We all know it’s healthy to eat plant foods, like fruits and vegetables. They contain nutrients essential for life, without any of the added crap in highly processed foods. However, it can be hard to eat how much we should for stronger immune systems and healthy bodies. Like us, many use some type of supplement to get the nutrition they need. With supplements, you don’t need to clear out a bunch of space to store all the produce it’d take to eat the recommended servings each day. To get our recommended servings each day, we choose Balance of Nature’s whole food supplements. There are also a lot of others out there. How are they different? Let’s see.
Balance of Nature
Out of all the whole food supplements out there, we believe Balance of Nature is the best. Here’s a little more about why. Balance of Nature has three products: Fruits, Veggies, and Fiber & Spice.
The Fruits and Veggies are capsules containing a blend of different whole fruits and vegetables. The Fruits contain Aloe vera, apple, banana, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, grape, grapefruit, lemon, mango, orange, papaya, pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, and tomato. The Veggies contain broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, cayenne pepper, celery stalk, garlic, kale, onion, shiitake mushroom, soy bean, spinach, wheat grass, yam, and zucchini. The Fruits & Veggies are $89.95 to buy one-time, but we take advantage of the membership program to get them for $69.95 every month with free shipping.
The Fiber & Spice is $69.95 one time, or $49.95 with the membership. If you want all the products, you can purchase their Whole Health System (which is cheaper than buying them separately). The Fiber & Spice contains whole psyllium husk, flax seed, whole apple, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, ginger, mustard, nutmeg, and turmeric. And that’s it–nothing else added. Simply food.
This ingredient list is one big reason we choose Balance of Nature. There are no additives, fillers, extracts, synthetics, pesticides, or other added chemicals. All of the produce is vine-ripened too! All of these ingredients come with their own health benefits and hefty nutritional profile. This article would be too long to go into each. All you need to know is that the nutrients within these plant foods all work together to supply the body with antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients that can help protect cells, fight inflammation, boost the immune system, and repair DNA.
We also appreciate that they are transparent in how the product is made, providing a type of “hows it’s made video.” The label says the whole foods are “powdered by a vacuum-cold process to stabilize the maximum nutrient content.”
We love that it can be added to most meals easily. You just open the capsule and pour it onto anything you’d like. We’ve tried it in smoothies, dips, oatmeal, and more. As with anything, there are “doubters” out there. Well, don’t just take our word for it. There are other people who have tried it and reviewed the products as well. Research it and try it for yourself.
Texas Superfood
Texas Superfood has similar products. Their products include Texas SuperFood Original, Texas Superfood Complete, Select Liquid, Krill Oil, Texas Silver Drops, Women’s Choice, Joint Care, Colloidal Minerals, Life Energy, Drift Away, Healthy Kids, Texas Sunshine, and Healthy Eyes. The first three are the “whole food” supplements, the rest are multivitamins (which don’t have much benefit, if any at all anyway).
They claim the products contain 100 percent whole food, but, in looking at the Texas Superfood Original label, you can see there are extracts and isolates. Some aren’t even food but sole enzymes, which are naturally present and more stable in foods.
There are way too many ingredients to list them all but some include: Asparagus powder, broccoli sprout powder, cabbage powder, carrot juice powder, artichoke leaf extract 10:1 (whatever that means), pea protein isolate, annatto seed powder, acai powder, organic maca powder, kale powder, pear juice powder, amylase, protease, bromelain, lipase, lactobacillus bulgaricus, chlorella powder, pine bark PE 95 % (whatever that means), and more. This product costs $59.95 to buy one-time. The Texas SuperFood Complete is a bit better in the ingredient department considering they are all organic ingredients; it is also five dollars cheaper.
Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has written a warning letter regarding their website because they “found serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and its implementing regulations.”
There were certain products promoted for treating conditions, which categorized the products as drugs. Websites claimed the products were for treatment and prevention of disease. The letter said the products are not recognized as safe and effective for treating certain medical conditions that were in personal testimonials. The FDA also noted the following:
- Failure to establish specifications for identity, purity, strength, composition, and limits on contaminants for each component used in the manufacture of your dietary supplements
- Unable to determine if your contract manufacturers had established specifications for your manufactured dietary supplement products
- Failure to establish a system of production and process controls that covers all stages of manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and holding of the dietary supplement to ensure the quality of the dietary supplement
- Misbranding
Juice Plus+
Juice Plus+ is another similar product, but still different. They sell Fruit, Vegetable, Berry and Omega Blend capsules. They also sell other products like nutrition bars and drink mixes. They’re products contain more capsules than Balance of Nature, but are significantly more expensive as a result. Prices depend on if you pay all at once or monthly. Prices range between $17.50 and $300, depending on what you buy and how.
Some but not all of the ingredients are whole food. Both the Vegetable Blend and Fruit Blend contain juice powder and isolated and synthetic ingredients such as calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate isn’t natural calcium, so it can come with side effects like upset stomach, constipation, and more.
Another questionable ingredient is the “natural carotenoid blend.” Carotenoids are a family of phytonutrients (nutrients found in plants). They are beneficial in a whole food form, as mother nature intended, but isolated and synthetic forms can be unsafe to consume.
For instance, beta-carotene supplements have shown increased risks of cancer. However, when beta-carotene is obtained by consuming the foods that contain it, it benefits health and reduces risk of many conditions. Dietary beta-carotene is great, not other forms that may have adverse effects. Foods that contain beta-carotene include carrots, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, butternut squash, cantaloupe, bell peppers, and apricots. We prefer getting our nutrients through whole food.
One review explains that Juice Plus+ supplements are made by juicing fruits and vegetables. Well, juice does not contain nearly as much nutritional value that whole fruits and vegetables do. Some of the additives include vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, enzymes, probiotics, and folic acid. But again, isolates, extracts, and synthetics don’t even come close to these in their natural states. The effectiveness of the supplements is also questioned, there was “lack of evidence of any real health benefits.”
This may be because, well, they use juice. The things that make whole fruit so beneficial to the immune system are precisely the things that are left behind during the juicing process such as the seeds and skin. This means the amount of nutrients in juice isn’t remotely close to the amount that’s available from whole fruit.
Juice Plus+ says they’re the next best thing to eating fruits and vegetables, but are they? We don’t think so. And, we aren’t the only ones.
Athletic Greens
Athletic Greens’ website describes their product as “the daily all-in-one supplement developed for high performers like you.” Their product is a whole food dietary supplement powder designed for professional athletes. They claim daily use increases energy, supports recovery, improves immunity, and helps with digestion.
The product consists of “75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients.” They also contain added enzymes and vitamins. By looking closer at the label, you can see some of the ingredients are extracts, isolates, and concentrates. The vitamin A present is beta-carotene, the vitamin C as ascorbic acid, and so on. Though these vitamins are good for you, the body won’t absorb this isolated form as well as if you were to get it by eating whole fruits or vegetables. And, as far as we know, it’s higher in calories than Balance of Nature. One tablespoon is 40 calories.
Athletic Greens does appear to be better than that of Juice Plus+ and Texas Superfood, having a purpose “to inspire fulfilling and equal lives, starting with a focus on health.” They are also NSF certified and meet cGMP and FDA guidelines. Similar to Balance of Nature, they have a subscription option costing $77 plus shipping and handling. A one-time purchase is $97. You can also cancel online, rather than having to call.
Many athletes and health experts have expressed why they like the product. One review begs the question if the product is worth the price. Their biggest issue was that they don’t know the dosages and how many antioxidants you are actually getting in the product. What’s good about Balance of Nature is that their products are third party tested to ensure little to no nutritional content is lost in the manufacturing process.
It has also been mentioned in reviews that it should be refrigerated after opening due to the probiotics contained in it, but not needed either. This can be an inconvenience if you want to take some while traveling or on-the-go. People have mixed opinions about the taste.
Other than this, the only thing really stopping us from choosing this product is the ingredients. They are sourced from whole foods, but aren’t all whole foods. Balance of Nature Fruits & Veggies are 100 percent produce.
BrickHouse Nutrition
Field of Greens is a product from BrickHouse Nutrition. Like Athletic Greens, it is also a powder. They also sell a Wildberry version and other supplements. The website says the powdered greens is “a science-backed formula that uses 100% real USDA organic fruits and vegetables,” without extracts. You can get a subscription for $58.95 a month, or pay $74.95 one time.
They claim the product can boost immunity, is completely organic, is a natural source of nutrients, is antio-oxidant, and supports healthy metabolism. Field of Greens contains an organic greens blend (12 different plant foods), a metabolic blend, reds blend, and pre and probiotics. The only concerning thing on the label is a warning for containing green tea extract and beet root, which can expose you to chemicals known to cause cancer. It is also interesting to notice that the label consists of nutrition facts, not supplement facts.
The reviews on their website are overwhelmingly positive. One review does go over the claims versus reality. The only qualm cited was that, for some individuals, the added pre and probiotics could cause gastrointestinal distress and other symptoms.
Another review describes it as a mild, sweet green tea flavor.
Relief Factor
Relief Factor is a “100% drug-free, botanical and fish oil product,” designed to help the body reduce pain from aging, exercise, and everyday life. The main ingredients are turmeric, resveratrol, icariin, and omega-3. These are meant to support the body’s natural response to inflammation. Though again, we’d rather get such support from fruits and vegetables.
It is suggested to take three packets a day, which contains four pills (so 12 pills a day). That’s a bit more than we’d like. Balance of Nature recommends taking three Fruits capsules and three Veggies capsules a day (six capsules in total). And, you don’t have to swallow those. You can open and sprinkle it on to whatever food you like.
The Relief Factor 3-Week QuickStart costs $19.95 plus shipping and handling. After purchasing this, you are automatically enrolled as a preferred customer (recurring membership). The website says that after three weeks, customers will be charged $79.95 plus shipping and handling for the next 30-day supply. It is a bit strange to us that it goes up in price so much after becoming a member. To cancel, you have to refuse a shipment or work with the post office and pay shipping again. A thirty-day supply without the membership costs $93.95 plus shipping and handling.
Also, to us, there wasn’t a whole lot of information. Transparency is somewhat lacking. We wanted to know more. One review by Joint Health Research rated Relief Factor as a “C-” because there is no proof that it is what they claim to be: the number one joint complex. The review also thought there was not much information available.
A different review dives deeper into the ingredients. Apparently, “epimedium” is a fancy word for horny goat weed. Admittedly, that went right over our head and that could be the same for many others. Afterall, who’d want to buy a product with any of that in it! It also says that the ingredients could be better, it concludes there are better options. The side effects of taking Relief Factor include loose stool, dry mouth, dizziness, and nosebleeds. To us, this product is a bit expensive for its sub-par quality.
Garden of Life
Garden of Life sells vitamins, probiotics, protein, fish oil, herbal, collagen, CBD, and sport products. Their products are organic and non-GMO verified. They claim to be the number one brand in the natural products industry. Their website says the products always start with real foods and don’t use synthetic chemicals.
The label on their Brain Health supplement for adults is somewhat unclear. The vitamin C is from organic emblic extract, and the vitamin D from “raw food-created nutrients.” Frankly, we have no idea what that entails. Sounds fishy. Other ingredients include grape extract, wild blueberry extract, whole coffee fruit, turmeric, avocado, and coconut oil. Extracts aren’t as good as whole foods. If whole coffee was used, why not whole grapes or blueberries? In going to purchase this specific product, it was out of stock. This was the case for many of their products.
Their Raw Organic Fiber product is good in the ingredient department but is 120 calories, Balance of Nature’s Fiber and Spice is 50 calories. This one was in stock for $16.79; free shipping only applies to orders over $25 only.
Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. It may be good to know that there was a recall of certain Garden of Life products back in 2016 due to Salmonella contamination. In addition, some reviews cite side effects like bloating, muscle cramps, vomiting, gas, and headaches.
We do like that it is available in stores. You can only purchase Balance of Nature online or by calling. There’s just so many Garden of Life products to choose from, and they could be out of stock.
Nature’s Way Alive!
Alive! is a product by Nature’s Way. It isn’t a whole food supplement, but a multivitamin. There are numerous variations of the product. Alive! Multivitamins are made with B-vitamins, Orchard Fruits, Garden Veggies, and more. Fruits and vegetables are present in the form of powders, extracts, and dried juices.
The Alive! Multi-vitamin tablets are purported to support bones, cells, digestion, eyes, heart, immune health, energy metabolism, and muscles. It is said to contain the active form of B12, but is this a natural form or a synthetic? We don’t know.
The label shows many different vitamins, which is concerning because less effective and potentially harmful synthetic or isolated forms can easily be added. We assume this is what’s used. Isolated and synthetic forms don’t come with all the other nutrients within whole foods that allow for the body to better use and absorb them.
They claim to value quality, but there are better quality components they could use. The only thing going for them in this department is their TRU-ID validation.
There are mixed reviews.
HumanN’s SuperBeets
SuperBeets is a product by HumanN. The website called it “the nitric oxide equivalent of 3 whole beets in 1 easy scoop.” The first thing we noticed when reading this was the word “equivalent.” So, it’s not actually three whole beets, but some equivalent to them? Already not a great start.
The ingredients in the original product include non-GMO beetroot powder, non-GMO fermented beetroot powder, natural apple flavor, malic acid, magnesium ascorbate, and stevia leaf extract. We’re good with the beetroot powder, but that other stuff? Not so much. We don’t like additives.
Malic acid is found in fruits and vegetables, though what’s used here is likely an isolated or synthetic form which can come with side effects. Magnesium ascorbate is what’s used for vitamin C. Well, again, this isn’t as good for our bodies as it is within whole food. We’d rather supplements just use the produce that contains such beneficial nutrients.
HumanN claims SuperBeets can help the body support increased energy and stamina, support healthy blood pressure, support respiratory health, promote heart health, provide antioxidant support with vitamin C, and support immune health. One canister costs $39.95 to buy one time and $34.95 if you subscribe. You can also buy it in certain stores.
Nitric oxide is a colorless gas and a free radical. Free radicals can damage cells, DNA, and more. Needless to say, we are somewhat confused. After reading more, we found it is a signaling molecule and biological messenger too. One study found that both lack and excess of nitric oxide production in disease can have important implications in which dietary factors can play a modulating role. So, nitric oxide is needed for various biological functions throughout the body. However, again, diseases can be characterized either by lack or excess of nitric oxide. You don’t want too much.
The body can make its own nitric oxide from arginine and nitrates from our diet. In studies, nitric oxide supplements have shown mixed results regarding their effectiveness. The benefits of taking nitric oxide may include improvements in heart health, workout recovery, erectile dysfunction, and preeclampsia. Potential side effects include diarrhea, stomach pain, headache, heart palpitations, and nausea. Also, people with certain conditions should not take such supplements. Always discuss trying new supplements with your doctor.
The reviews on their site look promising. A review on healthline calls for more research on the effects of SuperBeets, although testimonials provide there has been improvement in blood pressure. It provides that the most common criticism is the displeasing taste.
Amazing Grass
Amazing Grass sells various products such as green powders, effervescents, protein, and more. Green Superfood looked like one of the most popular products. It comes in a canister or in single serve packets. Thirty servings sell for $29.99 one time. Recurring orders go for $23.99.
Ingredients include a Green Food Blend, Antioxidant Blend, EFA Fiber Blend, Pre/Probiotic Blend, and Digestive Enzyme and Active Culture. These consist of organic wheat grass, barley grass, alfalfa grass, spinach, spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, rose hips, pineapple, carrot, green tea leaf extract, and flax seed. Other than the extracts and added enzymes, a pretty good list. The product also contains some vitamins and minerals, but we don’t know if those are added isolates or synthetics. Fitness Clone’s review says they are synthetics, and side effects reported include stomach aches. If it weren’t for that, and the fact that you have to drink it, we’d definitely try this.
We appreciate it comes in chocolate, as the idea of what all that grass might taste like is off-putting. One review recommends mixing it in juice or a shake to hide the taste. It also discusses why Amazing Grass Green Superfood isn’t a great vitamin or mineral supplement but is a source of antioxidants (though, we don’t know how many). The price is also very fair compared to other greens supplements. It is also available in stores.
It has positive reviews on their website as well. Reviews on Amazon vary. According to Alisa Fleming of Go Dairy Free, “Amazing Grass utilizes a very low temperature dehydration process that ensures the antioxidant and phytonutrient power remains intact.” Though using heat isn’t ideal, it sounds to be a slightly better process than what is used by others.
Vibrant Health
Vibrant Health sells a similar product to Amazing Grass’ called Green Vibrance. Green Vibrance is their “plant-based superfood with probiotics, antioxidants, adaptogens plus immunity boosters.” It comes in different flavors. The label claims it supports nutrition, digestion, circulation, and immunity. One serving is 40 calories, which is higher than some counterparts. A one-time purchase is $94 and a 30-day subscription is $75.20.
Green Vibrance contains various vitamins and minerals (probably added synthetics), cereal grasses, plant-based micro-nutrition, antioxidant life preservers, immune support, skeletal support, fiber, live support, enzymes and tonics, and probiotics. The plant-based ingredients are good, but there’s also some not-so-good. Parsley, turmeric, broccoli, tomato, etc. we have heard of. Chromium nicotinate, astragalus, cissus quadrangularis extract (Calzbone), we haven’t.
After further research, Calzbone is a commercially made formula to support bone health. A physician is supposed to determine your specific dose. Any drug comes with side effects, no thank you. Some consumers say they get stomach aches, for instance.
This product has also been recalled in the past. Vibrance Health says it is vegan-friendly, but one review says it is not because it contains milk. Users have also complained about the taste.
We’ll get our antioxidants, immune support, and better health from natural whole fruits and vegetables.
Natrol JuiceFestiv
Natrol JuiceFestiv is a supplement available for purchase on many different websites and in various stores. It is meant to help you get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables, like Balance of Nature.
The Daily Fruit does contain apple powder, banana, acai, orange peel, lemon peel, concord grape, peach, cranberry, raspberry, and more. However, it also contains added vitamins and gelatin, milk, dibasic calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, enzymes, and others. The product is only 70 percent organic. The Daily Veggie contains parsley powder, beet root, carrot, garlic, onion, spinach, tomato, other produce, and those additives mentioned in the Daily Fruit. They cost $27.99. They are cheaper on other sites like Swanson, though. It is not a non-GMO product.
Under their “Key Product Benefits” it says they are made with 100 percent organic fruits and vegetables, but then the label says it is only 70 percent organic. So, that statement can be a bit misleading. At the least, they contain 23 fruits, 18 vegetables, and five grains and greens. It is suggested to take two capsules of each with meals.
Reviews aren’t as good as the ones for the other products we’ve covered. Some customers have reported side effects, while others like it.
To us, it seems like it’s a cheaper price due to cheaper quality.
The Bottom Line
Balance of Nature is our choice of supplement. Their Fruits and Veggies are simply just that, fruits and vegetables. There are no added vitamins, chemicals, extracts, synthetics, or fillers. Also, their process doesn’t use heat. The produce is flash dried. Because it is in capsules, they are convenient to take.