Bloom Nutrition is a brand of dietary supplement that sells a selection of products. They sell a few different products such as pre-workout, protein powder, collagen formulas, and famously their Greens and Superfoods blend, as well as a selection of vitamins.
We will focus on the best sellers that have caused a stir, and which you will have seen online.
Keep reading to learn our thoughts on Bloom Nutrition’s products, what they purport to do, and how effective they are in doing that.
Who Are Bloom Nutrition?
Founded in 2019, Bloom Nutrition was founded along with many other similar companies in this period, whose success likely benefited from a well known health scare that followed.
Married couple Mari Llewellyn and Greg La Vecchia created their product in order to fill the gap of something that is not only healthy, but is also really tasty.
Like many products of our modern age, Bloom has mainly become famous due to the product going ‘viral’ on TikTok, at least according to their owners.
Although, this virality has worked against them in recent times – more on that later. Due to popularity or otherwise, you can find their products in Target now, a huge distribution deal, as well as Amazon and their own website.
So what’s really in their products?
What Is Bloom Nutrition?
Let’s look at their best selling product, the one that is often seen on TikTok, the Bloom Nutrition Greens and Superfoods blend – you can find it on their website, as well as on Amazon, and even in-store in your local Target.
The Greens and Superfoods dietary supplement can be bought in either 30 or 60 serving sizes, or you can subscribe and opt for deliveries of the product with a 10% discount.
The idea is that the product will supplement your intake of greens, fruits and vegetables in other words, allowing you to ensure you are getting the right amount of nutrients and veg in your diet with the goal of avoiding potential bloating that could come with eating the same amount of vegetables.
You combine it with water in a high powered blender or with an immersion stick, but you can also just add it into a protein smoothie. One thing Bloom does focus on is taste, and they do taste pretty good if that’s something that matters to you.
What’s In Bloom’s Product?
The product’s label suggests they use organic ingredients, is plant-based, free from soy, gluten, dairy, and GMO products. But, the label does also claim, in line with FDA rulings, that none of these claims or ingredients have been evaluated by the FDA.
Worth noting, Bloom’s products are manufactured in a ‘Certified Good Manufacturing Practices’ facility, as ruled by the FDA, which, according to Bloom’s website, does also process nuts and dairy products in some fashion.
We aren’t dieticians or medical professionals, but nor is Bloom, so let’s assess some claims alongside what real dieticians tell us. The active ingredients are actually in categories on the ingredients label, so let’s tackle it this way.
Fiber Blend
A dietician will tell you that we need at least 25g of fiber per day. Fiber helps relieve constipation, and thus bloating, and is important for gut health, which also reduces bloating – reducing bloating being one of Bloom’s main selling points.
You get 1g of fiber from Bloom’s Greens and Superfood blend, take from that what you will. Of course, Bloom is not suggesting that we rely solely on their product but considering you’re paying as much as you might spend for a day’s groceries, this feels insufficient.
The ingredients listed in this fiber section are from natural sources, so props to Bloom there, but let’s remember the product is not FDA improved so double doses to get more fiber isn’t the best idea.
Green Superfood Blend
When ‘green superfoods’ is used in a supplement product, they are generally referring to chlorophyll, the pigment in plants that makes them green. Chlorophyll is abundant in any green plant like asparagus and spinach and is part of the complex system of nutrition we get from vegetables.
Many dietitians suggest chlorophyll as an isolated supplement doesn’t really do much for nutrition, but is certainly part of the nutritional complexities of a vegetable.
For reference one cup of spinach has around 24mg of chlorophyll, along with the rest of the nutrition spinach will provide you, about the same as this green superfood blend provides, but for a fraction of the price.
Pre and Probiotic Blend’ And ‘Fruit And Vegetable Blend
Bloom wins this point, their product does 100% contain active bacteria that is good for your gut health, aiding digestion, as well as powdered forms of vegetables that are indeed what they claim to be.
Could you get both of these blends, in abundance, and with other nutritional complexities, from real fruit and vegetables you buy from an organic farmer’s market for a fraction of what you are paying here for 30 servings? You bet.
Antioxidant Beauty Blend
Using ‘beauty’ as a scientific term here is a pretty sly marketing move that basically refers to how antioxidants affect our skin – here’s a scientific paper on its effects.
Again, Bloom has derived their ingredients from a natural and organic source here – fair play. But, again, these antioxidants are abundant in vegetables and you can get the amount you would from Bloom’s product, and more, from eating normal vegetables and fruits.
Digestive Enzyme Blend
Firstly, the inclusion of maltodextrin can be an issue. It’s a highly processed ingredient commonly used in baby formula to supplement carbohydrates that may be lost in certain exclusion formulas that get rid of dairy for infant exclusion diets.
It’s essentially a sweetener and carbohydrate with no nutritional value, and a high glycemic index. It is literally a GMO ingredient, but is deemed safe by the FDA, so doesn’t have to be listed as such. The sugar in maltodextrin can lead to weight gain when used in excess, and the carbs can lead to bloating itself.
All the other enzymes included in this section? Your body already produces them, and supplementing them in your diet is only necessary when you have a pre-existing insufficiency.
Adaptogenic Blend
Adaptogens are active ingredients in fungi and plants that can aid a whole bunch of mental and bodily functions – they are most commonly used in herbal teas and medicine. It’s important to note their effects are not approved by the FDA, and can react with medicines when taken in large doses.
Yet, there are lots of benefits you can get from adaptogens when taken in the right dose, for example, around 1 to 6 grams of dry root ashwagandha per day has seen proven results. One serving of Bloom’s Greens and Superfoods blend gives you 100mg, so a tenth of the minimum dose of what is effective.
Stevia Leaf Extract
Lastly, the inclusion of Stevia, something you have probably heard of, a common plant-derived sweetener, is listed on its own.
The FDA generally recognizes it as safe, although it isn’t outright approved, especially its whole leaf extract. Many are fearful of its effects on blood sugar control, the kidneys, and the cardiovascular and reproductive systems, without proper research.
It’s also suggested that Stevia is commonly used as a hidden weight management tool as it can trick your body into feeling full and reduce hunger. It feels irresponsible to include the ingredient purely for a sweeter taste.
Our Verdict
While we only spoke on Bloom’s best-selling product, and not their others, we feel this speaks for the company’s ethos at large.
Will using Bloom’s products cause you genuine harm? It’s unlikely.
For a fraction of the price, and with a little effort, can you get double, or even triple, the nutrition Bloom’s products suggest to provide by simply eating fruit and vegetables in their natural form, and embracing a healthy and balanced diet? Dietitians would agree that you 100% can.
Just because something is ‘viral’, or is being promoted by someone whose body you admire, doesn’t mean it is necessarily effective, nor something they used to get that body.
Llewellyn’s story of weight loss is admirable and something to celebrate, but did she use Bloom to achieve that? Of course not – take her own words on how she lost this weight, which she makes clear in this article – diet changes and exercise.
Bloom’s products, in this form, cannot accurately claim to achieve their goal of reducing bloating, or providing the nutrition necessary to supplement your diet. Reviews suggest the product is indeed quite sweet tasting, which some may enjoy, but certain reviews suggest it could cause bloating itself.
Do your own research and think critically – be your own guru. The supplement is fine to use to support a healthy diet generally, but there is no evidence to suggest to us it works or is worth the price. There is nothing that can replace a healthy and balanced diet.
