SUNDAY SUPPLEMENTS: The Super Supergreens

I’ve been supergreen tasting (and testing) this month and as anyone who hates wheatgrass juice will know, some supergreens taste much better than others –  prices and formulas fluctuate widely, too.  If you’ve gone “NO GLUTEN” some of them DO contain it  although Elle MacPherson’s new Super Elixir is one of the ones that is gluten-free, too.

“Feeling well is something I truly value, because it’s not a given.  A lot of people wake up in the morning and they don’t feel good” – Elle MacPherson

I got to ask Elle about her new launch, along with some fellow beauty bloggers a few months ago (WATCH here)

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Here’s the run down on some of the newest supergreen formulas to hit the market (most of them launched this year).

THE SUPER(MODEL) ELIXIR

WHAT IS IT?

Elle and Dr. Simon Laubscher, PhD formulated their brand new nutrient-packed green Super Elixir to go well beyond covering all the bases and alkalise the body (too acidic is bad, alkaline-balanced is good, and a lot of us run around in a state of over-acidity – this is easy to test using saliva/urine-testing strips you can buy on Amazon).  2 teaspoons a day of the Super Elixir provides an intense nutritional hit.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?  Unlike a lot of other supergreen powders, this one is way more palatable – probably thanks to the pineapple, apple, beetroot and carrot in there.  It has a subtle fruity-green taste making it a great one to try if you’ve never tried supergreens – ever!  (Wheatgrass – which is so good for us – tastes pretty vile to most people.)

WHAT’S IN IT?

Ingredients: Certified Organic Barley Grass¹*, Certified Organic Wheatgrass¹*, Pineapple¹, Apple¹, Certified Organic Alfalfa¹*, Spinach¹, Goji Berry¹, Apple Pectin, Fructo oligosaccharides (FOS), L-Glutamine, Linseed Meal¹, Psyllium Husk¹, Lemon¹, Lime¹, Beetroot¹, Carrot¹, Natural Pineapple Flavour, Natural Lime Flavour, Xylitol (sweetner), Acai¹, Pomegranate¹, Calcium Citrate, Papaya¹, Probiotic Blend (Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Bifidum, Bifidobacterium Lactis, Bifidobacterium Longum), Certified Organic Spirulina¹*, Astralagus Extract, Broccoli¹, Grape Seed Extract¹, Kelp¹, Magnesium Citrate, Milk Thistle Extract, Eleutherococcus senticosus Extract (Siberian Ginseng), Zinc Gluconate, Dandelion Leaves Extract, Maitake Mushroom Extract, Shitake Mushroom Extract, Green Tea Extract, Turmeric¹, Aloe Vera¹, Horsetail¹, Sweetener (steviol glycosides), Copper Gluconate, Beta Carotene, D-Biotin, Selenium Methionine

*Certified organic by the ACO and USDA. Gluten Free.

IS IT GLUTEN-FREE? Yes

IS IT ORGANIC? Yes

HOW MUCH? The large caddy is very glam but it’s also more of an investment,  so if you’re tempted to try Elle’s Super Elixir there’s the Travel Pack of 7 x 10g sachets £19 (shown above).  Find it at Selfridges or buy direct from WELLECO where there’s tons of info about this product and a lot of useful health videos with Elle and Dr Simone explaining how and why this product works.

BETTER YOU ORGANIC TOTAL NUTRITION SUPERFOOD GREENS 

WHAT IS IT?

A complete nutritional powdered food supplement from the people that brought us DLux Vitamin D oral spray (it’s brilliant!)

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?

Interestingly this least green-tasting of all the powders we did taste this month, probably because there’s no wheatgrass in this formula and it’s a simpler formula.  It’s a pale green powder which pretty much tastes like a bland breakfast cereal – a bit like powdered Weetabix? – because the first ingredients in this simpler formula are pre-sprouted barley, whole apple and flaxseed.

Great if you cannot stand that “pondwater” taste and it won’t mask the taste of the other ingredients in your smoothie!

WHAT’S IN IT?

Pre-sprouted barley, apple, flaxseed, barley grass, quinoa, spirulina, bilberry fruit, ccrrot tumeric (anti-inflammatory) and kelp.

IS IT ORGANIC? Certified Soil Association Organic.

IS IT GLUTEN-FREE? No

HOW MUCH? You might want to shop around.  Amazon and Bodykind have it on special offer at the moment, around £11 – £13+ and the RRP is £15.30.  The  200g container will last you 10 days (20g/daily). Best price we found this weekend is £11.69 at Amazon.co.uk with FREE DELIVERY/Prime eligible.

GREENS AND FRUITS (launching soon at selected Boots and online at Boots.com)

WHAT IS IT? A new dairy-free mix of fruits and greens, loaded up with a lot of nutrients as well as Ginger (anti-inflammatory), Siberian Ginseng (an adaptogen which helps with energy) and a probiotic.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? Surprisingly good – thanks to the raspberry, banana and other fruits in it, despite the fact that it’s 41% wheatgrass juice powder so they’ve nailed it on the taste front.

WHAT’S IN IT?

Wheatgrass juice powder (41%), Fruits & Greens™ (21%) ( Paprika capsicum annuum <1%, Ginger extract zingiber officinale <1%, Broccoli brassica oleracea <1%, Spinach spinacia oleracea <1%, Kale freeze dried brassica oleracea <1%, Cabbage brassica oleracea <1%, Green Tea cammelia sinensis <1%, Raspberry juice concentrate rubus idaeus <1%, Banana juice concentrate musa x paradisiaca < 1%, Kiwi puree actinidia chinensis <1%, Mango juice mangifera indica <1%, Plum juice concentrate prunus domestica <1%, Lime juice concentrate citrus limon <1%, Cranberry juice concentrate vaccinium macrocarpon <1%, Pineapple juice concentrate ananas comosus <1%, Orange juice concentrate citrus sinensis <1%, Pink Grapefruit juice citrus paradisi <1%, Cherry juice concentrate prunus avium <1%, Lemon juice concentrate citrus limon 3-4%, Cauliflower brassica oleracea <1%, Wheatgrass juice triticum vulgare <1%, Alfalfa juice concentrate medicago sativa <1%, Spirulina spirulina major <1%, Chlorella chlorella vulgaris <1%, Corn starch, Maltodextrin, Acacia Fibre ), Acacia Fibre (7%), Apple Fibre (7%), Wheat Fibre (7%), Spirulina spirulina major (7%), Chlorella chlorella vulgaris (3%), Acerola (cherry) powder (2%), Policosanol complex (2%), Lactospore® (1%), Natural forest fruit flavour (1%), Rice starch (<1%), Green Tea cammelia sinensis (<1%), Grape seed extract vitis vinifera (<1%), Siberian ginseng eleutherococcus senticosus (<1%), Sweetener: steviolglycosides.

IS IT CERTIFIED ORGANIC? No

IS IT GLUTEN-FREE? No

HOW MUCH? £19.95. Lean and Green Nutrition are giving away a free sachet of organic ground flaxseed worth £2.49 with all Greens and Fruits orders before the end of Aug. This one works out at 67 p a day.

NEALS YARD REMEDIES ORGANIC GREENS COMPLEX – NEW! (It’s out now, it launched just a few months ago)

WHAT IS IT?

The latest in a line of health supplement launches (and health teas) by NYR, their new Organic Greens Complex has purifying/detoxifying chlorella in it (which like spirulina is a good all-rounder in the extended supergreens family) so it’s great to be able to pick up one of these Organic Greens pouches along with some new beauty treats for autumn!

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?

Spirulina, spinach and parsley are the first three ingredients and it has a definite “green” taste.

WHAT’S IN IT?

Spirulina Powder*, Spinach Powder*, Parsley Powder*, Chlorella Powder*, Seagreens® Ascophyllum nodosum*, Barley Grass Powder*, Wheat Grass Powder*, Green Tea Powder Extract*, Acerola Cherry Powder Extract (on Manioc Maltodextrin)*, Oat Grass Powder*. *Organically produced ingredient. Made with minimum 95% organic ingredients. This is a vegan product.

Contains: Wheat, Barley and Oat.

IS IT CERTIFIED ORGANIC? 95% certified organic ingredients

IS IT GLUTEN-FREE? Yes – also kosher, dairy-free and vegan.

HOW MUCH? £20/100g so it’ll last you for 20 days at 5g-per-daily-shot. Buy it direct from NYR HERE