Greens powders are a scam. 

I feel like greens powders are the ultimate placebo effect. It says green so it must be good for me! And I don’t have to chew vegetables- score!! LoL

The reason why I think people feel it works is just to show how unbalanced our diets are. I'm sure a lot of us is short in eating enough varieties of fruit and veggies.

I LOVED that you said, not financially accessible!!! Thanks for acknowledging the people struggling to afford adequate nutrition! It's also important for more people to hear the if it's working for you, GOOD for You! As someone with chronic illness living in an ableist world, you hear about so many "cures" and we are sought out by companies, influencers, and representatives to buy the products. Much of it starts with shaming of the people who can't afford the products or food, and for those who have assumably already tried doing everything short of eating worms (I know of people who have actually consumed worms looking for a cure) and nothing worked for us, we're told we must have done it wrong, not taken it long enough, not eaten enough, etc. I've known of one good green powder that my sister-in-law used to sell and never shame anyone over it, that I thought was pretty good. I can't afford it, but it was decently trustworthy. I felt some benefits, but did it cure me? No. I do have to use electrolytes and probiotics. So here's the interesting thing to know about the marketing with that- Me, as someone with chronic illness who belongs to a large community of others who also require electrolyte supplements like people with POTS or absorption problems, etc, I have multiple social media accounts and though I'm not a big deal, I do know a couple medium deals and I'm a daily social media user. People like me, reach out to a company, to see if we can get a code and promote it for a small discount or to earn product, they respond with We'd LOVE for you to be a brand ambassador! You have to have over a million followers and then we'll sign you up. Guess what? Most people with chronic illness don't have a million followers! There's a good reason for that! But, if you ask millions of people in groups or chronic illness communities how many of them use the product, at least 80% will say they do. Many of them have subscriptions. Many of them learned about the product they use because they heard it discussed as a favorite or because it won in a lot of social media polls. But because we're not the pretty, perky, popular person, we're not enough for them. Again, ableist world, so that's something else for people to consider when hearing these stories from so-called changed/cured influencers. Great video!

Thank you for doing this! I see so, so many people (very random inluencers mostly) rave about this and I've always wondered it if was really worth it or not.

Something is better than nothing, simple as that.

Thanks again for your informed and common sense approach to fitness and nutrition. I had been a fitness instructor/personal trainer for 28 years and was also a registered dietitian, and find your content on point. Proprietary blend is the biggest scam on the market!!

Justina, I love your objective & scientific breakdown of product marketing. Keep it going.

Very rare. A RU-vid post that's clear, honest, up front, simply explained and easy to listen to. Funny thing is that an AG1 advert came on right after my view.. How ironic is that...

I live in Germany and I was shown AG1 ads for the first time a few months ago. I did some research and the German consumer protection warns against these products. Once for your reasons mentioned and because often greens purchased on the Internet are poorly controlled. Thx for your video, Justina!

My husband and I were supposed to host Christmas this year, and we got the flu on Christmas Eve. Everyone was already in town and my brother-in-law swore that if we used a green powder, we'd get better. I was miserable and the green powder tasted like trash. Keep in mind, hubby and I are both fit, we eat a balanced diet, and we don't rely on supplements often (apart from Omegas and protein powder). Spoiler alert: the green powder didn't fast-track our recovery time. It only served to make me more unhappy. 😅 And that's okay. I wasn't expecting anything else. Maybe it gave me a little something, maybe not. I just continued to listen to my body and eat what it wanted to heal. I still have some green powder and on those days where I'm not able to get in as many fresh fruits and veggies as I'd like, I don't mind choking some down (Okay, I'm being dramatic, but it's not great.) But full reliance is dangerous for the reasons you mentioned. This is such a perfect product to market towards Americans and I'm not surprised they're so successful. We're lazy and if we could find a "take this one pill and live forever because it's all you" supplement, we'd take it. Personally, I really love vegetables and fruits, so they're not a struggle for me to get in normally and the green powders are not nearly as kind on my gut. I'm tempted to send this to my brother-in-law. His wife is part of several MLMs. They pretty much live off of various powders and red meat. It's wild.

Thanks for saving me a LOT of money. Greens powders are hard for me to drink (because they are GROSS LOL and often taste like fake sweetener too) but I felt like I was missing out on something I really "should" be adding to my diet. I have apples, brocolli, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans and blueberries in my fridge so I guess I'm good!

I know they're popular with neurodivergent people who have sensory issues with actual fruits & vegetables. I have the same issues but take capsule supplements to help. Are there any reputable green powder brands you recommend?

I wished you had listed some example of high quality powders vs low quality. I saw AG1 in the picture but that wasn't mentioned in the video so now I'm wondering which category it falls into. Thank you for this video just the same! ❤❤❤❤

I had to rewatch this video since I caught myself thinking I needed to buy greens after seeing them popping up on my youtube non stop. Thanks for the video! Will probably have to rewatch when I think I need them again in a couple months lol

Not me getting an ad for AG1 at the end of the video😂😂😂😂

As someone who uses a green powder, I loved this video. Not because it taught me anything I wasn't already aware of, but because it was honest, educated and factual while not tearing any one side down or criticizing. Thank you. It's irritating seeing all the fitness and nutrition videos out there that are just full of false information and or no information at all sometimes, just people pushing a product.

good video. I am an ER doc and have been taking AG for about 7 months. It seems to have improved my digestion at least, although I havent noticed any of the other claimed benefits(increased focus, energy, less sleep needed). I am curious, because I do eat fruits and veggies, like raspberries, blueberries, spinach, asparagus, broccoli cauliflower and carrots mainly. I used to have gi upset like IBS symptoms, and that is what improved on AG1....do u think its possible they some people need additional digestive support...such as is offered in some of these powders? I am guessing u would say yes. Thanks this was one of the more informative vids on the subject. Popular "influencers" are paid substantially, I believe commission based on purchases that use their code. So obviously a ton of that monthly cost is to pay those people and otherwise market...which means the product costs a fraction of the charge.

Wow that is pricey! I hate these predatory companies. I’ve been taking fruit and veggie snacks to work and eating during the day. It keeps my energy level up!

Hi Justina! I'm a new viewer and not sure if you answer comments on old videos, but in case you do.... Do you have a recommendation for a high quality greens powder? I'm actually in the category of people who can't have raw fruits and veggies- I got my colon removed and live with a j pouch, so I have malabsorption and can usually only tolerate cooked spinach or juicing. Juicing takes SO LONG so I have been thinking about trying one the the green powders I see everywhere, but most of them make my scam radars go nuts which is how I found this video😆 anyways, any recs that you have would be greatly appreciated! thanks for the education😊

How do you eat fruits and vegetables once a person has had to have denture surgery? I have been trying for 8 months and ready to give up and just rely on fruit smoothies for nutrition

It's mind-boggling to me that people in the US can't find out what's specifically in their food/supplements. I just learned last year that packages in the US don't use grams or anything to compare but "portion sizes".

It's mind-blowing to me how far of a reach Athletic Greens has. I consume content from different types of creators -- not just in the health and wellness space but creators in the DYI industry, Finance, and Music and they're all promoting it! It's really insane.

Cool video 🎉 thanks for sharing. Someone shared your video in a fitness forum :)

Thanks because you saved me money on getting these. We love truth that protects us from scammer-corporations.

Justina, do you have a video in how you became a personal trainer? As an aspiring one or would be helpful!

I have a 15 year old son who refuses to eat vegetables. I realize that greens powders are not ideal, but his doctor recommended it along with a good multivitamin. I also have a son leaving for college in 5 days. I just bought him some because he isn’t likely to eat anything more than donuts and chips for the next 4 years. How can I make sure that I am getting them a higher quality product? (I have to note here, my kids grew up vegetarians and they both loved vegetables until recently.)

"I'm not trying to deter you from buying a green powder" also, "Green powders are a scam."

I rarely post anything, but I struggle with this. I'm a bariatric patient. Most of meals have to be protein heavy and I seriously can't fit in full servings of fruits and veggies. I eat a little bit at each meal and take multi vitamins every day. My doc does track my blood levels and everything appears fine, but I have been drinking greens to try to boost nutrients some. How do I know I'm getting a high quality one? The one I currently use does list the daily value of the vitamins in it.

Are any ingredients Pasteurized?

I totally understand what you're saying but my reason for trying one is that I truly hate most vegetables! So I hoped the powder would help me in that respect. However I found the powder to taste terrible AND it's too expensive! Now what do I do?

What is a high quality greens powder?

Thank you for covering this. I’m so sick of influencers. Mari has no accreditation but for some reason people just trust her.

Thank you for this. It really bums me out when I see people who normally do good things make their sad drinks with green sawdust and a mini whisk, and then tell me how great it tastes. We all know it does not taste great.

Every single thing you said was accurate and rational. Especially the point to which why wouldn't the company tell us the amounts if they truly want it to help us. I can only imagine what those $9.99 tubs of greens at Marshalls or TJ Max have in it.

Question what is your opinion on: Option 1) if you make your own greens powder. You buy organic vegetables save the green from the actual vegetables. Then you wash, then blanc to get rid of the oxalic acid and kill off the bacteria, then dehydrate low temperature at 110 deg F and slowly until dry. Then you powdered, then condition it to make sure the powder is dry, and then vacuum seal in a glass jar for long term storage until ready to use. I would consider this high content green powder. Option 2) if you buy variety of organic green vegetables, algae, mushrooms either already dehydrate leaves or powder green for that one ingredient from organic suppliers by the pound (ex. Spirulina, blue green algae, moringa leaves things you cannot normally buy at the farmers market, but can buy online)and mi-x them powders together to make your own mixture? What would you think of those 2 options or combinations of them together. Their are a bunch of videos from homesteaders that make their own greens powder from their own home grown crops. Or people like myself who hate eating green vegetables but does have access local farmers market who sell organic vegetables when in season. And we can pre-make so we have greens in a powdered to use when we cannot get local fresh vegetables. It takes a bit of work but wouldn’t it be much healthier then nothing from the sounds these pre-mix manufacture green powdered and a lot cheaper too?

I don't eat vegetables that often so it's mostly for convenience. That's why I take one.

Have you tried Grun. They keep popping up in my feed and I’m curious. Thank you ❤

What are your thoughts on Tonic Greens & it's claims of curing Herpes????

I was waiting for this video!!!!

Does anyone have a recommendation on finding high quality greens powders? Are there any products that are transparent about the ingredients and production process? TBH, I use greens powders because I just hate the taste and texture of most vegetables. I've found that putting a scope of powder into my daily fruit smoothie is the most realistic way to regularly get it into my body. I realize that "eat vegetables" is an easy answer a lot of people are giving, but that's kinda like saying "abstinence is the safest form of sex".

Great Video ! Thank you 🙏

One of the things that waves massive red flags to me about greens powders (and reds, and those musrhoom supplements that were popular a few years ago, and pretty much any "holistic health and wellness" supplement) that I don't think people in general twig as being a red flag is when the product claims both anti-inflammatory properties and 'immune support'/'immune boosting'/whatever - it can't be both, inflammation is a function of the immune system, if it's suppressing inflammation it's immune suppressing. (immune 'boosting' also gets me, that's autoimmunity babes, but I assume that's fluffier language for 'supporting t-cell production' or something like that). Either of the effects are fine, there are reasons one would want that, but it can't be BOTH. They are opposing mechanisms! And that tells me the company is full of shit about their products.

The reason I was interested in the green powders was convenience. When I buy produce stuff goes bad quickly and it can be time consuming. I will try frozen then. Thanks for your input!

I would need a high quality powder I could simply shove in some sort of fake sugar with etc. But AG1? Or subscription based whatever? No WAY! But is there a way to get one that has scientific validity to at least kinda substitute?

Great video and spot on

Process vegetables are process foods not good for us ?

Is Huel a good brand?

Excellent content!

My daughter has oral allergy syndrome. She can’t eat any fruits , vegetables, nuts without reacting . I was going to see if she could tolerate a greens powder to at least get “some” amount of nutrients . Are there any honest brands who disclose their info and make a good green powder😕?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Teami Blends. I’ve been using some of their products for years now. One of them happens to be their Greens Powder. Lol I only use it when I don’t want to drink coffee and/or I haven’t eaten vegetables in a long time. But I love their protein powders and their clay masks are my favorite products. Maybe you can do an arbitrary ranking video for health & wellness brands like Teami Blends and Bloom? I’m interested to see where Teami would end up.

Yes I have been asking fS greens for a while and they still have not got back to me about how much of everything there is in their package

I love your weekly common sense input, Justina! ❤

Thanks for some clear, coherent commentary.

Definitely don’t tell people they could get freeze dried veggies/fruits and blend it into a powder or dehydrate their own to make a cheaper green powder. One that you may actually be able to trust

Thank you for that 💞

Hello Justina, beautiful as always. Before I played the video, I thought: isn't everything a scam in today's fitness? Sadly, yes. Anyway, as always I appreciate your honesty and I hope this will help people who tend to buy these products.

Thanks for another great video! Very interesting and well informed as always! By the way, I like making smoothies and mixing some pineapple with greens (even frozen!) can be a way of making a green drink fast, healthy, and without the disgusting flavour... And actually with the anti-oxidant properties and micro-nutrients that these things claim to have. BTW pineapple might actually reduce real (not imaginary) bloating, because it has some good digestive enzymes. I realise that not everyone can afford to do this, but if they can, it's one of the not very expensive ways of staying healthy.

I did bloom greens for quite a few months. I started having nothing but diarrhea for 3 straight months. Stopped the greens and then got a regular poop back

I recently bought a protein powder to help with my calcium and protein intake. I could only find protein powder with greens. I guess it couldn't hurt to get more greens but I'd love recommendations for normal protein powder😊

I'm one of those people that don't have time, insane schedule. So I need to supplement. Which greens powders do you think are high quality enough?

I have a issue with how little it shows whats in it,if they were honest id buy it more often.

I didn't read the comments so this may already be there but one of the reasons these companies do not list any vitamin and/or mineral amounts is because labeling law for these is pretty strict (at least in Europe) and usually that also means regular testing of the amounts of vitamins which are some of the most expensive tests you can do on food products (I know I work in food manufacturing). Vitamin and mineral labelling is complicated but the companies listing blends instead of vitamin/mineral amounts are trying to save money on lab tests and possible corrective actions due to too low/high amounts as well as inconsistent amounts in the final product. Should you believe everything a label says, NO but if vitamins and minerals are listed on a label, it means it is tested regularly (again at least in Europe) and that's a bigger effort to give accurate information to consumers than just listing blends.

Something I think is extremely insidious about greens is that along with advertising "wellness" benefits, they prey on the very normal phenomena of being ~bloated~. Absolutely wild that so many influencers advertise a product that essentially makes something that's not usually a problem and makes it a problem 🥴

Thanks so much good to know 🙏💯

I don't think you can scroll on RU-vid any more without seeing some strategically placed ad reads for Skillshare at the front of the video...

AG1 commercial before during and after the video, I can't!! Lol

Well I for one who doesn’t eat greens or veggies I can tell a huge difference in how I feel after a couple weeks I guess it’s all in my head

I don't eat hardly any veggies and fruits ao i definitely need a supplement. Does anybody know of any legit supplements at a reasonable cost? Thank you in advance.

Tried one 10+ years ago. Was supposed to help with weight loss. The only thing it did was make me hate mornings, it was so foul.

Interesting point about the ingredient amounts. I would appreciate a more detailed look at more brands, so we could identify which brands are in fact "high quality."

LOL at the greens powder ad that played before this video

I have dried them ground up greens (kale, spinach,etc) to add to my food. A little sprinkle in pasta sauce, in soups/stews, whatever. Not sure how many vitamins are retained, but it is a cheap way to make me feel like I am doing something healthy for me and my family. It would probably be disgusting to drink though.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the quality or quantity of ingredients, businesses successfully leverage the placebo effect to drive substantial revenue. Our inclination to believe in the effectiveness of such products leads to repeated purchases, as our perception is influenced by this psychological phenomenon. Nonetheless, it's reasonable to assume that consuming greens is preferable to not receiving essential nutrients at all, right? I totally see your point though Justina!!! Great video! I feel your frustration. 😎

I literally got an AG1 ad on this video 😭😂

I shit you not, before this video played, I got an ad for AG1. 😂

I loathe proprietary ingredients and don't trust a company if they are not transparent. I'm allergic to chemical fragrance and therefore flavor additives because artificial flavor always is perfume and natural flavor often is too--but is unregulated so it doesn't have to be listed--and hot oils like cinnamon and clove are chemically similar to fragrance and not ideal for me to ingest but are in all kinds of products marketed as healthy. I find it bizarre a company can't provide an ingredient list just in the service of reporting potential allergens. I've tried greens powders when my diet has been lacking at times due to poor appetite from endometriosis but some taste so bad I couldn't drink them in smoothies anyway! I also admittedly got a Nutribullet when their infomercial was in heavy rotation in 2013 and they were making outlandish claims about nutrient absorption from pulverized fruits and vegetables before the FTC made them put a visual disclaimer visible during the infomercial, but it broke pretty quickly so I didn't keep it and got a knockoff Blendtec instead for green smoothies.

Had an AG1 ad for this video lol

There’s a lot of evidence for the health benfits of spirulina and Chlorella even for people who eat a balanced diet. but idk about these blend things.

My first ad was for athletic greens😂

I agree with most of this! However, I do not think Athletic Greens is a scam but I DO think it is way overly marketed and the majority of people do not need it for the price. Athletic greens is for athletes, and part of the reason why it is so expensive is that it is certified Safe for Sport, i.e. the ingredients are independently tested to make sure it contains what it says it does, and not any banned substances. As someone who could be drug tested in endurance sports, that is really important for me! Anecdotally I've seen improvements in my blood work after taking AG1, and optimal levels of these vitamins and minerals can differ for athletes vs the general population. But yeah, all of the influencer marketing doesn't sit well...

4:38 well yes and no... because if they just told everyone how much of all the ingredients they put in there would be nothing stopping another company just copying the formula.... but im also not niave enough to believe that the other reason is because they don't really have optimal dosages of the specific ingredients in them to make a scientific provable difference.... 🤔

There are brands that are transparent on their ingredients. (supergreen tonik is an example… no affiliation)

Thank you for this, you just saved me $50 a month😊

I just bought a green powder xD At least they list how much of each is in it on the ingredient list.

Makes sense the way she put it, especially in the end. She makes a valid argument. These supplements are likely healthy, and worth a look. If you like the product as she said, and you have the money, and you want to put something with health benefits into your body (although not fully knowing those benefits) then do it.

I was super ticked to get some of those but after some research since the price of these products is not exactly in my price range, I am sticking to my time and energy demanding preparing these mixes myself. I do not like that proprietary blend where you have zero information of how much of what. RED FLAG

I take a cheaper version of AG1 one its called FS Greens. It's marketed here in UK. Since I been taking. I threw away my Anti Depressants and experienced less noticeable withdrawal effects coming off them, and my sleep has gotten better drastically. Coming off Venlafaxine is hell and let me tell you now it is no placebo for me.

I’m not surprised because they do the same with skin care. Brands do this all the time and though it’s wrong, they literally can’t get in trouble for it unless their sued

Good Wednesday morning Justina. Excellent video with super production values. Thanks for sharing. I most certainly agree that green powders are an absolute scam!! 😊😊👍👍

I'm scaling back on the supplements I take and was going to keep my supergreen gummies but I think I'll stop these as well.

I would prefer to eat fruits and veggies personally. Thanks again for wonderful information as always.

Literally got an AG1 ad at the start of this video! 😂

Thanks for de influencing me to buy these expensive powders!

Hi, thanks for educating us. Pls share your thoughts on this: Grown American Superfood - 31 Organic Whole Fruits and Vegetables Concentrated Green Powder Increase Energy and Performance - 100% Certified Organic and Vegan Non-GMO (14 Servings, 1 Bag)

I tried AG1 for 2 months, then came to my senses and cancelled. I think the product does have some good things in it, but the company promises so many benefits from the product that it is quite unrealistic. The other thing is that the powder does not completely dissolve after being shaken in water, so there is always powder sediment left at the bottom of your glass. And it is outrageously expensive. As Justine mentioned, all supplements are unregulated so you really don’t know what you are actually getting.

I use a greens powder, it doesnt give me any feel good feeling or what ever, I add it to my protein shakes (whey issolate) and if I don't I sometimes struggle pooping.

Any greens powders you recommend?

Thank you!

to be honest as a european is since covid I'm hearing about AG and thought it was crazy, but then seeing the price and media coverage by sponsorship even by professionals (like Huberman) I though I was the mad one. If you want to pay 100$ to not eat your broccoli not gonna complain

I looked into ag1 once and saw how high the % of vitamins were, including fat soluble vitamins… taking that every day gives you way to much very quickly. You would get negative effects rather quick if you take over 200% of vitamins every single day… I’ll stick to actual veggies thank you