Substance Fruits and Greens vs Balance of Nature: Is This Substitute Superior?

Sustenance Fruits and Greens is a newer competitor to Balance of Nature’s Fruit & Veggies capsules. It’s made by the American supplement company Substance.

There are some similarities between these two products, but what are the differences in their ingredients, potential side effects, and daily and monthly costs?

Also, covered ahead in this Balance of Nature versus Substance Fruits and Greens review, is a comparison of their pros and cons, consumer feedback and ratings, and a verdict on which one is better for you and why.

What is Sustenance Fruits and Greens by Substance?

The US-based company Substance makes Sustenance Fruits and Greens capsules from 20 locally-sourced vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and greens. It’s sold in 1 container of 120 capsules and directions are to take 4 pills a day for a 30-day supply.

The Substance brand also makes 6 other products: Subsistence Superfruit Fusion, Comfort Nature’s Relief, Deep Dreams Sleep Aid, Vitality Daily D3 Boost, Superfood Beetroot Boost, and Digestion Fiber & Spices, a digestive wellness supplement that is very similar to Balance of Nature’s Fiber and Spice. 

What is Balance of Nature Fruits & Veggies?

The popular Fruits & Veggies product by Balance of Nature is a blend of 31 freeze-dried and powdered vegetables and fruit. The company says it, “is whole food and an easy and convenient way to get a variety of 16 different fruits and 15 different vegetables every day.”

It comes in 2 containers, 1 for Fruits and 1 for Veggies, with 90 capsules in each. You take 6 a day for a month at the recommended dosage.

Ingredients Comparison

Both Balance of Nature and Substance say that their powdered whole food supplements are made in America, are non-GMO, gluten-free, and contain no added sugar, fillers, preservatives or synthetic additives.

How do the specific ingredients in these fruit and vegetable capsules stack up in a direct comparison though?

Nature’s Sustenance Supplement Facts

Here’s the ingredients list for Sustenance Fruits and Greens from the Substance website:

• Proprietary Blend: Alfalfa Powder, Eleuthero Root Extract, Organic Oat Grass, Dandelion Greens Powder, Broccoli Extract, Spinach, Horse Chestnut, Reishi Mushroom, Asparagus Extract, Apple Fiber, Beet, Carrot, Tomato Extract, Garlic, Blueberry, Ginger, Chlorophyll, Barley Grass, Kale.
• Other Ingredients: Vegetable Cellulose, Magnesium Stearate, Rice Flour.

Balance of Nature Supplement Facts

The business website for Balance of Nature lists the following ingredients for their Fruit & Veggies product:

• Proprietary Whole Fruit Maintain Blend: Aloe Vera, Apple, Banana, Blueberry, Cherry, Cranberry, Grape, Grapefruit, Lemon, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry and Tomato.
• Proprietary Whole Veggie Maintain Blend: Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Cayenne Pepper, Celery, Garlic, Kale, Onion, Shiitake Mushroom, Soybean, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Wheatgrass and Zucchini.

Which Ingredients List is Superior?

While Balance of Nature Fruits & Veggies capsules contain a wider range of ingredients, Fruits and Greens by Substance has the more nutritious superfoods in its formulation.

Alfalfa, eleuthero, oat grass, dandelion greens and broccoli are the first 5 additions in Substance’s Sustenance pills, and therefore the ones with the highest volume by weight.

Alfalfa, oat grass, dandelion greens and broccoli are all rich in minerals, antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients. While eleuthero, also called Siberian ginseng, is an adaptogen known for increasing energy, reducing fatigue and improving cognitive function.

Substance Fruits and Greens also contains other potent ingredients, such as reishi mushroom, blueberry, garlic, barley grass and chlorophyll.

By comparison, Balance of Nature Fruits has blueberry, raspberry, cranberry and aloe vera as standouts. While the Veggies product contains shiitake mushroom, cayenne pepper, wheatgrass and garlic as its best ingredients.

Overall though, this supplement includes quite a few average additions, such as grape, banana, apple and orange. These are commonly eaten foods and are lower in nutrients than most of the superfoods in the Sustenance formula.

I also think it’s important to make note of the raw soybean found in the Veggies pills. Soy is a cheap filler found in many processed foods these days. It contains anti-nutrients, it linked to many adverse effects, and some people are allergic to it. In my opinion, there’s really no good reason for soy to be in a supplement designed to improve your health.

In fact, most vitamin manufacturers go out of their way to market their products as soy-free. That Dr. Howard, the creator and formulator of Balance of Nature, still hasn’t substituted soybean for something better in 2026, after so many years of criticism about this inclusion, is strange to say the least.

There’s much more on Balance of Nature nutrition facts here, including sugar content, carbs, vitamins, minerals, if it helps with weight loss and is it really healthy?

Pros and Cons of Sustenance Fruits and Greens

Pros

• Contains mineral-rich greens, such as alfalfa, oat grass, dandelion greens, barley grass, kale and chlorophyll. As well as adaptogens like Siberian ginseng and reishi mushroom.
• Substance says their Fruits & Greens supplement is made in the USA in a cGMP facility from American grown produce. They also state that all their products are vegan, non-GMO, and gluten, dairy and soy-free.
• This product has an unconditional 90-day satisfaction promise. Substance Health say they will give a full refund if you’re not completely satisfied with any of their products.
• Less than half the retail price of Fruits & Veggies here on their Amazon page for an objectively superior superfood supplement.

Cons

• Sustenance Fruits and Greens comes in 1 bottle of 120 capsules versus Balance of Nature’s 2 bottles of 90 capsules each. You take 4 capsules of Fruits and Greens compared to 6 with Fruits & Veggies. To many people taking less pills will be a pro not a con. It still adds up to a 3,095 mg dosage though, compared to 3,964 mg of whole food powder when taking Balance of Nature.
• These whole food capsules have rice flour and magnesium stearate as other ingredients, whilst Balance of Nature lists only vegetable cellulose from the capsules. While many brands are worse offenders, Substance could improve their formula by removing these fillers.

Pros and Cons of Balance of Nature

Pros

• Dr. Howard’s formulation has some nutritious berries and fruit, such as cranberry, blueberry, papaya, pineapple and strawberry. As well as healthy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, kale, wheatgrass and shiitake mushroom.
• The company says all ingredients are harvested at the peak of ripeness and freeze-dried to retain the most antioxidants and other nutrients.
• Fruits & Veggies comes in 2 bottles containing 180 capsules in total, versus Fruits & Greens which has 120. With the 6 caps compared to 4 caps daily dosage, Balance of Nature offers more whole food powder per day.

Cons

• Raw soybean as an ingredient in the Veggies formula makes it unsuitable for those with a soy allergy, and anyone who wants to avoid this controversial additive.
• Too many cheap and common fruits added, like apple, banana, orange and grape.
• Balance of Nature has a retail price of $89.95 for a 30-day supply. That’s more than double the cost of Substance Fruits and Greens. It’s also 5 times more expensive than superior alternatives, like Double Wood Daily Fruits and Veggies, available here on their website with much better ingredients, published safety certificates and free delivery.

Sustenance Fruits and Greens Side Effects

Substance states on their packaging that, “pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as individuals with a known medical condition, should consult a physician before using this or any other dietary supplement.”

They don’t list any specific side effects from taking Fruits and Greens and few would be expected from freeze-dried whole food powder capsules like this.

Reading through customer reviews on these vitamins there were no common negative effects that I could find. This is a much newer product than Balance of Nature though and has a lot less consumer feedback.

Balance of Nature Precautions and Side Effects

Most of the ingredients in Fruits & Veggies should not cause unwanted effects for the vast majority of people. There are a few themes that emerge however in the thousands of ratings by customers on Amazon.

The most common complaints I could see were about heartburn or an upset stomach after taking the capsules. Heartburn is most likely due to taking them on an empty stomach which is not recommended.

The garlic, onion and cruciferous vegetables in the Veggies product could cause some gas and bloating for sensitive individuals. This side effect is usually temporary and resolves after a day or two of use.

People with a soy allergy should not take the veggie capsules due to the raw soybean they contain. Also keep in mind that this product contains grapefruit, an ingredient that some GPs advise their patients on certain prescriptions to avoid.

There’s more on Balance of Nature side effects here, along with my personal experience taking these whole food pills for a month.

Comparing Daily and Monthly Costs

Both Nature’s Sustenance and Balance of Nature provide a 30-day supply when taken at the recommended daily dosage.

Fruits and Greens by Substance is available here on their Amazon store for less than half the expense of Balance of Nature. While Fruits & Veggies goes for $89.95, both there and on the company’s own website.

That currently works out at $1.46 as the daily cost for taking Nature’s Sustenance versus $2.99 for Balance of Nature. It’s a big difference in price points, and one that’s difficult to fathom, given the comparison of ingredients and different pros and cons listed earlier.

Of all the whole food supplements I’ve covered on Superfood Profiles, only GOvana and Earth Energy Fruits & Veggies are as comparably overpriced for what you get.

There’s many better and cheaper fruit and vegetable supplements available in 2026. You can also get the Balance of Nature knock off Superfood MD, with identical ingredients minus the soybean, for around half the monthly cost.

Consumer Reviews for Substance Fruits and Greens

Fruits and Greens currently has 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Since it’s quite new, there are only 170 customer ratings at the time of writing. 85% of these are 4 and 5 stars, while 15% are 3, 2 and 1 stars.

Common positive themes included, “more energy”, “good ingredients” and, “a fair price versus competitors”. Here’s some example quotes:

• “I think it’s more about ensuring that your body gets some good stuff, especially antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. I especially appreciate the addition of mushrooms because I’m excited about their health benefits.”
• “I noticed that I had more energy when I woke up and it lasted long through the day.”
• “I could tell a difference right away after taking the daily dose of 4 pills. Can’t explain it, but I seemed to feel better and have more energy.”

There aren’t many negative reviews on this new product but the couple I found generally mentioned not feeling any effect from taking it. For example:

• “I feel no different than I did a few weeks ago when I first started taking these.”
• “I haven’t felt any harm or good from taking this, but I think it’s best for someone who wants to add some fruit and veggies, but aren’t taking other supplements or have a specific deficiency.”

Customer Feedback for Balance of Nature

There are currently around 19,900 consumer ratings for Balance of Nature on Amazon USA. It’s not surprising then that there is a wide range of differing opinions.

Overall Fruits & Veggies is rated 4.2 stars out of 5. 78% of customer reviews are 4 and 5 stars, while 22% are 3, 2 and 1 star opinions.

Positive themes include, “a boost of energy” and, “a convenient way to get fruits and vegetables.” Here are some quotes:

• “I love that I’m putting something good in my body that is easy and convenient.”
• “My husband and I have been taking them for over a month now. We’re mostly just feeling a small boost of energy. Didn’t do much for aches and pains.”
• “Both myself and my husband started taking these and have noticed an increase in energy. Don’t feel like I need a nap in the afternoon.”

Negative reviews on Balance of Nature often mention terms like, “expensive”, “a waste of money” and, “felt no difference”. For example:

• “No change. Disappointed we wasted our money. Seems obvious to me now that the advertisements have embellished a bit.”
• “I didn’t notice any health difference at all. Very expensive.”
• “I have been using it for 3 months. I really didn’t notice any change.”

Balance of Nature Versus Substance Fruits and Greens: The Verdict

With over 10 years of experience researching superfoods, it’s my opinion that Sustenance Fruits and Greens by Substance is a superior substitute for Balance of Nature in 2026. You can get it here on Amazon for half the monthly cost of Fruits & Veggies.

There’s simply no good reason for Balance of Nature to be more than twice as expensive given its ingredients and the other issues covered in this review.

Perhaps if the company spent less on TV ads, and more on improving their formulation, they could offer a better product to potential customers at a lower price.

While Nature’s Sustenance Fruits and Greens is a better choice in this direct comparison, there are many cheaper options here in this new guide to Balance of Nature alternatives.

One of the best covered there is Double Wood Fruits and Veggies. It has much healthier superfoods than Balance of Nature and 180 capsules versus 120 for Sustenance Fruits and Greens. Despite this, it’s available here on their website for less than a quarter of the cost of Fruit & Veggies and less than half of the Substance product.

Another good option, if you don’t mind mixing up a green powder, is in this Field of Greens review. It’s a superfood supplement I take myself most mornings that’s much better than both Balance of Nature and Substance Fruits and Greens.