Morning Complete is a wellness powder supplement sold by a brand called ActivatedYou which was founded by actress Maggie Q.
The supplement contains prebiotics, probiotics and "Green Superfoods." The brand suggests that the "potent blend of nutrients" in their supplement can help "rev up your metabolism" and "support healthy liver and cellular functioning."
But does Morning Complete contain research-backed ingredients or are these just marketing claims? Are the ingredients included at effective doses? Are there any questionable additive ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of this supplement?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Morning Complete based on medical research, to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective or if it's a waste of money.
This supplement contains a large number of active ingredients (35 by our count), so we'll break our ingredient analysis into four sections: Prebiotic Blend, Probiotic Blend, Botanicals Blend and Inactive Ingredients. At the end of each ingredient analysis section, we'll give our verdict on whether or not we approve of the blend.
We'll also share our experience after using Morning Complete for 30 days, provide a cost breakdown documenting which retailer has the best price on Morning Complete, share our concerns about the brand's product testing claims, and feature real, unsponsored Morning Complete user reviews.
Ingredient Analysis – Prebiotic Blend
Morning Complete's "Prebiotic and High Fiber" Blend contains two ingredients: tapioca fiber and cinnamon bark.
Tapioca fiber is a type of dietary fiber, and dietary fiber intake is associated with reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and other negative health outcomes according to a meta-study published in the Nutrition Reviews journal.
The total dose of 4.05 grams (g) is not particularly high given that adults should consume a minimum of 21 to 38 g of fiber per day according to the Mayo Clinic, but any supplemental fiber is better than none for most Americans.
Cinnamon bark is an ingredient we recommend avoiding unless it's specifically listed as Ceylon cinnamon bark. The cheaper Cassia cinnamon is high in a toxin called coumarin which can harm the liver, as we documented in our Shakeology reviews article on another health supplement containing this ingredient.
Verdict: We disapprove of this blend.
Ingredient Analysis – Probiotic Blend
The Probiotic Blend contains nine species of probiotics at a total dose of 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU). This appears to be an effective maintenance dose for adults, according to a medical review published in the American Family Physician Journal, which recommended at least 10 billion CFU daily.
A specific strain of L. gasseri was shown in a clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal to improve stress response in otherwise healthy young adults.
L. acidophilus may improve nutrient absorption based on clinical trials, as we documented in our review of probiotic supplement Floraspring.
Verdict: We approve of this blend.
Ingredient Analysis – Botanical Blends
Morning Complete contains six different blends of plant-based ingredients. The "green superfoods" that the brand references in their marketing refers to these blends.
There are some healthy, whole food ingredients in these blends such as broccoli and fennel seed, but the ingredient doses are relatively low. All of these blends combined have a total dose of 1,410 milligrams (mg), or 58.75 mg per ingredient.
Below are a few examples of why we consider the majority of these ingredients to be underdosed:
Milk thistle seed extract is included in a "Cellular Function and Liver Support" blend with an average dose of 15 mg per ingredient.
Milk thistle is one of the most well-studied herbal compounds for liver support, but a 2022 medical review suggests that the effective milk thistle dose is around 600 mg per day, or 40x the average ingredient dose in Morning Complete's Liver Support blend.
Ginger root is an effective metabolism enhancer that may cause modest weight loss, but it's included in a "Metabolic Enhancing" blend with an average ingredient dose of only 65 mg.
A 2019 medical review on ginger for metabolic benefit analyzed results from 14 clinical trials on the topic, and most doses were at or over 2,000 mg per day. The lowest ginger dose used in any of the trials was 500 mg per day, or 7.69x the amount likely in Morning Complete.
Green tea leaf extract is another ingredient in the Metabolic blend that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid.
As we documented in our Skald reviews article, high doses of this ingredient have been shown to cause toxicity in clinical trials. We don't believe the green tea extract dose that's likely to be in this supplement should be harmful, but avoiding this ingredient entirely may be a prudent decision.
Verdict: We disapprove of this blend.
Ingredient Analysis – Inactive Ingredients
Morning Complete contains five inactive ingredients, and we consider two of these to be questionable from a health perspective.
Natural flavors is a broad categorization that fails to describe the specific flavoring compounds used.
While it's a healthier option than artificial flavors, a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal documented toxicity concerns regarding some natural flavoring compounds and their metabolites.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer. As we referenced in our review of Beauty Focus Collagen (another supplement containing this ingredient), citric acid has been clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammatory reactions in some individuals.
Verdict: We disapprove of this blend.
We Tried Morning Complete Ourselves
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I wanted to try Morning Complete for myself to give my personal take on whether it's worth the money.
I didn't notice any physical or mental effects from the drink, but this is what I expected since it's used more for nutritional benefits than any sort of short-term effect.
I strongly dislike the taste. It's a highly synthetic-tasting apple cinnamon flavor that's too processed for me. I don't like "flavored" foods or supplements at all, but if I had to use one I'd prefer one with a milder flavor like AG1.
One benefit of Morning Complete compared to green and prebiotic powders I've tried during other Illuminate Health product tests is that Morning Complete blends very well. The consistency is fine, not chunky, and it feels "light" in your stomach.
I would not personally buy this supplement again because I consider it overpriced, dislike the taste, and avoid flavored supplements.
Where to Get the Best Price
Morning Complete is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown at the time of updating this article:
GoSupps: $84.99 (link)
Brand website: $79 (link)
Amazon: $56.95 (link to official Amazon listing)
The price on Amazon has increased since initially publishing this article, but it's still currently 28% cheaper than purchasing on the brand's website.
Real People Try Morning Complete
A YouTube creator named "Very Réal" explains why she doesn't recommend using Morning Complete after trying it for 30 days, in a video with over 150,000 views:
Another YouTube creator named Leslie Portugal had a better experience with the product:
No Proof of Third-Party Testing
ActivatedYou claims that Morning Complete goes through "rigorous testing for quality, purity and potency" at a third-party laboratory. However, the brand doesn't publish this testing or provide any proof of these claims.
If they have the test results, why not publish them?
We don't understand why so many supplement companies make health claims without providing proof of such claims, and we recommend that consumers disregard claims made by companies that fail to provide proof.
The brand doesn't even explain what specifically is tested for, which is an important distinction. Is it only label accuracy testing (ensuring that what's stated on the Supplement Facts label) is included in the finished product, or does the brand perform contaminant testing for heavy metals and pesticides as well?
We hope that in the near future ActivatedYou clarifies these testing claims and publishes the results on their website.
Company Founder Discusses Formulation
Celebrity Maggie Q discusses how she chose the ingredients in Morning Complete in a YouTube video with over 30,000 views:
Real Customers Rate Morning Complete
Amazon is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
Morning Complete has been reviewed over 2,600 times on Amazon with an average review rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "natacha lamarre" who gives the product 4 out of 5 stars and claims it improved their gut health:
"This product has made me more regular with less bloating. I want to try it for the full 3 months to really see the full effects. It seems to have curbed my appetite a bit too. It’s a bit pricey, but if it truly does what is says, I guess it’s worth it."
The top negative review comes from a verified purchaser named "JetA1Pilot" who claims Morning Complete caused side effects and gave the supplement a 1 out of 5 star rating:
"After taking the first scoop on day one the bloating started with gas and discomfort within an hour. Mild cramps followed after about 2 hours. Started to feel nauseous after 3-4 hours and had to take medication to alleviate the stomach cramps and nausea in order to get through the work day."
Our Clean Wellness Powder Picks
Morning Complete primarily serves two purposes: a prebiotic powder and a greens powder.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top prebiotic fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ contains 100% soluble fiber, which was described as "one of the most important nutrients for the gut microbiota" in a clinical review published in the Molecules journal.
Complement Daily Greens is our top green powder pick.
This greens powder is extremely nutrient-dense without any added vitamins, providing 50% of the iron Daily Value (DV), 46% of the chromium DV and 35% of the vitamin A DV in one serving.
This powder uses organic stevia leaf extract and organic natural flavors to add flavoring, which meets our formulation standard given that organic natural flavors provide a higher standard of ingredient safety in our opinion than natural flavors or artificial flavors according to USDA flavoring guidelines.
Morning Complete Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Morning Complete in our opinion:
Pros:
- Contains effective probiotic dose
- Contains fiber
- Contains wide range of botanical ingredients
- Should support gut health
Cons:
- Contains cinnamon
- Contains green tea leaf extract
- Contains flavoring ingredients
- Contains citric acid
- Mediocre Amazon reviews
- Brand doesn't publish third-party testing data they claim to have
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
