Garden of Life Supplements: Organic, Non GMO, Raw, Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free

Overall Rating: 

Garden of Life supplements are the single most exciting line of supplements that I have recently discovered. Qualities like the aforementioned (organic, gluten free, etc.) make them tops. They are readily available at my local health food stores like Whole Foods & Natural Grocers, which is an added bonus. I had tried this company’s  “Raw Meal” before, but they were generous enough to provide me with samples of a range of many other products they create. My fiancee can vouch for my excitement when I received this box in the mail (contents pictured above).🙂 Here are the products that I have been implementing into my daily intake:

Raw Meal Replacement:

Garden of Life’s Description:

“Garden of Life^® RAW Meal was formulated to be a snack or meal replacement that satisfies hunger, is naturally filling and provides energy, all while providing the protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals that you would find in a healthy meal of raw foods. RAW Meal provides the nutrition of a well-balanced, healthy raw meal in one delicious serving.

Why Choose RAW Meal?

RAW Meal goes beyond organic by providing live probiotics and enzymes, Vitamin Code^® RAW Food-Created vitamins and minerals, as well as nutrient Code Factors^™ such as beta-glucans, SOD, glutathione and CoQ10, enabling natural recognition by your body.

Containing 26 superfoods from RAW organic seeds, sprouts and greens, RAW Meal provides 34 grams of protein, 9-16 grams of fiber (depending on flavor) and a healthy 2.5 grams of fat making it an excellent choice for “weight conscious” individuals. RAW Meal also offers 20 Vitamin Code vitamins and minerals providing at least 100% of the Daily Value of 16 key nutrients.

Just as important is what’s NOT included in RAW Meal. It is gluten-free, dairy-free and lactose-free. It has no fillers, no synthetic nutrients, no artificial flavors or sweeteners and no preservatives.

What are the Key Benefits of RAW Meal?

A convenient meal-on-the-go, RAW Meal is suitable for almost anyone including those on vegetarian or vegan diets, those on low carbohydrate diets or those with gastrointestinal sensitivities to milk, whey or other protein sources. RAW Meal offers the following:

• Provides the nutrition of a well-balanced, healthy meal
• Naturally filling, satisfies hunger, provides energy
• Excellent source of RAW organic, plant-based protein (34g) – including all essential amino acids
• Excellent source of 20 Vitamin Code vitamins and minerals – RAW Food-Created Nutrients and RAW Food-Chelated Minerals that enable targeted delivery and natural recognition by your body
• Excellent source of soluble and insoluble fiber (9-16g) depending on flavor
• Provides live probiotics and enzymes for healthy digestion
• Made exclusively from RAW natural, plant-based, whole foods – uncooked, untreated, unadulterated
• Contains 13 RAW organic sprouts, 4 RAW organic cereal grass juices, 5 RAW organic fruits, spirulina and chlorella
• No Trans Fats

RAW Meal naturally satisfies hunger and increases energy, making it great for those looking to manage their diet and looking for a convenient alternative to the pre-packaged or fast-food meals that dominate our on-the-go lifestyles.”

My Description & Thoughts:

I came across this product initially in searching for a supplement that would provide me with the range of vitamins and minerals that I perhaps do not otherwise get enough of from my daily diet. I was excited to read the ingredient list on this product. Like all Garden of Life products that I have used thus far, the ingredients are recognizable, organic, raw, non-gmo (and the list of positives goes on). Products like this one excite me more than I can adequately articulate-knowing that I am getting so many quality components in each dose of Raw Meal is a great feeling. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to try more Garden of Life products after discovering Raw Meal.

Raw Fit: High Protein for Weight Loss

Garden of Life’s Description:

“RAW Fit is a USDA Certified Organic, RAW, plant-based vegan high-protein powder that is an easy way to increase your protein intake. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that mixes great with your favorite food or beverage and contains RAW, organic and clinically studied ingredients to help you burn fat, maintain healthy blood sugar, boost your energy, lose weight and look great!†

• Support healthy blood sugar levels and burn fat naturally with the power of Svetol^® Green Coffee Bean Extract, RAW Food Created Chromium, Organic Cinnamon, and Organic Sprouted Grains†
• Help regulate your cortisol levels and manage stress related cravings with RAW Organic Ashwagandha†
• Build lean muscle mass, help repair it after work-outs and sustain it on a sensible meal plan with 28g of RAW certified organic plant protein—a complete protein with 13 organic sprouts and a biological value of 98.2%!
• Naturally filling and satisfies hunger with RAW Organic Soluble and Insoluble Fiber from certified organic grains, seeds, legumes and fruits
• Promotes healthy and comfortable digestion and elimination with live probiotics and enzymes†

Why RAW Really Matters:

Heat can denature proteins, reducing their availability to your body. But Garden of Life’s USDA Certified Organic plant proteins are different; always gently produced at low temperatures, without any added fillers or carriers (like maltodextrin which can come from GMO corn) preserving their complete amino acid integrity and whole-food, Certified Organic, Non-GMO goodness.”

My Description & Thoughts:

This product intrigued me because of my recent interest in being more conscious of how much sugar I am consuming on the average day. I had been effectively eating less sugar by sensibly (not neurotically) eliminating extra sugar and empty calorie foods like bread. This product helps keep that effort going. This mixture contains fewer carbohydrates than the Raw Meal. I use the Raw Meal, Raw Protein and Raw Fit in a rotation sort of manner in my diet (about 1 serving of each per day). This Raw Fit is also different from Raw Meal in that it contains a green coffee extract blend that has made a splash lately in the world of health discussions due to its supposed ability to help optimize the body’s ability to get rid of extra sugar in the blood stream. On a side note, I prefer the taste of the Raw Meal over this Raw Fit blend.

Raw Organic Green Superfood

Garden of Life’s Description:

“Capture the power of the sun with Perfect Food RAW, packed with the power of 34 nutrient-dense, RAW, organically grown greens, sprouts and vegetable juices for the RAW ENERGY you need every day.^† Just think of it as RAW organic veggie juice in a bottle.

How Can You Benefit from Perfect Food RAW?

Perfect Food RAW is RAW, whole food nutrition providing naturally occurring antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and dozens of phytonutrients. Bursting with prebiotics, probiotics, and enzymes to support healthy digestion and nutrient absorption,^† Perfect Food RAW is the convenient and sensible way to get your veggie juice every day.

Perfect Food RAW provides foundational nutrition your body craves to support:

• RAW Energy^†
• Immune System Health^†
• Healthy Detoxification^†
• Healthy Digestion and Elimination^†
• Healthy Blood Sugar Levels^†1

What Goes Into Perfect Food RAW?

Young cereal grass juices such as Barley, Alfalfa, Oat, Wheat, and Kamut are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. The green juices in Perfect Food RAW are grown organically, harvested at their nutritional peak, immediately juiced and dried at low temperatures. The RAW, organic cereal grass juice powders contained in Perfect Food RAW are loaded with chlorophyll and trace minerals for energy and support of already healthy blood sugar levels.^†1

Each serving of Perfect Food RAW contains over 17 nutrient-dense veggie juices that are freeze-dried using a gentle process that maintains nutrient potency and freshness.

Perfect food RAW also contains over a dozen organic raw sprouts. Sprouting is a term that refers to the process where you unlock the nutrient potential within a seed and is a great way to increase the digestibility of seeds, nuts and legumes while maintaining their raw nutrient density.

Finally, Perfect Food RAW contains a host of live probiotics and enzymes. Enzymes are present in all raw foods and enhance the body’s ability to digest and assimilate the nutrients our food contains while probiotics are key to the optimal function of our digestive system.

Why Choose Perfect Food RAW?

Almost as important as what you get from Perfect Food RAW, is what you’re not getting. Perfect Food RAW is:

• RAW
• Vegan
• Dairy Free
• No Fillers, Added Sugars or Herbs
• No Synthetic Chemicals

This means every single ingredient in Perfect Food RAW lends nutritional weight to the formula.”

My Description & Thoughts:

For severals years now, I’ve been a big fan of using organic, powdered greens in my daily drinks because of the amazing benefits of greens (these greens range from sea greens like spiraling and chlorella to spinach, kale & barley). Again, the ingredient list of this product is impressive. One serving is chock full of green power. I like to mix this powder with the Raw Meal in my blender bottle for an extra boost of greens every day. The flavor from the cacao makes the greens yummier than expected.

Raw FucoThin Green Coffee Extract

Garden of Life’s Description:

“Help make your diet and exercise program more effective, naturally, with fücoTHIN^® GREEN, the complementary power of clinically studied, clinical potency RAW Concentrated Fucoxanthin PLUS RAW Green Coffee Bean Extract.

• Clinically Studied Ingredients and Potency
• Naturally Boosts Metabolism – No Jitters^†
• Powerfully Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels^†
• Minimizes Fat Storage^†
• Increases Lean Body Mass^†

fücoTHIN^® GREEN is the first 100% natural, RAW, Whole Food supplement to combine the fat burning power and glucose support of two clinically studied, non-stimulant, natural thermogenics: Xanthigen^® (RAW, Concentrated Fucoxanthin) and Svetol^® (RAW, Naturally Decaffeinated Green Coffee Bean Extract).^†

Xanthigen^® (RAW, Concentrated Fucoxanthin): Non-stimulant, natural fat burner, clinically studied to boost metabolism, minimizing fat storage and increasing lean body mass without causing jitters.^†

Svetol^® (RAW, Naturally Decaffeinated Green Coffee Bean Extract): Clinically studied, non-stimulant, natural fat burner with 50% Chlorogenic Acid for powerful support of healthy blood sugar levels.^†”

My Description & Thoughts:

I’m not generally a huge fan of supplements that act as catalysts in weight loss. That said, a lot of those products are chemical ridden and made of synthetic ingredients. I recently read a piece on naturally occurring foods and extracts that help regulate blood sugar and help optimize the body’s ability to get rid of sugar and fat in a magazine from a local grocery store. It’s funny that I happen to come across this product right after reading about green coffee bean extract, as I had a peaked interest in this sort of product. I had bought a bottle of FucoThin on my own and was excited to get another bottle from Garden of Life to sample more. In the 3-4 weeks that I have been using this product, I have definitely noticed a difference in the amount of bloat in my stomach. For example, after I eat a meal, my body seems to process the sugar and fat more efficiently, lessening the discomfort from fullness that I might typically feel. I love that this product is helping my body optimize the effectiveness of my exercise and current diet. I’m very happy with this product and the ingredient list.

Raw Cleanse

Garden of Life’s Description:

“For those looking for the ultimate cleanse experience, RAW has always represented the standard. RAW Cleanse from Garden of Life features uncooked, untreated and unadulterated ingredients that are designed to support your body’s natural digestive and detoxification systems.^†

Why Choose Garden of Life RAW Cleanse?

RAW Cleanse is a breakthrough in total digestive system cleansing, active in the entire digestive tract beginning in the mouth and ending with elimination. Designed as a fast-acting internal cleansing system that works in synergy with your body’s own detoxification system, RAW Cleanse is an easy-to-use, triple detox formula that defends, detoxifies and eliminates toxins from the body in only one week.^†

RAW Cleanse features cutting-edge ingredients that are delivered to you RAW — the ultimate standard for quality. RAW Cleanse is ideal for anyone looking to experience extraordinary health and is suitable for those on vegan or vegetarian diets.

What’s Included in RAW Cleanse?

RAW Cleanse is a comprehensive, fast-acting, RAW cleanse program that provides full-body detoxification in only seven days and is as easy to use as 1-2-3.^†

Step 1 - RAW Cleanse Toxin Defense - Optimal Oral Health and Immune System Support^†

Toxin Defense is the first step in the RAW Cleanse experience, supporting optimal oral health and overall immune system function.^† Toxin Defense contains a unique combination of oral and intestinal probiotics that work in the mouth to help inhibit harmful toxins from traveling further in the body.^† This “point-of-entry” defense contributes to overall immune function and promotes microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract for proper digestion and elimination.^† The clinically studied intestinal probiotic contained in Toxin Defense helps to support healthy bowel function, elimination and a healthy gut-associated immune system.^†

Step 2 - RAW Cleanse Organ Detox - Natural Detoxification of Organs and GI Tract^†

Organ Detox is the second step in the RAW Cleanse experience, supporting normal removal of environmental toxins and pollutants from the body, as well as internally generated waste by-products.^† Organ Detox is formulated with RAW milk thistle, RAW Food-Created glutathione, cysteine, glycine, glutamic acid, melon juice concentrate, a rich source of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and catalase, plus vitamin U. This antioxidant, enzyme and amino acid rich formula supports healthy liver biotransformation and excretion of environmental toxins (and their metabolites) normally introduced into the body in small amounts.^†

Step 3 – RAW Cleanse Digestion & Elimination - Toxin Capture and Removal^†

Digestion & Elimination is the third and final step in the RAW Cleanse experience, helping to catch and hold undesirable compounds in the digestive tract and facilitate final transport from the body.^† Digestion & Elimination contains 800mg of RAW Food-Chelated magnesium to draw water into the colon for effective movement of intestinal bulk.^† RAW organic flax and chia seed act as bulking fibers to absorb toxins and pollutants while RAW organic coconut fiber lubricates and facilitates intestinal flow and creates a positive microbial balance in the body.^†

RAW Cleanse is a gentle, seven-day cleanse that works first to support the health of the entire digestive tract, and then aids the liver in removing toxins. Finally, RAW Cleanse aids the digestive system in trapping the toxins transporting them out of the body.^†

Finally, there is a cleanse formulation that meets the RAW standard of excellence, and that’s Garden of Life RAW Cleanse.

Suggestions while cleansing:

• Drink at least the recommended 64 ounces of filtered water each day.
• Eat fresh fruit, vegetables particularly crucifers and bitter greens (such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, endive and radicchio), seeds, nuts and lean protein- organic whenever possible, with wild caught fish.
• Increase your healthy fat intake by adding 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon each of organic coconut oil, flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and olive oil per day to your diet.
• Keep high allergen foods, such as dairy and wheat products to a bare minimum.
• Eliminate caffeine, tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages.
• Eliminate added sugar, refined flour, processed foods and fatty food with trans fats.
• Eliminate skin care products with ingredients you can’t pronounce.
• Use natural cleaning products.”

My Description & Thoughts:

Cleansing the body from the inside is something I’ve made a priority in my life, for sure. However, I normally do it using lemons, coconut vinegar, and naturally alkalizing foods like that. This 3-step cleanse sounded like a great idea, and I couldn’t wait to try it. Basically there are 3 mixtures and you ingest each of them once a day.

Step one is a packet of powder; GOL recommends that you empty it onto your tongue and add a bit of water to swish for 45 seconds before swallowing.

Step 2 is in capsule form; GOL recommends that 3 are taken before breakfast and 3 are taken at dinner.

and Step 3 is a powder; GOL recommends mixing two scoops of this mixture with water and drink one hour before going to bed.

Each of the steps are easy to ingest. I have felt less sluggish, more vivacious, more energetic, and truly “cleansed” since using this raw detox.

Raw Probiotic for Women

Garden of Life’s Description:

“A RAW, full spectrum, whole food probiotic formula specifically designed to meet the unique needs of women. RAW Probiotics^™ Women offers 32 “original” probiotics specifically formulated for women to support vaginal health and overall digestive function.^† Delivering probiotic-created vitamins, minerals and prebiotics, RAW Probiotics^™ Women also delivers dairy-digesting enzymes to help break down lactose and casein.^†

RAW Probiotics^™ Women goes Beyond Probiotics offering a broad range of benefits specifically targeted for women:

• Supports colon health, bowel regularity and overall digestive function^†
• Supports gut-related immune system function and overall immune system health^†
• Supports healthy microbial balance by promoting healthy bacteria in the gut^†
• Supports healthy nutrient absorption and assimilation^†
• Relieves occasional gas and constipation^†
• Supports vaginal health and healthy thyroid function^†
• Emerging science suggests vitamin D supports breast health^†

What you see on the label is what you get in the bottle—temperature controlled cold storage and delivery from the moment the probiotic cultures are harvested until you swallow your first capsule—ensures that your probioticsArrive Alive!^™1

RAW • GLUTEN FREE • NO BINDERS  • NO FILLERS • NO CARRIERS

Garden of Life introduces RAW Probiotics^™—an innovation that goes Beyond Probiotics—whole food probiotic formulas providing 30+ powerful probiotic strains, along with probiotic-created cofactors including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and prebiotics. RAW means our probiotics are uncooked, untreated, unadulterated; with no binders or fillers.

Original Probiotics

Inspired by the Father of Probiotics, Elie Metchnikoff, RAW Probiotics^™ provides probiotic strains found in Bulgarian Yogurt and Eastern European Wild Kefir—as recommended by Metchnikoff based on his study of Bulgarian longevity in the early 1900s and the probiotic-rich cultured dairy they consumed. RAW Probiotics^™ provides RAW fruits and veggies sourced directly from the region where Metchnikoff made his probiotic discoveries.

My Description & Thoughts:

I haven’t always been aware of how important it is to take care of our digestive health. Essentially, if our digestive system isn’t functioning at a high level, then the organic, nutrient dense foods we strive to eat are not being readily absorbed by our digestive tract.

This supplement helps keep our digestive tract in tip top shape, and maintains the balance of “good bacteria” in our stomach and intestines.

Neglecting this part of our health can ultimately result in uncomfortable episodes of acid reflux, gastritis, and other pain staking illness; you can dodge them by implementing a supplement like this.

Organic Golden Flaxseed

Garden of Life’s Description:

“Organic Golden Flaxseed Benefits:

• Promotes Healthy Digestion and Regularity
• Promotes Heart, Breast and Brain Health
• Supports Healthy, Balanced Hormones

One Serving of Organic Golden Flaxseed Contains:

• 3g of Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid ALA)
• 1g of Omega-6 (linoleic acid LA)
• 1g of Omega-9 (oleic acid OA)
• 98mg Antioxidant Lignans (SDG)

RAW Organics is a line of USDA Certified Organic, RAW foods reflecting Garden of Life’s commitment to:

• Re-nourish our country with wholesome, Certified Organic, Non-GMO whole foods brought to you at affordable prices.
• Re-invigorate the backbone of our culture—family farmers—providing them with guaranteed contracts and fair wages.

Our premium Certified Organic Golden Flaxseed is grown for us in North Dakota on pristine and virgin soils. Our family farmers have been growing flax for generations. Our flax goes through a unique five-step cleaning process that gently filters all impurities, leaving behind only the purest, freshest, Certified Organic Golden Flaxseeds. To unlock their goodness, the flaxseeds need to be milled and that’s where we really shine—using state-of-the-art, cold-milling methods that preserve all of the nutritional value without releasing the valuable oils which can cause the seeds to go rancid.”

My Description & Thoughts:

For several years now, I have been eating flax and chia seeds daily because of the healthy fats they provide my diet. This is the first batch of Garden of Life Flaxseed that I’ve gotten my hands on, though. Since I am trying this after being happy with several other GOL products, I trust the quality and source of the seed. I use this seed in my smoothies and fruit bowls—it adds a hearty, nutty flavor. On a side note, I’ve earned that nuts and seeds, alike, are more easily absorbed by the body if soaked in water prior to consumption. Because of this, I soak all of my chia, flax and hemp seeds in water (it becomes a sludge-y mixture) before I add them to my smoothies.