Healthy To Go: Go Greens
I first encountered the To Go Brands products at the Natural Products Expo in Boston last October. The company manufactures portable, single serving, antioxidant-rich drink mixes, designed to be added to a bottle of water (one of the product slogans is “Water’s Best Friend”). The mixes come in five different varieties: Omega-To-Go, Green Tea Energy Fusion, Berrie Crush Plus C, Acai Natural Energy Boost and Go Greens.
Manufacturer’s Description: Go Greens® ~ A Salad Bar in Every Packet™! Do you get enough fruits and vegetables in your diet? Wish you could carry your fruits and veggies with you wherever you may roam? Now you can with Go Greens®! Made with 15 certified organic fruits & veggies, it has the antioxidant power of 6 servings of fruits & vegetables in just 1 packet! A delicious green apple flavor. It’s Healthy To Go®!
Product Label:
| Serving Size 8 grams Calories 32 Calories from Fat 4 Total Fat <1g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Sodium 12mg Potassium 93mg Total Carbohydrates 6g |
Dietary Fiber <1g Sugars 1g Protein 1g Vitamin A 2100 IU 41% Vitamin C 28mg 46% Vitamin K 29mcg 36% Calcium 23mg 2% Iron 369mcg 3% |
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Nature’s Greens Blend 1400mg Barley Grass Juice, Chlorella Nature’s Antioxidant Blend 395mg Isoquercetin/Rutin, Aloe Vera Extract, Marigold Extract (10% lutein with zeaxanthin), Cinnamon Bark, Cinnamon Extract, Blueberry, Green Tea Extract, Grapeseed Extract, Cranberry, Raspberry, Tart Cherry, Pine Bark Extract, Broccoli, Tomato, Carrot, Spinach, Kale, Brussels Sprout, Bilberry, Elderberry, Pomegranate, Blackberry Nature’s Garden Blend 1755mg Apple, Lemon, Carrot, Spinach, Quinoa Sprout, Peach, Kale, Broccoli, Acai, Cranberry Nature’s Super Fruits 305mg Acerola Cherry Extract, Apple Extract, Pomegranate Extract, Mangosteen Extract, Acai Extract Nature’s Fiber Blend 2250mg Rice Bran Soluble, Oat Beta Glucan Nature’s Sea Vegetables 70mg Dunaliella Salina, Atlantic Kelp Nature’s Super Tea Blend 160mg Green Tea Extract, White Tea Extract Lecithin 650mg SteviaLite (Stevia rebaudiana) 205mg Other Ingredients: Natural Flavors (plant-based), Erythritol, Silica (prevents caking), Citric Acid |
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Comments: I picked up a box of 6 packets at my local Fred Meyer for $7.59 – pricey, although less than what they were selling for on the product web site ($8.95). Netrition.com had the best price, however ($5.99) – so if you’re interested in the product, it’s worth doing some comparison shopping online.
The box claims each packet has an ORAC value of 4000 – which is a pretty solid number. The label, however, suggests that the bulk of this probably comes from added, antioxidant extracts (i.e., green tea extract, grape seed extract, etc.) rather than the vegetable and fruit powders. While this doesn’t matter from your body’s point of view, it’s important to not misinterpret statements like “Antioxidant power of 6 servings of Fruits & Veggies” as “Nutritional power of 6 servings of Fruits & Veggies”. Needless to state, a packet of Go Greens is NOT the equivalent of 6 servings of veggies/fruit w/respect to common vitamins, minerals or fiber. Thus, the slogan on the box, “Salad Bar in Every Packet” needs to be qualified, somewhat.
Nonetheless, Go Greens has its advantages: its low in calories and has no added sugar(s), which makes it a suitable addition to most diets. It also has a pleasant, sweet, fruity flavor that belies the somewhat unappetizing color (sort of a pea-soup green). Of the green drinks I’ve tried, I thought this was one of the better-tasting ones.
[usrlist “Taste:4.0” “Quality:4.5” “Efficacy:3.0” “Value:2.5″ avg=”true”]
