Reading time: 3 min

Summary:

• Greens powders/drinks often contain massive amounts of unhealthy sugar and very little fibre.
• Consider psyllium husk if you want a fibre supplement. Psyllium husk has good research and medical backing behind it.

The Problem With Greens Powders & Drinks

So my partner recently picked up a "greens drink," i.e., a vegetable and fruit smoothie.

We were on a trip, and our vegetable intake was down.

The smoothie claimed to contain an equivalent of 50% of your daily vegetable intake.

I'm a pharmacist, and further a calorie counter (or at least calorie estimator). So, of course, after looking at the claims, I turned the box around and inspected the nutritional information.

Daily recommended fibre requirements fall around 20-30 grams.

The smoothie contained 2-4 grams of fibre.

Maybe "50%" of daily vegetable intake referred to 50% of the daily fibre intake for most people, i.e., low fibre diets?

"Smoothie" also raised suspicion for me. It must contain a good amount of sugar to not taste horrendous.

"31 grams of sugar," I told my partner in disbelief.

It's a smoothie, so it's blended or "free" sugars, which the United Kingdom's NHS and British Heart Foundation indicate is bad for health.

In the UK, a suggested limit is 30 grams of free sugars per day. This corresponds to the US recommendation by the American Heart Association of 25-36 grams of "added" sugar per day.

"Well, we'll die of diabetes first then," she responded jokingly.

Consider Psyllium Husk for Fibre Supplementation

If daily fibre intake is your concern, psyllium husk is a great fibre supplement. Research suggests it reduces gastric transit time and increases stool bulk.

I.e., psyllium husk is clinically proven to reduce constipation.

Stay healthy, and best of luck for 2025.

Notes:

"Free" sugars refers to:

• all added sugars in any form;
• all sugars naturally present in fruit and vegetable juices, purées and pastes and similar products in which the structure has been broken down;
• all sugars in drinks (except for dairy-based drinks);
• and lactose and galactose added as ingredients.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5962881/

So any sugar you add and any sugar in any drinks. Except milk (unless you add sugar to the milk).

You cannot supplement your way out of a bad diet. You might be able to reduce the harms of a bad diet, but supplements are not a replacement for a healthy, balanced diet.

Welp, I'm never going to get sponsored by a greens powder company now.

...Maybe if it contained a good amount of fibre and a more reasonable amount of free sugar. Say <10 grams.