Ancient Nutrition Super Greens, Reviewed by a Nutrition Expert

I take great care in evaluating popular dietary supplements before recommending them to my nutrition clients. New supplements pop up all the time, but Ancient Nutrition has been on the market for nearly a decade and I’m very familiar with its products.

Ancient Nutrition Organic SuperGreens is positively reviewed, touting many superfood ingredients and health benefits. Looking closely, I’m skeptical of how well it backs up its claims. Ultimately, I don’t think Ancient Nutrition stacks up against a more comprehensive greens powder like Live it Up Super Greens. Let's dig into the details so you can see why.

• Is Ancient Nutrition Worth a Try?
• What Is Ancient Nutrition?
• Purported Health Benefits
• Ingredient Breakdown
• Quality and Testing
• Cost Analysis
• Taste Review
• Why I Recommend Live it Up Super Greens

Ancient Nutrition SuperGreens Powder Quick Facts

• Key ingredients:
  • Greens, such as organic spirulina, organic spinach leaf, and organic chlorella
  • Organic beet root
  • 2 billion CFUs of probiotics
  • Organic ashwagandha root
  • Organic reishi mycelium
  • Organic chia seed and organic flax seed
• Calories: One scoop = 30 calories
• Manufacturer health claims: Supports energy, detoxification, and digestive function
• Flavors: 5 options
  • Greens Flavor
  • Mint
  • Watermelon
  • Berry
  • Mango
• Cost:
  • 50 servings: $69.95 ($59.46 with a subscription)
  • 25 servings: $44.95 ($38.21 with a subscription)
  • 12 servings: $24.95 ($21.21 with a subscription)
• Shipping: Free on orders over $49 and on subscription orders

Bottom Line: Is Ancient Nutrition Worth a Try?

Ancient Nutrition’s 15+ ingredients include organic greens and vegetables, digestive enzymes, and healthy roots and fungi, but it has minimal probiotics, many of its blends are in small quantities, and it includes trace caffeine. Contrast that with a product like Live it Up Super Greens, which has more greens, no caffeine, and contains more potent probiotic and fiber content for gut support.

What Is Ancient Nutrition?

Based in Tennessee, Ancient Nutrition was co-founded by Dr. Josh Axe, a doctor of natural medicine, and Jordan Rubin, a health and nutrition author. The company claims to combine ancient techniques with modern nutrition science to create easily accessible superfood supplements. It also has a focus on promoting regenerative agriculture.

The brand started producing bone broth protein and collagen, then expanded to offer a variety of products including greens powders, vitamins, adaptogenic herbs, and more. Its Organic SuperGreens contains 30-35 calories and 4 grams of total carbohydrates per serving plus 2 billion CFU of probiotics.

Ancient Nutrition Purported Benefits

Ancient Nutrition claims to provide several health benefits, primarily focusing on helping you “digest, detox, and stay energized.” Let’s examine those claims and see how it backs them up.

Benefit #1: Gut Health

One ingredient I'm happy to see in Ancient Nutrition is Bacillus coagulans, now known as Heyndrickxia coagulans. This is a uniquely resilient probiotic that’s shown to support regularity and may help with digestive discomfort. Ancient Greens also has a blend of digestive enzymes including amylase, lipase, and cellulase.

However, it only contains 2 billion CFU of probiotics, on the low side if you want significant digestive support (I typically recommend 3-10 billion CFU). Also, the 2.8 grams of digestive blend yields only 1 gram of dietary fiber. Live it Up Super Greens not only has a strong probiotics profile (5 billion CFU from 4 strains), it provides 3 grams of fiber in each serving.

Benefit #2: Detox

The word "detox" in the context of health supplements is usually a red flag for nutritional professionals like myself. That's because "detoxification" is often touted as a way to remove toxins from the body and restore it to its natural state. Currently, no strong evidence proves supplements detoxify the body, as this process happens naturally via the liver and kidneys.

Studies have shown that some foods help balance metabolic pathways that aid the liver with its natural detoxification process. These include cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale, which are part of Ancient Nutrition's greens blend. However, these would need to be present in high amounts to significantly impact liver function.

Benefit #3: Energy

One benefit Ancient Nutrition touts is support for healthy energy levels. The claim could be based on the various fruit and vegetable ingredients known to contain these nutrients, or from its inclusion of organic matcha powder, which has some caffeine content. However, it's unclear how many vitamins and minerals for energy the product provides. Ancient Nutrition doesn’t list anyof its vitamins or minerals on the packaging or website.

Live it Up Super Greens, which also purports to support energy function, takes a different and more reliable route when it comes to sharing the nutritional value. Live it Up presents customers with a QR code that shows them exactly the energy supporting nutrients they are getting in each scoop.

Plus, ingredients like reishi mushrooms, ashwagandha, and turmeric root are linked to energy production and managing fatigue, but in Ancient Nutrition’s formula, 7 ingredients are packed into the small 350 mg mushroom and botanical blend, so you’re roughly getting approximately 50 mg of each.

Did You Know?

Nutrients from real food will always slightly vary because soil conditions, harvest region, and weather all impact nutrient values. Most of the brands that claim hard numbers on their nutrient panel tend to fortify or use lab-made minerals and vitamins.

Ancient Nutrition Ingredients Breakdown

Ancient Nutrition attempts to highlight potential benefits by breaking down its ingredients by blend.

Greens, Veggie and Fruit Blend (4.8 g)

The Ancient Nutrition greens blend contains various ingredients known for their nutritional value:

• Organic carrot root and organic beet root, shown to support liver health, performance, and digestion.
• Organic spirulina and organic chlorella, packed with vital nutrients and chlorophyll, which is why they're also used in Live it Up Super Greens. But Ancient Nutrition doesn’t specify if it uses cracked cell wall chlorella, which is the more bioavailable form.
• Antioxidant-filled berries, such as organic acai berry, organic elderberry, organic wild blueberry, organic goji berry, and organic pomegranate fruit.
• Other antioxidant-rich greens, including organic broccoli stalk, organic spinach leaf, and organic kale leaf.
• Real grass juices, such as organic alfalfa grass juice and organic oat grass juice.

But all of these great fruit and vegetable ingredients are packed into 4.8 grams of this greens powder. In contrast, Live it Up Super Greens dedicates 7.3 grams to greens in its 8-gram serving scoop.

Digestive Health Blend: Clinically Studied Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes (2.8 g)

I already mentioned the relatively low dose of probiotics, but Ancient Nutrition's digestive health blend also includes organic flax seed, apple fiber, organic chia seed, and various digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes help the body break down food, while dietary fiber can help with motility and other gut-related symptoms.

However, daily fiber recommendations are between 21 and 38 grams depending on your age, and Ancient Nutrition’s blend only delivers 1 gram of fiber.

Fermented Botanical and Mushroom Blend (350 mg)

Ancient Nutrition includes roots and fungi used in traditional medicine, such as:

• Organic ashwagandha root
• Organic Reishi mycelium
• Organic turmeric root
• Organic cordyceps mycelium
• Organic astragalus root extract
• Organic ginger root
• Organic milk thistle seed

However, the blend only makes up 350 mg per serving, so many of the ingredients seem to be underdosed. For example, ashwagandha is shown to help with sleep and stress, but studied doses tend to be between 300 mg and 600 mg or more.

Also, modern research on many of the listed ingredients is limited. For example, more research is needed on Reishi mushrooms to determine the extent that they offer immune support and other purported benefits.

Luo Han Guo Extract

Listed under other ingredients, this is simply monk fruit extract by another name. I’m happy to see it here, because it’s the same natural sweetener used by Live it Up. Aside from being a no-calorie, zero-sugar sweetener, monk fruit has antioxidant properties and doesn’t have any weird aftertaste that many notice with stevia.

Ancient Nutrition Quality and Testing

Ancient Nutrition Organic SuperGreens is vegan, keto, and paleo-friendly. It’s gluten-friendly and has no dairy, nuts, soy, and BPAs.

The brand mentions that its products are made in the USA in GMP-certified facilities. Ancient Nutrition SuperGreens is certified organic and non-GMO and third-party tested for heavy metals, microbial growth, and pathogenic species.

Ancient Nutrition Cost Analysis

Ancient Nutrition Organic SuperGreens is available in multiple sizes: 12, 25, and 50 servings. It’s slightly odd to find that two of their sizes don’t give you a full month's supply, while one offers approximately a supply of 1.5 months and not two full months.

• A one-time purchase of a 25-serving tub costs $44.95 ($1.80 per serving).
• A smaller 12-serving tub costs $24.95 ($2.08 per serving)
• A 50-serving package costs $69.95 ($1.40 per serving).

Their subscription model is also slightly different from what we commonly see in the traditional greens powder market. You can use a 35% discount on the first order, but all subsequent orders only come with a 15% discount. Luckily, all subscription orders include free shipping. The 15% discount brings a 25-serving tub to $38.21 ($1.53 per serving).

Shipping adds $6.95 to the total cost of your order for a one-time purchase, although shipping is free on orders over $49. I was pleased to see returns and exchanges are free for 30 days after purchase.

Ancient Nutrition's pricing is better than that of some competitors. However, even with subscription savings, it doesn't offer the same value as Live it Up Super Greens, which costs just $1.33 per serving, always has free shipping, and includes a full month’s supply of 30 servings per container.

Ancient Nutrition Taste Review

Ancient Nutrition Organic SuperGreens comes in five flavors: Greens, Mint, Watermelon, Berry, and Mango.

I tried the original flavor, which has a strong grassy flavor and slightly gritty texture I couldn’t see many people loving. The brand recommends using a frother or blender for best results, but this can be a bit inconvenient for daily usage. I also recommend mixing it in a smoothie, especially if you want to avoid the flavor of the greens. For a greens powder with a smoother texture that tastes better on its own, I prefewr Live it Up Super Greens, which has a lightly sweet, refreshing flavor and dissolves easily in water.

Customers who rated Ancient Nutrition well have somewhat mixed opinions on the taste and texture. An Amazon reviewer described the taste as “potent and overpowering”, while another verified reviewer mentioned it tasted just like greens.

The new fruity flavors seem to have more positive responses, with several customers from the Ancient Nutrition’s website pointing out that they love it and will order more.

Taste is always subjective, so read a number of reviews and make sure the brand you order from has a generous return policy in case you don’t like the flavor.

Dietitian Tip:

You don’t always have to drink your greens powder to get the benefits! Alternatives include mixing it into yogurt, oatmeal, or even salad dressing.

Why I Recommend Live it Up Super Greens

Ancient Nutrition looks like a great greens powder with excellent organic superfoods. But there are a few drawbacks for me, such as the low dose of probiotics and other key ingredients, plus trace caffeine.

While every client has unique health concerns and goals, Live it Up Super Greens is my most recommended greens supplement because this greens powder:

• Has a comprehensive formula to help fill vegetable gaps in your diet.
• Has a strong blend of probiotics, fiber, and digestive enzymes for more robust gut health support than Ancient Nutrition.
• Tastes great and blends well, making it easy for you to incorporate into your everyday diet.
• Offers free shipping on all orders.

Ancient Nutrition Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about Ancient Nutrition and greens powders through our FAQs below.

What happens when you start taking super greens?

When you start taking a greens powder supplement, the effects you experience as your body adapts will depend on the formula. Live it Up Super Greens, for example, contains probiotics and digestive enzymes that may positively impact your gut health. Certain nutrient content may support immune function, energy levels, and sleep quality. Talk to your dietitian or doctor about what supplements are right for you.

Is there caffeine in Ancient Nutrition Super Greens?

There may be traces of caffeine present from the use of organic matcha powder. Ancient Nutrition also produces a version called Organic Super Greens Energizer, which contains ingredients that may contain naturally occurring caffeine. These include fermented green tea leaf, fermented yerba mate leaf, and fermented black tea leaf.

Is it better to take greens in the morning or at night?

Most greens supplement producers recommend taking greens in the morning. Live it Up recommends drinking greens before breakfast, as this aids the body in absorbing nutrients and helps maximize the possible benefits of drinking greens.

However, consistency is more important than timing. If it's easier for you to consume your greens at a different time of day, Live it Up simply recommends sticking with your routine.

Do super greens help you lose weight?

Super greens do not directly help you lose weight, but they can be part of your overall weight loss plan. Greens powders like Live it Up Super Greens have fiber content and vital nutrients that help maintain a healthy metabolism and curb cravings. Digestive support from enzymes and probiotics can help break down food and may aid with bloating, which is also a critical part of metabolizing nutrients.

These effects can work in tandem with your other weight management efforts, but greens powders are not a weight loss supplement.

Is Ancient Nutrition FDA-approved?

No, Ancient Nutrition products are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illnesses. Dietary supplements such as Ancient Nutrition Organic SuperGreens are not evaluated before going on the market, and the FDA does not have the authority to approve the safety or effectiveness of any dietary supplement. However, Ancient Nutrition products are produced in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified facilities and third-party tested—measures that help ensure safety and quality.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice or individualized nutrition counseling. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to supplements or medications. Any product or brand mentions are for general information and don’t guarantee results.

About Rachel Gargano, MS, RD, CBS | Chief Registered Dietitian at Live it Up

Rachel is a registered dietitian based in Contra Costa County, California, with over 15 years experience.

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