A lollipop made from greens?
Is it really possible to get your intake of healthy greens by eating a lollipop? Common sense tells us no, but 8Greens says, “Heck, yes!”
We purchased the lollipops from the 8Greens website. Each pop costs around $1.25 to $1.30 each. They can also be purchased on Amazon or from Target. Eating a single lollipop, according to the company, provides a lot of vitamin and minerals, including:
Vitamin B5 (as much as 15 cups of broccoli)
Vitamin C (2 oranges)
Vitamin B6 (15 cups of spinach)
Vitamin B12 (7 cups of milk)
Zinc (3 cups of raw peas)
This lollipop is made from eight greens: spinach, aloe vera, wheat grass, kale, blue green algae, spirulina, chlorella, and barley grass. But don’t be fooled, these pops also include sugar, corn syrup, palm oil, sorbitol and many other ingredients. So while you get your greens, you also get some less than nutritious ingredients.
At first lick, the lollipops are tasty, no doubt about it. There is a sweet citrus with a grassy overtone and it really works. If all greens tasted this way, no parent would have any problems getting their kiddos to eat more greens.
#RetroCommercial
Remember Tootsie Pops? While still popular, these tasty, sugary treats used to have a commercial with the premise, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of Tootsie Pop?”
We asked the same question about 8 Greens. How many licks does it take to get to the promise of a “yummy, chewy center”? We don’t know because we didn’t count, but we were able to resist the temptation to chomp down too soon and we did manage to expose the chewy center. Unfortunately it was NOT good… far from yummy, albeit chewy.
So our hypothesis is this: The outer shell of the lollipop is sweet and delicious. Kids and adults will love it. But will anyone eat the center? Doubtful… it was bitter and unpleasant, and this is likely where all the nutritional value resides. That turns what we assumed would be an IMBHO-yes in the beginning stages of eating this pop to an IMBHO-maybe. It can’t be a hard no because we did enjoy the flavor of the candy shell—but let’s face it… it is just candy. So disappointedly, we stick with the IMBHO-maybe.
While the lollipop didn’t hit all the positive notes, we do love that this company is driven by woman power. Dawn Russell, founder of 8Greens, had an idea and saw it all the way through from inception to reality. Kudos to her for living the entrepreneurial dream. Beyond these lollipops, she also offers gummies and drinks.
We haven’t tried any of her other products, but they are on our list for future trial. Greens are important and so is supporting women-owned businesses.