When it comes to trying to make sure we get enough vitamins and minerals, a lot of people turn to dietary supplements to bridge the rather stark nutritional gaps in the standard American diet. And when it comes to plugging nutritional gaps, a multivitamin has been the go to for decades and greens powders, of course, are presenting themselves as a better alternative. The question? Are greens powders actually better than multivitamins?
As a quick answer generally speaking greens powders are going to edge out a multivitamin in most cases, but they do cost more. And here's the kicker, the cheap greens powders aren't going to cut it, in fact a lot of these will be worse nutritionally than a multivitamin. So, it is really going to come down to budget. It's also going to vary a little bit from person to person.
For example, decent greens powders like Super Green Tonik or AG1 can meet most of your needs when it comes to Vitamin c, d, e, k, iron, zinc selenium and the various b vitamins. And whilst multivtiamins often do get a decent amount of some of these, they commonly lack enough functional vitamins (despite what the label says).
Certain compounds can be misleading as you can can say you have enough of a certain vitamin to meet recommended daily intake, but in some cases the body will only actually be able to absorb 1-5% of it. We'll talk about that a bit more shortly. Greens can also have a host of other benefits ranging from anti oxidants through to flavanoids other herbal compounds that are good for you health.
As such if you can stretch to $60/month we'd recommend Super Green as the best option. However, if you're price range is below $30 there aren't really any good options in the greens powder space as the ones that do exist use the cheapest ingredients leaving them nutritionally vapid. We've got a good list of greens powders here, broken down by which one is best for different needs.
If that's outside your budget, then stick to a multivitamin.
What Do We Mean By Bioavailability
When we say bioavailability, what we mean is making sure that the ingredients are in an absorbable form. For example Calcium can come from multiple sources, [1] but the only ones that you can effectively digest are only about 14% calcium, meaning you'd need a full tablet to get very much from a multivitamin. It's not that greens tend to have huge amounts of it, but the amount in multivitamins is functionally around 0 in terms of what's absorbable.
See, you'd need a large tablet (1000mg) of calcium to deliver just 21% of your RDI in a bioavailable form [2] which means if you see a multivitamin that is a 1 capsule serving as most are, they're likely using calcium carbonate or calcium oxide which are 40-50% calcium respectively. The problem is that you only absorb 11-20%. [3] This allows them to say that they cover 10% of your RDI, in that there is technically that much calcium in the pill. But, that will only actually deliver about 1% that's absorbable for use towards your RDI.
This is just one example of this, but calcium isn't the only ingredient that has this issue.
Understanding Greens Powder
What is Greens Powder?
As the name suggests greens powder is dried and powdered fruits and vegetables, normally containing a few "superfoods". You'd generally expect to see spirulina, spinach and kale in the better quality ones, and a heaping helping of grass in the less high quality ones.
These powdered supplements are designed to be mixed with liquid, making them convenient and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. And of course they've been shown to have numerous health benefits and be well tolerated in most cases. [4,5.6]
The Benefits of Greens Powder
There's really a couple of benefits of greens powder over a standard multivitamin, that doesn't mean it necessarily justifies the price hike though.
Bioavailability: Due to the fact that greens are closer to actual food it's generally easier to get larger volume ingredients that are more easily absorbed into the mix.
Antioxidant Support: Many greens powder formulations contain antioxidant-rich ingredients such as berries something that you won't get from a multivitamin. [7]
Digestive Health: Some greens powders include ingredients like probiotics and digestive enzymes as an added plus. [8]
Energy Boost: The blend of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients found in greens powder can help enhance energy levels and combat fatigue, but that is assuming these specific ingredients are included. [9]
Detoxification Support: Certain common ingredients in greens powders, such as chlorella and spirulina, are known for their detoxifying properties. A lot of greens powders don't properly dose these though, so that's worth being aware of. [10]
There are certain ingredients that are better than others for greens powders. As we've mentioned you'll need to do a bit of research before purchase.
Exploring Multivitamins
What are Multivitamins?
Multivitamins are dietary supplements that contain a combination of vitamins and minerals. [11] Like greens, there is a variety of quality here, and the format comes with extra limitations. A greens powder can be around 8-12 grams of content, but a multivitamin is about 1 gram per capsules. And this limited space causes issues around absorption of certain vitamins and minerals.
For example, take magnesium and calcium, both of these aren't very bioavailable in their mineral dense forms. Calcium carbonate (you can only absorb about 30%) and magnesium oxide (8%) would still take almost an entire capsule by themselves to cover a meaningful dose. But, some poor quality supplements will take the overall number of calcium or magnesium in these and imply you'll get that much. Not the low percentage you'll actually absorb.
They are available in various forms, including tablets, capsules, and gummies, tablets and capsules hold the most compounds and gummies are really just for children due to the low dosing. Gummies can work for some supplements, but a multivitamin requires too much space.
The Benefits of Multivitamins
Convenience: Taking a single multivitamin can save you time and effort compared to consuming multiple individual supplements and if you get a good one it's pretty effective.
Customization: Multivitamins are available in specialized formulations tailored to specific populations, such as men, women, seniors, and athletes.
Targeted Support: Some multivitamins contain additional ingredients like antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids which can help with specific dietary issues. [12]
Prevention of Deficiency-Related Conditions: Multivitamins can help prevent deficiencies in key nutrients, [13] which can contribute to various health conditions. For example, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to bone disorders, while iron deficiency may result in anemia.
Price: Multivitamins, even high quality ones are generally cheaper than greens.
Greens Powder Vs Multivitamins Choosing the Right Option for You
Ultimately it really comes down to budget, convenience and how much nutritional support you need.
The reality is if you want a greens powder that will actually function as a coverall you're looking at $70-80 a month, anything less and you're mostly getting grass and limited to no vitamin content.
Of course a multivitamin is easier to take, so it wins out there too.
But of course, a good greens is more comprehensive, and if you're looking for probiotics, anti oxidants and multivitamin coverage then the high end of greens do present a good option.
Conclusion: So, Which Is Better Multivitamins or Greens Powders
To wrap greens powder vs multivitamins, it ultimately comes down to budget and time. If you can afford a good greens powder then it's better, if you're looking for something cheaper get a multivitamin.
If you're interested in reading more about which greens powders are actually good, and not pulling a fast one, then we recommend you check out our list of the best greens powders available right now.
References
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56060/
2 - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
3 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6844170/
4 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15217524/
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2732245/
6 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3821373/
7 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21954333/
8 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5588418/
9 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35010153/
10 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7050780/
11 - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/MVMS-HealthProfessional/
12 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852824/
13 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579642/
14 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17209208/