We’ve all seen the ads. You know, the one with the perky woman in a matching workout set talking about how drinking daily greens has changed their life. They’re skinnier, less bloated, and experiencing more energy than ever before!
It seems too good to be true, so you scroll past. But then you see a post from a more trusted source. A theatre TikTokker whom you knew before they got internet famous. You watch them swig down their greens lemonade and wonder, “maybe there is something to this?”
Well, like you, we were curious. So we’ve done a deep dive into what the whole truth is about whether or not dancers should drink daily greens.
How Did We Even Get Here?
According to the CDC only roughly 11% of adults are meeting the recommended daily intake for fruits and veggies. That’s a pretty abysmal number, especially when you consider that vegetables, though nutritionally dense, tend to be calorically low. You’d think we’d be powering vegetables!
Alas, many people struggle to enjoy their vegetables and thus spawned the market for daily greens supplements.
And, honestly, with the amount of vitamins and minerals found in leafy greens, veggies, and fruits, plus the fiber component of these foods make the benefits of drinking daily greens *seem* like a no brainer.
But, then again…is it?
The reality is, because the popularity of drinking daily greens is relatively new, there is very little clinical research about the benefits of daily greens powder supplements.
However, there is lots of research about fruits, veggies, fiber and their nutritional benefits.
Let’s Talk About Whole Fruits and Veggies For a Moment:
The Nutrients
We all know on some level that consuming fruits and vegetables has loads of benefits. From vitamins and minerals, to gut health and the pre/probiotic nature of certain fibrous foods the benefits are almost endless.
In fact, this study shows that not all fiber from fruits, veggies, and legumes are created equal! Yet they all provide important benefits to our health.
Have you ever been told that how you cook your vegetables affects the nutrients available to you? It’s true! Different vegetables cooked in different ways result in different levels of nutrients available to the body after consumption.
This study showed that all cooking methods of broccoli except steaming resulted in significant decrease nutrient levels! Does this mean you should only steam your veggies? NO! But it does lead us to the next question.
If simply cooking vegetables changes the amount of nutrients, just how much are we losing while processing these veggies into a powdered scoop of daily greens?
The Fiber
One of the biggest benefits to eating enough daily greens, and one that might tempt you to drink daily greens is the fiber! Fiber is hugely important to our health. Studies have shown that getting your daily fiber intake can help prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and more.
Not to mention the fact that certain types of fiber are great for promoting gut health. This is because certain types of fiber like that found in beans and legumes are fermentable.
Why is this a good thing? Well, fermentable fibers require your gut bacteria to break them down, which promotes good gut health, through pre/pro-biotic benefits!
That said, let’s compare the fiber contents of some popular greens powders and common whole foods.
After all, if we are going spend the money to drink daily greens, shouldn’t we know if it’s actually making a dent in our daily fiber intake?
Here are a few popular greens juices and their fiber content:
One serving of AG1 (Athletic Greens) contains 2g fiber.
A serving of Live it Up Greens contains 0.3g fiber.
One serving of Kaged Greens contains 1g fiber.
Now, Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens has the most with 6g of fiber.
And here are some fruits and veggies and their fiber content:
A one cup serving of broccoli contains 5g fiber.
A small orange contains 3g fiber.
One cup of black beans is a whopping 15g fiber
One cup of raspberries contains 8g fiber.
And don’t forget about whole grains!
One cup of whole wheat pasta is 6g fiber.
A serving of air-popped popcorn is 3g fiber.
One cup of quinoa has 5g fiber.
Recap?
Overall, whole foods have a higher fiber content.
What’s more is, some of these greens powders cost as much as $79 for 30 servings. That’s $2.63 per serving. That’s often more than an entire bag of frozen vegetables! (and yes, frozen vegetables are just as nutritiously dense as fresh ones!)
Okay, Okay. So TLDR, Should I Drink Daily Greens?
Here’s the thing, we are always going to recommend getting as much of your nutrition from whole foods. Not only do whole foods offer the most bang for your buck nutritiously, but they also offer you more dietary fiber.
However, if you drink daily greens and you like it, it’s not doing you any harm. In fact, drinking daily greens as a multivitamin, could be beneficial. However, if that’s why you’re drinking the greens, make sure the label tells you exactly what you’re getting.
At the end of the day, greens powders and multivitamins and even protein powders are supplements. They are designed to supplement your diet, not be your diet.
Bottom line?
If you find you’re missing the mark on fiber, your best bet is to add more fibrous foods into your daily diet.
If you’re finding gaps in certain micronutrients then maybe take a look at a few different greens supplements and select one that fits your supplemental needs.
At the end of the day, drinking daily greens won’t hurt you. But for the investment, I wouldn’t say they are a necessity the way protein or creatine supplements might be.
So, what do you think? Are you going to the store for some salad fixings? You going to add some black beans to that taco bowl? I hope so!
Whether you drink daily greens or not, there is so much value in increasing your fruit and vegetable intake!
And hey, if you’re wondering “How do I add all of this into my diet and still reach my health goals?”
Reach out to us.
Between Body Mechanics, The Embodied Artist, and an entire team of trainers committed to helping you learn how to fuel your body, I know we can get you the answer!
Did you find this blog helpful? Give these posts a read: The Pros and Cons of Creatine: Busting the Myths and Revealing the Facts, Leg Day: Perform At Your Own Risk, Training Tip Tuesday: The B-Stance Squat
