SaladPower Review: Convenient But Costly Vegetable Smoothies

SaladPower at a Glance

We all know (since we were five years old) that eating our daily fruits and veggies makes us healthier and stronger. But for many reasons, many people can’t seem to eat the daily recommended servings of fruits and veggies.

And that’s why, over the last decade, many brands have tried to solve this problem by offering unique ways to boost your fruit and vegetable intake.

Enter SaladPower, a whole fruit and vegetable puréed smoothie that reminds us of apple sauce for adults. It is shelf-stable and is shipped in pouches that make it easy to throw in a fridge, grab and go, and drink right out of the pouch.

Drinking veggies sounds like a compelling but not-so-new concept, although convenient.

SaladPower’s aesthetically pleasing and slick-looking pouches are not bulky at all. We kept ours in the fridge so they stay cool, although you’re not required to (unless you open one up). However, we sometimes used slight elbow grease to open the pouches up.

SaladPower’s mission is to promote more organic farmers. According to the company, only 0.85% of farmers in the U.S. are organic. The brand wants to help grow that number by planting 100 new organic seeds for the next harvest for every 6-pack order you buy.

Are organic vegetables necessarily better? In some cases, yes. Organically grown vegetables will contain fewer pesticides, which may otherwise harm human health and the environment. The vegetables may be more nutritious and have higher levels of specific vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And finally, organic farming is just better for the environment — farming practices help improve soil health and reduce water pollution.

What We Liked About SaladPower

• It is very convenient, especially when traveling, hiking, or on bike rides.
• USDA Certified Organic ingredients.
• No added sugar.
• Pleasant-tasting (especially when chilled).
• Healthy, low-calorie snack option.
• Contributes to daily fiber intake.

Important Things to Consider

• Only a single flavor (may get tiresome if used daily).
• It is about 50% more expensive compared to shopping for produce and prepping a similar smoothie yourself.
• It is just overall pricey (especially for larger families), and maybe a turn-off for some.

What’s Inside SaladPower?

A serving size is 8 oz, provides 90 calories, and the following:

• 16 Spinach leaves
• 12 Kales leaves
• 5 Carrots
• 4 Broccoli heads
• ½ Apple
• ¼ Lemon

How Healthy Is SaladPower?

It is pretty simple: you have much higher chances of having good health if you eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

That’s because “fruits and vegetables are major sources of several nutrients that are strongly linked to good health, particularly the health of the heart and blood vessels: potassium, magnesium, fiber, and polyphenols [antioxidant plant compounds],” explains Dr. Daniel Wang, a member of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

But how many fruits and vegetables do you need? In a study led by Dr. Wang, the researchers determined that the optimal combination of fruits and vegetables was two servings of fruits plus three servings of vegetables per day. Furthermore, the most significant health benefits came from eating leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach) and fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C and beta carotene (citrus, carrots).

It almost seems that the people behind SaladPower took the findings of this study to heart when designing their product. SaladPower has twice the daily serving of vegetables and nearly a whole serving of fruit. It also contains leafy greens like kale and spinach as well as carrots and lemon, the fruits and vegetables that were shown to be most beneficial in the study.

So, if you find yourself regularly struggling to get two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per day, then SaladPower could meaningfully contribute to helping you achieve this goal and reap the benefits of good health.

What Does SaladPower Taste Like?

Saladpower has a wonderfully thick and smooth texture, almost like pureed tomato juice but without the actual tomato flavor. It tastes like thick vegetable soup. We didn’t notice any notes of apples or carrots specifically.

The taste is nicely balanced and not at all sour. It feels vibrant and goes down very easily. We kept our pouches refrigerated, but unopened ones can be stored in a cool, dry place. We even drank a pouch that remained unopened in the fridge for three months, which still tasted great. Once opened, SaladPower should be kept in a fridge and consumed within 4 hours.

It took us 2-3 pouches before we acquired the taste, but we grew to enjoy it. While the apple and lemon aren’t pronounced, it felt as if they work subtly in the background to prevent any sourness and add a slight hint of sweetness and brightness. Overall, SaladPower is not overly sweet but is very refreshing.

Pricing

All shipping is free within the U.S., but the company does not accept returns or provide any money-back guarantee for food safety reasons. Unfortunately, if you do not like the taste or texture of SaladPower, you will have to absorb the cost.

Buy SaladPower

Other Options to Consider

SaladPower is a unique and useful product that provides twice the daily servings of whole vegetables and almost a full serving of fruit. If you are struggling to get the daily recommended fruits and vegetables, and your goal is to change that, then SaladPower could be a very helpful product. However, if you have other goals, several alternative products may be better than SaladPower.

Daily Harvest Smoothies: Daily Harvest is a meal subscription service that offers organic frozen smoothies. (They also offer other products, but their smoothies are directly comparable to SaladPower.)

• How it’s similar to SaladPower: Smoothies are made from organic real fruit and vegetables. Does not have any added sugar. Contains good fiber content.
• How it’s different from SaladPower: It comes frozen and requires blending, so you can’t simply gran and go, as you would with SaladPower, limiting your options. It comes in a variety of fun flavors, making it less likely that you will get bored. It is more expensive than SaladPower per serving. Daily Harvest also contains more calories per serving, making it more like a meal than a snack.
• When Daily Harvest is a better pick: SaladPower and Daily Harvest will meaningfully contribute to daily fruit and vegetable intake. However, if you want a more filling meal replacement rather than a snack with a greater variety of flavors, then Daily Harvest is a better option.

AG1 from Athletic Greens: If you listen to any of the popular podcasts, chances are that you’ve heard of AG1, as they sponsor a lot of episodes. AG1 is a powdered fruit and vegetable supplement you consume by mixing into a liquid, shaking, and drinking.

• How it’s similar to SaladPower: AG1 is low in calories, does not contain any added sugar, and uses some organic ingredients.
• How it’s different from SaladPower: For starters, AG1 does not provide whole fruits and vegetables like SaldPower. Instead, it offers 75 powdered ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, functional mushrooms, plant extracts, adaptogens, and probiotics, to support overall health and various body systems. Additionally, it has added vitamins and minerals and could be used as a multivitamin. AG1 also has a much lower fiber content. Finally, the cost per serving of AG1 is lower than SaladPower ($2.66 to be exact).
• When AG1 is a better pick: If you are looking for a quality multivitamin with additional beneficial ingredients to give you a good baseline of daily nutrients in a single, convenient serving, then AG1 would be a better choice.

Bottom Line

Yes, SaladPower is expensive, but so is a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks. Can you really put a price on your health? Shopping for fresh produce and prepping them would be cheaper. However, if you have tried it and are still struggling to get enough fruits and veggies throughout your day, SaladPower is a convenient, nutrient-dense drink with a unique and uplifting flavor.

Try SaladPower