the battle of the greens: green vibrance vs vitamineral green

Get Your Veggies! The Battle of the Greens: Green Vibrance vs Vitamineral Green

It is no secret that most people are not eating sufficient quantities of vegetables. Most experts recommend that the average adult consume about 3 cups of vegetables daily. Also, many don’t know this, but one cup of raw leafy greens only counts as half a cup in daily intake terms.

The point is that with few exceptions, we are not eating enough vegetables. Some of us may have no problems at all in sticking to a regular workout routine, but eating vegetables can be a chore. Perhaps we never acquired the love for it as children. Whatever the reason may be, the result remains the same:  we end up lacking in vital vitamins and minerals that an adequate vegetable intake provides.

Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this problem. And it comes in three words: ‘green superfood supplements’. That’s right, green superfood supplements are all the rage nowadays and have become increasingly popular among the health conscious crowd as an easy, convenient, and more palatable way to get the necessary green vegetables in their diets.

Our Favorite
Vibrant Health Green Vibrance | Amazon
$85.60

Dynamic by design: Contains certified organic cereal grass powders and juices, goji berries, astragalus, spirulina, holy basil, flaxseed powder and so much more.

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12/11/2024 05:09 am GMT
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HealthForce Vitamineral Green
$49.95
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Today, we will be reviewing two of the most popular green superfood supplements on the market today: Vibrant Health’s Green Vibrance and HealthForce’s Vitamineral Green. We will break down what exactly goes into these supplements and how they can benefit you.

We will also compare them in terms of value for money and flavor, and by the end of this review, you will be better informed as to which product would better suit your needs.

Topic Contents

Vibrant Health’s Green Vibrance Review

Vibrant Health has been in the health supplements business for a long time, and Green Vibrance is one of their oldest and best known products. First introduced into health superfood stores in 1992, Green Vibrance has been on the market for a long time.

Since 1992 it has undergone fifteen reformulations to keep the product constantly updated on thee latest nutritional materials. In today’s review, we will be looking at their latest formulation; version 16.0.

One of the biggest pros behind this product and the company in general is their policy of full disclosure and transparency in their labelling. This not only makes it easy to give a highly accurate review of the product but also builds trust with its consumers. Currently Green Vibrance is available in both powder and capsule form.

Basic Information

Information below is presented on a per serving basis.

Serving Size 11.9g
Calories 45 calories
Protein 2g
Fat 0.5g
Carbohydrates 8g
Sugars 2g
Dietary Fiber 2g

Green Nutrition Content

There are so many ingredients in Green Vibrance that we have to split them up into multiple sections. In this section we will be looking at the various grasses and plants in a single serving of Green Vibrance.

2,880mg of cereal grasses: Comprising barley grass, oat grass, wheat grass, and kamut (Khorasan wheat) grass. This blend will give you a good source of chlorophyll, anti-oxidants, and digestive enzymes. These are very common ingredients found in many green supplements and while they are indeed good ingredients, we should note that they lack robust research backing up any ‘superfood’ claims.

4,050mg of roots and plants: Containing chlorella, sunflower, spirulina, beet root, parsley, zucchini, alfafa, carrot, spinach, broccoli, seaweed, and kale. This is by far the highest ingredient concentration amount in Green Vibrance however we note that the largest amounts in this blend are chlorella, sunflower, and spirulina, which are typically not considered green vegetables.

Both chlorella and spirulina are green algae variants and in addition to providing vitamins and minerals may have some positive effects on blood pressure and the immune system.

Other Beneficial Nutrition Content

The green nutrition content above in Green Vibrance makes up about 60% of its ingredients. In this section, we will take a look at what makes up the other 40%.

1,553mg of fruits: Marketed as its anti-oxidant blend, it consists of tomato, strawberry, acerola, apricot, goji berry, grape, pomegranate, and ginkgo balboa. It also contains water dispersible vitamin E and a bit of green tea polyphenols and black mustard seed.

The highest amount in this blend is tomato, followed by strawberry. We note that while this is labeled as an anti-oxidant blend, much of the other ingredients in the previous section could also be classified as anti-oxidants.

150mg of immune support: This consists of astragalus, yeast extract, and larch arabinogalactan extract. Astragalus is a traditional Chinese herb and is considered in that realm to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs.

While the benefits of astragalus has definitely been overhyped (like many otherwise healthy ingredients) research has shown some minor benefits in relation to immune system functionkidney function, and even in reducing nasal congestion.

The yeast extract is to provide beneficial beta glucans which may improve immune function. Larch arabinogalactan is a polysaccharide extract, relatively new on the ‘supplement scene’ but research has shown that it can increase resistance to infections.

260mg of adaptogens: Adaptogens are herbal compounds taken with the idea of helping prevent the physical and chemical effects of stress. Many compounds classed as adaptogens today were very popular in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. The adaptogens in Green Vibrance’s blends are Siberian ginseng, holy basil, and suma root (astragalus is also considered to be an adaptogen).

Siberian ginseng has been shown by research to have a host of benefits including increasing exercise capacity, enduranceimmune system functionreduce oxidative DNA damage, and may even improve cognitive function.

Holy basil, not to be confused with the basil in your kitchen, may have anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects in addition to stress reduction and anti-inflammatory effects. Finally, suma root is also said to have energy and immune system boosting effects, however no real studies have been conducted yet.

522mg of skeletal support:  This skeletal support blend in Green Vibrance consists primarily of cissus quadrangularis extract, as well as calcium fructoborate and lichen oil. Cissus quadrangularis, a traditional Ayurvedic medicine, is often used to reduce joint pain; making it a popular supplement among athletes. Calcium fructoborate is a combination of calcium, boron, and fructose found in plant foods.

series of studies has shown that calcium fructoborate may be beneficial for both joint and cardiovascular health. Finally, lichen oil, the lowest amount, is used to provide vitamin D3, the more effective version of Vitamin D. Of course, Vitamin D has been well proven in improving bone health, particularly in the elderly, as well as cardiovascular function.

200mg of liver support: Comprises burdock root, silymarina milk thistle, and dandelion root. Burdock root again has been used extensively in traditional medicine and has been shown to improve blood circulation while potentially having anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant compounds.

The potential anti-diabetic effect may be why it’s classified as under liver support. Milk thistle, on the other hand may improve diet-induced liver damageimmune system function, and also may have an anti-diabetic effect. Dandelion root hasn’t been studied extensively, although a very recent study does suggest some beneficial properties for the liver.

2,130mg of fiber: The fiber in Vibrance Greens comes from acacia gum, fructooligosaccharides, apple fruit powder, and flaxseed powder. Acacia gum, the highest amount of content, is a water soluble fiber and may even have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and body fat levels.

Fructooligosaccharides are indigestible fibers that function as prebiotics; food for the beneficial gut bacteria in your intestines. Apple fruit powder is said to help with constipation and diarrhea. Flaxseed powder is usually a good source of beneficial fatty acids, however we note that the flaxseed powder in this case is ‘de-oiled’ and is purely for fiber purposes.

Our Favorite
Vibrant Health Green Vibrance | Amazon
$85.60

Dynamic by design: Contains certified organic cereal grass powders and juices, goji berries, astragalus, spirulina, holy basil, flaxseed powder and so much more.

Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
12/11/2024 05:09 am GMT

Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes Content

In addition to the all the beneficial ingredients listed in the two sections above, Green Vibrance also includes a substantial amount of probiotics and digestive enzymes. We’ve broken them down below:

25 billion CFUs of probiotics: At 25 billion CFUs per serving, this is about the standard you will find in a typical serving of your normal probiotic supplement. With 12 different strains, we have to say that the probiotic content in Green Vibrance is on par if not better than the average standalone probiotic supplement out there.

In addition to the standard probiotic strains of lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, we like the addition of lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis. While all probiotic strains can help with constipation, diarrhea and just your digestive health in general, the latter two strains have also been shown to help in weight loss and fighting obesity.

Digestive aid blend: Each serving of Green Vibrance contains five different digestive enzymes: protease, lipase, amylase, invertase, and cellulase.  All of these will help your body digest different things e.g. protein, lipids, and cellulose. Green Vibrance also throws in small amounts of ginger root powder and cayenne pepper powder. Both ginger root powder and cayenne pepper powder have been shown in studies to aid in digestion.

Taste

Green Vibrance is an extremely highly rated product. But if there’s one main thing that even very satisfied users don’t like about this product but tolerate is its taste. This product has a very earthy flavor that at best is an acquired taste.

You may notice that while each serving has 2g of sugars, these are natural sugars that arise from the ingredients and are not added sugars. And Green Vibrance also doesn’t include any artificial sweeteners such as sucralose or even stevia.

As such, we recommend that people who are sensitive to its flavor to use Green Vibrance as an addition to their smoothie. The official Vibrant Health website has a bunch of smoothie recipes that you can use Green Vibrance with.

Value for Money

Using prices from Vibrant Health’s official website, prices per serving for Green Vibrance run from $1.31 to $2.00. The cheapest option would be Green Vibrance’s kilo option, which contains about 85 servings. Overall, while this is a premium product, it certainly isn’t overpriced by any means and actually provides decent value for money.

Final Verdict

Green Vibrance is one of the most popular green superfood supplements on the market today; and with good reason. The manufacturers have thrown in a whole host of vegetables, roots, and other items that is sure to have a positive effect on your health. It is true that many ‘superfood’ claims are highly exaggerated, but there’s no denying the beneficial health effects of Green Vibrance.

We especially like the inclusion of a good probiotic mix as well as the use of some well-studied adaptogens. Further, as mentioned in the beginning of this review, we also like how transparent the company is with their ingredients.

No such thing as the unfortunately common ‘proprietary blends’ here. Value for money is decent, but again, taste takes getting used to. Overall, if you’re looking for a daily greens supplement, it’s hard to do better than Green Vibrance.

HealthForce’s Vitamineral Green Review

Vitamineral Green is HealthForce’s flagship green supplement product. HealthForce is a very established company, dating back to 1990 as a grassroots health supplement brand.

The company’s philosophy does trend toward what can be called the ‘hippie’ side, with a focus on herbal therapies, alternative and holistic medicine, and veganism. Vitamineral Green is available in both powder and capsule form.

Basic Information

Information below is presented on a per serving basis.

Serving Size 10g
Calories 35 calories
Protein 3g
Fat <1g
Carbohydrates 5g
Sugars <1g
Dietary Fiber 2g

Green Nutrition Content

Here’s a quick summary of the green nutrition content you will find in Vitamineral Green, as well as their benefits. Unlike Green Vibrance, which discloses specific amount of every ingredient that goes into their product, Vitamineral does not and instead just gives the total content of the various blends that go into each serving.

5,540mg of various land-based plants and fruits: Classified as ‘From The Land’ on the Vitamineral Green label, this  blend contains nettle leaf, carob pod, alfalfa grass, oat grass, barley grass, parsley leaf, wheat grass, basil leaf, chickweed herb, holy basil leaf, moringa leaf, yacon leaf, amla berry, and shilajit.

To dissect this blend a bit more, we can see some ‘standard’ green ingredients and some ‘non-standard’ ones. The standard ones would be alfalfa grass, oat grass, barley grass, and wheatgrass. You can find this in most green supplements. Parsley leaf and basil leaf are also quite common. In terms of the non-standard ingredients nettle leaf is relatively uncommon.

It has been shown to help with allergiesincrease anti-oxidants, and reduce inflammation. Chickweed herb is a common medicinal tonic but its benefits have yet to be scientifically studied.

Yacon leaf may aid in weight loss, however its studies on humans are quite limited. And while moringa leaf is a good source of vitamins and minerals they may also have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Amla berry, also known as Indian gooseberry also has strong anti-oxidant properties and may even help with alcohol-induced liver damage. Finally, shilajit, a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine may help optimize testosterone levels.

4,360mg of water-based plants: The largest components here are spirulina and chlorella, with a combined amount of 3,754mg. As mentioned above, both these ingredients practically staples in green supplements. The remaining 606mg consists of kelp, dulse, bladderwrack, alaria, and laver; all species of seaweed.

While kelp is a healthy food, it seems to have limited effects as a supplement with no tangible benefits proven by studies. Dulse is a good source of minerals and beneficial fatty acids. Bladderwrack may help control blood glucose and insulin levels. Both alaria and laver, like most seaweeds are also a good source of micronutrients, especially iodine.

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HealthForce Vitamineral Green
$49.95
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Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes Content

That’s it in terms of Vitamineral Green’s green nutritional content. Its remaining ingredients are only probiotics and digestive enzymes. Each serving of Vitamineral Green contains the following.

15mg of probiotics: Comprising six different probiotic strains. We find it strange that they chose to use mg to denote the amount of probiotics instead of CFUs; which is the standard notation.

As for the strains used, most of them are fairly standard strains you will find in most probiotic supplements, we do like the addition of lactobacillus rhamnosus, which as we have mentioned, has been shown to have beneficial effects on weight loss.

85mg of digestive enzymes: Comprises seven different digestive enzymes: protease, alpha-galactosidase, amylase, cellulose, lipase, bromelain, and papain. For those who are unsure, bromelain and papain are both extracted from fruits; pineapple and papaya, respectively. Overall the digestive enzymes in the blend are good although at 85mg they are a relatively low amount.

Taste

Containing no sweeteners of any kind, Vitamineral Green tastes mainly like wheatgrass and algae. As it lacks any substantial amount of fruits or berries in its mix, its taste reflects its primary ingredients. As with other green supplements, this can be an acquired taste. If you are already used to the taste of other green supplements, you will likely find the taste of Vitamineral Green no different.

That said, if you are new to green supplements, we recommend mixing it with fruit juices or other smoothies instead. Alternatively, you can elect to sprinkle it over your food as well.

Value for Money

Based on prices from HealthForce’s official website, the price per serving for Vitamineral Green can range from $1.13 to $1.67. This is in line with what we would expect from a ‘premium’ green supplement, it’s not expensive, but it’s not cheap either. It can be considered to be mid-range.

Final Verdict

Vitamineral Green is a decent mid-range greens health supplement. The majority of the ingredients found in the product are what you would expect from any generic green supplement; particularly the various grasses as well as the spirulina and chlorella. That said, it does have a number of additional ingredients that are quite unique such as nettle, shilajit, amla berry, yacon leaf, and moringa leaf.

As you can see from the ingredients list, Vitamineral Green has effectively zero fruit content. Hence, if you are the sort who doesn’t really like eating fruits as well and would rather take in the form of a supplement, Vitamineral Green will not fit your needs. But if you are looking for a reasonably priced all-natural greens supplement, then Vitamineral Green may just be what you need.

Green Vibrance vs Vitamineral Green: Which One Comes Out on Top?

Now that you’ve read our detailed reviews and breakdowns of both Green Vibrance and Vitamineral Green, the question you want answering is, which one is better? Well, since we’ve already gone into so much detail in the individual reviews, you might already have made up your own mind. But here’s our verdict.

Verdict: Green Vibrance is the Superior Product but is Also More Expensive

In our view, Green Vibrance is the superior product by far. One quick look at the ingredients lists is all you need to come to this conclusion. Vitamineral Green’s ingredients, as we have said, are decent but they are all pretty standard; perhaps only slightly better than your average generic green supplement.

Green Vibrance, on the other hand, is on a whole other level. Sure it does contain the ‘standard’ algae and wheatgrasses, but it also has a whole host of rare and beneficial ingredients. Just to name a few of the ones that we particularly like, the adaptogen blend and skeletal support blend are things that stand out to us. They also have a lot of fruits, something which Vitamineral Green lacks.

In addition to simply having a larger variety and quality of ingredients, we have to give bonus points to Green Vibrance for their total transparency in label disclosure as well. Instead of following the tired supplement industry trope of ‘proprietary blends’, they precisely disclose the amount of each and every ingredient in the mix.

They even break down the number of CFUs of each probiotic strain! This is a definite bonus and should give all users of Green Vibrance confidence in the transparency of the company.

However, while Green Vibrance is 100% the superior product, it is also most certainly more expensive. This is of course, to be expected. However, the price differential between Green Vibrance and Vitamineral Green is not as drastic as you might think.

Our Favorite
Vibrant Health Green Vibrance | Amazon
$85.60

Dynamic by design: Contains certified organic cereal grass powders and juices, goji berries, astragalus, spirulina, holy basil, flaxseed powder and so much more.

Buy at Amazon.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
12/11/2024 05:09 am GMT
More Affordable
HealthForce Vitamineral Green
$49.95
Check Price
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
12/11/2024 12:40 am GMT

Going by the cheapest options for both products (meaning the largest serving sizes), Green Vibrance is less than $0.25 more expensive than Vitamineral Green on a per serving basis. A significant difference to be sure, but one that we feel is well worth the increase in quality. Plus, each serving of Green Vibrance is also almost 20% larger compared to Vitamineral Green.

So where does that leave you? As you can clearly tell, we favor Green Vibrance in all aspects. The only reason we would ever go with Vitamineral Green is if we had severe budgetary limitations. In fact, after completing this review, we are also of the opinion that Vibrant Health as a company is also generally better than HealthForce, with a strong focus on transparency and less pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo.

Pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo? That’s right. If you go to HealthForce’s official page for Vitamineral Green you will notice this line under ‘Ingredients/Nutrition Facts’. Here it is verbatim: “Energenesis™ Energetic Enhancements: • Magnetic • Vibrational” This line speaks for itself; it is quite apparent that HealthForce has a company has veered a bit too far into holistic medicine and is dabbling in straight up pseudoscience.

We are not even going to hazard a guess at what magnetic and vibrational enhancements for a green supplement means. What we are certain of is that if you are interested in only taking science-backed supplements, you should probably look at HealthForce as a whole with a large grain of salt.

Green Vibrance

Pros Cons
Larger variety and quality of ingredients More expensive
Highest level of transparency  
Overall superior product  

 

Vitamineral Green

Pros Cons
Better if you are on a budget Overall inferior product
Decent mid-range green supplement product Lacks fruits
   

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