Beachbody Shakeology Review
If you ever find that consuming a balanced diet is hard for you, Beachbody Shakeology could be just the thing you need.
Welcome to my unbiased Beachbody Shakeology Review where I analyze everything found in Shakeology shakes and see if it is worth your investment.
What Is Shakeology?
At its core, Beachbody Shakeology was invented to help you get more nutrients in your diet by consuming a dietary supplement that does just that. Shakeology should not be considered a meal replacement per se, even though there are persons that may replace a meal with a serving of Shakeology and experience significant weight loss as a result.
What Are The Benefits Of Shakeology?
The main goal behind Shakeology’s development was to help you consume a diet richer in nutrients, since the hectic lifestyle most of us are faced with today cause us to consume a lot of junk food on the run which is not good for health, as there are critical nutrients that the body cannot obtain or make except via getting it from diet.
In particular, the benefits of Shakeology include:
Improved Digestive Function
One of the most common reasons people actively seek out Shakeology is for the benefits it has on digestive health. Shakeology is a good source of natural probiotics and fiber which help to ensure regularity and also safeguard the health of your intestinal bacteria.
Most persons do not realize that over 70% of our immune system resides in our digestive tract, making it very important to ensure the health of these beneficial probiotic bacteria.
Promotes Weight Loss
While Shakeology does not promote itself as a weight loss product, most persons that consume it regularly are pleasantly surprised to find that weight loss is an added benefit of use. The most effective way to lose weight consistently and in a predictable manner is to reduce the number of calories consumed over the course of the day so that it is lower than the number of calories your body expands.
Replacing one meal a day with the nutrient-packed Shakeology shake helps ensure no nutritional deficiencies develop, while still helping you meet the caloric shortfall required for weight loss.
Reduces Appetite And Cravings
While calorie restriction is great, it often fails due to brutal hunger pangs, or frequent cravings for sugary foods. Shakeology, thanks its generous fiber content helps keep you full for a longer period of time and reduces your cravings for carbohydrates.
It is strongly believed that sugar cravings are associated with specific micronutrient deficiencies, which Shakeology is especially suited to avoid.
Helps Normalize Cholesterol Levels
While Shakeology makes no claims of being a treatment for high cholesterol, it is surprisingly very effective for helping you maintain normal values, reducing your risk for cardiovascular-related disease in the process.
Consumption of diets high in fiber is a great way to do this, since fiber binds to bile acids and to a lesser extent cholesterol, and promotes its excretion. This, in turn, creates a scenario where the body needs to use cholesterol stores to facilitate normal body processes, reducing circulating values.
Helps Control Blood Glucose Levels
If you are diabetic Shakeology can assist with blood glucose control, thanks to the presence of fiber and the important mineral chromium, which has shown great promise in improving insulin sensitivity and glucose usage in cells.
Shakeology is not sugar-free, but when used judiciously with an overall healthy diet, the small quantity of sugar contained within it can be considered negligible as the body will be able to make use of it. Diabetics should not go completely sugar-free, as they are also prone to bouts of extremely low blood sugar levels which may be hazardous to health.
Shakeology Ingredients List
While Shakeology flavors contain a range of natural ingredients, and can more aptly be considered a meal replacement product, it is not specifically marketed as one. Regardless, most people that have gotten great results from consumption of Shakeology to replace one meal daily with it.
Why? Because of its extensive ingredient list, which mimics and is in many cases superior to a complete meal. A Shakeology meal contains the following:
Whey Protein Isolate
Whey protein isolate is a fast digesting low lactose protein source great for the majority of the population. It is ideal for helping with lean muscle gain, especially if you consume Shakeology while following an effective workout plan.
Whey protein powder consumption also helps you recover faster following a workout program, can help control your appetite and helps to increase the number of calories you burn every day. Not to mention whey protein shake consumption can help to slow down the natural cognitive decline we experience as we age and what you have is a great inclusion in Shakeology.
Pre-And Probiotic Ingredients
Prebiotics are different from probiotics, in the sense that prebiotics is effectively what the probiotic bacteria used for nourishment and energy. Thus, prebiotic ingredients include those such as Chia, flax apple fiber, quinoa, and pea fiber.
In terms of the activated probiotic strains that it contains, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and certain Streptococcus strains can all be found in Shakeology, helping to improve colony size of these important gut bacteria.
Digestive Enzyme Ingredients
Digestive enzymes are included to ensure the efficient breakdown of the other ingredients in shakeology, in order to yield amino acids, digestible carbohydrates and more. Know what would render Shakeology ineffective? Poor digestion. Digestive enzymes are a great inclusion in the supplement and should be consumed by most people since we all have a small degree of digestive intolerance.
Phytonutrients (Super-Greens)
These are active compounds usually extracted from vegetable superfoods, or what Shakeology refers to as “super greens”, and rightfully so.
Aside from having rich nutritional content, many phytonutrients have potent anticancer properties, helping to prevent damage to DNA or cells that initiate mutations. This is why it is advised to consume multiple servings of various colored vegetables daily, in order to get a wide range of these phytocompounds in your diet.
Antioxidant Fruits
In the same vein as the super greens are the superfruits, which possess strong antioxidant potential that buffers the effect of daily oxidative or free radical damage on cells. Excessive oxidative damage to cells is implicated as a major factor in premature aging, greying of the hair, skin damage, organ dysfunction and also cancer.
The great news about including fruit extracts? You get most of the nutrient absorption without added sugar! High sugar content is the primary reason we cannot get away with consuming more fruits daily.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are substances that help us to deal more effectively with stress. We can’t escape stress; you can try meditation or coping mechanisms, but at the end of it all there’s a good chance the stress will still be waiting for you.
This is why the inclusion of various adaptogenic herbs such as ginkgo, Ashwagandha Root, and suma makes Shakeology a unique nutritional super drink, as the most commercial meal replacement/nutritional beverages do not include these.
Shakeology Nutrition Facts
Shakeology contains most essential vitamins and many minerals which are important to overall health. This helps to ensure that a nutrient deficiency does not develop while consuming the product, and in many instances can be used to help correct such deficiencies.
Shakeology contains:
Vitamins A, C, and E
Collectively, very strong anti-oxidant vitamins that help increase resistance to oxidative damage and help support the immune system.
These vitamins also help keep your hair, skin, and nails in tip-top shape and offset premature aging.
B Family Of Vitamins
These include all the listed “B” vitamins as well as folic acid, biotin and pantothenic acid. B vitamins play critical roles in metabolism, ensuring our body accrues nutrition from the food we consume.
B vitamins also support normal cellular and DNA replication, along with red blood cell synthesis.
Vitamin K-1
Supports bone health and normal blood clotting. Not frequently obtained from diet unless you specifically seek out foods that naturally contain high amounts of it.
Minerals
The many minerals found in Shakeology help ensure that the functions the way it should, many of them becoming deficient when dieting.
Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, and Magnesium are important for bone and muscle health, while others such as Copper and Iron assist with the blood building process.
Not to forget Chromium involved in enzymatic processes and which can help you control blood glucose and you have a solid base of nutrients to support your diet.
Is There Such A Thing As Vegan Shakeology?
Yes, if you are a vegan or vegetarian and cannot consume some of the ingredients contained in the standard formulation, you can instead opt for vegan Shakeology.
You may be wondering what is different in the vegan Shakeology, right? Among the major differences are:
- Blended vegan proteins – these include protein from flax, quinoa Chia, rice, oats, pea, and sacha inchi, which replace dairy-based whey protein in the standard formula. The blended vegan approach also ensures that you get all the essential amino acids, a trouble point in standalone vegan proteins.
- Matcha powder – this is ground whole green tea leaves that are very powerful antioxidants, and increase fat burning potential thanks to the presence of special flavonoid compounds.
- Chaga- this is an adaptogenic mushroom that further improves the body’s response to stress, helping you deal with it much more efficiently.
You may check some awesome Shakeology Vegan Recipes here
Shakeology Alternative Shake Options
While Beachbody has done a great job with their Shakeology product, the one aspect that may cause people to look for Shakeology alternatives is its price.
Shakeology’s price comes in at about $4.30 per serving, which is significantly more than other options on the market. A few popular Shakeology alternatives include:
The Shakeology Alternative Exante
Less than half the cost of Shakeology per serving, but is also higher in overall calories and carbohydrate content. Can be useful but you need to keep macronutrient values in mind.
The Shakeology Alternative Idealshake
Another far more economical option that costs less than 50 percent of shakeology cost, and is great in terms of overall calories and carbohydrates/sugar.
Can be combined with Idealgreens for super greens and digestive blend additions to make even better.
Nature’s Bounty Complete Protein And Vitamin Shake Mix
The least expensive option of the mentioned Shakeology alternatives, while also containing probiotics fiber and collagen protein.
Though none of the alternatives are as complete as Shakeology, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest in some additional ones to supplement with.
Shakeology Reviews
Shakeology is well received by the majority of people that use it, with the only negatives related to (surprise) price. However, considering that it is has a far more comprehensive formula than many other competing products, its cost can be justified.
There is also significant proof that it works based on testimonials, but it is important to realize that virtually all success stories were following specialized workout plans, commonly created by the Beachbody brand.
Is Shakeology Worth It?
Shakeology is definitely worth it based on the fact that its formula is superior to many competing products, and you are likely to improve your health and lose weight if you combine it with a solid exercise plan.
It is costly, but you can’t put a price on your health now can you?
Where To Buy Shakeology?
Currently, the best place to purchase Shakeology is from the official manufacturer’s website https://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/us/ . While it was available for purchase on Amazon.com, they are out of stock and unsure when they will be getting a new shipment.