This stuff is amazing. I read through a couple of the reviews stating that this contains high amounts of heavy metals, and I would just like to say they are outdated with their claims.
The Garden of Life brand was tested by an independent lab in 2014, and they found their products contained elevated amounts of heavy metals, most likely due to the brown rice protein they use. Garden of Life responded and CHANGED THEIR METHODS. They have a self-imposed regulation of heavy metals for their products now (the USDA does not have any limit or regulation on heavy metals in food) and these are their limits :
Lead limit: 250 ppb
Tungsten limit: 50 ppb
Cadmium limit: 1000 ppb
Mercury limit: 50 ppb
Everything has some sort of heavy metal in it. Everything. These limits are phenomenal, and you can go to their website and see their recent heavy metal tests on their products.
So people, stop fear mongering. This is a great product, and an excellent company.
I REALLY Enjoy This Product! I have Repurchased it Many Times, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
But there IS One Problem with it, which is the reason why I Cannot give it 5 stars, and why I may eventually Switch to a different product -- a Problem which the manufacturer could Easily Remedy, but chooses not to ---
Have you ever noticed that Garden of Life provides you with ZERO indication of the amounts of KEY ingredients that it contains? Here are a couple of examples: "Spirulina" is listed on the Label under the Category "Greens" -- Does a serving contain 5 Micrograms of "Greens" -- or 100 Milligrams? You and I haven't the Slightest Clue! Under the Category "Fruit", Garden of Life claims to provide "Raspberry" -- But you Might be getting a mere 2 Micrograms of "Fruit" per serving, but once again, you have ZERO idea.
In Stark Contrast, if you were to examine one of the Many "Superfood" Powders here on Amazon, they will provide you with the Nutrient Amounts for each _Category_ -- E.g.: Consider "Amazing Grass Green Superfood Original":: The Category which contains Spirulina provides you with 5.7 Grams per Serving; And the Category containing Raspberries provides 1.1 Grams per Serving; Fiber: 668 mg; Digestives: 427 mg. But Garden of Life prefers to keep you totally in the Dark when it comes to how much each Category provides!
When I make my Daily Smoothies and add Spirulina, my Smoothie INSTANTLY turns a Lovely Dark Green; but when I make a Garden of Life Smoothie, the product looks Precisely the same as when I mix up a Pure Veggie-Protein Smoothie.
On the Garden of Life Website (which I've read thoroughly), if you were to Search for "Garden of Life Meal Replacement", that website will direct you to their "Protein" Page . . . And I know Exactly Why.
I have tried so many meal replacement powders for my weight loss goals. Just about everything out there has artificial sweeteners, organic stevia, monk fruit, etc. I CAN'T have anything but good old fashioned sugar, or I will be horribly sick. Out of the ones I found that offer a low amount of natural sugar only, and had all the nutritional qualities I needed....all of them have been unbearable to drink in terms of taste. Most reviews on here are all about adding milk, bananas, fruits, even peanut butter, etc. to make it taste better. Hello? I want to lose weight. Adding all those fats and calories completely contradict the purpose of this meal replacement as a weight loss supplement. I only want to consume this as directed using plain old water. No fancy blenders or gadgets, I want simple. I can only attest to this specific flavor, but WOW! I am talking about the flavor "Lightly Sweet". It only has a minimal amount of real sugar, and some natural vanilla. Here's what I do:
I take a refrigerated 16oz bottle of water. I drink half of it to wash down my daily vitamins and supplements. Then, with the remaining 8 oz of water I use a piece of paper or paper plate folded in half to pour the scoop of powder into the narrow opening. Put the cap back on and shake briskly for a couple seconds. It mixes up perfect. Drink it down immediately, and get on with your day. It certainly has a slight texture, but nothing compared to others. The taste is a faint hint of vanilla cake batter. It doesn't linger. I find it quite pleasant, and don't need to rinse it away with more water.
I find this to be a simple, fast routine as compared to other reviewers' suggestions. I stay full for 4-5 hours and replace 2 meals a day. I feel great. I actually look forward to drinking these, unlike the others that make me gag. Try it, and see for yourself!
First I do not usually write reviews although I'm taking the time to maybe try to help someone else decide if they would want to spend the money and try this. Do it... what would it hurt? In January, after turning 41, I decided it was time get healthier as it seemed each year I have been gaining about 10lbs per year and lacked energy. I have a sore foot so running or walking was not an option. So I decided if I can't exercise I would try to start eating healthier. After watching fruits and veggies go bad in the fridge, I starting looking at easier ways to get that stuff in my body. Fast forward 10 months ahead, which is today, I have taken this in substitute of my breakfast every day. I am 34 lbs lighter and a lot more energy. I really believe my body was lacking all the nutrients it needed to perform everyday life. All the good stuff I'm putting in my body with just 1 glass far exceeds what I could cook in the kitchen. The night before I mix 1 scoop of the vanilla blend w water in a mason jar. In the morning I pull it out of fridge, shake up good, and drink on my way to work. I was not looking to lose weight by drinking this, I was looking at putting nutrition back in my life, but how can a woman in her 40s comp,ham about weight loss!!
A friend of mine recovering from cancer started using this and her health really turned around. She swears by it and got her energy back and in addition to now being lean and fit, seems bursting with health and energy. I don't have cancer, but I have fibromyalgia and degenerative arthritis as well as a weight problem. She encouraged me to give it a try and I'm glad she did.
Let's start with the elephant in the room.. which is that this, undoctored, is about the worst tasting thing that might pass as a food substance. However, there is a very simple, very fixable reason for that, and that is stevia. I have no idea who got the idea that stevia was a good sweetener as it tastes like sugar with grapefruit peel mixed in. The bitter aftertaste is the only problem with the flavor but it is a big one and if I hadn't known a trick I learned from a vegan chef, I honestly couldn't have choked this down. The fix for this is 2 teaspoons of real maple syrup. Not pancake syrup which won't work, but real organic maple syrup. It only takes a small amount to turn this from completely unpalatable, to DELICIOUS.
How I make it: 1 3/4 cup of cold Silk original soymilk (any non dairy milk would work) 193 calories, 2 teaspoons real organic maple syrup 25 calories, 1 scoop of meal replacer 120 calories. Blend on high for 1 min. Total 338 calories. Absolutely delicious like a chocolate milkshake. Very barely after I drink the whole thing I can detect a faint lingering of the stevia bitterness but it is very mild and I have a sensitive palate. Also, I tried adding a bit of strong coffee to the mix and it tasted like a mocha latte. It is well worth 25 calories extra to add the maple syrup.
It's too soon for me to know about weightloss benefits but I will update later. What I can say is that about 5-10 minutes after drinking this I feel a huge energy spike. It feels like the cells of my body are popping awake. Fibromyalgia drags you down until just performing simple task drains you down to nothing. In the short time I've used the product, I actually am starting to feel hope of being able to return to some kind of regular activity program. For that reason alone I would without hesitation recommend this to someone as a meal replacement or add on if you need more calories. My appetite is pretty aggressive and this keeps me from thinking about eating for 4 solid hours.
5 stars for the beneficial nutritional effect. But I have to take off a star for the stevia. I doubt the manufacturer reads reviews but listen.. forget the stevia bandwagon. We all know it tastes awful and it has no nutritional value. Instead, consider something like coconut sugar that has good glycemic index as well as having some phytonutrients and gut positive value.
Feature Product
- ON-THE-GO NUTRITION: 20 grams of clean, organic plant protein with 44 superfoods including organic grass juices, fruits and veggies and 6 grams of fiber to keep you satisfied
- POST WORKOUT RECOVERY: Help build lean muscle and boost energy with this power-packed meal replacement
- VITAMINS AND MINERALS: This delicious chocolate protein powder is packed with 21 vitamins and minerals
- MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKE WITH PROBIOTICS: Tasty, smooth protein shake with 1.5 billion CFU probiotics and enzymes for easy digestion
- VEGAN PROTEIN POWDER: Organic, gluten free, Star-K kosher, vegan, dairy free, soy free, Informed Choice Certified (Trusted by Sport), non-GMO whole food protein
Description
Real Raw Chocolate Cacao USDA Organic Non-GMO Project Verified A Healthy Meal-on-the-Go 20 g Protein Easy to Digest - Live Probiotics - No Added Sugars Raw - Vegan - Gluten Free - Dairy Free - Soy Free B Corporation Certified Certified Organic by QCSRAW Organic MealA delicious, organic Meal-On-The-Go, packed with incredible nutrition to help you satisfy hunger, manage weight and feel great! 20 g Clean, Organic Plant Protein Loaded with 44 Superfoods Less Than 1 g of Sugar 1.5B Live Probiotics, Plus Enzymes 21 Whole Food Vitamins & Minerals 7 g of Organic Fiber Certified Vegan Plant Based USDA Organic Organic Matters RAW Raw Whole Food 14 organic sprouted grains & seeds. Third party certified by Vegan Action Farmed without the use of toxic pesticides or fertilizers Heat and processing can denature proteins Clean Non-GMO Verified No Junk Tested and trusted for sport Independent third party verification Gluten, soy & dairy free. No added sugars, artificial flavors or sweeteners Informed-choice.org - Trusted by sport Non-GMO Project Verified Certified Gluten-Free - NSF Soy Free Dairy Free Boost Energy - Build Lean Muscle - Stay Full
I love this product. I first bought it just for myself because breakfast was becoming too much of a production for me. I came up with a shake recipe which I became obsessed with. But what really sold me was, after 8 years of trying to get my husband to eat anything for breakfast, this ended up being the only thing that worked. He was living off just coffee until lunch because he just couldn't force food in himself early in the morning. What sold him was I told him that I make this shake using coffee, so in the end he could still have his coffee but also put something in him that was more then just coffee. Now we both make our shakes everyday as our breakfast and both of us are super please with our own personal results. Him because it gives him a lot more good energy and me because it has personally helped with my tummy bloating and making better choices during the day and both because breakfast has become super fast and easy. I should mention that it took me about a week for me not to feel hungry after 2 hours of drinking this. My body was just getting use to having liquid for breakfast, but once my body got use to it I could last longer.
If you are curious how I make my shakes this is what I do... I actually use a blender when I make it and then drink it out of a blender shake bottle.
Since the blender bottle holds 3 cups worth of liquid, we use that as a base for how much liquid we use, but most likely more liquid then the recommended 8 oz helps make this shake a more palatable consistency. The most important part of this process is you must put the powder in the blender first and then the liquids, this will also helps with the consistency. an FYI, this drink is neither hot nor cold, but room temperature which has not bothered my husband or I, but when it gets hotter outside we might start thinking of putting some ice cubes in our blender bottles to make it more like an iced coffee. Ok here goes with what we do, there is no real exact amounts except for the liquids and I am aware that this might not be for everyone but maybe someone out there will read it, try it, and love it as much as we do....
In your blender
1 scoop of Vanilla Garden of Life Meal Replacement
2 -3 (hand) shakes of Ginger powder
2-3 (hand) shakes of Cinnamon power
2-3 (hand) shakes of Turmeric powder
1 spoonful of coconut oil
Optional: a very tiny amount of vanilla or almond extract....this is very much up to you
1 1/2 cups of room temp or cold coffee
1 1/2 cups of dairy free milk (unsweetened vanilla almond milk is my favorite, I have also used unsweetened coconut milk )
Blend on high until well mixed, then pour into your blender bottle and go!
***the cleanup has not been time consuming, we just rinse the blender right after use and nothing sticks or gets hard***
Enjoy!
While this product will never win any 'best tasting' awards, it's definitely tastier than elephant dung (I presume, having never eaten elephant dung, unlike another reviewer apparently has). When I first received this, I made a smoothie with banana, almond milk (vanilla) and a scoop of powder.
With that combination, there was some sort of odd aftertaste - I don't know exactly what it is, but it's not good. It's not vomit-inducing, either, though.
It's the kind of taste that makes you think: "Huh. What IS that?", all while continuing to drink your smoothie.
For reference, the last protein powder I used was the Vega One Vanilla powder. That does NOT have a weird taste, overall. They are both somewhat gritty, however.
Here's what I am doing now that is making this protein powder much more drinkable. I never ask myself anymore what 'that' taste is! In fact, I look forward to my shakes!
1 cup Almond milk (vanilla); 1 banana; 1 cup mixed frozen berries (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc) and one scoop of protein powder.
Blend that sucker up for a couple of minutes or so (or less if you have a better blender than I do) and it's entirely edible! Added bonus is that I'm eating more fruit. Photo of the beauty attached.
I've been vegan and low carb for years, so I have tried a *lot* of vegan protein drinks. This is my favorite by far!! Judging from the reviews here it seems maybe they changed the product last year or so? I notice the older reviews tend to complain more about taste, and the recent ones don't. I think it tastes great! I tried it with soy milk and almond milk. With soy milk, it's really thick, like a real milk shake made with ice cream that you'd get in a restaurant. With almond milk, it's thinner, more like drinking chocolate milk. I think it's really delicious both ways! I keep the powder in the fridge so it's nice and cold when I mix it with the milk. I use a shaker cup (my beloved Tervis tumbler to keep it cold Tervis Fiesta Poppy Dots Tumbler, 16-Ounce) and it mixes up very easily and thoroughly with just a few shakes. As other reviewers said, you do want to drink it up right away. I wouldn't leave it sitting around, but who wants a warm milkshake anyways.
Also - if you are watching carbs - the count here seems accurate. Doesn't affect my blood sugar at all. I highly recommend this product!
Before I discovered this product, I had been suffering from severe digestive problems. I was so constipated that I frequently bled into the toilet. Sometimes I couldn't pass anything for up to two weeks at a time. The abdominal pain was so bad that I found myself unable to work, and often couldn't even get out of bed for entire days. Unable to support myself, I ended up moving back in with my parents.
I sought medical attention several times and doctors didn't seem to be able to offer me much more than apathetic shrugs and prescriptions for laxatives. For two excruciating years, I tried countless different pro-digestion, high fiber diets and health supplements, and nothing seemed to help. I had begun to believe that I would suffer with this condition for the rest of my life.
That all changed when I tried Garden Of Life Raw Meal. I began drinking 2 scoops per day, every day. By the third day, it was clear that this stuff was making a very dramatic difference in my ability to digest food. The constipation and abdominal pain disappeared completely. I've been drinking Raw Meal almost every day ever since, and now, 18 months later, I'm still completely symptom free. The only times my digestion problems have returned have been on the very rare occasions that I missed my 2 scoops of Raw Meal for multiple days at a time. I feel healthier, more energetic, and clearer-minded now than I ever have before. This product changed my life in a massive way.
Thank you, Garden of Life, for creating this incredible product. Please never stop manufacturing it. I don't know what I'd do without it.
I had been researching for quite a while to find a great alternative to Shakeology, which is expensive and possibly contaminated with lead. This meal replacement shake, in my opinion, surpasses Shakeology in many ways. It is vegan, non-GMO, dairy free, virtually sugar free, packed with protein and super foods and even boasts probiotics and digestive enzymes.
I love it because I have a difficult time eating in the morning, but need something in my stomach to help me get my kids off to school. It has been a lifesaver. The protein helps me feel full and satisfied, it has a bit of caffeine to get me moving and I feel like I'm putting something good into my body.
That being said, some people might be turned off by the taste. I personally use the chocolate flavor and don't mind the taste at all, but some people might prefer to mix it with some almond milk to help with taste. It isn't awful by any means, but it isn't going to be exactly delicious either.
There are different shake options and flavors within this brand to choose from. I will be trying the Fit shake in the future. If you are looking for a more affordable option to other high end shake brands like me, this is the one!
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