Ninety percent of Americans don’t get their daily recommended amount of vegetables— something that 8Greens founder Dawn Russell is on a mission to change. Her company aims to educate us about the importance of daily greens and help us get them in an easy—and tasty—way.
For Russell, creating 8Greens began out of necessity: She was diagnosed with stage III cancer at the age of 25, and she ended up traveling the world to research and fight her illness. Though she couldn’t control everything about her cancer journey, one aspect she discovered she could control? Shifting her diet to make sure her body was getting the nutrients it truly needed. And, after navigating her illness and coming out the other side, Russell vowed to do something with her new found knowledge.
Russell spent five years testing and developing the first 8Greens product—a fizzy tablet that can be mixed into a liquid. Her goal: To create something that was both healthy and tasty. The eight greens she focuses on? Spinach, kale, aloe vera, wheatgrass, blue green algae, barley grass, chlorella, and spirulina—the benefits of which can all be read about in depth on her site. In her pursuit, Russell has also collaborated with Paula Trumbo, PhD, who worked at the FDA for more than 15 years overseeing the scientific review and drafting of food regulations, to ensure that 8Greens exceeds quality expectations.
Now, many years later, 8Greens comes in every form: powder, tablet, lollipops, gummies—and most important, none of them are concentrates or extracts. They’re the real thing.
Sofia Lodato (she/her) is the editorial assistant at Oprah Daily. Aside from reading, writing, and wellness, she is a lover of all things media-related, and can usually be found overanalyzing her latest favorite show, album, or video game.