With the billion dollar industry of nutritional supplements, it’s difficult to always know what is best and if the claims for better health are even true.  Recently, several of my customers have asked if Shakeology is as good as the popular Bodybyvi (visalus) shake.  I’ll let you make your own decision after pointing out a few facts. 

Shakeology is a nutrient packed shake of over 70  whole food derivatives.  “Whole food derivatives” aren’t just a bunch of added vitamin and minerals.  Whole food derivatives are nutrients that come from whole foods which our bodies can easily absorb and use.  The ingredients in Shakeology are the very best available and come from all over the world; the best crops with the highest nutrients are found and used with nothing artificial added.  You won’t be ingesting exotic synthetic extracts or isolates in Shakeology.  An added value in my book is that Beachbody works with the farmers who produce these crops to improve their lifestyle and to promote sustainability.  Beachbody’s reputation for helping people live healthy and fulfilling lives extends from the workers that produce the ingredients to those who drink it.  Beachbody is truly wellness focused; it isn’t a company looking to make a buck from cheating others out of their livelihood while ruining the ground they use to make a living. 

There are a wide variety of “meal replacement” and nutritional drinks on the market today.  You need to decide for yourself what matters most: cost, natural ingredients,  satiation, taste, variety, health.  You can find drinks that are full of protein but little nutrition, those full of added vitamins as well as artificial ingredients,  those that leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied.   You can lose weight on a low nutrient meal replacement shake just because the calories are low.   You could even eat 2 small  chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and 2 for lunch and a balanced meal for dinner and lose weight, but you wouldn’t be helping your body.  If you’re going to pay for a nutrition shake, find one with real nutrition!

Bodybyvi shakes  have 90 calories per shake  and are full of a variety of vitamins and minerals.  They have  <1 g sugar, 12 grams protein and 1 g fat.  There are  a variety of flavors (from artificial flavorings) and a long list of “other ingredients:   Soy Protein Isolate, Digestive Resistant maltodextrin (from Fibersol),  Whey protein Hydrolysate,  Whey protein Concentrate, diCalcium Phosphate, Sunflower Oil, natural and Artificial Flavor, Medium chain Triglycerides, maltodextrin, Gum Arabic, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Caseinate, dimagnesium Phosphate, magnesium Oxide, Soy Lecithin, mono and diglycerides, Patented Protease (from Aminogen), DiPotassium Phosphate, Sucralose, Ascorbic Acid, vitami nE Acetate, Chromium Amino Acid Chelate, Molybdenum Amino Acid Chelate, Selenium Amino Acid Chelate, Biotin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Niacinamide, Potassium Iodide, Zinc Oxide, copper gluconate, Calcium Panothenate, Cyanocobalamin, Manganese Sulfate, Cholecalciferol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,  Thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin Phytomenadione and folic Acid.    ALLERGY WARNING:  Products contain milk, egg, soybeans, wheat, shellfish, fish oil, tree nuts and  peanut flavor. 

The information I found for Bodybyvi suggested to have 2 shakes per day for weight loss, costing about $1.50 per shake ( $3 per day).  Shakeology suggests you take one shake a day for a meal or snack and costs $3 a shake for “coaches” and $4 retail.   There’s not a lot of difference in price, but there is a lot of difference in quality.

Shakeology has 150 calories, 1 gram fat,  9 grams sugar (natural) and 18 grams protein.   It is gluten free and has no artificial sweeteners.  It has a variety of vitamins and minerals and also contains the following whole food derivatives:  barley grass, wheat grass, ashwagandha powder, oat grass, kamut grass, quinoa, pea fiber, stevia, amaranth, grape seed extract, green tea decaffeinated extract, MSM, spinach powder, hydrilla, blue green algae, astragalus powder, apple pectin powder, spirulina, chlorella, chia seed meal, flax seed meal, yacon, sacha inchi, maca powder, bilberry powder, camu-camu powder, acerola powder, gingko powder, suma powder, schisandra powder, reishi powder, citrus bioflavonoids, cordyceps, acai berry powder, lycium (goji) powder, blueberry powder, pomegranate powder, bifodobacterium longum, lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bulgaricus, lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1, lactobacillus casei, streptococcus thermophilus.

The “other ingredients’ are:  Natural sweetener blend (non-GMO fructose, stevia) cocoa powder, xanthan gum, chocolate powder, guar gum and cinnamon powder.  ALLERGY INFORMATION:  Contains milk based ingredients and is manufactured in a plant that also processes soy ingredients.  It is gluten free.

Shakeology has 2 flavors right now, chocolate and greenberry, with “Tropical” soon to be released.  The flavors are limited because Beachbody is so committed to offering a truly natural shake which means no artificial flavors.   We all wanted a vanilla shake but to get the vanilla flavor strong enough to taste good, propylene glycol would be needed and Beachbody refused to compromise.

As I said, what you choose depends on what you’re looking for.  If you want something to give you a nutritional boost and fill your belly for a while, Bodybyvi would do the trick and you’d have lots of “artificial” flavors to choose from.  If you truly want natural nutrition, something that will satisfy and stave off cravings because your body is getting the nutrients it needs, you might be willing to pay the extra buck and get Shakeology.

For more information on Shakeology ingredients, click here.