Want to find the best greens powder for you? Not sure if Kos Greens is what you're looking for, then check out our list of the best on the market in 2023.
Best Super GreensOrganic Chlorella
Organic chlorella is a chlorophyte green algae full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. It is popular in greens powders as it can lift your energy faster than sugar, without causing blood glucose spikes, lower your cholesterol, treat certain diseases, detoxify the body, and boost your overall health and wellness (1).
No optimal dose of chlorella has ever been established, so this this is a rare instance where the Kos Show Me The Greens powder may actually contain a suitable dose of a useful ingredient.
Organic Spirulina
Spirulina is a blue green algae that is also full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, but which contains protein and healthy fatty acids as well, so can provide a great many health benefits.
It is able to suppress appetite, boost metabolism, promote weight loss and an improved body composition, fight free radicals, prevent oxidative stress and damage, reduce inflammation, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, and enhance the health of your heart.
The problem is, none of these effects will be produced unless you consume at least 8 grams of spirulina a day (2). As the entire Algae Superfood Blend weighs just 250 mg, even the use of proprietary blends can't hide the fact that there isn't enough spirulina in the Kos Show Me The Greens powder to be of any use.
Organic Wheatgrass Juice Powder
Wheat grass juice powder is made by juicing the new sprouts that grow on top of the wheat plant in a juicer or blender and then dehydrating the juice.
It is becoming very popular in greens powders as it is said to be rich in antioxidants, fibre, minerals, phytonutrients, and vitamin a, vitamin b, vitamin c, vitamin e, and vitamin k, while being very low in calories.
This has led to claims that it can reduce oxidative stress and damage, inflammation, the risk of heart disease, and your cholesterol levels, and treat arthritis and certain other health conditions (3).
Unfortunately, while early results do look promising, there is no conclusive evidence that wheat grass can provide any of these health benefits, so its inclusion in Kos Show Me The Greens may be of no use at all.
Organic Wheatgrass Whole Powder
Wheatgrass powder comes from the same plant as wheatgrass juice, the only difference being that in this instance the leaves are ground into a powder, rather than juiced. This results in wheatgrass powder having around four times the fibre, while wheatgrass juice has more phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins (4).
The claimed benefits of both are the same, they are just believed to deliver them to differing degrees. As with any wheatgrass extracts though, there is no proof that it will do anything at all in either the Greens Blend or Kos Greens powder as a whole.
Organic Oat Grass Whole Powder
Oat grass is long dense grass similar to the one that produces the common oat, which is said to be full of fibre, protein, minerals, and vitamins. This would allow it to enhance your skin, immune system, and gut health (5).
Unfortunately, as there has been hardly any studies done or results produced on oat grass powder, all of these claims are nothing but hyperbole. This means it is very likely that its inclusion in the Kos Show Me The Greens powder will do you no good at all.
Organic Lemon Juice Powder
Organic lemon juice is rich in vitamin c, which makes it a great way to improve your skin and gut health and functions, regulate your blood pressure, boost your immune system, aid weight loss, and help you stay hydrated, while also offering various other benefits for the human body.
However, not only do you need to consume it in massive doses to see these benefits, but they have also never been proven to be offered by its powdered form (6). This means the lemon powder in Kos Show Me The Greens is unlikely to do you any real good.
Organic Cabbage Powder
Cabbage is a leafy cruciferous green vegetable which contains a variety of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, with particularly high levels of potassium, vitamin c, and vitamin k. It is known to be a great part of a healthy diet, as it can improve your gut health and digestion and reduce inflammation (7).
The issue is, organic cabbage powder has not been shown to be able to replicate any of these effects, and it is largely just used to improve the thickness and texture of products like a soup or a green juice drink. It is therefore highly unlikely to add any beneficial health effects to the Kos Show Me The Greens powder.
Organic Kale Powder
Kale is a popular leafy green rich in phytochemicals, minerals, and vitamins that offers countless health benefits, such as helping reduce inflammation and your LDL cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease (8).
The problem is, these benefits are only seen if you eat at least 5 grams of kale a day. As the entire organic fruits and veggies proprietary blend it is in weighs only 2.25 grams, even hiding the exact dose can't mask the fact that there isn't enough kale in the Kos Show Me The Greens powder to be of any use.
Organic Broccoli
Organic broccoli powder is put in greens powders as some people say it can reduce your cholesterol levels (9). Unfortunately, not only is the effect broccoli has on your cholesterol minimal, but even this requires huge doses to be taken and has only ever been seen in fresh broccoli, rather than its powdered form.
Broccoli powder is therefore essentially guaranteed to be of no use in Kos Greens.
Organic Apple
Powdered fruits, such as apples, are starting to be put in many greens powders, as they are a nutritious food source known to offer a variety of benefits for your health.
However, they either require massive amounts to be taken or have not been proven to replicate the effects that their fresh counterparts offer. Apple powder falls into the latter of these two categories, so is unlikely to do anything in Kos Greens besides enhance its green apple flavor (10).
Organic Green Bell Pepper
Green peppers are rich in iron, vitamin c, and a chemical called capsaicin, and are said to be a great way to improve nutrient absorption and prevent certain health conditions.
Unfortunately, studies suggest that most of what makes it beneficial is lost in the dehydration process, while its capsaicin content is significantly lower than that of other peppers, so the only real use it has is to alter the taste of a green powder (11).
Organic Isomalto-Oligosaccharide
Isomalto-oligosaccharide is a type of carbohydrate and prebiotic found in starch that is said to help boost gut health, ease gas, regulate blood sugar, and improve the quality of your teeth. However, as few studies have been done on it, there is no way to know if it truly provides these benefits or to what extent (12).
Organic Acacia Gum
Acacia gum is a source of organic prebiotic fiber that can improve heart and gut health, suppress your appetite, and help to treat conditions like diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
There are a number of issues with the use of organic acacia gum in Kos Greens though. Not only is it less effective than most probiotics or digestive enzymes, but it also normally needs to be consumed in doses of around 30 grams per day and can cause side effects like bloating, gas, loose stools, and nausea (13).
Other Ingredients
The "other ingredients" in Kos Show Me The Greens are organic apple flavor, organic monk fruit extract, organic mint flavor, and organic stevia extract (whole leaf). All of these are either natural sweeteners or flavourings and are included primarily to make the Kos Show Me The Greens powder taste better.
There is some evidence to suggest that monk fruit and stevia extracts contain super antioxidants called mogrosides. These can promote fat loss, reduce inflammation, prevent oxidative damage, help regulate blood sugar levels, treat diabetes, aid organ function, and benefit certain health conditions.
The amount of monk fruit and stevia present here will not produce these benefits though, while stevia can cause side effects in some people, no matter how little is used (14)(15).
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