Smarter Greens is a greens powder supplement created by a well known supplement company called Force Factor. However, Force Factor isn’t well known for the best reasons. They are well known because their products are generally cheap and available in stores, but the bad news is you get what you pay for. In other words, their supplements are pretty bad…and in this Force Factor Smarter Greens review, we’re going to explain why this particular supplement is no exception.
The primary reason we dislike Smarter Greens is the extremely small dosage of superfoods per serving. On top of that, the delivery method is not even powder, which means this isn’t even technically a greens powder. It doesn’t come in capsules either…it actually comes in the form of gummies, which is the worst delivery method when it comes to nutrient digestion and absorption.
If you want to learn more, keep reading this review…but if you want to discover some of the top greens supplements on the market place, I’d encourage you to have a look at this article: Best Greens Powders Comparison.
Force Factor Smarter Greens Review by a Certified Nutrition Coach: Is Smarter Greens Any Good?
Before we break down every last ingredient on the supplement facts panel and ultimately explain to you why we don’t recommend Smarter Greens, we’ll do a brief overview first in order to bottom line it for you. Whenever you’re searching for a superfood supplement, what is it that you should look at first on the supplement facts panel? You guessed it: the amount of superfoods the product actually contains, otherwise known as “superfoods per serving.”
Smarter Greens contains 2,300 milligrams of superfoods per serving, which is a horrendous number. Let’s put that number into a perspective a bit…the industry average for mid to high end greens powders is roughly 10,000 milligrams per serving. Needless to say, Smarter Greens doesn’t come anywhere near the industry average…in fact, it doesn’t even provide one fourth of the necessary amount of greens and superfoods.
Just to put this atrocious number even further into perspective, let’s compare it to the top ranked greens supplement: the Total Living Drink. The Total Living Drink provides 15,000 milligrams worth of superfoods per serving…now that’s some serious greens. If you do the math, that comes out to about 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables in just one scoop of the TLD…wow. Anyways, at 15,000 MG of superfoods per serving versus the 2,300 MG provided by Smarter Greens, the Total Living Drink is 700% more potent than Smarter Greens…need I say more?
I don’t think I need to say any more, but I’m going to anyways because as a Nutrition Coach, I feel the need to go the extra mile for my clients and my readers. So, guess what I did? I went ahead and bought Force Factor Smarter Greens to test it for myself, and here’s what happened…
My Personal Force Factor Smarter Greens Results & Experience
Yes, it’s true. I purposely wasted my money on a product that I know is garbage just so that I could test it out for you guys. I bought a 30 day supply of Force Factor Smarter Greens with the intention of finishing the entire bag, but I only lasted about two weeks. Here’s why…
The first time I tried it, I almost puked because of how bad it tastes. However, I am not new to superfood supplements, so I don’t necessarily expect them to taste good. Therefore, I was prepared. I mixed it in with a smoothie to cover up the horrible taste just enough, and that pretty much did the trick…but the taste is not why I stopped taking it.
The reason I stopped taking it is due to the horrific Force Factor Smarter Greens side effects I experienced. Let me be more specific. The first few days I took it, it was giving me an upset stomach and some digestive issues, but I just wrote that off as my body trying to get used to the supplement. However, after two weeks of taking it, my stomach only got worse. I started to get stomach aches, constipation, and a bunch of other gastrointestinal issues…I will spare you the details.
So in the end, I had to just throw the rest of the bag away. This stuff was destroying my stomach and wreaking havoc on my digestive system. It left me no choice but to stop taking it. I’ll be honest…I expected the supplement to be bad based on the nutrition facts, but I did NOT expect it to mess up my stomach as badly as it did. That was a very unwelcome surprise.
Bottom Line: I would NEVER recommend Force Factor Smarter Greens to my clients, readers, or anyone for that matter. The Supplement Facts Panel (SFP) is frankly embarrassing in my opinion, and my personal experience trying the supplement was absolutely awful. My recommendation is to stay away from this stuff and pick a higher end greens powder.
What Does Smarter Greens Do?
Well, when Force Factor created this supplement, their goal was to create an effective greens powder supplement. However, in my opinion, they failed. So, when you ask the question “what does Smarter Greens do?” I have to an honest answer and tell you that it probably doesn’t do anything. In other words, it was created with the intention of producing the wife array of health benefits that greens powders are capable of producing, but this one is not potent enough to produce said benefits.
However, if you opted for a greens powder that actually works, you could potentially experience health benefits including boosted immunity, improved digestion, elevated energy levels, lower cholesterol, and SO much more. The primary purpose of a green drink supplement is to eliminate the need for fruits and vegetables in your diet. Nobody likes to eat veggies, so what’s the easy way to get out of it? Bingo…green drinks! But you need to pick a good one, and the Smarter Greens powder is simply not a good one.
Smarter Greens Ingredients List
Here is a list of the primary Force Factor Smarter Greens powder ingredients (the ingredients in the smarter greens soft chews are the same by the way):
- Broccoli
- Carrot
- Kale
- Brussel Sprouts
- Spinach
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Tomato
- Elderberry
- Bilberry
- Blackberry
- Raspberry
- Brown rice protein concentrate
- Green tea
- Aloe vera powder
- Black pepper fruit extract
- Fibersmart organic tapioca fiber
- Cayenne pepper extract
Vegetable Superfoods Blend (The Greens Blend)
The Smarter Greens powder product separates their ingredients into two different blends – the greens blend and the reds blend. They call the first blend their Vegetable Superfoods Blend. It consists of a total of 11 ingredients, all of which are listed above. At first glance, you might think that ingredients list looks impressive. I can’t argue with that…these are all very effective superfoods. However, there’s a major problem…
This brings us back to square one. The dosage is far too small. You see, the thing about greens supplements (and really all supplements) is that you can’t just have high quality ingredients…you also need them to be sufficiently dosed. In other words, you need quality AND quantity. With Smarter Greens, you get quality, but the quantity is WAY too small.
Fruit Superfoods Blend (The Reds Blend)
The second blend Force Factor Smarter Greens contains is called their Fruit Superfoods Blend. Basically, they just separated the greens and reds into two different blends. This blend contains a total of 10 ingredients…but we run into the same problem here as we did with the first blend. I won’t wast your time…the fruits in the blend are high quality superfoods, but the dosages are yet again WAY too small. It all goes back to the overall potency being only 2,300 MG per serving, which is simply not enough superfoods to produce benefits.
Smarter Greens Dosage
Let’s talk about the Smarter Greens superfood powder dosage. How much should you take? When should you take it? First off, as a Certified Nutrition Coach, I’d recommend not taking it at all…but that’s sort of besides the point. The dosage size is two gummies, and the two gummies combined contain a total of 2,300 milligrams worth of nutrients. I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but that dosage size is ridiculously small.
However, with greens powders in general, I always recommend taking one serving in the morning on an empty stomach. I personally like to mix my greens in with juice instead of water simply because juice does a better job of making the taste of the greens. My personal favorite is orange juice, which perfectly masks the taste of the veggies.
Force Factor Smarter Greens Pros & Cons
Here are the benefits and side effects of Force Factor Smarter Greens…
Benefits
When it comes to health benefits, there’s not much to say here. The product isn’t potent enough to produce benefits in my opinion. However, I suppose you could argue there are some benefits with regard to convenience. With green powders, you have to mix the powder in with water or juice to consume it. With Smarter Greens, you just have to eat a couple of nasty gummies. So, is it convenient? Sure, but does it produce health benefits? Probably not.
Potential Benefits of Top Shelf Greens Powders
Just to clarify, greens powder supplements are phenomenal and have a long list of potential benefits due to the high concentration naturally occurring essential vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients, and other key ingredients that can produce various health benefits. Here is a bit of a deep dive into what a high end greens powder could do for you in terms of producing benefits via the naturally occurring essential nutrients they contain…
Essential Vitamins
- Vitamin A:
- Benefits: Essential for vision, immune function, and skin health. It also plays a role in cell differentiation and growth.
- Vitamin B Complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12):
- Benefits: Support energy metabolism, nervous system function, red blood cell formation, and the synthesis of DNA and neurotransmitters.
- Vitamin C:
- Benefits: Acts as an antioxidant, supporting immune function, collagen synthesis, and aiding in the absorption of iron from plant-based foods.
- Vitamin D:
- Benefits: Essential for bone health as it aids in calcium absorption. It also plays a role in immune function and may have a role in mood regulation.
- Vitamin E:
- Benefits: Acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from oxidative damage. It also plays a role in immune function.
- Vitamin K:
- Benefits: Essential for blood clotting and bone metabolism. It helps regulate calcium in the body.
Essential Minerals
- Calcium:
- Benefits: Essential for bone and teeth health, muscle function, nerve transmission, and blood clotting.
- Iron:
- Benefits: Crucial for the formation of hemoglobin in red blood cells, transporting oxygen throughout the body. It supports energy metabolism, digestive health, and gut health.
- Magnesium:
- Benefits: Important for muscle and nerve function, bone health, and energy metabolism. It also plays a role in maintaining blood pressure.
- Phosphorus:
- Benefits: Essential for bone and teeth health, energy metabolism, and acid-base balance.
- Potassium:
- Benefits: Important for maintaining proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. It helps regulate blood pressure.
- Sodium:
- Benefits: Along with potassium, sodium is essential for maintaining fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contraction.
- Zinc:
- Benefits: Supports immune function, wound healing, and DNA synthesis. It also plays a role in the sense of taste and smell.
- Copper:
- Benefits: Important for the formation of red blood cells, immune function, and maintenance of healthy bones and nerves.
- Selenium:
- Benefits: Acts as an antioxidant, supporting immune function and protecting against oxidative stress.
- Iodine:
- Benefits: Essential for the production of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism.
Probiotics
- Balancing Gut Microbiota:
- Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can help balance the composition of the gut microbiota. A diverse and balanced microbiota is associated with better digestive health and overall well-being.
- Digestive Health:
- Probiotics contribute to the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and fibers in the digestive tract, promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids, which are beneficial for gut health.
- Immune Support:
- A significant portion of the immune system resides in the gut. Probiotics support immune function by promoting a balanced immune response and enhancing the activity of immune cells in the gut.
- Preventing and Alleviating Digestive Issues:
- Probiotics may help prevent and alleviate certain digestive issues such as diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Production of Nutrients:
- Some probiotics can produce certain vitamins, such as B vitamins and vitamin K, which contribute to overall health.
- Modulating Inflammation:
- Probiotics have anti-inflammatory effects and may help modulate inflammation in the gut, which can be beneficial for conditions characterized by chronic inflammation.
- Supporting Mental Health:
- There is emerging evidence suggesting a connection between the gut and the brain (the gut-brain axis). Probiotics may play a role in supporting mental health and mood by influencing this axis.
Digestive Enzymes
- Enhancing Nutrient Absorption:
- Digestive enzymes break down food into smaller, absorbable molecules. This process enhances nutrient absorption in the small intestine, ensuring that the body can effectively utilize the nutrients from the diet.
- Reducing Digestive Discomfort:
- Enzymes help break down complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, reducing the likelihood of undigested food particles causing digestive discomfort, such as bloating and gas.
- Supporting Pancreatic Function:
- Some digestive enzymes, particularly pancreatic enzymes like amylase, lipase, and protease, support the function of the pancreas, which is essential for proper digestion.
- Preventing Nutrient Deficiencies:
- Efficient digestion and nutrient absorption help prevent nutrient deficiencies, ensuring that the body receives the necessary vitamins and minerals for optimal health.
- Managing Food Intolerances:
- Digestive enzymes can be particularly beneficial for individuals with specific food intolerances. For example, lactase supplements can aid in the digestion of lactose for those with lactose intolerance.
- Alleviating Symptoms of Digestive Disorders:
- In certain digestive disorders, such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough enzymes, digestive enzyme supplements can help alleviate symptoms.
Side Effects
Generally greens supplements do not produce many side effects, but one that is often reported is an upset stomach. The reason for this is because your body is not used to the amount of nutrients you are consuming, so your stomach becomes overwhelmed. With that being said, I don’t see that side effect as being an issue here seeing as how you are not consuming very many nutrients at all. The biggest side effect to worry about might be tooth cavities due to the fact that you’re eating gummies every day.
Other Cons
Let’s briefly discuss the two biggest Force Factor Smarter Greens cons. The first and most obvious con is the fact that the supplement is so weak nutritionally speaking. 2,300 MG of superfoods per serving is not enough to produce the health benefits you are most likely seeking, which makes this supplement a waste of money in my opinion. But for argument’s sake, let’s say that you personally believe that amount of superfoods is enough. In comes the second biggest con…
The nutrient delivery system is the second biggest issue. Green drink supplements are supposed to be consumed exactly as that…a drink. Adding powder to juice or water and then consuming the drink is the best way for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients. One of the biggest mistakes supplement companies make when producing a superfood supplement is utilizing a delivery system other than powder such as capsules or gummies, which is the exact mistake Force Factor has made here.
Last but very much not least, my personal experience with Smarter Greens was absolutely horrible (I spoke in depth about my experience with the supplement earlier in this review for those who missed it). That is the nail in the coffin in terms of cons in my opinion. I would never recommend a supplement I had a negative experience with…especially one that did the exact opposite of the point, which is to support digestive health and gut health.
Force Factor Smarter Greens reviews (complaints and praise from real customers)
The biggest complaint people had about Smarter Greens in the customer reviews that I read was no surprise it all…most people just said that it didn’t work or that they didn’t notice any benefits. Shocker! That’s because it’s just not potent enough, as we’ve been over several times throughout the course of this review. We already knew this, but it never hurts to take a look at what actual customers are saying in the reviews they post on Amazon.
The second biggest complaint, which again is no surprise, is that the gummies taste really bad. I mean come on…what did you expect? You can’t take a bunch of fruits and veggies, stick them into a gummy, and then expect that gummy to taste good. It’s going to taste like exactly what it is…fruits and vegetable extracts. There are a bunch of negative reviews, but I was shockingly not able to find much in the way of positive reviews.
Is Smarter Greens Good or Bad? Our Conclusion
If you read this review, you already know what my conclusion is. However, if you skipped the whole thing to get to the conclusion, here it is: I do NOT recommend Smarter Greens in any way shape or form due to the severe lack of potency, inefficient nutrient delivery method, and my negative personal results. I would especially recommend avoiding the Smarter Greens soft chews specifically…they are much worse than the actual greens powder. However, the good news is there are a bunch of amazing greens supplements out there you can check out instead of this one. Have a look at our Top Ten List to learn more!
FAQs
Does Force Factor Smarter Greens help with bloating?
In my personal experience with it, no it did not help me at all. Additionally, based on my analysis of the supplement facts panel, I highly doubt this supplement is capable of helping anyone with anything. With that being said, I am not a doctor, and you should always consult your doctor with these types of questions. All I can give you is my personal opinion and experience.
Does Force Factor Smarter Greens have caffeine in it?
Yes, the product does have caffeine in it. The caffeine is naturally occurring and derived from plant based sources, so it’s not a crazy amount of caffeine that you’re really going to notice. It’s not like they added caffeine to the formula if that’s what you’re asking. Caffeine just naturally occurs in the formula as a result of the way they designed the product.
References
- Force Factor Smarter Greens Reviews on Amazon
- Force Factor Smarter Greens Reviews on Walmart
- The Effect of Fruit And Vegetable Powder Mix on Hypertensive subjects: a pilot study
- The Impact of a dried fruit and vegetable supplement and fiber rich shake on gut and health parameters in female healthcare workers: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial
- Fruit and vegetable concentrate supplementation and cardiovascular health: a systematic review from a public health perspective
- Broccoli: A Multi-Faceted Vegetable for Health: An In-Depth Review of Its Nutritional Attributes, Antimicrobial Abilities, and Anti-inflammatory Properties
- Advances in research on the carrot, an important root vegetable in the Apiaceae family
- Effects of consumption of Brussels sprouts on intestinal and lymphocytic glutathione S-transferases in humans
I’m not just a supplement analyst. I’m an extremely qualified one! I am a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) and actually received my certification directly from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am also a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, certified by the American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA).
