Is Athletic Greens Worth It?
Alright, after testing it out for almost a full year, I’m finally addressing one of the most common questions I get: Is Athletic Greens worth it?! To be honest, my answer is a little tricky to define. Before I ordered it, I was fully prepared to think it’s over-hyped and unnecessary. But surprisingly, I actually think it’s a great product.
When I went off birth control, I ordered a ton of daily supplements to help my body adjust, and it felt like a lot to keep track of. I hated taking multiple capsules, putting them all in my pill organizer every week, figuring out which ones I can take on an empty stomach and which ones I can’t… it all felt like such a chore. So when I realized that one scoop of AG1 could replace 9 pills (!!) since it gives you 75 vitamins and minerals, whole-food sourced superfoods, probiotics, and adaptogens… in just ONE scoop?! That felt worth a shot.
To give you a little context, Athletic Greens was founded by Chris Ashenden in 2009 with a mission to bring comprehensive and convenient daily nutrition to the masses. It has been endorsed by popular personalities like Robin Arzon from Peloton and Mark Hyman from Mind Body Green. But if you haven’t seen them talk about, you’ve likely seen their ads on Instagram and/or podcasts. That’s how I heard about them!
Is Athletic Greens Worth It?
After all the ads wore me down, I decided to place an order and test it out so I could write about what I think of the hype for all of you. I paid for it myself and was actually able to partner with them after realizing that I really liked it. (That’s how you can get a 1 year supply of their Vitamin D3k2 drops and 5 travel packs with your first purchase. Woo!) Now let’s dive in to this review.
As I mentioned above, AG1 is an all-in-one supplement with 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients with the same antioxidant power as 12 fruit and vegetable servings. One scoop mixed into water each day contains benefits that can replace multiple supplements like multivitamins, pre and probiotics, digestive enzymes, and more. It’s also entirely plant-based, and unlike other options out there, they utilize raw superfoods, herbs, mushrooms, and antioxidants. Oh, and don’t let “athletic” in the name throw you off. This is formulated to be a convenient and nutritionally complete supplement for everyone, no matter how active you are.
I also think it’s really important to note that AG1 has the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Certified for Sport independent testing seal.
This means that it’s free from substances banned by major athletic organizations, but it also means that Athletic Greens has invested in unbiased third-party testing. This testing verifies the quality of its ingredients, label claims, and safety. There aren’t a lot of superfood supplements or green powders on the market with that certification, let alone third party testing, so this is a really big pro for me.
Athletic Greens Ingredients
When it comes to ingredients, Athletic Greens relies on the latest science and makes sourcing high quality effective ingredients a priority. You can read more about all of the ingredients listed on this page of their website, but the actual label divides this green powder supplement into these 4 categories.
Alkaline Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex
This complex has a ton of nutrient dense ingredients like spirulina, alfafa, acerola fruit, broccoli flower, carrot root, spinach leaf and more. Organic wheat grass provides prebiotic fiber which is great for your gut. Green tea is a great source of antioxidants (and provides a little bit of caffeine). Beetroot can help improve circulation and blood pressure. Kelp helps support thyroid health. Lots of good stuff going on here.
Nutrient Dense Extracts Herbs & Antioxidants
I’m familiar with pea protein, ashwaganda, and stevia (that’s is what makes it a little sweet) – but everything else in this proprietary blend is pretty new to me. Apparently dandelion, milk thistle, artichoke, and hawthorn berry can help support your liver though!
Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex
This complex is made with natural digestive enzymes and mushrooms that can help support gut health and your immune system.
Dairy-Free Probiotics
This was a really exciting aspect for me, because now I don’t need to take a separate probiotic! This complex contains two high quality probiotics that help support your gut bacteria and digestive system.
Athletic Greens Benefits
There are a lot of health benefits associated with these products, but these are the ones I personally experienced!
Sustained Energy
The combination of natural B 12, biotin, bioavailable folate, magnesium, wheatgrass, and green tea help boost your energy – without the crash.
Better gut health and digestion
AG1 contains dairy-free probiotics that protect your gut, along with naturally occurring enzymes that help support the digestive process. In other words, when you take AG1, you don’t need to also have a separate probiotic.
Supported Immune System
The essential vitamins, minerals, and functional mushrooms in this support immune health – but immunity is also largely tied to your gut health. So those probiotics I mentioned above help in more ways than one!
Mental Clarity
Believe me, I also rolled my eyes at this one when I first read about it – but there really is something to this claim. The neural supporting formula can help you focus, plus the adaptogens and antioxidants help with sleep so you wake up feeling more refreshed too.
Supports skin, hair, and nails
The antioxidants and superfoods in AG1 works to counteract free radicals, plus biotin and other nutrients help support healthy skin, hair and nails.
A routine you can stick to!
Instead of keeping track of multiple supplements, all you have to do is remember to drink 1 scoop in water each day. That’s it. Doesn’t get much easier than that!
What Does Athletic Greens Taste Like?
Alright pals, let’s be real here – it doesn’t taste GREAT. You know I don’t lie to you so I’m not going to start now. That being said, when I asked if my audience had tried it before, a few people said things like “I couldn’t choke it down” and that feels very extreme, too.
To me, it tastes like a weird slightly sweet green juice. It’s a little grassy, a little like pineapple, and this is going to sound crazy but I swear my friend and I both pick up on a subtle bubblebum taste. I know, super weird description, but I want to be honest!
I like everything better when it’s ICE COLD, so I suggest ditching the bottle that comes with your purchase and I mixing it in a glass with a handheld mixer instead. Then add a TON of ice and drink it quickly through a straw.
If my tricks don’t work for you, you can also mix in some fruit juice or even blend it in your smoothie. Lots of options!
Is Athletic Greens Worth It? My Athletic Greens Review
This question is tricky because it really depends what you are looking for. We all have different needs, different budgets, and different preferences.
Let’s chat about the cost a little bit more though. When you click here, you can get 30 servings of AG1, the starter kit (canister and shaker), and a free year supply of Vitamin D and 5 travel packs (12 grams each) for $79. After that, the monthly subscription costs $79 each month with the ability to pause, delay or cancel at any time. That’s definitely not cheap! But… when you break it down, it comes to $2.70 per day.
If you have enough disposable income to go to a coffee shop every morning or drop in to $20 workout classes + get a $12 smoothie afterwards every week, budgeting $2.70 a day doesn’t sound so crazy. Especially when you remember that it can replace your other supplements.
Also, if you are someone who hates keeping track of what supplements you should be taking, what you can/can’t take on an empty stomach, etc, then the convenience of AG1 is also a big pro. It is very easy to habit stack and stick to!
My Update
As for me, I really loved taking AG1 for over a year – but I have stopped… for now. I experience menstrual migraines and Better Days has a drink powder called Better Hormones that has helped me a lot. After discovering that, I also tried their Better Greens, which is not the same as AG1 by any means but it tastes amazing and Adam loves it too. You can read my full review here.
Ultimately, I decided to just stick to the Better Days subscriptions and go back to taking a daily multivitamin and probiotic to make up for what I’m not getting from AG1 anymore. I could definitely see myself renewing my subscription someday, but for right now, this is what’s working for me and my body.
PS. You might also like my Better Greens Review!
