Animal Greens: Greens Superfood Supplement in Pills

Capsules or powder, the choice is yours!

Universal Nutrition just launched Animal Greens at the end of October, a nutrient-rich supplement containing phytonutrients, antioxidants, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and adaptogens. This immune-system bolstering powder piggy-backs off of a recent release by Universal in the same category: Animal Immune Pak. Both supplements mark an effort by the company to expand its health and wellness line.

Animal Greens, like other recent products in the company’s inventory, comes with a fully disclosed label. It’s a transparency strategy that enables customers to see every ingredient and dosage in the supplement. In total, Animal Greens contains more than 25 ingredients. The company is promoting it as an easy and convenient way for health-conscious consumers to increase their daily micronutrient intake.

Dislike the Taste of Greens? Try Animal Greens

We think the best part about Animal Greens is that it comes in capsules and tablets rather than powder. Flavoring an ingredient-rich supplement is extremely difficult. Many companies with similar products have admitted that one of their toughest challenges has been covering up the distinct earthy flavor. Available as a capsule and tablet eliminate the flavor issue altogether. When designing Animal Greens, Universal decided to stick with the “pak system” that worked so well for previous products and helped catapult the company in the eyes of consumers and reviewers, alike.

Consume enough micronutrients to perform at your best!

The pak system was first introduced in 1983 with the original Animal Pak. In case you’re unfamiliar with the Animal Pak, it contains various pills, capsules, and tablets that are packed with beneficial nutrients such as:

• Vitamins and minerals
• Amino acids
• Protein
• Antioxidants
• Digestive enzymes

Since the original Animal Pak has been so successful, it makes sense that Universal would use the format for a new greens product. A pack of Animal Greens is equivalent to one serving of greens and you don’t have to withstand the unpleasant greens aftertaste. Moreover, consumers can easily take Animal Greens on-the-go to ensure that you’re consuming enough micronutrients on a daily basis.

Keep reading to learn more about Animal Greens and sign up for Universal news and deal alerts below to receive notifications when new products, flavors, and sales are available!

Animal Greens Breakdown

Animal Greens is a nutrient packed powerhouse!

For a natural energy boost, Universal recommends taking one pack of Animal Greens with your first meal of the day. Keep in mind that Animal Greens is not intended to replace whole fruits and vegetables. It’s best to consume Animal Greens in addition to a healthy and balanced diet.

Here’s what one pack of Animal Greens contains:

Macronutrients

• Calories: 15

• Carbohydrates: 4g

  • Fiber: 3g

Ingredients

The supplement facts panel is divided into three major categories:

• Greens food blend
• Phytonutrient and antioxidants blend
• Prebiotic and digestion blend

• Animal Greens Food Blend – 3500mg

  The food blend is a combination of wheatgrass, spirulina, chlorella, alfalfa, kale, and astragalus. It’s designed to provide a host of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and most importantly, chlorophyll.

  Chlorophyll is a color pigment that’s essential for photosynthesis, which is how plants use light, carbon dioxide, and water to create energy. Chlorophyll is the reason why plants have such a vibrant green color. Humans may not need chlorophyll to survive as plants do, but consuming it is beneficial for our overall health.

  It turns out that chlorophyll can activate phase two enzymes in the human body. These enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione, are crucial for defending the body against free radical damage induced by oxidative stress.^[1] Essentially, phase two enzymes serve as one of the body’s main internal defense mechanisms. So it’s important to properly equip the body with the nutrients necessary to defend against oxidative stress. Free radicals(also known as reactive oxygen species) are generated every day, from sources like metabolism, exercise, and environmental factors, too.

  

  If you dislike the taste of greens, try out Universal Animal Greens!

  It’s well known that greens can improve one’s health, but what can they do for performance? After chlorophyll activates phase two enzymes, the body is more efficient at reducing lactic acid levels.^[1] Lactic acid is a metabolic by-product that forms in contracting skeletal muscle during intense exercise. An accumulation of lactic acid causes pH in skeletal muscle to drop, making the environment more acidic.

  This negatively affects the ability to regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), also known as the cells’ energy source. However, once phase two enzymes are more active, they can slow the accumulation of lactic acid and make it easier for you to exercise harder and longer.^[1] This is why greens are touted for their alkalizing effects — because they help maintain homeostatic pH levels.

  Some research shows that consuming an adequate amount of greens, either through food or supplements, may help increase your energy and vitality.^[2]

  Here’s every ingredient in Animal Greens food blend:

  • Wheat Grass (leaf) – 1000mg

  • Spirulina (whole plant) – 1000mg

  • Chlorella (whole plant) – 500mg

  • Alfalfa (herb) – 500mg

  • Kale (leaf) – 250mg

  • Astragalus (root) – 250mg

• Animal Phytonutrient and Antioxidants Complex – 1500mg

  The Animal Phytonutrient and Antioxidants Complex consists of a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that help increase energy and defend against oxidative stress. Several ingredients in this complex are rich in anthocyanins, such as grape seed extract, red beetroot, acai berry, and goji berry. Similar to chlorophyll, anthocyanins give these fruits their rich color. Anthocyanins are also associated with numerous health and performance benefits.^[3-6]

  

  In order to keep training, you must make sure your health is in check!

  Anthocyanins possess potent anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Research shows that consuming a significant amount of anthocyanins, either through food or supplements, may decrease the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.^[3] In regards to performance, anthocyanins can increase nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity. eNOS is an enzyme responsible for creating nitric oxide.^[4]

  Increased nitric oxide production is beneficial for cardiovascular health and performance since it causes blood vessels to expand (known as vasodilation). This allows for blood to flow through more efficiently while delivering nutrients and oxygen to working muscles. Not only can this increase your ability to get a pump in the gym, but it also enhances muscular endurance, strength, and power.

  Some research even shows that consuming enough berries daily may boost cognitive function, insulin sensitivity, endothelial function, and positively affect blood lipid levels.^[7,8]

  Several other ingredients in this blend, including turmeric, green tea leaf extract, coffee bean extract, citrus bioflavonoids, maca root, pine bark, lutein, lycopene, and ginkgo biloba are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. They further help scavenge free radicals, strengthen the immune system, and reduce inflammation.

  Here’s everything in Animal phytonutrient and antioxidants complex:

  • Red Beet Root – 250mg

  • Turmeric (root) – 250mg

  • Green Tea Leaf Extract – 200mg

  • Coffee Bean Extract – 200mg

  • Citrus Bioflavonoids (peel) – 200mg

  • Acai Berry Juice Extract – 100mg

  • Goji (berry) – 100mg

  • Maca Root Extract – 50mg

  • Grape Seed Extract – 50mg

  • Pine Bark Extract – 50mg

  • Ginkgo Biloba (leaf) – 45mg

  • Lutein – 50mcg

  • Lycopene – 100mcg

• Prebiotic and Digestion Blend – 1250mg

  To promote digestion and nutrient absorption, Universal added several digestive enzymes, along with a healthy dose of fiber. Every serving of Animal Greens contains 3 grams of fiber, mainly coming from inulin and apple pectin. Both of these ingredients are classified as prebiotic dietary fibers.

  According to Bindels and colleagues, a prebiotic is defined as “a non-digestible compound that, through its metabolization by microorganisms in the gut, modulates the composition and/or activity of the gut microbiota, thus conferring a beneficial physiologic effect on the host.”^[9]

  

  Need help getting in enough micronutrients? Animal Greens has you covered!

  A study published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition found that consuming an adequate amount of prebiotic fiber is linked to numerous health benefits, such as:

  • Increases the number of good bacteria in the gut, including bifidobacteria and lactobacilli
  • Enhances calcium absorption
  • Increases production of beneficial metabolites
  • Improves immune system functioning
  • Confers positive effects on gut barrier permeability
  • Decreases allergy risk
  • Decreases protein fermentation^[10]

  It’s recommended that adults consume at least 25 to 35 grams of dietary fiber per day from a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. So by taking one serving of Animal Greens in the morning, you’re getting three grams of fiber and starting your day off on the right foot.

  Animal Greens contains four digestive enzymes:

  • Bromelain: a digestive enzyme derived from pineapple stem that mainly helps break down protein into peptides and amino acids
  • Papain: a proteolytic enzyme that’s extracted from papaya, which helps break down protein into amino acids and peptides
  • VegPeptase – a trademarked form of acid protease that further aids with digesting and absorbing protein
  • Lipase – digestive enzymes that help break down lipids (fats)

  To further promote digestion, Animal Greens contains 250 milligrams of ginger root extract. There’s some evidence to suggest consuming ginger root decreases nausea, increases the rate of digestion, and boosts caloric expenditure.^[11-13]

  Here are the ingredients in the prebiotic and digestion blend:

  • Inulin – 500mg

  • Apple Pectin – 250mg

  • Ginger (root) – 240mg

  • Bromelain – 100mg

  • Papain – 100mg

  • Acid Protease (as VegPeptase) – 50mg

  • Lipase – 10mg

The Ultimate Immune Stack

Boost your immune system by stacking these three products together — take one serving each per day with a meal:

• Animal Greens

• Animal Pak

• Animal Immune Pak

Universal Continues to Emphasize Health and Quality

Universal Nutrition, located in New Brunswick, NJ, has been around since 1977. Today, it’s one of the few brands in the industry to manufacture all of its products in-house. The company’s state-of-the-art facility is regularly audited by UL and meets all GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) requirements.

Take your health as serious as your training.

Moreover, Universal Nutrition uses the latest scientific-testing methodologies to verify the accuracy of active ingredients used throughout its line of supplements. In other words, compared to some of the competition, Universal Nutrition takes more steps to ensure what’s listed on the label is actually in the finished product.

Along with Animal Greens, Animal Immune Pak, and the new and improved Animal Pak, Universal sells a slate of sports nutrition supplements designed for bolstering health and wellness, including Animal Fury, Animal Pump Pro, Juiced Aminos, and Animal Whey, they continue to emphasize health and wellness with the news and improved Animal Pak, Animal Immune Pak, and Animal Greens. Universal understands that health must be a priority in order for you to perform at your best.

Universal has been around since 1977, but they’re still staying relevant by putting out well-formulated sports nutrition supplements with high-quality ingredients and fully transparent labels every year. Subscribe below for more Universal Nutrition news, reviews, interviews, and deals from PricePlow!