Meal replacement drinks are a beautiful thing.
I don’t know about you, but the fact that 12 ounces of chocolate (or vanilla, strawberry, etc.) can provide as much nutrition as a small meal amazes me.
Our ancestors would have killed for this. They had to hunt and gather to find protein, vitamins, and nutrients, and we get it instantly in a tiny little drink.
Although meal replacements started as a quick solution for individuals who couldn’t easily get enough nutrients, people everywhere are harnessing their power to curb their appetites, lose weight (through diets like Dukan and Medifast), and save time.
But not all meal replacement drinks are made equal.
Some are lighter, some taste better, and some can be downright useless; don't go in expecting a Starbucks-quality drink.
So how do you know if you’re getting something that’s going to taste decent AND help you lose weight, look better, and feel better?
Well here are four of the top meal replacement/protein shakes compared, so you don’t have to waste time and money trying to figure out which is best on your own.
First up is Soylent. Soylent’s website actually refers to it as “healthy, convenient, and affordable food.” They go on to claim that Soylent has all the protein, carbs, lipids, and macronutrients the body needs. Considering they only sell drinks and bars, that’s a pretty bold statement.
Soylent is called a “meal in a bottle," and is claimed to provide 20% of your daily nutritional requirements. Considering it’s packed with calories - and it looks and feels like astronaut food from the future - Soylent definitely falls more in the category of meal replacement than protein shake.
As you could probably guess, the protein in Soylent comes from soy protein isolate, as opposed to the whey protein most other protein drinks use. If you have milk or dairy allergies, this could be a good way to get extra protein (double-check the ingredients for dairy though).
As for taste, you won’t have to look far on the web to find someone dogging the taste of Soylent. That’s par for the course with most protein shakes and supplement drinks, but Soylent seems to catch more flak than most.
They use words like “bioengineered algae” and “bioreactors” in their product description, so if you’re looking for an all-natural supplement, this one probably isn’t it.
Check out the nutritional facts:
Serving size: 1 Bottle (about 14 fl oz)
400 calories
27 carbs
21 grams of fat
20 grams of protein
Price: $34/month for 12 bottles, or roughly $2.83/bottle (save money by using Soylent coupons on Dealspotr)
Shakeology is a well-known supplement drink with so much inside it’s almost unfair to call it a protein drink.
It’s known for weight loss and appetite-curbing, and has helped plenty of people lose significant amounts of weight.
Unlike some of their competition, Shakeology positions itself as the more “natural” product, with ingredients like quinoa, chlorella, pomegranate, spinach, and a whole lot more. Their ingredients provide prebiotics, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and more.
Plus Shakeology has more fiber than any of the competitors on this list, so if you’re looking for a supplement that will help with digestive health, this may be the one for you.
Some people complain about Shakeology’s taste. While bad taste is a common complaint against protein shakes, my personal experience is that Shakeology tastes great. I’ve never been able to stomach other protein drinks mixed without adding milk or fruit, but Shakeology tastes perfectly fine mixed directly with water.
Shakeology is also low in sugar, and it doesn’t pack the overly sweet kick most other protein drinks do. For me, that’s a huge plus. After all, who wants cake in a bottle first thing in the morning?
Probably the biggest downside to Shakeology is the price. At roughly $130 per bag of 30 servings, that’s just over $4/shake. That may seem high, but considering what all is in Shakeology and that it’s meant to replace a meal, $4 isn’t all that bad.
Oh, and if you’re wondering if it works, they have tons of testimonials from people who have used it, for what it’s worth.
Here are the nutrition facts:
Serving size: 1 Scoop (42g, makes 8-12 fl oz)
160 calories
17 carbs
2 grams of fat
17 grams of protein
Price: About $130 for a 30-serving bag (save money by using Shakeology coupons on Dealspotr)
Muscle Milk has long been a popular post-workout supplement for body-builders and athletes. It’s not as much of a meal replacement as the others on this list, but it still fares well in the ring with the likes of Shakeology, Soylent, and Ensure.
The first thing that jumps out to me when I think of Muscle Milk is how sweet it tastes. I’m not a huge fan of really sweet drinks that aren’t dessert, so I’m a little biased. Looking at the nutrition label, there isn’t much sugar. However, there’s Sucralose in the ingredients, which tells me there's a lot of artificial sweetener in it.
Muscle Milk has less calories and carbs, and other nutrients, so it might not be as filling as some meal replacement drinks, but it has a surprising amount of fiber and protein, so it should keep you full.
One of the main benefits of Muscle Milk is the price. At around $24 or so for 32 servings, that’s around $0.75 per serving, making it one of the cheaper options on this list.
However, as you can see from the nutrition label, the serving size says 1 scoop but the directions recommend using two scoops. That makes about 10-12 fluid ounces per drink, which puts the total calories at around 300, protein around 32 grams, and price per drink at closer to $1.50.
Muscle Milk is made with muscle growth in mind, so it provides amino acids like L-Glutamine and Taurine, which are building blocks for protein. That’s a lot of protein, so if you don’t have a decent level of daily activity, you may want to stick with a more traditional meal replacement supplement.
Serving size: 1 Scoop (35g, makes 5-6 fl oz)
150 calories
9 carbs
6 grams of fat
16 grams of protein
Price: About $24 for a 39.5 oz container (save money by using Muscle Milk coupons on Dealspotr)
Ensure is much more of a “traditional” meal replacement than the others on this list.
Ensure was one of the main products on the scene back when meal replacement drinks started getting popular for non-medical use, and they still control much of the meal replacement drink/protein shake market today.
As you can see, Ensure packs a decent amount of vitamins (50% of the daily value of Vitamins C and D) in a 8 oz serving, and at 220 calories, it should fill you up.
However, for the number of calories in a bottle of Ensure, there’s very little fiber, high sugar, and relatively little protein in comparison to other meal replacement and supplement drinks.
At around $20 for a 16 pack, Ensure is an attractive meal replacement option if you’re on a budget.
That said, Ensure is known for packing nutrients in a small serving, so if you’re looking to get some quick vitamins at a low price, Ensure is a good choice.
Serving size: 1 Bottle (8 fl oz)
220 calories
32 carbs
6 grams of fat
9 grams of protein
Price: About $20 for a 16 pack (save money by using Ensure coupons on Dealspotr)
Mike is a husband and father of 2 who studies the art of never paying full price for anything.
