always get their doctor’s approval before using any brand of supplement. As should anyone who is presently receiving treatment for existing health issues.
Due to the fact that Athletic Greens provides natural fiber and probiotics, it’s possible new users may need a little time to adjust to the formulation. The possibility of mild stomach cramps and intestinal gas, during early stages of supplementation, cannot be entirely ruled out.
Should such issues arise it makes sense to reduce the dose per day until the body has time to adjust.
Where to Buy Athletic Greens
You can buy Athletic Greens from the official website. It’s sold by the bag and each resealable bag contains a 30-day supply of powder.
There are two options available. The first is to buy a single bag and use it as a trial pack. The second is to order via subscription and get a fresh bag delivered via autoship, once per month. This entails a 21 percent discount so it’s the cheapest way to go.
Without the discount, Athletic Greens costs nearly $100 per bag. With the discount, the price comes down to a more reasonable $77.
Nobody is saying that’s cheap, but it’s certainly a much better deal and it’s possible to cancel the subscription at any time. All you need to do is contact Athletic Greens customer support and ask them to stop sending you more.
When you buy via subscription, the first shipment also includes a free custom shaker. However, the real advantage is a subscription is a good way to make sure your supply of greens isn’t interrupted because you forgot to place the order for some more.
Guarantee
Customers who buy Athletic Greens are promised a 60-day money back guarantee. In fact, they are told they can have double their money back. That sounds a little too good to be true and terms and conditions don’t mention such a deal. The dark areas surrounding the guarantee is disappointing.
Summary
Make no bones about it, Athletic Greens is expensive. You are going to be paying top-dollar if you buy this product. However, it is a quality product. The ingredients are good and having your Athletic Greens every day should help keep you bright eyed and bushy tailed.
As with any other super greens powder, it’s a product intended for daily, long-term use. Unlike diet pills and certain other supplements, Athletic Greens is not a product that should be thought of a remedy for a problem. It’s a product for supporting good health. You will need to take it every day.
Starting and stopping gets you nowhere with super greens products. It would be like taking two steps forward and two steps back. Be aware of this and decide if you are willing to make an ongoing commitment.
If you decide you can’t place a price on good health, then buying via monthly subscription is a good way to go. The 21 percent discount makes the price a lot more reasonable.
This type of autoship agreement is usually best avoided but Athletic Greens is the exception to the rule. The discount is reasonable and the agreement is easy to cancel. In this case, the subscription is the smart way to go.
However, Athletic Greens is a health and wellness product for people who are serious about attaining and maintaining good health. It needs to be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. That means making sensible food choices, getting some exercise, and avoiding bad practices like smoking. A product like this can help you to be the best you can be but it cannot go it alone.
