My mother has recently started taking a "super food" supplement, and she has been trying to convince me to begin taking it as well. I used to take a regular multivitamin every day, but recent research showing that synthetic vitamins are not very effective (or can cause more harm than good) made me stop.

However, this supplement seems different. Apparently it's simply 55 vegetables and fruits in pill form. These are the ingredients:

Acerola Cherry Extract, Alfalfa Leaf Juice Powder, Aloe Vera, Amylase, Apple, Asparagus, Banana, Barley Grass Juice Powder, Beet, Bell Pepper, Blackberry, Blueberry, Broccoli, Bromelain, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Cayenne, Celery, Cellulase, Cherry, Chlorella, Cranberry, Cucumber, Dulse, Dunaliella, Elderberry, Garlic, Ginger, Grapefruit, Hawthorn Berry, Ionic Fulvic Mineral Extract, Kale, Kelp, Klamath Lake Algae, Lactase, Lemon, Lipase, Maltase, Mangosteen, Noni (Morinda Citrifolia), Oat Grass Juice Powder, Onion, Orange, Papaya, Parsley, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Plum, Protease, Prune, Purple Grape, Raspberry, Spinach, Spirulina, Squash, Sucrase, Sweet Potato, Tomato, Watermelon, Wheat Grass Juice Powder, and Yucca.

I was just curious if something like this would be better to use than a multivitamin, or if it is even safe at all. I am concerned that my mother began taking them without doing a whole lot of research beforehand, but my less skeptical side is wondering if they would be beneficial for me to use. I didn't want to link directly to the ingredients page because I didn't want to look like I was advocating purchasing the product, but the site goes through and lists the benefits of each fruit and vegetable based on what vitamins and antioxidants it contains.

Does anyone have any opinions on something like this? Thanks!

I have never read any scientific respectable paper that proves a fraction of a microgram of some fruit/veggie in a pill can do any good.

I think one of the problems is that if you put a raw fruit/veggie in a pill, or better if you put tens of them, what will be left for each? You cannot get benefit say from broccoli eating a microgram of it per day..

Multivitamin can incorporate so many things because they isolate the vitamin. They dont just grab a microscopic piece of a fruit and slap it into a pill.

I may be wrong as I dont know much about how these pills are made... but I personally would not trust.

Thanks for the reply Rossana! I share your skepticism.

The site claims that each daily capsule serving (consisting of 6 pills) is equal to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables.

Hmm they should define what "equal" exactly means. For instance with a pill of vitamin C one could say that it contains as much vitamin C as a given number of oranges (but it is still not "equal" because you would not have all the other minerals, antioxidants and fiber that you would have with the whole fruit).
In that case, it seems they are not even extracting a specific vitamin or mineral or any compound at all. So to me it is like a mathematician says "0.00001 = 12" ... the equation simply does not hold

I take supplements myself but like every single nutritionist says, they are not a replacement for a healthy and complete diet. They simply fill up the holes that diet alone cant fill and also, for people in later stages of life, some specific supplements help providing some of the antioxidants that sharply decrease with age.

Watermelon, I see nothing wrong with taking your Mother's advise on a "Super Food" Supplement.

Like Rosanna said, it is NOT a substitue for the actual Super Foods which should be consumed on a regualr basis, but it's more of a body booster to aid & fill in the gaps. I would still take you regular vitamins along with this.

I think the liquid forms may be better though as they are more absorbable.

Watermelon, One of the best sources of natural anti-oxidants, Vit A, C, B-1, B-6, lycopene, etc. and also an amazing "body booster" is Watermelon... ... Not only does is jolt the body into high gear with a natural blast of energy, it aids in skin repair by building muscle just by bringing it home from the store...

I am on about my 8th for the Season already...My Beagle also gets some twice a day... he sits in front of the refrigerator until I get it out for him.

While I do supplement, I am of the persuasion that the first port of call shouldnt be a vitamin shop, but rather the green grocer. Most people arent eating fresh fruits and vegetables as the major part of their diet. Until they do, supplementation will be a waste of time.

I take a superfood supplement, im the form of blue green algae. I do think thats a lot different to 10gms of freeze dried broccoli and fruits in a pill. Blue green algae has a certain chemical makeup that includes useful doses of nearly all essential vits and minerals. 10gms of it a day provides a useful boost to the daily intake of the essentials. But personally I think a tiny portion or ordinar fruits and vegetables doesnt pack the same punch as the nutrients arent as concentrated. I love broccoli but I eat it as broccoli. I see no sense in paying someone exorbitant amounts of money to powderise something I can prepare for myself. On the otherhand, I'm not about to scoop a heap of pond water into a glass in order to get my blue-green algae nutritional requirements.