What’s in AG1? Ingredients and Analysis

Learn from an expert whether AG1’s 75 ingredients make it the best greens powder available or if you should consider an alternative.

By Rachel Gargano, MS, RD, CSSD, CBS

— On Dec 09, 2024

In this article:

AG1, formerly Athletic Greens, is a prominent greens dietary supplement with quite the ingredient line-up. Even as a dietitian, I’ve had to scrutinize the AG1 label several times before fully understanding its nutritional complexities.

For the general public, it can be difficult to decipher if AG1 is truly a great greens powder or if it misses the mark. And yet, ingredient analysis is incredibly important to truly understand if a product is right for you and your health goals.

Let’s do a deep dive into AG1’s 75 ingredients to understand if it stands up to its claims and why you should consider Live it Up Super Greens instead.

What Is in AG1? Formula at a Glance

One scoop (12 grams) includes:

Calories: 50
Carbohydrates: 6 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 2 grams

Ingredient list

Vitamins and minerals: approximately 19 added.
Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex: 25 ingredients, including blue-green algae, added fibers, nutritional grasses, fruits, and vegetables.
Nutrient-Dense Extracts, Herbs & Antioxidants: 17 ingredients, including antioxidant extracts, supplements, and herbals.
Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex: 5 ingredients, including adaptogenic mushrooms and one digestive enzyme.
Dairy-free probiotics: 7.2 billion CFU of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum.
Natural flavors

What Is AG1?

Athletic Greens is one of the top green powders on the market, having held this spot over the last decade by continually improving their product.

With the inclusion of probiotics, adaptogens, superfoods, prebiotics, and added vitamins and minerals, this green powder claims to be a supplement that supports your whole health with Foundational Nutrition.

Supplement claims: The company alleges that their one greens supplement can replace your need for a multivitamin, vitamin C tablets, green powder, probiotic, and vitamin B complex.

Purported health benefits: Helps alleviate bloating, aids recovery, and supports focus and energy levels, immune health, and whole-body health.

Recommended use: One scoop daily mixed into 8-10 ounces of cold water and taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning for optimal absorption. AG1 recommends storing their powder in the refrigerator after opening to maintain nutrient integrity.

AG1 Nutrition Label

While impressive, the Athletic Greens Supplement Facts panel can also be quite overwhelming. Even as a dietitian, I had difficulty finding all 75 purported ingredients in this formula, despite counting all the ones listed.

Athletic Greens (AG1) Ingredients Breakdown

Now that we’ve had a bird’s eye view of AG1’s Supplement Facts panel and ingredient list, it’s time to do a thorough investigation into the Athletic Greens formulation.

In the following sections, we’ll dissect each ingredient blend, highlighting Athletic Greens’ best nutritional features as well as where there may be room for improvement.

Vitamins & Minerals

AG1 has a comprehensive line-up of micronutrients to help fill nutritional gaps, which is why their green powder is touted as a replacement for your general multivitamin supplement.

Key vitamins included: A, C, E, and the B-complex vitamins

Key minerals included: Phosphorus, zinc, selenium, and copper

Micronutrients and phytonutrients are necessary for every function and process in the body, down to how our cells function on the most basic level, so consuming enough is critical for maintaining our overall health.

For example, research indicates that almost two dozen micronutrients and antioxidants help support our immune health. From vitamin D, B12, C, and E, to phytonutrients such as curcumin, coenzyme Q10, and beta-glucans, these vital substances—mostly found in plants—can also help balance inflammation.

Additionally, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants play a role in helping maintain energy levels and stimulating better recovery as well. When our diet doesn’t include many nutrient-rich plant foods, we take in fewer micronutrients, which may lead to increased feelings of fatigue and even changes in our cognition.

Since the primary foods that provide these vital substances are plants, a quality greens powder can help boost your intake of these critical nutrition components. Athletic Greens certainly fits the bill if you’re looking for a greens powder that focuses on enhanced vitamin and mineral content.

The fine print: It should be noted that 17 of their 21 listed vitamins and minerals are synthetically produced and added to the formulation. Only a few of the nutrients are naturally derived.

In fact, many of the vitamin and mineral amounts in AG1 are considered mega-doses, meaning they are hundreds of times over our daily recommended intake. For example, Athletic Greens provides 1100% of vitamin B7 (biotin), 917% of vitamin B12, 553% of vitamin E, and 467% of vitamin C. When taken into consideration with your total diet, other dietary supplements, and consumption of foods that are fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, these mega-doses may push an individual’s intake into an unsafe zone.

Superfoods

Green powders are most well-known for their superfood content. AG1 has over 40 superfood ingredients in their formulation.

Two of the most prevalent ingredients in AG1 are organic spirulina and organic chlorella powder. These blue-green algae are powerhouse plants that are rich in protein, including all essential amino acids, a plethora of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, and several micronutrients like B vitamins, pantothenic acid, iron, and magnesium.

Like many other greens powders, AG1 emphasizes highly nutritious grasses, such as organic wheatgrass juice powder, organic alfalfa powder, and organic barley leaf powder. These cereal grasses are harvested while still young, green, and supple before they mature and develop seeds.

These young grasses often contain more nutrients, and both wheatgrass and barley grass contain antioxidants, several nutrients like vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, as well as an important fiber called resistant starch. Potential health benefits include supporting immune function, digestion, and inflammation.

Other nutrient-packed superfoods included in AG1’s formula include bilberry fruit extract, beet root powder, carrot root powder, spinach leaf powder, green tea extract, broccoli flower powder, slippery elm bark powder, cocoa bean polyphenol extract, licorice root powder, rose hip fruit powder, papaya fruit powder, Lycium berry fruit extract, pineapple fruit concentrate, and grape seed extract.

The fine print: While Athletic Greens has packed in over four dozen superfoods, it also has at least 30 other ingredients. Additionally, some of the most prevalent ingredients are organic apple powder and inulin, two fiber ingredients that may take up a good portion of the volume.

With 75 ingredients packed into a 12-gram scoop, the scientist in me wonders if any of these superfood ingredients are effectively dosed.

Digestive Support

AG1 has several ingredients that may help promote gut health.

At the forefront are the 7.2 billion CFU probiotics from strains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. These beneficial bacteria help maintain a healthy microbiome community, which can in turn influence the health of our immune system.

Probiotics work their best when in combination with prebiotics, a type of fiber that helps feed the good bacteria in our gut. Prebiotics not only fuel our microbiome, but they are broken down into short-chain fatty acids which are the preferred food for the cells in our colon. Keeping these cells healthy maintains the gut barrier integrity, helping prevent harmful bacteria from entering our bloodstream. The prebiotics in AG1 include apple powder, inulin, ginger rhizome powder, and burdock root powder.

One final ingredient that may be beneficial to support digestion is bromelain. As AG1’s solo digestive enzyme, bromelain helps the body break down and absorb proteins.

The fine print: While AG1 could do a little better in the digestive enzyme department, this greens powder does a great job by adding a high volume of probiotics.

The inclusion of AG1 prebiotic fibers results in a total of 2 grams of fiber per scoop. Interestingly, Live it Up Super Greens does not add supplemental fiber, but the formula naturally contains 3 grams of fiber per scoop, all derived from the included plants and superfoods.

Adaptogens and Mushrooms

Adaptogens are herbs and other plants that may help the body better adjust to different internal and external stressors, such as anxiety and fatigue. The adaptogens included in AG1’s formula include ashwagandha root extract, Rhodiola root dry extract, astragalus root powder extract, reishi mushroom powder, and shiitake mushroom powder.

Shiitake mushroom is one of the most widely available adaptogens, being easily found at most local grocers. It has quite a few micronutrients, such as B-complex vitamins, copper, and selenium, and is also rich in bioactive compounds like lignans and beta glucans. In Chinese medicine, shiitake is thought to support immune function, health, and longevity.

Ashwagandha may be one of the most recognizable adaptogens, with health benefits including the potential to help manage stress and anxiety, and perhaps even sleep.

Reishi mushroom powder has been linked to immune support, as well as strength and stamina, though more studies are needed to confirm these health claims.

The fine print: Be aware that many of these mushrooms may alter how certain medications are processed in the body. Be sure to chat with your healthcare provider before starting a new supplement or herb.

Antioxidants

Within the Nutrient Dense Extracts, Herbs & Antioxidants blend is an interesting combination of plant extracts, herbs, and added antioxidant supplements. AG1 contains everything from whole-food extracts like artichoke leaf extract and rosemary leaf extract to more singular supplements like R,S alpha-lipoic acid, policosanol, and coenzyme Q10.

Mostly found in plants, antioxidants are substances that help protect our cells from harmful free radicals.

For example, alpha-lipoic acid, a compound made in our mitochondria but also found in beets, carrots, spinach, and broccoli, may help mediate conditions that are associated with oxidative stress. Coenzyme Q10 may help increase production of the antioxidants we naturally make in our bodies.

Other ingredients in this blend include alkaline pea protein isolate, hawthorn berry extract, citrus bioflavonoids extract, milk thistle seed extract, eleuthero root extract, and beta glucans.

The fine print: Opinion (and research) is divided on whether antioxidants extracted from plants into concentrated supplements work the same way as when they are consumed as part of the whole food. There seem to be synergistic effects between the antioxidants and other nutrients and phytocompounds within the food that help provide the observed benefits.

Sweeteners

AG1 does not use artificial sweeteners or added sugar, which is great news from my perspective. Instead, this greens powder includes the natural non-caloric sweetener stevia leaf powder. Note that for some people, stevia may have a slightly unpleasant aftertaste.

The fine print: Interestingly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers highly purified stevia extracts to be GRAS, or Generally Recognized as Safe; however, some recent studies indicate a possible link between stevia and disruptions in our healthy gut microbiome.

AG1 Ingredient Safety and Quality

AG1 is notable for their commitment to safety and quality. Let’s take a look at how well AG1 does in this space.

Allergens

Athletic Greens sets a high standard for being free of many allergens. This vegan greens powder is dairy-free, gluten-free, and free of peanuts and eggs. Additionally, their greens are produced in a facility that adheres to strict guidelines to help reduce the risk of allergen cross-contamination.

While the formula does contain soy lecithin, which is derived from soy, the company states that testing indicates it is soy-free.

Ingredient sourcing

AG1 states they source their ingredients to ensure absorption, potency, and nutrient density.

They are committed to sourcing only ingredients with the highest bioavailability. This means they choose ingredients while taking into consideration how well the body can use them.

Additionally, AG1 claims to use ingredients that work synergistically, enhancing each other’s benefits. This is certainly the case with their two probiotic strains which have proven to work harmoniously.

While this may be true of certain combinations of ingredients, there are no known studies showing the synergy of these specific 75 ingredients together. We simply don’t know yet if all of these ingredients work well together or if any counteract each other.

Part of their ingredient sourcing includes incorporating organic vegetables. Of their 75 ingredients, 6 are organic. While the majority of their ingredients are grown conventionally, the company states they test for several hundred herbicides and pesticides.

Quality assurance

AG1 takes the quality of their product seriously. They put their product through rigorous third-party testing using NSF Certified for Sport, which ensures their greens powder is free from banned substances. This is particularly important for high-caliber athletes who may be randomly tested for banned substances before their competitions.

Additionally, each batch is tested for purity, including metals, allergens, and microbial contaminants. After each test, the product receives a Certificate of Analysis indicating the results compared to specified safe limits.

Since AG1 is manufactured in Australia, its manufacturing facility is TGA-registered, which follows different guidelines for safety and quality. However, the company states that the facility is also GMP-compliant, the high standards set forward for manufacturing facilities in the United States.

Potential Benefits of AG1

A green powder’s health benefits are patently dependent on its array of ingredients and the ingredient’s dosing. AG1 contains a wide range of 75 ingredients within a 12-gram scoop (about one tablespoon).

The good news is that a few of these ingredients are dosed to help support its health claims.

Digestive Health

While the recommended dose and strain of probiotics will change depending on why you’re taking it, a dose of at least 5 billion CFU is generally considered to be more effective.

With 7.2 billion CFU probiotics, AG1 meets this criteria, and therefore, their product may support gut health. The addition of prebiotics may also improve the green supplement’s ability to support digestive wellness.

Energy

Our body not only needs calories from food to produce energy, it also needs ample micronutrients. AG1 does a considerable job of adding enough essential nutrients to help meet your energy-production needs.

Immune Defense

Ample micronutrients—such as vitamins D, C, and A, as well as the minerals zinc and selenium—are also necessary to help your body support its immune system. These, along with antioxidants and probiotics, can assist in maintaining immune resilience.

Nutrient Supplementation

With 21 listed vitamins and minerals, 17 of which are added, AG1 could certainly replace specific vitamin or mineral supplements. For some, this may also be adequate as a multivitamin.

Potential Drawbacks of AG1

While AG1 has a considerable number of possible health claims, there are also a few potential drawbacks that give me pause as a dietitian.

1. Dosing

While several ingredients in AG1 seem to be dosed well, such as vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, others may not be as effective. For example, with 75 ingredients packed into only 1 tablespoon, there may not be enough room for a decent amount of each superfood.

And while we don’t know the exact ingredient amounts since this product has proprietary blends, we can tell at least that the Super Mushroom Complex misses the mark for dosing. It packs in five ingredients in just 154mg, and the majority of these ingredients are most effective when dosed at a minimum of several grams each.

2. Drug Interactions

While many greens powders use proprietary blends and do not disclose each ingredient’s amount, one ingredient made me balk. AG1 adds vitamin K2 to their ingredient list but does not disclose on the Supplement Facts panel how much vitamin K is in their product. I find the cloaking of this nutrient concerning since there are quite a few prescribed medications that interact with vitamin K.

Because drug interactions are not just limited to vitamin K, but also mega-doses of other nutrients and several herbals, always check with your doctor before starting a new supplement, especially if you are on other supplements or medications.

3. Side Effects

While adjusting to a new supplement, especially one containing probiotics, you may notice some bloating or digestive unrest while your body adjusts. For some people who are sensitive to FODMAP ingredients (fermentable carbohydrates), AG1 may cause additional gastrointestinal distress due to its inulin and apple powder content.

4. Price

AG1 is one of the most costly greens powders on the market. At $99 for a single 30-serving pouch, or $79 ($2.63 per serving) for a monthly subscription, this price can be quite prohibitive for many people.

Why I Prefer Live it Up Super Greens’ Ingredients

Overall, AG1 is a good greens powder with many positive attributes. It’s high in micronutrients and probiotics, it follows strict quality and safety standards, and it has many superfoods that you normally wouldn’t be getting on a regular basis.

With that said, as a dietitian, I am more likely to recommend Live it Up Super Greens to my clients. While this greens powder has a smaller scoop size than AG1 (8g vs. 12g), it also has one-third of the ingredients (26 vs. 75), which means it’s more likely to have superfoods with effective doses.

Like AG1, Super Greens contains an effective dose of probiotics at 5 billion CFU but has more digestive enzymes and fiber. But what I appreciate most is that Super Greens is made with organic vegetables and gets all 22+ of its vitamins and minerals naturally from the superfood ingredients.

It’s important to remember that everyone has individual needs and health goals, and the greens powder you choose should elevate these. For example, AG1 may work best for high-performance athletes, while Live it Up Super Greens can be included in most diets to help impact health and wellness.

Ultimately, a healthy, balanced diet should be rich in whole fruits and vegetables; greens powders cannot replace these important foods. However, choosing the best greens powder can help improve your micronutrient and antioxidant intake and help you take a sure step toward your health goals.

FAQs

What vitamins is AG1 missing?

AG1 has many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, A, and E, the B-complex vitamins, and minerals zinc, selenium, and chromium. AG1 does not list whether it contains vitamin D or vitamin K or minerals iron, iodine, or molybdenum.

What are some AG1 alternatives?

There are many greens powders that are great AG1 alternatives, including Live it Up Super Greens, Bloom Greens & Superfoods, Amazing Grass Greens Blend, and Vibrant Health Green Vibrance. Each greens powder offers slightly different ingredients and health benefits to fit individual needs.

What does AG1 actually do?

AG1 is a greens powder that includes synthetic vitamins and minerals, plant extracts, antioxidant supplements, and many plant superfood ingredients. AG1 is a good greens powder if you are looking to fill nutrition gaps and potentially support gut health, energy, healthy aging, and overall health.

How much does AG1 cost per month?

One pouch of Athletic Greens costs $99, or $3.30 per serving. If you purchase a monthly subscription, this price drops to $79, or $2.69 per serving.

There are more affordable green powders that are just as high quality. Live it Up Super Greens costs just $39.99 ($1.33 per serving) with a monthly subscription.

Does AG1 replace a multivitamin?

For some people, AG1 may have enough vitamins and minerals to replace their multivitamin. Some people may need vitamin D, iron, or iodine as part of their dietary supplement, which AG1 does not contain. In these instances, AG1 may not be sufficient to meet your individual needs and other supplements may be necessary.

Remember that eating a balanced diet replete with fruits and vegetables is the best way to help meet your overall macro- and micro-nutrient needs.

References

About the author:

Rachel Gargano, MS, RD, CSSD, CBS

Rachel is a registered dietitian based in Contra Costa County, California, with over 15 years experience. She specializes in whole-body wellness and plant-based nutrition, helping people understand the dynamic interplay between food and health so they can live life to the fullest. When not helping others, she enjoys spending time with her kids, being physically active, and tending to her abundant household plants.

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