I think that it is an expensive option. For the cost of aojiru you could easily afford more fruits and vegetables every month.

Besides the price, I think one big downfall of aojiru is that it lacks fiber when compared to fruits and vegetables. Its green color also suggests a lack of variety.

I also think some of the claims seem dubious. Every now and then I’ll see some fishy looking infomercial touting the health benefits of aojiru. It just seems like the current (perhaps passing?) health fad in Japan. I don’t think it will be the health fad. People don’t feel good because the majority of them are becoming (or currently are) senior citizens. The crazy thing is, doctors and pharmacists seem to push this stuff as much as the drug stores (read: glorified convenience stores). I’m not sure if the claims these companies make about their products are properly scrutinized.

As far as the taste goes, it’s not that bad. If you can drink green tea, then you can handle aojiru. There are also various ways of consuming it. You could sprinkle it on top of other foods, for instance. My wife liked to mix it in hot cocoa– the color was dreadful but admittedly it tasted pretty good.

My wife used to buy it. I’ve been more careful about what we buy lately and we’ve stopped getting packaged foods (besides soy milk and yogurt), no matter how healthy people claim them to be. I have to say, more actual vegetables is the better and considerably cheaper option.