This mornings Shakeology review is going to be blunt. It’s going to be short. But it’s not going to be sweet. In my in-depth article I’m going to cover off on one of the world’s most popular protein shake scams in the entire world. I am of course talking about the deceptive and poorly conceived Shakeology. As with all of my protein shake reviews- the first thing I’m going to discuss is the taste of the protein shake. I’ll go into detail on both the flavor profile itself and then also how it mixes. I want you to know beforehand exactly what you are getting in terms of taste. The next thing I’ll talk about is the flavor and ingredient list. This is an important component of any protein powder and maybe more important in this one because of how expensive it is. Speaking of costs. After a brief packaging review, we will assess the value of this product. That is going to be the fun part. Alright let’s get this review started. Here it is folks- my official Shakeology reviews.
Everyone has that cousin, right? That cousin that is super into health and fitness but doesn’t really seem that dedicated to it? Geez I hope he’s not reading this article. LOL. But you totally do. And that cousin might actually be a friend, brother, or even significant other (but hopefully not, for your sake lol).
Where are you going with this Allie? Well. Mine happens to be a cousin. And EVERY time I see him he asks me all sorts of questions. “What workouts do you do?” he asks “What sort of diet and nutrition do you follow?” and of course “Which supplements do you take?”. Now don’t get me wrong I always take this interest and interrogation as flattery. I mean- if he wants to know about what health and fitness habits I have, than that means he wants to have some sort of result similar to what I’ve achieved. And that totally makes me feel good. But it also sort of makes me feel bad. Because it seems like every time we talk supplements, he has some new ‘magic pill’ or ‘magic cleanse’, or ‘magic shakes’ as it was this last time at my sisters wedding.
The products in question are usually mis-leading in the claims that they promise, and they always seem to work their magic on people like my cousin, who, god-bless him, will never have the level of commitment needed to get a result like he really wants. Sort of a terrible thing to say. But hey. I hope he does prove me wrong!
Anyways. He of course asked me about Shakeology. I had heard of this company before, and often times in a very unfavorable light- especially with regard to it’s price point. Thankfully, my cousin had actually brought the product to the wedding because he knew I’d want to try it! Yes. I am truly the supplement guru. That’s why you love me. Lol. He brought me the chocolate flavor and we immediately set about mixing up some Shakeology. So now having tried this protein shake- let’s start the review with a summary of the taste:
Shakeology Protein Smoothie Taste Grade: 9.0
As I was half expecting- Shakeology really does taste quite good. How was I expecting that, you ask? Well I had glanced briefly at the package and noted a pretty significant 6 grams of sugar per serving. I’m the last person to cry to Momma about a little sugar- but 6 grams is entering that realm of – hmm isn’t sugar bad for you? There’s also stevia in here so you get a sweeter flavor than just the sugar alone. To be quite honest with you the level of sweetness and the flavoring in general is totally on point. I really didn’t expect much less from a company with such deep pockets as Shakeology. The stuff BETTER taste good for that amount of money! Now this is s theme you’re about to start seeing more and more throughout this Shakeology review. The product is not bad. It’s just over-priced. But let’s stay on track.
In describing the actual flavor profile of the chocolate Shakeology– I would say it has definite notes of milk chocolate and dark chocolate as well. There’s also a sort of oddly fruity aftertaste that you can pick up if you are really looking for it- which I was. I knew from the ingredients list that there were some of those ‘superfruit’ add-ins to this protein shake and that’s why I could really sense their presence. I mixed about one heaping scoop into 10-12 ounces of ice cold whole milk, and blended it with a few ice cubes in my magic bullet. The consistency was perfect- and the taste, again, was fantastic. It was chocolatey and sweet without being overpowering like a Burger King milkshake that you can feel yourself getting diabetes as you drink it because it’s so sweet. Lol. So taste equals good. Let’s go over the formula and ingredients:
Shakeology Supplement Facts and Ingredients Grade: 9.5
I’m giving them a super high score on formula because i’s a brilliant formula- there’s no two ways about it. I love that they use whey as the primary source of the protein, and then bolster it with some vegan sources. The really intelligent part of this formula comes in the superfoods blend. Now. The thing to keep in mind is that you don’t really know how much of each of these add-ins is in each serving since it’s in a big blend. But the add-ins themselves are brilliant.
- sacha inchi
- acerola cherry
- coconut flower nectar
- cordyceps
- green tea
- oat grass
- amaranth
- schisandra
-to name a few. What the additions do for you is multi-faceted. Several of them such as green tea and schisandra are aimed at boosting fat burning. Others are there to support immunity (acai, blueberry, coconut flower), while still others are there for support at a cellular level like ginko, rose hips, and also enzymes.
Things about this formula that I think could’ve been improved are that the sheer volume of vitamins in here seems to be overkill. Literally every vitamin under the sun is included in each serving of Shakeology. So for someone who eats a regular diet consisting of actual foods- this is not necessary for me. The quantities are not over-the-top which I’m thankful for. You know how some of these shakes will give you like 500% of each vitamin? Well Shakeology does not do this. The average quantities of the vitamins are like 50% of your recommended daily value. So for alot of people this is actually going to be super helpful and will fill in some gaps in the diet. So the formula is sound, and the taste is on point- when does this Shakeology review take a negative turn? Well we’re going to talk packaging now, so keep holding your breath!
Shakeology Packaging Review Grade: 9.0
As with taste and formula- Shakeology really has done quite a nice job with the package design. They use the stand-up pouches that have become so popular among the protein manufacturers these days. The pouch stands up beautifully with a dark color scheme that echoes a high-quality feel to the product. Our chocolate flavor featured a tall glass of a perfectly blended Shakeology shake dominating the front panel. The glass itself is curved and conveys the subliminal message of ‘if you drink this, you will get these desirable curves’. I always find it remarkable how the package design can be such a tool for marketing and eliciting those purchasing emotions! The Shakeology brand mark runs across the top of the pouch with the tagline ‘the healthiest meal of the day’. You know that this package design section is my favorite part of my reviews- and this Shakeology review is a perfect showcase of why: these brands are communicating with us through their packaging. You can almost hear the words of the designers and brand directors in the conference room as they determine the emotions that they want to draw out in the audience- ‘upscale’, ‘healthy’, ‘weight-loss’, ‘beauty’, ‘great-taste’. Truly brilliant!
Shakeology Review Summary and Final Score:
- Shakeology Protein Smoothie Taste Grade: 9.0
- Shakeology Supplement Facts and Ingredients Grade: 9.5
- Shakeology Packaging Review Grade: 9.0
- Shakeology Value Grade: 6.0
Sigh. So hear is your negative turn folks. The value, the value, the value. I know. My Shakeology review had been so overwhelmingly positive throughout. And now it’s all come to a screeching halt because we’ve got to take the price into account.
The cost of each month supply ($30 servings) of Shakeology is $129. Nope, that’s not a typo. Go look on their website. It’s an absolute robbery in my opinion. Is the product itself fantastic? Sure. And that’s why they would be able to get away charging $50-$60 per pouch of this protein powder. But DOUBLE that? Heck no. It’s just beyond comprehension how people keep spending THAT much money on a protein shake like this when there are so many comparable products in the market. People. I don’t care who you are, or where your money came from. Shakeology is not worth that kind of money.*
Shakeology Supplement Facts and Ingredients Grade: 7.5
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