"Green" supplements - thoughts?

[mspina]

All,

I was at my local Whole Foods this weekend, and I can never resist taking a spin through the supplement section. For the last few weeks they've had a display with free samples of a type of "green" supplement (a powder you prepare with juice or water). I can't recall the brand name unfortunately, but it had a WIDE range of ingredients, hitting a number of "targets" - immune system, digestive system (seemed to be a collection of probiotics of some sort), etc.

Is anyone familiar with this kind of thing? I'm usually up for giving things a try, but this was pricey - $45 - so I thought I'd ask around first. I have some vague recollection that Kathryn takes some individual green sups - am I crazy here?

If you currently are using this and like it, a link to an on-line source would be much appreciated as well as your general thoughts/recommendations!

Thanks!
m.

 

[delfin]

RE:

My Dad takes all kinds of powder supplements... and yes, they're usually green. Don't know what they are, but for some reason, the whole green supplement thing reminds me of Soylent Green (that's another thread, though)

 

[mparker]

RE:

I have taken different green drinks, including Just Barley, Green Kamut, Garden of Life's Perfect Food, and right now am using Green Magma. I am a great believer in green foods and also added chlorella and spirulina to my regimen. You can do a search on green foods and find lots of info. I am 60 and feel and look great so I am going to continue with my strict vitamin and exercise regimin. maryann

 

[mspina]

RE:

Maryann Parker? Of VF? If so, I "know" you from way back when!!! I hope that you are doing well (sounds like you are fabu as usual!). You are one of my VF heroines! If you give this the thumbs up, I'm all over it!

I think what my Whole Foods was sampling was the Garden of Life - that is ringing a bell. I'll see if I can find it more reasonably priced on-line, and will also check into the Green Magma.

Thanks!
m.

 

[kathryn]

RE:

I take green supplements (powders), often adding them to a smoothie (if I'm drinking one that doesn't already contain them--Vega already contains chlorella, so I feel covered there). I use "Vitamineral Green" primarily, but I've also bought some frozen wheat grass juice from www.dynamicgreens.com (the best tasting I've tried: sweet, but not overly so, and not too green tasting---I don't have to add anything to it to make it palatable). VG takes a bit of getting used to, it is very green tasting (as are many green supplements). I started with too much, and it was almost impossible to drink, then I cut back and worked my way up.

I also have some chlorella tablets (just chlorella, but in tablet form) that I take when I haven't had any other green sups. Chlorella by itself has a rather overpowering green flavor, so I prefer the tabs.

 

[mparker]

RE:

>Maryann Parker? Of VF? If so, I "know" you from way back
>when!!! I hope that you are doing well (sounds like you are
>fabu as usual!). You are one of my VF heroines! If you give
>this the thumbs up, I'm all over it!
>
>I think what my Whole Foods was sampling was the Garden of
>Life - that is ringing a bell. I'll see if I can find it more
>reasonably priced on-line, and will also check into the Green
>Magma.
>
>Thanks!
>m.

Oh my, you are Michele Spina? of course I remember you too. Yes,
it's me, maryann parker, one of the original VFers. I post once in a while, not as often as I used too, but I do lurk on VF, Cathe and YAYA. Green foods are great - look into chlorella and spirulina too.
maryann

 

[mparker]

RE:

>I take green supplements (powders), often adding them to a
>smoothie (if I'm drinking one that doesn't already contain
>them--Vega already contains chlorella, so I feel covered
>there). I use "Vitamineral Green" primarily, but I've also
>bought some frozen wheat grass juice from
>www.dynamicgreens.com (the best tasting I've tried: sweet, but
>not overly so, and not too green tasting---I don't have to add
>anything to it to make it palatable). VG takes a bit of
>getting used to, it is very green tasting (as are many green
>supplements). I started with too much, and it was almost
>impossible to drink, then I cut back and worked my way up.
>
>I also have some chlorella tablets (just chlorella, but in
>tablet form) that I take when I haven't had any other green
>sups. Chlorella by itself has a rather overpowering green
>flavor, so I prefer the tabs.

Hi Kathryn,
I take tons of green foods too, but wheat grass I usually get freshly made in a juice bar. I was very tempted to buy the frozen wheat grass but heard it didn't have all the same benefits. What do you know about that? thanks maryann

 

[mspina]

RE:

Thanks so much Kathryn! I will definitely look into this. When I first sampled the stuff, it was pretty potent. The second time, a week later, I didn't find it bad at all. I'm sure that I could get used to it, especially if I find a smoothie concoction that "goes" well with it. And my smoothies already typically look fairly gross - blueberries with chocolate protein powder make a NASTY looking grey smoothie (tastes awesome though!).

Thanks again to everyone!

m.

 

[mspina]

RE:

Maryann - so cool that you are still around the boards! It's been such a long time - bizarre, when I really think about it. Those early VF days were way back when, weren't they? You were actually one of the folks who introducted me to Cathe with your rave reviews of her early step workouts.

m.

 

[kathryn]

RE:

>I take tons of green foods too, but wheat grass I usually get
>freshly made in a juice bar. I was very tempted to buy the
>frozen wheat grass but heard it didn't have all the same
>benefits. What do you know about that?

Hi Maryan!

I'm sure that fresh-pressed wheat grass juice is the best, but I have neither the time or the interest to grow my own, and no juice bar handy, so I think frozen is the next-best choice.

It is also better than the powdered, which is another option.

 

[kathryn]

RE:

>Th And my smoothies
>already typically look fairly gross - blueberries with
>chocolate protein powder make a NASTY looking grey smoothie
>(tastes awesome though!).

Yup, when I started adding green supplements to my smoothies, they went from a beautiful pink or blue to a rather unpleasant-looking grayish green (though they tasted better than they looked!).

 

[mspina]

RE:

Ugly, but yummy! So I went back to my Whole Foods early this AM and picked up the Green Vibrance (it was on sale today!) they had on disply that had been tempting me. I added it to my already made protein smoothie (anything I should know about this - is it ok to mix, or am I impeding the absorption of something by mixing the protein & the green supps?) and gave it a vigorous shaking - presto! Greyish green breakfast of champions! I didn't mind the taste at ALL - when I ate a "blob" of green that was stuck to the rim, it was a tad overpowering (but not horrible by any means), but all mixed in, I honestly barely noticed it, other than the color.

m.