Reds juice powders are popping up everywhere following the rise of greens powders. Here’s what you need to know about their potential health benefits!
First, all the hype was around green juice powders…and now it looks like reds powders are taking over the spotlight.
Rest assured, you won’t need a powder for every color in your supplement cabinet, but red juice powder is one you might want to take into consideration to uplevel your health!
So, what’s the benefit of taking a reds powder?
Every reds powder available on the market is going to have a slightly different ingredient profile and list of benefits. Overall, it’s safe to say that most aim to help you fight environmental stressors, decreasing inflammation, and improving digestion.
While we made the benefits mentioned above a priority as well, we took things a step further in our Raw Reds Blend red juice mix with some potent ingredients to improve energy, relieve physical stress, and boost performance and endurance:
VASO BLEND:
- Beet powder: Beet powder is the standard for most red powders you’ll find, and for a good reason. Beets are loaded with vitamins C & A, and minerals like iron, magnesium, folate, and potassium. This root vegetable may also help improve liver health and lower blood pressure.
For the active folks out there, you may have heard that consuming beet juice helps with performance, particularly endurance. Studies state that beetroot juice increases nitric oxide levels, which helps to increase efficiency, blood flow, and illicit stronger muscle contractions [1]
- Hawthorn berry: Probably not the first red berry you’d think of, but it’s here for a reason! Hawthorn berry is loaded with antioxidants, including polyphenols. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant that is linked to reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes [2].
Research is ongoing to further solidify findings that hawthorn berry helps with chronic inflammation [3], and its prebiotic fiber can help with digestion and stomach discomfort as well.
- Mango extract: No, mango is not a red fruit, but its nutritional value is through the roof and pairs well with the overall goal of a reds juice mix. Its high Vitamin C content helps support immune health, and it is packed with several types of antioxidants, including polyphenols, which can help protect you against oxidative stress [4].
Mangos are also full of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, and B-vitamins, and several minerals, including niacin, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, and manganese. Magnesium and potassium can help you maintain healthy heart function, too.
- PeakO2: PeakO2 is a mix of six adaptogen mushrooms that are known to aid in reducing stress and improving oxygen utilization. An adaptogen substance is one that can help the consumer adapt and overcome physical stressors, which is where it comes in handy for highly active individuals placing tremendous demands on the body regularly.
A study done on mushroom blends with Cordyceps (a type of mushroom) showed it might help improve VO2 max, time to exhaustion, and increase peak power output [5], with a particular emphasis on endurance athletes.
ENDUROGEN BLEND:
- Pomegranate juice: If you’re a fan of our greens mix, you know it also contains pomegranate, but with all its health potential, we couldn’t leave it out of a reds drink. The antioxidants, vitamin, and mineral content has been shown to help lower inflammation, fight free radicals that lead to oxidative stress, and increased blood flow. Not to mention, pomegranate is loaded with fiber, folate, potassium, and Vitamins C and K.
A study done on weightlifters found that supplementing with pomegranate juice has the potential to blunt the oxidative stress responses following intense training, which means better recovery between sessions [6].
- Maca root: Claims around maca root include improved energy and stamina, and also surrounding sexual health. Maca is a native plant to Peru and belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables (think broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.). It contains an insanely high amount of Vitamin C, and significant doses of B6, copper, iron, potassium, and manganese.
While studies are still being conducted on this root, so far, clinical trials have shown the power of maca on sexual dysfunctions and enhancing fertility. It also shows potential as an adaptogen [7].
- Eleutherococcus root: A relative of ginseng, Eleutherococcus is an adaptogen that is said to help fight fatigue, physical stress, and improve performance in high-intensity activities. One study supports the idea that this root enhances endurance capacity and cardiovascular function [8].
Why do I need both greens and reds?
As you can see from our ingredients list, increased blood flow, fighting stress, and energy levels/performance are top of the list for benefits from our Raw Reds Blend red juice supplement, while the greens juice heavily focuses on getting a full range of vitamins and minerals and improving digestion.
While there is some crossover in health benefits between a greens and a reds powder, combining both is ideal for your best health results yet. You’ve probably heard that you should “eat all the colors of the rainbow” and as always, we will encourage this in the form of whole foods, first and foremost. The variety of colors in different fruits, vegetables, and other edible plants indicates different nutritional attributes and antioxidants that your body will thank you for.
References:
- Domínguez, Raúl, et al. “Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Athletes. A Systematic Review.” Nutrients, vol. 9, no. 1, June 2017, p. 43., doi:10.3390/nu9010043.
- Pandey, Kanti Bhooshan, and Syed Ibrahim Rizvi. “Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease.” Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity vol. 2,5 (2009): 270-8. doi:10.4161/oxim.2.5.9498
- Walker, Ann F et al. “Hypotensive effects of hawthorn for patients with diabetes taking prescription drugs: a randomised controlled trial.” The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners vol. 56,527 (2006): 437-43.
- Masibo, Martin, and Qian He. “Major Mango Polyphenols and Their Potential Significance to Human Health.” Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, vol. 7, no. 4, 18 Sept. 2008, pp. 309–319., doi:10.1111/j.1541-4337.2008.00047.x.
- Hirsch, Katie R, et al. “Chronic Supplementation of a Mushroom Blend on Oxygen Kinetics, Peak Power, and Time to Exhaustion.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 12, no. S1, 21 Sept. 2015, doi:10.1186/1550-2783-12-s1-p45.
- Ammar, Achraf et al. “Effects of Pomegranate Juice Supplementation on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers Following Weightlifting Exercise.” Nutrients vol. 9,8 819. 29 Jul. 2017, doi:10.3390/nu9080819
- Gonzales, Gustavo F. “Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM vol. 2012 (2012): 193496. doi:10.1155/2012/193496
- Kuo, Jip. “The Effect of Eight Weeks of Supplementation with Eleutherococcus Senticosus on Endurance Capacity and Metabolism in Human.” The Chinese Journal of Physiology, vol. 53, no. 2, 30 Apr. 2010, pp. 105–111., doi:10.4077/cjp.2010.amk018.