What Is a Reds Powder?

Medically reviewed by Melissa Rifkin, MS, RD, CDN

By now, you’ve probably heard of greens powders—the pulverized veggie blends that help fill in nutrient gaps when your diet is lacking in foods like spinach, broccoli, and kale. But green isn’t the only color of superfood powders available. Reds powders are another option gaining popularity and traction in the supplement world.

Filled with naturally red foods like tart cherries, berries, and beets, reds powders aim to fortify your diet with high levels of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Much like greens powders, they may help people who don’t eat the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies to attain nutrition they might be missing.

Typically, you can sprinkle them into smoothies, water, or other beverages—but some are stand-alone juices or capsules. Here's a look at why it might be worth seeing red for your health and nutrition.

What Is in Reds Powder?

If it’s a red fruit or vegetable, it’s likely to be in a reds powder. Many of these powders contain fruits like berries (including acai, goji, and cranberry), cherries, pomegranate, and red grapes. These fruits have high antioxidant content as well as some fiber. Plus, some individual red fruits supply their own unique health benefits, too, such as the sleep-inducing effects of tart cherries or the urinary tract support of cranberries.

As for vegetables, reds powder may contain beets, red bell peppers, tomato, and other crimson-colored goodies that supply a host of benefits. For instance, beets are well known for containing nitrates, which may help dilate blood vessels for better cardiovascular health and athletic performance.

Bell peppers and tomatoes, on the other hand, are rich in vitamins A and C. And tomatoes contain an antioxidant called lycopene that has been linked with reduced risk of certain cancers.

If you purchase a reds powder, keep in mind that you might be getting more than just the expected red fruits and veggies, though. Some formulations contain additional ingredients intended for other health goals. Depending on the powder, you might also find maca powder for increased energy, spirulina for cholesterol reduction, ashwagandha for stress relief, and more.

Reds powder also differ nutritionally from greens powder. Though both provide important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, a reds powder serves a different purpose than a green one.

Whereas greens powders may offer certain micronutrients like iron, folate, or vitamin K from leafy greens, reds powders will load you up with others, such as vitamin C or vitamin B12. That said, both are likely to boost your daily antioxidant and fiber intake. To discover which nutrients you’re getting from any powder, be sure to read the supplement's label.

Benefits of Reds Powder

A reds powder may be a helpful boost for a diet that’s low in fruits and veggies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in 10 American adults eats the recommended daily amount of 1 ½ cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables.

In theory, adding a powder to your morning smoothie could help you meet nutrient recommendations you might not get otherwise. Likewise, the high amounts of antioxidants from a reds powder offer some unique health benefits—especially if you struggle to get in enough fruits and vegetables each day.

For instance, the nitric oxide found in ruby-red beets could increase the dilation of blood vessels, allowing for more blood flow. Some studies have found that this increased blood flow could enhance performance in endurance athletes and lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease.

Another potentially potent substance in reds powders is lycopene. Found primarily in red foods like tomatoes and watermelon, this antioxidant has been linked with a decreased risk of certain cancers, especially prostate cancer. More research is needed, though, especially on whether the amount of lycopene in most reds powder is sufficient to have anti-cancer activity.

Keep in mind, too, that a powdered supplement doesn't contain the same full picture of nutrition as fresh fruit or vegetables. For instance, a powder doesn’t include the water content of fresh berries or tomatoes to help you maintain daily hydration, nor do powders always provide as much fiber as fresh produce.

Some experts believe, too, in something called the food matrix, in which foods left in their natural, intact state provide superior overall nutrition than those that have undergone extensive processing. The key is balance. Adding a supplement to your diet, like reds powders, can give you a nutritional boost, but it should not take the place of eating fresh fruits and vegetables too.

How to Choose a Reds Powder

Before you purchase a reds powder, check with your healthcare provider to make sure it won’t interact with any medications you’re taking or conditions you have. If you’re on blood pressure-lowering medications, for example, they might advise you to steer clear of anything with beet extract to prevent your BP from dipping too low.

You also should look at the ingredient label closely to make sure you are getting what you expect. Also, note how much of each nutrient you are receiving and whether these amounts will put you over your daily recommended limit based on other supplements you are taking.

It also can be helpful to look for supplements that have been third-party tested with companies like NSF International, ConsumerLab, and U.S. Pharmacopeia. These companies give you a way to gauge whether the nutritional claims on the supplement bottle are reliable.

How to Use Reds Powder

Though most reds powders are, of course, actually powder, some that go by the name “powder” come in capsules or pre-mixed beverages. When this is the case, you’ll simply swallow the pill or drink the beverage as-is.

When you purchase a dry powder, though, you have a variety of options for including it in your diet. One of the easiest and most adaptable is to place a scoop in a smoothie and let it blend with ingredients like milk, banana, or nut butter.

You also can stir a reds powder into oatmeal or create freezer pops with a red juice and frozen fruit. Another option is to bake them into your favorite muffins or quick breads. Then, sweeten them with cherries or berries for an ideal flavor match.

However you choose to incorporate a reds powder, be sure to stick to the serving size recommendations on the product package; typically, this is one scoop of powder. Most powders come with their own scoops for easy dosing.

Bottom Line

If you’re concerned that your diet isn’t supplying you with enough antioxidants and nutrients, or if you simply want an extra boost, you can always try a reds powder. But along with this supplement, consider how you could incorporate fresh fruits and veggies into your meals and snacks as well.

A chat with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian may help you get on a path toward a more nutritious and diverse diet. They can help you learn to develop an eating plan that “eats the rainbow” of not just reds, but also greens, yellows, blues, and more.

Read the original article on Verywell Fitness.