Zurvita is a brand new mega-player-to-be in the nutrition industry, and I’m pretty pumped to be one of the first ones EVER to review the Zurvita Protein Shakes. I actually had the opportunity to try ALL the Zurvita products, so do look for these reviews, as it is going to be ZURVITA week here on the BPW. But of course we’re going to start things off today with a BANG by reviewing the protein shakes first. In this Zurvita Zeal Protein review, we’re going to discuss the product from the inside out. I’ll help you sort out what’s the best flavor of Zurvita Zeal Protein, what’s IN Zeal Protein, and of course I’ll do a fun little packaging review. The end of the review will be a nice consolidated final review summary where I’ll pack all this info into a tidy little package and churn out the Zeal Protein Final Review Score. Oh. As with ALL my reviews I’ll also be sure to sprinkle in plenty of my own witty flavor. You’ll probably be rolling your eyes at my snide remarks, but, hey. If you can’t have fun writing blog posts, why write them at all? Exactly. So grab a cup of coffee, I know I have! And if you can find your reading glasses you might as well throw those on too. Let’s get this freaking awesome Zurvita Protein Review started.
Zurvita might be the new Herbalife. Yep. I said it. It’s a bold statement, I know. But to be totally candid, Herbalife has lost it’s way. They are so big that they no longer take pride in their products. Herbalife vs Zurvita is going to be a debate you see start to emerge all over the internet, and you can bet that folks are going to be speaking more favorably of Zurvita as they sort of ‘hit their stride’ and start to really gain a following here in the only market that actually matters in the health and fitness space- the United States. Zurvita has currently a nice little line of offerings that look so good visually that they practically sell themselves before any marketing even has to be done. That’s a massive advantage over Herbalife or Shakeology right there. Oh. Speaking of Shakeology, this is the other company that Zurvita will be GUNNING for in the coming months. Shakeology vs Zurvita is an absolute heavyweight bout. At the end of the review I’ll let you know which protein shake is better in my opinion. But. Yeah. Zurvita is a really exciting new ‘multilevel’ nutrition company- meaning you can only buy it through certified individuals. In that sense it’s also like Advocare, which I hate. But enough of this industry speak. Let’s get you some info on Zurvita Zeal protein.
What’s the Best Flavor of Zurvita Zeal Protein?
I will tell you that this product tastes very, very good. Whether or not it tastes better than Shakeology is going to vary depending on who you ask, but in my opinion, Zeal IS better-tasting than Shakeology. Here are my thoughts on both flavors of Zurvita Zeal protein that I have tried.
Vanilla Creme: Vanilla Creme is the better-tasting of the two Zurvita Protein flavors, and it’s because of not just the boldness and quality of the flavors themselves but also the consistency and the rich texture of the vanilla in comparison to the chocolate. When you first take a sip of Vanilla Creme Zurvita, you are immediately struck by how REAL the vanilla tastes. It’s almost equivalent of when you are making cookies and the recipe calls for the vanilla extract- so you open up that little bottle and wave it under your nose. THAT’s the sort of rich, bold flavor that I get with each sip of Zurvita Zeal Protein. If you don’t like a really bold flavor, then you might like the chocolate better- but I personally really loved this Vanilla ZEAL better.
Chocolate Delight: You KNOW that I’m a chocolate lover. Almost every one of my protein reviews that involve multiple flavor options will have me reviewing the chocolate flavor. I’ve experienced the best and the worst that the supplement wold has to offer when it comes to chocolate flavored protein powders, and I think Zurvita stands somewhere right in the middle, if not on the upper end of the spectrum. This is a chocolate flavor that falls more on the milk chocolate side than a dark chocolate. It’s sweet, without being overly bitter. It’s not terribly rich, which I think is why I prefer the vanilla actually. But the chocolate delight is totally drinkable, and if you consider yourself a chocolate person, you won’t be disappointed with the Chocolate Delight Zurvita Zeal Protein.
So those are my thoughts on what the best flavor of ZEAL protein is. The vanilla takes the gold medal, and then the chocolate is a close second. One thing that I should mention is that I used whole milk and ice in my shakes- which will ALWAYS taste better than making the shakes in just water alone. So that’s just something to keep in mind. Cool. Let’s talk about the formula now.
What’s in Zurvita ZEAL for Life Protein?
It’s actually not that easy to find out what’s in this protein shake just by looking at the package and the label. I should say that it’s a tiny bit, er, deceptive of a package. Here’s what I mean by that. The branding and packaging of Zurvita Zeal protein is very, sort of, ‘Whole Foods-esque’ if you will. You look at it and instantly think- ‘hey this stuff is all-natural and healthy and I love it’. Well, not so fast. Ok, so it’s a healthy protein supplement don’t get me wrong, but it’s not quite as pure and natural as you would think from your first impression. Zeal protein does use quite a bit of artificial ingredients to give you the micronutrient benefits (the vitamins and minerals), and also to provide that great taste, it makes use of artificial flavors and sweeteners. The macros are pretty good on Zeal– you have:
Calories: 95
Total Fat: 2g
Sat Fat: 0g
Sodium: 105mg
Potassium: 140mg
Total Carbohydrate: 7g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 14g
These are pretty good macros in my view. The protein amount could be a LITTLE bit higher, but 14 grams is ok. The 3 grams of sugar might turn some people off, but I’m ok with 3. If it was 8 or 10 we would have a problem, but I won’t lose sleep drinking 3 grams of sugar. So the macros check out fine. Let’s look at some of ingredients themselves. The key ingredients in Zurvita Zeal Protein are:
Whey Protein
Pea Protein
Crystalline Fructose
Fibersol-2
Cocoa Powder
Stabilized Rice Bran
Sunflower Oil
Corn Syrup Solids
Sodium Caseinate
Soy Lecithin
Artificial and Natural Flavors
Cellulose Gum
Hm. So I think it’s curious that Zurvita decided to use a combination of dairy and non-dairy proteins in this product. I wonder if it’s so that they can say that it’s ‘made with plant-based protein’ for marketing purposes. I think that would be slightly deceptive since the primary source appears to be whey (since it’s listed first), but who am I to judge. The slightly concerning thing about the Zurvita Protein ingredients is that several of the top ingredients are not exactly ‘healthy’. You have Fructose, which is sugar. You have Stabilized Rice Bran, which is a processed ingredient for giving form and texture. You have soy lecithin, which is filler, and you also have corn syrup solids- another sugar. I really don’t know if I want to be putting these in my body day in and day out, but it’s hard to know how much of these ingredients are really in the product.
I also see that they’ve included white kidney bean extract in Zurvita Protein- maybe in an attempt to help folks lose or ‘maintain a healthy weight’ which seems to be a favorite buzz-phrase of Zurvita. What’s odd is that there is no mention of ‘weight loss’ or ‘fat loss’ anywhere on the Zurvita Protein label…in other words they aren’t marketing it as a fat-burning protein, like the Shredz Thermogenic Protein, for example. But I just thought that was odd that they would put ‘weight loss’ ingredients in Zurvita protein and then not promote it on the label. But speaking of the label- let’s jump into our Zurvita protein packaging section.
Zurvita Protein Packaging Grade: 9.3
As I mentioned earlier in the review, I think one of the strong points of Zurvita, and probably the MAIN reason why they are going to be very competitive with the other big dogs in the MLM supplement scene is that they have stunning packaging. I really like what they’ve done by utilizing a mix of analog and digital design. For those of you unfamiliar with such fancy design-speak, this means that I love the sort of ‘painted’ or ‘watercolor’ graphics that adorn the top portion of all the Zurvita products. It’s really a tasteful and smart choice for their line of supplements. The proteins use earthy colors to reflect the natural and savory Vanilla Creme and Chocolate Delight flavors. I also really enjoy the tall, elegant font selection on the front panel of the Zurvita Protein label. It looks really good. The Zurvita logo is fun, even if it does sort of look like a copy of Isagenix. The layout of Zurvita Protein is also brilliant. All of the different elements have room to breathe, and only the essential information is included. UNLIKE that horrible Thermogen fat burner I reviewed yesterday. But. Yeah. Zurvita stuff looks really, really good. That’s a theme you’ll hear all week from me as I review the other products in the Zurvita line. Let’s wrap things up here.
Zurvita ZEAL for Life Protein Review Summary
- Zurvita Protein Flavor Grade: 8.8
- Zurvita Protein Formula Grade: 8.3
- Zurvita Protein Packaging Grade: 9.3
- Zurvita Protein Value Score: 7.8
So if the pricing is consistent with what the Zurvita rep told me, you are going to be paying well over $2 / serving for each Zurvita Protein shake. I think most of the Zurvita customers are going to be able to afford that, but for a super well-informed customer like yours truly, this product isn’t strong enough from a formula standpoint to command such a price-point.*
Zurvita Protein Final Review Score: 8.1
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