Sunday, June 5, 2011

Protein shakes/drinks...my ratings of shakes so far

From Feb. 22, 2011


So far I've tried about 10 different types. I've decided the best ones are the ones that I make myself in the blender. However, I will be returning to work soon and that is just not an option for me in the morning because 1) I don't have time and 2) I can't use the blender in the morning because it will wake up my children. So I've decided to try the pre-made protein shakes. I'm not a big fan of milk, even soy milk so I can't say that I love the milk based ones but here are the ones that haven't made me hurl so far:

1. GNC Total Lean - Lean Shake in Swiss Chocolate, 14 oz.
25 grams of protein, 170 calories, 24 vitamins and minerals, lactose free, 6 grams of Carbs (3g are dietary fiber and 2 g are sugar), 6 g of fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans fat).
Decent taste, I liked it better cold. Even though it's lactose free it still has kind of a milky taste because it has diafiltered skim milk (It just means they remove the carbohydrates). Comes in a nice, plastic easy to carry-with-you bottle. Overall I'd give it a 9 out of 10.
2. GNC Total Lean - Lean Shake in Vanilla, 14 oz.
Basically all the same stuff as the chocolate but I didn't like the taste as well. I would use this one as a base to blend stuff fruit with later on. It would be good blended with ice, blueberries and strawberries and then I'd have 2 smoothies. Yum! 7 out of 10 straight outta the bottle.
3. Isopure Zero Carb, 20 oz. - Alpine Punch
40 grams of protein, 160 calories, 0 carbs, 0 sugar
I like this one because it's a clear liquid, not milk based. It's more like a punch. It's not very sweet and takes some getting used to. I like to have it in my car or in my purse BUT the major drawback is it comes in a GLASS bottle. The glass bottle is soooo inconvenient and heavy. Grrr! To make transporting it easier, I poured it into a water bottle and refrigerated it. Isopure needs to make it in a plastic bottle and it'd be a winner! I give it 8 out of 10. Losing 1 point for flavor and 1 point for the stupid bottle.
4. Kirkland brand weight loss shake, Milk Chocolate, 11 oz.
10 grams of protein, 230 calories, 44 g of carbs, 2 g of fat (0.5 saturated fat, 0 g transfat), 24 vitamins and minerals
I put this one on the bottom because it really is the worst one for carbs and protein, however, I think this one is the tastiest, probably due to all the sugar in it!! The ingredients list starts with Skim Milk, Water, Sugar, Cocoa, Corn Syrup - Yikes!!!Posted ImageMy husband bought these for me the first week after my surgery because I couldn't go shopping myself so now they are just sitting in my kitchen. I'll take them with me to work and throw a few in my car and have them as back up but most likely will not use them. I give it 4 out of 10 due to the high carbs and sugar.
5. Medifast Dutch Chocolate Shake- 14 grams of protein, 13 g of carbs (4 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar) 110 calories, 1 g fat
These aren't really pre-made but I can make them in a shaker instead of a blender so they'll count. They taste pretty good when blended or mixed with ice. There aren't big clumps even when using the hand shaker. But they are not pre-made. I give it 6 out of 10 for the relatively low protein and high carb ratio and inconvenience of having to blend myself.


I think Costco has the Premier Protein shakes which are supposed to be pretty good and have like 30 g of protein. When I feel up to it, I'm gonna head over there and buy some of those. I'll report back later in the week.


genepha

No comments:

Post a Comment