Here’s Why the Green Superfood Is Your Source of Next-level Power
Did you know that only about 1 in 10 US adults eats the recommended amount of vegetables, and only about 1 in 8 gets enough fruit?1 If you're like most people, chances...
Did you know that only about 1 in 10 US adults eats the recommended amount of vegetables, and only about 1 in 8 gets enough fruit?1
If you're like most people, chances are there's a real gap in your diet. Fruits and veggies are where a lot of your vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, potassium and fiber come from.
Between busy days and convenient-but-not-great food choices, there's one easy way to add more plants to your routine: a green superfood.
What is a green superfood?
A green superfood powder is a dried, ground blend of plants like leafy greens, grasses and algae such as spirulina, often with some fruit mixed in. It's had plenty of attention on social media, with fans saying it's helped their skin and their gut.
Let's be clear about what it is and isn't. A greens powder doesn't replace a healthy diet and lifestyle. What it can do is make it a lot easier to get more plants in on the days you fall short. Here's what the research actually says.
1. Antioxidant support
Greens and other colorful plants are full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. In a small 6-month trial in older adults, a fruit, vegetable and berry powder concentrate was well tolerated and lowered a blood marker of oxidized, or damaged, proteins.2
It's early research, but it lines up with what we know about eating more plants in general.
2. Heart health
In a small pilot study, people with high blood pressure who took a fruit and vegetable powder drink for 90 days saw their blood pressure drop significantly, while the control group didn't.3 One small study isn't proof, but it's a promising sign.
3. Better workouts
Good news, gym rats. Leafy greens and beets are rich in dietary nitrate, which your body turns into nitric oxide, a molecule that helps blood vessels relax. A large review found nitrate supplements gave a small but real performance boost in recreationally active young men, with little effect in highly trained endurance athletes.4
Translation: greens won't replace training, sleep and protein, but they're a smart part of the fuel.
4. A longer life
Do you dream about retiring by the beach and sipping piña coladas on the porch until you're 101? Before throwing booze in the blender, stock up on plants.
A large Harvard study of more than 100,000 adults, combined with 26 other studies, found that eating about five servings of fruits and vegetables a day (two fruit, three vegetables) was linked with the lowest risk of death from heart disease, cancer and respiratory disease.5 A separate review of prospective studies found the same pattern for heart disease, cancer and early death overall.6
Those studies looked at whole fruits and vegetables, not powders. So a greens powder is best used to help you get closer to those servings, not as a stand-in for them.
5. A natural glow
They say you are what you eat, and your skin might agree. In one study, people who ate about three more portions of fruit and vegetables a day had a visibly healthier, warmer skin tone within six weeks. The change came from carotenoids, the pigments that give colorful produce its color.7
What a greens powder can't do
- It won't replace coffee. Unless a powder contains caffeine, it's not an instant energy boost. Feeling tired all the time can be a sign of low iron or B12, so ask your doctor about a blood test.
- It won't replace whole foods. A scoop doesn't have the fiber or volume of a plate of vegetables.
- It won't detox you. Your liver and kidneys already handle that.
Who should check with a doctor first
Leafy greens are high in vitamin K. If you take a blood thinner like warfarin, you're usually advised to keep your vitamin K intake consistent from day to day, so talk to your doctor before adding a greens powder.8 The same goes if you're pregnant, nursing or managing a medical condition.
Go green!
You're busy, and you don't always have time to chow down on a bucket of brussels sprouts. A daily scoop of greens is an easy way to get more plants in, alongside the real thing.
fitppl is dedicated to making products that support your body and our planet. If you're ready to give it a try, check out our Daily Greens & Reds Superfood.
Sources 8
Numbers in the article link to these sources.
- Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM. Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations, United States, 2019. MMWR, 2022.
- Ziegler T, et al. Effects of a commercial fruit, vegetable and berry juice powder concentrate on metabolic safety and cardiovascular health in older adults: 6-month results of an RCT. Nutrients, 2026.
- Zhang J, Oxinos G, Maher JH. The effect of fruit and vegetable powder mix on hypertensive subjects: a pilot study. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2009.
- Senefeld JW, et al. Ergogenic effect of nitrate supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2020.
- Wang DD, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies of US men and women and a meta-analysis of 26 cohort studies. Circulation, 2021.
- Aune D, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2017.
- Whitehead RD, et al. You are what you eat: within-subject increases in fruit and vegetable consumption confer beneficial skin-color changes. PLoS One, 2012.
- Cedars-Sinai. For warfarin: eating a consistent vitamin K diet.
