As a registered dietitian, I love recommending ways to help my clients improve their nutrient intake and make their lives easier. For example, green supplements are great for easily adding superfoods to your diet. The best greens powders are packed with essential vitamins and minerals from whole foods and support digestive health with ingredients like probiotics, fiber, and digestive enzymes.
Grüns Gummies are a relatively new addition to the world of greens supplements, yet they’ve already become popular on social media. I was curious to find out how these gummies compare to my favorite superfood powder, Live it Up Super Greens, so I took a close look at the ingredients and nutrient content.
I concluded that Grüns Gummies are a smart choice when you’re short on time, but I was disappointed by their excessive sweetness and lack of digestion support. Instead, Live it Up gets my vote for a tasty, affordable daily greens powder to help increase your vegetable intake and support normal immunity, digestion, and energy balance.
Grüns vs. Live it Up Overview
- Live it Up Super Greens - Best for Complete Nutrition
- Grüns Gummies - Best for Convenience
100% all-natural | ||
Organic ingredients | ||
Wide variety of ingredients | ||
Probiotics | ||
Digestive enzymes | ||
Manufactured in the USA | ||
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) registered facilities | ||
Third-party tested | ||
Sugar-free | ||
Gluten-free | ||
No stevia | ||
Caffeine-free | ||
Non-GMO | ||
Nut-free | ||
Free shipping without any limitations or spend limit | ||
Money-back guarantee | ||
Live chat with a real person and responsive customer service | ||
Cost per serving (with a subscription) | $2.14 | $1.33 |
What Are Grüns Gummies?
Grüns was founded by Chad Janis in 2022 with the goal of helping people fill nutrition gaps without having to take multiple health food products and supplements. Since then, Grüns has been heavily promoted by influencers on social media.
Grüns Daily Gummies are essentially a greens powder in gummy form, offering a convenient way to increase your vitamin and mineral intake on the go. A serving is eight gummies, which you can munch on like fruit snacks throughout the day or eat all at once. The formula includes 60 ingredients, including fruits and vegetables, vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, herbs, prebiotics, and mushrooms. There’s also a Grüns Kids gummy designed for children ages 2-13.
Customers can choose between a no-sugar formula made with Onosweet and allulose (20 calories, no added sugar) or a low-sugar version with cane sugar (50 calories, 8g of added sugar). Grüns Gummies are made in the USA in GMP-compliant facilities.
A 28-day supply of Grüns Gummies costs $79.99 ($2.85 per day) plus shipping, though there is a $20 discount for subscribers.
Pros of Grüns Gummies
- Mess-free and convenient for travel
- Mainly organic ingredients and free from gluten, dairy, and nuts
- Vegan (made with pectin rather than gelatin)
- Provides 100% DV of most vitamins and 25% DV of most minerals
- Available in low-sugar and sugar-free versions
- Contains 6 grams of dietary fiber
- Made in NSF and GMP-compliant facilities
Cons of Grüns Gummies
- No probiotics or digestive enzymes
- The low-sugar version has 8 grams of added sugar (16% of DV)
- Nutrients in daily gummies often have unreliable dosing
- Includes synthetic vitamins
- Uses inulin as a prebiotic, which could cause unpleasant digestive side effects
- Many customers find the taste overly sweet
The Bottom Line: Grüns Gummies feature a wide variety of organic superfoods and micronutrients, though much of this comes from added vitamins. If you like the taste, they’re an easy way to get your greens on the go. Unfortunately, Grüns Gummies don’t offer the digestion support of Live it Up Super Greens yet are significantly more expensive, even with a subscription.
What Is Live it Up Super Greens?
Founded by Haim Nigri in 2021, Live it Up focuses on making superfoods more accessible. In addition to filling nutrient gaps, adding Live it Up Super Greens to your daily nutrition may help with digestion support, immune function, and energy levels, among other potential benefits.
Live it Up Super Greens features 20+ nutrient-dense superfood ingredients, provided in effective quantities in an easy-to-prepare powder. It also contains 5 billion CFU of dairy-free probiotics and three types of digestive enzymes. Most Live it Up users stir a scoop of Super Greens into a glass of cool water to start their day, though it can be mixed with any beverage or sprinkled into recipes.
Live it Up superfood blends are made in the USA with all-natural ingredients and are third-party tested for safety and purity. They are non-GMO and free from added sugar, artificial flavors, fillers, and additives.
A month’s supply of Live it Up Super Greens is $39.99 with a subscription ($1.33 per serving). All orders get free shipping, and subscriptions can be changed or canceled at any time.
Pros
- 100% all-natural, non-GMO ingredients
- Made with organic vegetables
- Contains probiotics and dietary enzymes for digestion support
- 20+ superfoods selected for nutrient density
- No added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or caffeine
- Uses monk fruit instead of stevia for sweetness
- Free shipping on all orders and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Does not contain prebiotics
- No mushrooms or adaptogens (these are found in Live it Up Golden Hour)
- Fine powder dissolves easily in water but can be somewhat messy
The Bottom Line: Live it Up Super Greens blends all-natural superfoods, probiotics, and digestive enzymes to help you fill nutrient gaps while supporting your gut, immune system, and energy levels. It’s an affordable greens powder that’s tasty and easy to prepare, regardless of whether you choose the lightly sweet and minty Original or the fruity Wild Berries.
Potential Health Benefits of Greens Powders
Green powders have the potential to support your health in a variety of ways. In addition to filling dietary gaps, their ingredients may also contribute to normal energy balance, digestion, immunity, and improved skin health.
Nutritional Support
One of the main reasons people take greens supplements is to bolster their diet. As most Americans don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables, a high-quality greens powder can help increase your intake of nutrient-dense veggies and antioxidant-rich fruits. However, the specific ingredients and nutrients in green powders (and gummies) can vary significantly.
One serving of Grüns Gummies provides 100% of your daily recommendation for vitamins A, C, D, E, and B-complex vitamins. It’s more sparing with minerals, providing 25% of the recommendation for iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum. However, many of these nutrients have been synthetically added to bolster the Supplement Facts and make up for the fact that gummy vitamins can lose nutrient density quickly as they are not as stable as other multivitamin supplements.
In contrast, Live it Up’s greens blend provides comprehensive nutrition support that comes directly from superfoods, without synthetic vitamins or minerals. When you drink a glass of Super Greens, you’re consuming useful quantities of superfoods and benefitting from the micronutrients they naturally contain. Super Greens is a particularly good source of dietary fiber, folate, vitamins K, B2, and B12, iron, iodine, and manganese, all derived from whole foods.
Gut Health
Promoting a healthy gut is another reason to consider adding greens powder to your daily routine. Although Grüns puts “gut health” first on its list of potential benefits, it lacks two important ingredients found in other greens powders: probiotics and digestive enzymes. Grüns users who want to support their digestion and help with symptoms like gas and bloating may need to take a separate probiotic supplement.
On the other hand, Live it Up Super Greens contains probiotics to support a healthy microbiome and contribute to the balance of “good” bacteria. Super Greens also features three types of digestive enzymes that support the body’s ability to break down food.
Grüns does include inulin (a prebiotic) and 6 grams of dietary fiber per serving. Live it Up Super Greens provides 3g of fiber per serving to support digestive regularity.
Immunity
The high vitamin and mineral content in Grüns may help support a healthy immune system. The gummies contain substantial amounts of immune-supporting micronutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B12, biotin, folate, iodine, selenium, zinc, and iron. Although some of the Grüns nutrients may be synthetically derived, they still have the potential to support your body’s natural defenses. For example, antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E may help to “fight” free radicals that cause oxidative damage to your cells.
Rather than relying on synthetic vitamins, Live it Up designed its Super Greens powder to include some of the most nutrient-dense superfoods on the planet, including leafy greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli. Even if your diet isn’t what you’d like it to be, Live it Up Super Greens strives to ensure that you don’t miss out on the immune-supporting properties of vitamins and minerals like copper, magnesium, zinc, vitamin A, and folate.
Energy Levels
A healthy diet is essential for sustaining normal energy levels and avoiding those dreaded crashes that can derail your productivity and enjoyment of the day.
Numerous vitamins and minerals in Grüns contribute to normal energy levels, including B vitamins, vitamins A and D, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Grüns Gummies also contain astragalus, which may help combat fatigue. However, as the Supplement Facts do not specify how much of this adaptogen is included, it’s impossible to know whether it’s enough to impact your energy levels.
Many of the ingredients in Live it Up Super Greens were chosen for their naturally energizing properties. Although this is a caffeine-free supplement, many users notice an impact on their energy levels when they start their morning with a glass of Super Greens. The whole foods in Super Greens provide significant amounts of vitamin B12, vitamin A, iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium – micronutrients that are essential for producing and maintaining energy throughout the day.
Product Breakdown and Ingredients Comparison
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients you’ll find in Grüns Gummies vs. Live it Up Super Greens.
Wide Variety of Superfoods
Grüns and Live it Up are non-GMO and made with organic vegetables, including numerous superfood ingredients known for their nutrient density.
According to the manufacturer, Grüns Gummies contain around 60 ingredients. This includes a “Core Nutrients” blend feating organic fruits and vegetables like alfalfa, kale, broccoli, chlorella, barley grass, wheatgrass, shiitake mushroom, blueberry, beet, açai, goji, and maqui.
The rest of the ingredients mainly include added vitamins and minerals. This is not necessarily bad (it’s the same as taking a multivitamin), but it calls into question how much of the micronutrient content comes from fruits and vegetables.
Live it Up Super Greens takes a different approach. With around 20 superfoods, each ingredient is included in a dose large enough to contribute important vitamins and minerals.
All of the ingredients in Live it Up Super Greens are considered superfoods, including many that would be challenging to source and prepare on their own. In addition to well-known nutritional powerhouses like kale, spinach, and broccoli, you’ll find some of nature’s most powerful superfoods, like chlorella, spirulina, oat grass, moringa, burdock root, and nopal cactus.
Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes
Grüns Gummies do not contain probiotics or digestive enzymes. However, they do offer 6 grams of dietary fiber per serving from tapioca, as well as organic inulin, a probiotic that “feeds” the helpful bacteria in your microbiome. Although prebiotics are widely considered beneficial, individuals who are on a low FODMAP diet may want to avoid Grüns.
According to the manufacturer, clinical studies suggest that the nutrients in Grüns can lead to a “41% increase in healthy gut bacteria within 16 days.” However, it’s important to note that this statement does not specifically refer to Grüns, but rather the ingredients and nutrients they contain. This is not particularly helpful for prospective customers who want to know about the gummies’ effectiveness.
Live it Up recognizes the essential role of probiotics in supporting a healthy gut. Super Greens contains 5 billion CFU (colony-forming units) of dairy-free probiotics. It also features 3 grams of fiber and a digestive enzyme complex consisting of bromelain, papain, and vegetarian pepsin.
Manufacturing Quality and Safety
Grüns and Live it Up both adhere to high standards for manufacturing quality and safety. Their nutritional supplements are made in the USA in facilities compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards and are third-party tested to ensure they are free from microbial contaminants and heavy metals. This step in the quality control process also ensures that the Supplement Facts accurately reflect the composition of the products.
Sweeteners
Grüns Gummies are available in two versions: low-sugar and sugar-free. The low-sugar gummies contain 8 grams of added sugar, while the sugar-free gummies use a combination of OnoSweet and allulose (no-calorie sweeteners made from natural sources).
The Original and Wild Berries flavors of Live it Up Super Greens are both free from added sugar and artificial sweeteners. The slight sweetness comes from monk fruit (also known as lo han guo), a no-calorie sweetener known for having a more natural taste than many sugar substitutes.
Neither product uses stevia, which sometimes leaves a bitter aftertaste, or artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin.
Allergens and Additives
Grüns and Live it Up are free from major allergens like gluten, dairy, and soy. Both are caffeine-free, vegan, and suitable for a wide range of dietary needs and preferences. Instead of gelatin, Grüns uses pectin as its base, which is a fruit fiber. Both products are made with organic vegetables and are 100% non-GMO. They are also free from fillers and artificial additives.
Taste Review
Forming healthy habits involves making decisions that are not only good for you but also enjoyable and sustainable. If you plan to take a greens supplement every day, it has to taste good. While everyone has their own flavor preferences, reading customer reviews can be a useful way to predict whether you’re likely to enjoy a certain product.
Here are my thoughts (along with those of other users) about the taste of Grüns and Live it Up Super Greens.
Grüns Taste
Unlike a typical multivitamin that can be quickly swallowed, a serving of Grüns is eight gummy bears, so enjoying the greens flavor is essential if you want to make them part of your daily routine.
Grüns describes the one flavor of the gummies as “fresh and light,” with “strawberry” and “sweet greens.” I could taste the earthiness of the green ingredients through the berry flavor, but I didn’t struggle to finish the packet.
Customer reviews of Grüns are decidedly mixed on Trustpilot and the Grüns website, as some users enjoy the flavor and convenience, while others dislike the aftertaste or find the flavor too artificial.
Shane L. commented, “I’m on week one of these and so far so good. Definitely prefer these to AG1 and Huel Greens as far as taste.”
Opinions on the sugar-free version are particularly divided. Carolyn M. noted that “the taste isn’t bad, but it does get a little getting used to. I do feel like it has helped with my sugar cravings, and it makes me feel like I’m doing something good for my body every day.”
Beth J. was less impressed, saying, “I appreciated that there is a sugar-free option. The gummies are barely palatable to me, but they are palatable enough to keep trying.”
Like many reviewers, I also preferred the low-sugar gummies to the sugar-free ones, which have a stronger green flavor and are excessively sweet due to the use of sugar substitutes. Unfortunately, both versions have a powdery coating that I didn’t enjoy.
Although I didn’t experience this, some reviewers mentioned that their gummies came in a big clump and had a hard consistency. Debbie V. commented, “The first batch of gummies I received were hard and stuck together, which concerned me. However, the gummies in the second bag are soft to chew.”
Live it Up Super Greens Taste
Live it Up Super Greens is available in two flavors: Original and Wild Berries. Both are free from added sugars and artificial sugars and instead utilize monk fruit extract and natural flavors to provide a hint of sweetness.
I enjoy both Super Greens varieties as they have a light, fresh flavor, unlike many greens powders that are overpoweringly sweet. The Original flavor is slightly minty, thanks to peppermint leaf. You definitely know you’re sipping a healthy green drink but in a very pleasant way.
If you struggle with the taste of greens, Wild Berries is an excellent alternative. It has a little bit of tartness to complement the sweet fruit flavor. Both flavors are perfectly fine when mixed with a glass of water, and they’re delicious when added to a smoothie.
Here’s what customers are saying about Super Greens:
“This powder mixes well with water and actually tastes great too. It has kind of a minty sweet flavor to it without having sweeteners added in.” ~Molly C., Live it Up website review
“The Wild Berries flavor is excellent. It is slightly sweet but not in a sickly/artificial way like some other sweeteners.” ~ Michael B., Live it Up website review
Cost Comparison
While ingredients, flavor, and manufacturing standards are certainly important when you’re choosing a daily greens powder, cost is also a major consideration. Here’s how Grüns and Live it Up compare in terms of price, shipping, and return policies.
Grüns Cost
A pouch of Grüns includes 28 snack packs (8 daily gummies), enough for four weeks. The pouch costs $79.99 ($2.85 per serving) for one-time orders, or you can set up a subscription for $59.99 ($2.14 per serving). A double subscription for two people costs $109.99, or $1.96 per serving.
The Grüns website offers additional pop-up discounts and free shipping if you provide your email address and phone number (be prepared to receive promotional materials after submitting your contact information). However, these offers only apply to your first delivery. This isn’t obvious unless you read the order page very carefully, and has led to numerous frustrated customer reviews.
Grüns only ships to customers in the United States. One-time orders incur a $11.20 shipping fee. When you set up a subscription, you’ll get free shipping on your first delivery. However, subsequent deliveries have a $11.20 shipping fee. This isn’t explained clearly on the website and is a major cause of frustration among Grüns customers.
For first-time customers who are unsatisfied with the product, Grüns will refund or exchange the cost of your order, minus $5 for return shipping. Customers need to send back their unopened snack packs to utilize this policy.
Live it Up Super Greens Cost
Live it Up prioritizes transparency in pricing, shipping, and returns. A one-time purchase of Live it Up Super Greens is $59.99. If you set up a monthly subscription, which can be changed or canceled at any time, the price drops to $39.99, or $1.33 per serving. Live it Up offers an additional discount for double subscriptions (60 servings per month).
Regardless of subscriber status, all Live it Up customers get free shipping in the United States, with no minimum order required. Live it Up also ships to UK customers for a $14.99 fee.
Live it Up offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on first-time orders, so customers who are not satisfied with their initial purchase can return it for a full refund or exchange.
Why Choose Live it Up Super Greens
The convenience of Grüns is great when you’re in a rush and don’t have time for your usual morning routine. Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of Grüns (especially the sugar-free version), many customers seem to like snacking on these green gummies. And if that helps them increase their intake of vitamins and minerals, I’m all for it.
However, when it comes to digestion support and effective doses of superfoods, Grüns falls short of being a good greens supplement for gut health. The gummies do not contain probiotics or digestive enzymes, and the label doesn’t explain how much of each ingredient is included. Without this information, there’s little to distinguish Grüns from a very expensive multivitamin.
On the other hand, the ingredients in Live it Up Super Greens provide all of the vitamin and mineral content and support a healthy immune system and energy levels, rather than relying on synthetic vitamins. With 5 billion CFU of dairy-free probiotics and three types of digestive enzymes, a daily glass of Super Greens is an easy way to support your gut health.
Live it Up Super Greens has earned thousands of positive reviews from customer who enjoy the naturally sugar-free Original and Wild Berries flavors and have noticed improvements in their overall health and well-being. There are no GMOs, synthetic ingredients, artificial additives, fillers, or colors in Super Greens, just 20+ nutrient-dense superfoods to help you increase your consumption of healthy greens and feel your best.
FAQs
It’s important to do your research before adding a new dietary supplement to your routine. Check out these frequently asked questions to ensure you’re making an informed choice.
Does Grüns replace multivitamins?
A serving of Grüns provides 100% of your Percent Daily Value (%DV) for vitamins A, C, D, E, and B-complex vitamins. It provides 25% of your %DV for iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum. This is comparable to the percentages found in many multivitamin brands. However, if you eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains, you’re likely to meet your nutritional needs without supplements.
Is Grüns as good as AG1?
AG1, formerly known as Athletic Greens, offers 75 ingredients and significant amounts of 21 vitamins and minerals. It also contains a digestive enzyme and 7.2 billion CFU of probiotics, which Grüns lacks. However, many people find the taste of AG1 difficult to tolerate unless they mix it with fruit juice or a smoothie, so Grüns may be a good AG1 alternative in terms of flavor. AG1 is one of the most expensive greens powders on the market, at $79 (plus shipping) with a subscription, making it even more expensive than Grüns.
Do Live it Up greens work?
Although results vary depending on the individual, Live it Up users often report positive effects on multiple areas of health, including immunity, digestive health, energy balance, skin health, and focus and brain health. In conjunction with a healthy diet, the superfoods in Live it Up Super Greens contribute vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that are beneficial to numerous bodily processes and functions.
What’s the best greens powder?
Although the ideal greens blend for you depends on your unique diet, health needs, and wellness goals, the best greens powders contain a wide variety of nutrient-dense ingredients to help you fill nutritional gaps. For example, Live it Up Super Greens contains 20+ superfoods and is free from added sugars, artificial sweeteners, fillers, and synthetic ingredients. The powder also incorporates probiotics and digestive enzymes to support gut health.
References
- https://gruns.co/pages/our-story
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/are-gummy-vitamins-effective-8758583
- https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/what-are-adaptogens-and-should-you-be-taking-them
- https://www.livescience.com/51500-fruit-vegetable-consumption-united-states.html
- https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/should-you-take-gummy-vitamins
- https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_natural_vitamins_and_nutrients/article.htm
- https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/probiotics-bloating
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002916523191167
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ImmuneFunction-HealthProfessional/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26550363/
- https://www.monashfodmap.com/blog/update-label-reading/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3529416/
- https://www.who.int/teams/health-product-policy-and-standards/standards-and-specifications/norms-and-standards/gmp
- https://compoundsolutions.com/ingredients/onosweet/
- https://foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-monk-fruit-sweeteners/
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- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/gruns.co
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- https://www.trustpilot.com/reviews/66bce213d2a995c4deace14d
- https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels
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