While recently picking up some protein powder at my local Vitamin Shoppe retail store, I happened upon a promotional table for a so-called "Super Food" vegetable drink mix.

"Hey, man. Do you wanna' try some greens?," an upbeat, Toni Robbins-esque voice said in a way that sounded more like a command than a question.

"Um, no. Actually, what the heck do you mean?," was my best attempt at fending off the retail assault.

"Check it out. I know you're going to like this," he said, knowing that I was already at his mercy for the next few minutes.

And so it went, for far more than a few minutes I listened to Mr. Positive talk to me about a vegetable-based product that his company was selling in Vitamin Shoppe retail stores nationwide. He handed me some literature on their product lines and let me try samples of their drink mixes, each containing 72 "Super Foods."

As a matter of fact, one of their brochures stated that 1300mg of plant sterols a day (which is what their products contain) as part of diet low in fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. This fact was featured as one of three that were proudly displayed as FDA Heart Health Claims. Being no stranger to the world of supplements, however, I knew that the FDA supported claims would pretty much end at those three. How did I know that? Because the vast amount of supplements sitting on the shelves of GNCs, Vitamin Worlds, and Vitamin Shoppe retail stores have never fully been evaluated by the FDA, nor have their claims been substantiated. That, then, begs the question: can you really get 72 separate "Super Foods" from a glass of this greens mixture?

Until the FDA has made that determination, it really is very tough to say. My best advice would be to first check with your doctor before taking this or any other supplement. The only thing I can personally offer about Greens Today "Super Food" is that based on the free sample I tried, it tastes halfway decent. Beyond that, and inasmuch as its claims of being a contributor to good health go, I'll leave all that to the FDA to decide.