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Athletic Greens Review: I Tested This Popular Health Drink For 30 Days. Here’s How I Felt.

If you listen to wellness podcasts, peruse fitness blogs or spend any amount of time on social media, you’ve probably heard mention of Athletic Greens in recent years. The buzzy, Nevada-based wellness brand is well-known for its bestselling product, AG1—an all-in-one powder supplement that assumes the role of a multi-vitamin, adaptogen, antioxidant, phytonutrient, and pre and probiotic. Some consumers use it as a miracle solution to make up for an unhealthy diet (spoiler alert: you shouldn’t do that), while others are skeptical of the powder’s lofty claims.

Like so many overpromoted supplements before it, AG1 claims to support your personal health, though the benefits remain rather vague. According to Athletic Greens, the all-in-one powder supports your body’s immunity, energy, aging process and gut and hormonal health. In essence, it reads like something of a miracle concoction, which is why I’ve long been fascinated by the idea of trying it for myself.

Needless to say, I try to eat a well-rounded diet without relying heavily on supplements, but my busy schedule often dictates when and what I eat. In spite of exercising five or more days per week, I often feel as if I’m not providing my body with proper nourishment, and even the CDC reports that only 10% of adults are meeting their fruit and vegetable needs. Because I’m not alone in assuming I might be falling behind in the fruit and veggie department, I picked up a 30-day supply of AG1 to give it a try and determine once and for all if this green powder is really a nutritional powerhouse.

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Athletic Greens AG1

Pros:

  • An all-in-one vitamin and supplement solution to round out your diet
  • Powder comes in a 30-serving pouch or travel-friendly packets
  • NSF Certified for Sport certification ensures clean ingredients

Cons:

  • Pricey
  • Some won’t enjoy the powdery, gritty texture
  • Ingredients might interfere with other prescribed medications

Athletic Greens Review: Testing Protocol

Before I chugged glass after glass of this mystery substance, I enlisted the help of Kala Riester, a registered dietician and board certified sports dietician (CSSD) who encourages these supplements over non-certified products. They’re a “great way to ensure product safety and quality since supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA,” she explains. “They also test for the presence of unlisted ingredients and harmful levels of contaminants. The NSF Certified for Sport will test for all NCAA and WADA banned substances, which is essential if you are an elite athlete.”

Because Athletic Greens recommends using AG1 for at least 30 days to experience the full range of benefits, I made a point to drink one serving every day without fail. More often than not, I blended one serving of AG1 powder with water and drank it first thing in the morning before my first meal, as Athletic Greens suggests. Other days, I forgot to take the powder until afternoon but never did I miss a day. Throughout the process, I monitored how I felt both mentally and physically, and weighed these findings against claims made by Athletic Greens that suggest daily intake will lead to enhanced athletic performance and recovery.

After testing AG1 for 30 days, I consulted with Riester again to gain insight into the world of supplements, and discuss the ingredients found in AG1.


Athletic Greens Review: The Experience

While everyone will experience different outcomes after using AG1, here are a few of the most significant takeaways after my 30-day trial period came to an end.

Managing My Appetite

Above all else, the one benefit that will keep me chugging AG1 long after this testing period is its effect on my appetite. Usually, my appetite is hard to manage and my hunger hits hard and fast. When I forget to eat breakfast or wait too long between meals, I’ll reach a point of desperation during which I’m unable to focus on anything but food. This happened on day 5 of testing when I forgot to take the powder until 10:30 am.

In these instances, I tend to reach for the quickest source of calories I can find and wind up eating less nutrient-dense food, like bars and quick snacks. But AG1 has mellowed out my appetite so that even when I eat breakfast later than usual, the feeling of hunger doesn’t hit me all at once. This allows me to make better dietary decisions throughout the day, maintain concentration and regulate my mood.

Goodbye Gut Pain

Reviewers rave about the gut health benefits of AG1, but because I’m not prone to gut issues, I didn’t anticipate experiencing any substantial benefits in this department. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my gut remained happy and stable, but only after I noticed a lack of discomfort.

This benefit was subtle, in the way that you don’t notice how good you feel when nothing is wrong. But upon reflecting on the experience, the past 30 days have been the best my gut has ever felt—no belly aches, bloating or discomfort. It’s worth noting that you may experience gut discomfort after consuming AG1 for the first time (I didn’t, but Athletic Greens points out that it’s not uncommon), so don’t be afraid to stick with it a bit longer in the event that your body needs to grow accustomed to the ingredients.

Working Up A Sweat

During this period, I felt strong during my cardio and strength sessions. I started strength training again for the first time in months, which usually brings about excess soreness and fatigue. This time, however, I was able to incorporate different forms of strength training into my daily routine without cutting down on my other weekly cardio workouts.

However, the quality of your recovery is influenced by so many factors beyond what you eat—like sleep, stress and hydration—that it’s hard to attribute any benefits to AG1. Athletic Greens emphasizes that while some benefits, like better digestion, are noticeable, it may take over 60 days to experience any performance- or recovery-related effects. For this reason, I intend to keep using AG1 for at least another 30 days to determine if it truly influences recovery.

It’s Convenient—But I Still Have To Convince Myself to Drink It

I sought out AG1 because of the obvious convenience that comes with drinking an all-in-one nutritional solution. Compared to pills or tablets that don’t go down easy, the powdered form of AG1 allows you to ingest a lot of ingredients with little effort. “In order to take AG1 and put it into a tablet, you would need 30 tablets,” explains Dr. Ralph Esposito, Head of Nutrition for Athletic Greens. “The increased surface area [of the powder] means it can disperse quicker and easier, and it allows us to fit a lot more in a single scoop.”

So, I wanted to make my routine as simple as possible. Each day, I blended AG1 with water so I could take it on the go or drink it while working. Because a lot of the sediment settles at the bottom of the cup, I would often dilute it with more water to finish off the remaining powder, which promoted hydration. Some days, I would add ice which made it easier to drink. If you don’t like the taste, you can add it to a smoothie or mix it with almond milk, which is Dr. Esposito’s preferred method, but it’s difficult to mask the fine, chalky texture.

My one complaint with AG1 is that, even after drinking it became a daily habit, I still found myself struggling to get it down. It’s not that AG1 tastes bad—it’s actually pretty good despite the many ingredients that are packed into the powder. It’s slightly sweet and somehow manages to avoid the fresh-cut grass flavor that plagues other green powders. However, I’m not a fan of the gritty texture, and I hate rinsing the green sludge from the bottom of the bottle each day just to finish it off.

Athletic Greens Review: The Verdict

While I haven’t noticed any substantial benefits that pertain to athletic performance, mental clarity or energy levels, I’ll continue to use AG1 in the morning because, ultimately, I love the effect it has on my appetite and gut health. It continues to help me adopt healthier eating habits by modulating my hunger levels.

However, Riester notes that you should be cautious about mixing AG1 with other supplements. “There are several vitamins and minerals that well exceed the recommended daily intake, and you could reach the upper tolerable limit if combining with other vitamin supplements,” she says. Additionally, “some nutrients are better when consumed in whole food form vs powdered. This is why it is a supplement and shouldn't be used to replace healthful eating patterns.”

Whether or not you need AG1 is a matter of choice. Because Athletic Greens casts a wide net and lists so many potential benefits, there’s a good chance you’ll feel better after drinking it for one reason or another. And if nothing else, you’ll certainly find yourself drinking more water, which most of us could stand to do anyway.

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