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One of the products I was attracted to most after learning a little about It Works was a product called "GREENS."
It's a little powder you mix with water that's healthy. That's about all I knew about it before I started researching for this blog post. And I have learned a lot!
It Works describes Greens as
"an energizing, detoxifying, and alkalizing blend of 38 herbs and nutrient-rich
superfoods that provides vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes
you need for your best health. The nutrients found in Greens - Berry are at
their highest naturally occurring, bioactive, bioavailable form to ensure
maximum absorption by your body. The natural blend of ingredients in
Greens - Berry, including an acidity-fighting combination of magnesium and
potassium, is designed to alkalize the body and restore pH balance. With
restored alkalinity, your body experiences improved immune system health
and increased energy. A cutting-edge probiotic helps you maintain that
healthy balance by keeping your digestive system regular and toxins flowing
out.
If you regularly order Greens, it costs about $33 a month if you order a product for at least three months. So it's about $1.10 a day. Maybe that's expensive, maybe it's cheap. But that really depends on how great the product is, right?
My awesome "upline" or the girl who I signed up under (Lindsay) send me a sample package. I tried the Greens (berry flavor), and I like them. They are sweetened with stevia, so they have that "sweet" taste. I don't LOVE the taste of stevia, but it's not sugar so that's good. Right? Yes, mostly if you are drinking it to be healthy!
Anyways, this whole research project started while shopping with my son Sam in Target. He was begging me for a bottle of their specialty juices. You know, the yummy more expensive ones in the produce section?
I'm not going to name names, (because I don't really want to get into a brand war) but I bought it for him, took a picture of the ingredients and label, and set off to start my first comparison. I really didn't know which one would be better, but I was interested to find out!
I'll compare Ingredients, Nutrition Labels, Processing, Price, and add in a little about akaline and acid.
I will call the juice I bought Sam the "Specialty Juice." The ingredients that are the same in each juice are in bold.
Specialty Juice Ingredients
apple juice, mango puree, pineapple juice, banana puree, kiwi puree, spirulina, natural flavors, alfalfa, broccoli, spinach, barley grass, wheat grass, parsely, ginger root, kale, odorless garlic.
The bottle says is it non-gmo. It has 2 3/4 apples, 1/2 banana, 1/3 kiwi, 1/3 mango, and 1/2 pineapple. 1335mg of spirulina, 409mg alfalfa, 102mg broccoli, 102mg spinach, 51mg kale, 51mg garlic, 76mg barley grass, 76mg wheat grass, 51mg ginger, 51mg pasley.
Greens Ingredients
Proprietary Blend 1: Soy Lechitin (97% phosphatides), soy protein isolate, spirulina pacifica, apple fiber, barley grass, eleutero root extract, brown rice flour, alfalfa leaf, barley malt, beet juice powder, royal jelly, bacillus coagulans (Lacospore), acerola, chlorella, milk thistle seed, astagalus root extract, green tea leaf extract, Ginko biloba leaf extract, dulse, bilberry extract, and aloe vera gel
Proprietary blend 2: Broccoli, black walnut leaf, blackberry fruit, blueberry fruit, consilk stylus, cranberry, dandelion leaf, goldenseal herb (aerial parts), kale, lemongrass, marshmallow root, meadowsweet herb (aerial parts), oat straw (aerial parts), papaya leaf, parsley, pau d'arco bark, platain leaf, red raspberry leaf, rose hips, rosemary leaf, slippery elm bark, spinach, strawberry fruit, tomato, tumeric root, watercress, white willow bark, and okra.
Nutrition Labels
The Nutrition Label for the Greens doesn't have percentages on the Vitamins and Minerals because it says it is not a "vitamin supplement" so the values aren't listed.
Greens has a significant amount less calories, sugar, sodium, and carbs. Without the percentage values for the vitamins and minerals, it's hard to do an exact side by side comparison of the two, but the greens do have ingredients that provide all the vitamins and minerals, except for Vitamin B12.
Processing
Specialty Juice: Under the label, it states the juice is "gently pasteurized." I had never read about "gently pasteurized" juice before, but this is a great article. read here. Basically, the juice is heated up for a short period of time (so it's not fully pasteurized) but even that heating up destroys vitamins and phytonutrients. So it will save you from most bugs and diseases, but it decreases the health value.
Greens: So you need about 1/2 of a teaspoon for one serving of Greens. You mix it with water or juice and drink it. So how do all the above ingredients get mixed up to 1/2 of a teaspoon? First, the fresh greens are dried slowly under low heat. High heat would damage the potency and nutritional value of the ingredients. Then the dried ingredients are made into powder using a cool air in a turbo jet mill. The jet mill breaks up the particles and reduces their size.
Price
The Specialty Juice cost me $2.50 on sale at Target.
Greens costs $1.10 a day if you choose to try it for at least 3 months (or you can switch to another product after a month).
In one month, you would spend at least $75 if you drank a specialty juice each day. Greens cost $33 a month, and there are even ways to save money by sharing the product, using It Works points, and being a committed customer. Seriously. Worth a try!
Alkaline v Acid
What's the hype about alkalizing my body? What's wrong with an acidic body?
Here's an article about your health and an acidic body here.
Greens says this: All fresh fruits and vegetables have important alkalizing benefits, but a diet of those highest in potassium is best for maintaining an alkaline, pH-balanced body. Each serving of Greens provides 260 mg of potassium in the form of potassium citrate, the strongest alkalizing agent found in citrus fruit. An acidic body is not only low in potassium but likely low in magnesium as well, as magnesium is important for regulating your body’s potassium levels. When your body is unbalanced and overly acidic, it tries to counteract that acidity by releasing calcium and magnesium from the bones to promote an alkaline pH, which can lead to a magnesium deficiency within the body. Greens alkalizing blend of potassium and magnesium helps to restore adequate supplies of both of these vital minerals that your body needs to maintain a healthy pH balance.
Conclusion
Greens is a great contender against this specialty juice. It's less expensive, has more of a variety of ingredients that promote great health, and it's easy. Of course, you may miss the consistency of the specialty juice. Here's what you do: Mix it with a juice. Make a smoothie and put it in there. (I think this is a smoothie Lindsay made with avocado, coconut water, spinach, and Greens.) And maybe for the health benefits and the great price, you just stay with Greens because you are saving a great amount of money while still getting such a great benefit.
Here's a more in depth list of the health benefits of the ingredients in the Greens. This took a while to research. I could have added more information of EVERYTHING each ingredient had in it and what it helped with, but I just gave a quick overview and sent you to read the article. It was super informative and really helped me appreciate the great ingredients in the greens.
It did make me realize that if you are pregnant, you really should consult your Dr about taking Greens. All in all, it's worth a try.
AND -- what is the next It Works product you would like me to research? I'm debating between the Hair, Skin, and Nails and the Cleanse. And we have a great promotion right now with essential oils and a diffuser for Mother's Day. So researching the quality of the essential oils would be interesting!
You can search the website here. Or even order your Greens! You get the wholesale price of $33 per month when you sign up to order for at least 3 consecutive months.
Click here to see the Products :)
Greens detailed ingredients!
soy lechitin: its a fat essential to the body and treats certain disorders. read more here
soy protein isolate: plant based protein source - fine to eat in moderate amount read this
spiritunila pacifica: a rich natural source of nutrients, it's algae farmed in shallow ponds near the pacific ocean. read about it here
apple fiber: fiber from an apple. it's for sale on amazon. read about it here
barley grass: it helps alkalize the body and is full of nutrients! read here
eleutero root extract: one of the best documented plants in herbal medicine (WHAT? I have never heard of it!) read about it here
brown rice flour: good for vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. read here
alfalfa leaf: extremely nutritious, but may need to use caution if you have an autoimmune disease or hormonal cancer. read here
barley malt: good sweetener and adds fiber. read here
beet juice powder: antioxidant, vitamins, minerals. read here
royal jelly: made from bees. interesting and good for your health. read here
bacillus coagulans (Lactospore): a great probiotic used to help your digestive system. may affect your antibiotic because it kills bacteria and it says use caution if pregnant or nursing. ItWorks always suggests if you are pregnant or nursing to take a list of the ingredients to your doctor and ask them their opinion. read about it here.
acerola: contains vitamin A, C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. read here.
chlorella: actually contains some really great nutritional benefits. cancer fighting, increases your immune system, etc. read here.
milk thistle seed: helps liver function. read here
astagalus root extract: increases the immune system, heaps heart health and other great physical benefits. read here.
green tea leaf extract: many health benefits (cancer, bowl diseases, Parkinson disease, heart, etc). It does contain caffeine. read about it here.
ginko biloba leaf extract: helps with anxiety, dementia, mental function, PMS. read here.
dulse: clinically proven antioxidant, protein source, and plant source of iodine, and potassium. (never know this - I had never even heard of this!) read here.
bilberry extract: good for eyes, heart, blood vessels, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. read here.
aloe vera gel: helps with constipation. Just make sure it doesn't help too much! read here.
broccoli: Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Potassium. Read here.
black walnut leaf: helps with skin and inflammation. read this - it's actually really interesting.
blackberry fruit:Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Antibacterial. read here.
blueberry fruit: Fiber, Vitamin C, Antioxidants. read here
cornsilk stylus:proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber. used to combat some illnesses. read here.
cranberry: great for UTIs and other health benefits. read here
dandelion leaf: diuretic, decrease swelling. read here
goldenseal herb (aerial parts): it was hard to find info on the aerial parts, but here's some general info. read here.
kale: Calcium, folate, antioxidants, Iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, read here
lemongrass: great for headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, etc. read here.
marshmallow root: good for reducing swelling of mucous membrane, cough, etc. read here.
meadowsweet herb (aerial parts): decreases inflammation and mucous. read here.
oat straw (aerial parts): similar nutrition to oats, except Oatstraw is higher in vitamin A and C. May lower cholesterol, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in it. read here.
papaya leaf: commonly used to prevent and treat gastrointestinal trace disorders. read here.
parsley: used for GI disorders, high blood pressure, etc. read here.
pau d'arco bark: treats infections, cancer, etc. interesting. read here.
platain leaf: helps decrease pain and swelling, mucous production, and opens airways. may also kill bateria and fungi. read here.
red raspberry leaf: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. read more here.
rose hips: used for stomach disorders, gout, leg and back pain, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. read here.
rosemary leaf:used for digestion problems, gout, coughs, headache, high blood pressure, etc. read here.
slippery elm bark: may help soothe sore throat, help with stomach and intestinal problems. read here.
spinach:has vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. read here for uses.
strawberry fruit: protects heart, increases good cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, and guards against cancer. read more here.
tomato: prevents various cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma. read more here.
tumeric root: it treats SO MANY health issues. it's a great read. helps reduce inflammation. read here.
watercress: used to fight bacteria and is a diuretic. read more here.
white willow bark: great for pain because it's similar to aspirin. read here.
okra: rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. read here.
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