If you’re not a fan of vegetables, getting multiple servings in the form of a powder seems like a good alternative to choking down broccoli every day.

The idea of mixing a scoop into 6 ounces of water and checking off that box is super convenient. Tons of greens powders are on the market today, with some as high as $80 for a month’s supply.

Beyond the idea of just getting your greens in, companies will tout improved digestion, gut health, and immune support as some of the benefits.

Unlike other supplements, there is no blanket yes/no answer when it comes to whether greens powders are worth it. Greens powders are not just one ingredient that we can dissect the research on. It is a collection of ingredients, with each company producing their own unique formula.

What To Look for in a Greens Powder

The most important thing to look for in a greens powder, or any supplement for that matter, is label transparency.

In other words, do you know exactly what you are getting?

If you flip to the back of the bottle and see things like:

Spirulina – 2g

Wheat Grass – 1g

Broccoli Extract – 100mg

This is a good sign. The product lists each ingredient individually and shows you exactly how much is in one serving. Whether that amount is enough is a different story, and varies on an ingredient-by-ingredient basis. But the fact that it is listed deliberately is an indication that the supplement company stands by their formulation.

What you will see often, however, is what is known in the supplement industry as a proprietary blend.

A proprietary blend lists all of the ingredients in the product, but groups them together. It shows you the amount of the group in total, but not on an individual basis. Therefore, you have no clue exactly how much of each ingredient you are getting.

Sometimes you will see 10 or 20 ingredients as part of this blend, with a fancy title like “performance matrix” at the top. This is typically a bad sign. It is highly unlikely that the ingredients in this blend are made up in efficacious doses. If they were, wouldn’t the company be proud and want to brag about it?

Do Greens Powders Actually Work?

This is where things get tricky.

Many of the ingredients found in greens powders do have research behind them. Spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass, and various fruit and vegetable extracts all contain vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can support overall health.

The issue is dosage.

In a lot of greens powders, these ingredients are included in very small amounts. A product may advertise 40 or 50 different superfoods, but when you break it down, each one might only be present in a sprinkle-sized dose. In the supplement industry, this is known as pixie dusting.

What You Should Do

If you decide to take the plunge with a greens powder, at the very least, I would say go for a product that has little or no proprietary blends.

Secondly, decide what’s important to you.

If it’s just improving your general health, find one with a few solid ingredients that is properly dosed. Use a resource like Examine to find out what that particular dose would be.

If it’s improving your gut health, find one with fiber, digestive enzymes, and various probiotic strains.

At the same time, be reasonable. These powders aren’t magical. They’re a convenient tool to help fill in the gaps of your diet. If you’re going to buy one, look for a reputable brand with transparent labeling and properly dosed ingredients. Give it a fair shake (no pun intended), and if you don’t see a tangible benefit, don’t be afraid to make it a one-and-done supplement.

This story was originally published by Men’s Fitness on Mar 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Fitness as a Preferred Source by clicking here.