Update 3/10/20. Have you been asked to try Shakeology – or become a Shakeology Beachbody Coach? I have – several times. I've been asked to try this product so many times from so many different people that I decided to write this Shakeology review so you know the facts. Is Shakeology safe? Will Shakeology help weight loss? These are the questions I will address. As always, I'll link to the research so you know I'm not making stuff up. I don't have a dog in this fight. I only want you to have the best information available -free from testimonials, and internet hype – so that you can make the best decision for you. Also, see the review of Ultimate Power Greens as well.
Also see my review of vegan chocolate Shakeology.
Shakeology is one of the products sold by the company, BeachBody. Beachbody markets many health and fitness products, probably the most popular of which the P90X workout by Tony Horton. If you want to know how Shakeology tastes, check out my Shakeology Taste Test.
What Does Shakeology Mean?
The suffix ology means “the study of” so Shakeology literally means “the study of shakes“, In this case, it's a health and weight loss shake that contains various fruits, enzymes, vitamins, protein, etc.
It's a catchy name and gives the impression that there is some science behind Shakeology. But, when I entered “Shakeology” into the National Library of Medicine website, I found no published peer-reviewed studies on this product.
Most health and weight loss shakes don't have any research to back up what they are saying but I wanted to double check just in case because the name of this product stood out to me.
On the Shakeology website, I noticed a reference to a study that drinking Shakeology can lower cholesterol levels but there doesn't appear to be any published studies to back up this claim. At the bottom of the website (Shakeology.com) I see a reference that says :
“In a 90-day study, participants replaced one meal per day with Shakeology, ate a balanced diet, and exercised moderately three times per week. Total cholesterol was reduced on average by 30% and LDL cholesterol was reduced on average by 38%.”
But, this doesn't seem to be a published peer-reviewed study. Questions I asked myself included:
- Who were the people in this “study”?
- Were they men? Were they women?
- Did they have normal cholesterol or high cholesterol?
- What was their LDL levels before the study?
- Did exercise play any role in the outcomes?
They don't tell us any of this information – and this is important stuff to know if we are to analyze how effective shakeology really was.
Fruits contain soluble fiber and Shakeology has a lot of different fruits, so the study outcomes kind of make sense. But, would the same effect be seen if people just blended up some fruits themselves?
I don't know.
Losing weight can also reduce cholesterol. So, did cholesterol and LDL levels change simply because of weight loss, rather than because of Shakeology? I don't know because it doesn't look like the subjects were compared to those who did not use Shakeology.
Shakeology Ingredients
There are a LOT of ingredients in Shakeology. Below you will see that I copied the ingredients from the Shakeology.com website (I used the chocolate version) and separated them into different sections to make this review easier.
| Total Calories | 140 |
| Calories from fat | 10 |
| Total fat | 1 g (2% DV) |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg (5% DV) |
| Sodium | 100 mg (4% DV) |
| Total carbohydrates | 17 g (6% DV) |
| Dietary fiber | 3 g (12% DV) |
| Sugars | 9 g |
| Protein | 17 g (34% DV) |
The total calories are based on 1 scoop (48 grams) mixed with water.
This doesn't look too bad to me. In fact, the calories, protein, fat, etc. are similar to other popular protein mixes. A scoop also has 135 mg of the sweetener, stevia.
Super Fruit Blend
Shakeology also has several types of what they call Super Fruits. Here is the list:
| Acerola powder (fruit) | Cordyceps |
| Camu-Camu powder (fruit) | Maitake powder |
| Pomegranate powder (fruit) | Reishi powder |
| Bilberry powder (fruit) | Citrus bioflavonoids |
| Blueberry powder (fruit) | Rose Hips powder (fruit) |
| Lycium (Goji) powder (berry) | Schisandra |
| Açai powder (berry) | Suma powder (root) |
| Acerola powder (fruit) | Gingko powder (leaf) REMOVED |
Update. Here is my review of the camu camu fruit research.
We are not told how much of each fruit is in Shakeology, only that the total of everything equals 2075 mg (or about 2 grams). I'm OK with that given that small amounts of phytonutrients (plant nutrients) tend to pack a big punch when it comes to health.
In the list you will noticed citrus bioflavonoids. This is technically not a fruit but rather a plant-nutrient (phytonutrient).
A couple of ingredients in this list did stand out to me. One is ginkgo. I suppose they added ginkgo to Shakeology because it has some antioxidant properties. But ginkgo also has anti-blood clotting properties that in theory may interact with blood thinner medications. There is also evidence that – in mice – ginkgo causes liver cancer. I'm not aware of any human evidence of this.
Ginkgo may also interact with medications used to treat:
- seizures
- diabetes
- cholesterol
- depression
Ginkgo is listed as the last ingredient, so I'm guessing there is not a lot of ginkgo in Shakeology but I felt this was worth mentioning.
Given that Shakeology has probably not been clinically tested in people who take prescription medications, I personally would prefer they remove ginkgo from Shakeology just to be safe.
Update: Ginkgo has been removed Ginkgo from Shakeology according to this page of the BeachBody website.
Cordyceps also caught my eye. In some circles, cordyceps is touted to improve aerobic exercise performance. But there isn't much proof that cordyceps works and some research that cordyceps doesn't help exercise. See this video for more insights.
Shakeology also contains acai berry, which is one of the principal ingredients in MonaVie reviewed previously. For more information on acai also see Acai Berry A Review Based on The Facts and The Acai Berry Diet.
Nondairy Probiotic Blend
Shakeology also contains several probiotics. These are basically friendly bacteria. They are as follows:
| Bifodobacterium longum | Lactobacillus bulgaricus |
| Lactobacillus acidophilus | Lactobacillus casei |
| Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 | Streptococcus thermophilus |
Probiotics appear to have a wide range of potential uses such as helping irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diarrhea.
People who have immune deficiencies like HIV should be cautious with probiotics and consult their doctor before using.
We are not told how much of each bacteria is in this blend but only that its total is 150 mg. Often the amount of probiotics in a supplement are reported as colony-forming units (CFU). People may want to ask how many CFUs are in this 150 mg.
Tip. ask “are the bacteria alive now?”. Sometimes the probiotic bacteria are alive when the product is made but die off the longer the product is not used. This can reduce their effectiveness.
Proprietary Enzyme Blend (135 mg)
| Amylase | Lipase |
| Papain | Protease |
| Cellulase | Bromelain |
| Lactase |
What is an enzyme? It's basically a protein. What happens when protein reaches the stomach? Its digested. Our bodies treat enzymes just like protein from whey, soy, chicken, etc. It breaks the protein up into amino acids, absorbs the amino acids and uses them to do whatever it needs – whether it be help to build muscle or repair a cell in your pinky finger.
While I can sort of see how enzymes might help those who have digestion problems, I never understood why healthy people needed enzyme supplements.
Other Ingredients in Shakeology
| Ashwagandha powder 100 mg | Grape seed extract (seed) 50 mg |
| Barley grass 100 mg | Green tea decaffeinated extract 50 mg |
| Kamut grass 100 mg | Holy basil powder (leaf) 50 mg |
| Oat grass 100 mg | Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) 50 mg |
| Wheatgrass 100 mg |
Ashwagandha
Sometimes called “Indian ginseng” this herb appears to have several effects like helping the immune system. Most effects, however, have not been well studied. One warning that is sometimes mentioned (but hard to corroborate) concerns pregnant women: ashwagandha may cause premature birth of the unborn baby. For 
Ashwagandha for hypothyroidism
Barley Grass
A few studies suggest that barley may lower cholesterol and LDL. As such, this may be one of the ingredients responsible for the observations in the Shakeology study mentioned above. Shakeology is said to be gluten-free.
Grape Seed Extract
This is a popular antioxidant and is mostly studied in people who have heart disease. Shakeology only contains 50 mg of grape seed extract which is less than that used in grape seed extract research.
One study noted that taking grape seed extract (1000 mg/day) along with 500 mg of vitamin C increased blood pressure. Shakeology does not contain this much grape seed extract but I thought it was worth mentioning if any readers have high blood pressure.
Holy Basil
At least one study has noted that holy basil might lower blood sugar levels after eating. As such it may interact with diabetes medications. Holy basil may also interact with blood thinner medications.
Amaranth
I could not turn up much on this ingredient. Some research hints that amaranth can lower cholesterol levels.
The Shakeology Clinical Trial
Thanks to someone who left a comment, I became aware of a Shakeology clinical trial posted on YouTube (the video has since been removed). The study was commissioned by BeachBody and administered by Medicus Research.
Medicus is a Contract Research Organization (CRO), which means that they are contracted by various pharmaceutical, and supplement companies to do research on their products.
According to the YouTube video above, this was how the clinical trial was designed:
- The study contained 50 people and lasted 90 days.
- Medicus researchers measured people's weight, BMI, and various other health factors including cholesterol and AIC levels.
Tip. Hemoglobin A1C is a measure of how bad diabetes is getting. Having 6% or less is usually considered normal. The higher the number, the higher the average blood sugar level is – which basically means diabetes is getting worse.
- Everybody drank 2 Shakeology shakes per day ―one for breakfast and one for lunch each day for 90 days.
Tip. From the video, it appears that people used Shakeology in place of foods they might ordinarily eat. This is important. Keep reading.
- The people did not alter their diet or exercise program (except for drinking Shakeology in place of food at breakfast and lunch).
Study Results
According to the video, Dr. Udani, CEO of Medicus Research, notes that:
1. Statistically significant reductions in the desire to eat lunch were noted after drinking Shakeology for breakfast.
Since hunger, after lunch, was not mentioned in the video, I take this to mean that drinking Shakeology at lunch time had statistical significant effect on the desire to eat at dinner.
2. The video notes that the average weight loss was 9.3 pounds. The greatest weight loss in the study was 24 pounds after 3 months.
3. The average reduction in total cholesterol was 7% after 3 months. The greatest reduction was 50% in some of the participants.
4. Hemoglobin A1C (A1C) was reduced by an average of 5% after 3 months. Some of the people experienced as much as a 19% reduction in A1C levels.
What the video does not tell us:
Here are some things that I was unable to determine from the video:
- How many people in the study were men and women?
- What were the ages of the people in the study?
- Did the study participants have any health problems (high cholesterol, elevated A1C, etc.)?
- Were the average reductions in body weight, A1C, and cholesterol statistically significant?
- Did Shakeology have different effects on body weight, A1C, or cholesterol levels in men vs. women?
- Was there a placebo group? Having a group in the study that did not drink Shakeology would make these results more meaningful.
Toward the end of the video Dr. Udani says ” say:
“The results we are seeing are only due to Shakeology.”
That's a powerful statement. How do they know the results they saw were not simply due to weight loss?
By drinking 2 Shakeology shakes per day (in place of breakfast and lunch) people have reduced their total calorie intake for the day. Reducing calories also can also:
- Reduce body weight
- Reduce cholesterol
- Reduce A1C levels
Based on what was stated in the video, I don’t think we can tell if these values decreased because of Shakeology or simply because the people lost weight.
Dr Udani also states the in the video that the study is valuable because “it isolates the effect of shakeology,” In my opinion, the study, as depicted in the video, doesn’t do this because there is nothing to compare the effects of shakeology to.
For example, in my opinion, a better study would be:
- Take those same 50 people and randomly give them shakeology ―or nothing at all ―to see how they differ from each other after 90 days.
Or
- Randomly give the people either Shakeology or something that had similar calories to see what happens after 90 days.
Of course, I would have to see the actual study to know exactly what happened. My comments are based on watching YouTube video alone.
I hope BeachBody Coaches will let me know if this study ever becomes published in a clinical journal so I can make more informed comments. Until that happens, I'm of the opinion that the effects discussed in the Shakeology Clinical Trial video are simply the results Shakeology causing weight loss – and it's the weight loss that is causing reductions in cholesterol, body weight and A1C levels, rather than a direct effect of Shakeology itself.
I believe almost anything that causes people to lose weight can also cause reductions in cholesterol and A1C levels. See the “Shakeology and Weight Loss” section below for more about this.
Shakeology Side Effects
For healthy people yes, Shakeology is safe but for people who may not be healthy, here are some general things to think about. This list is not complete
- start with less than recommended for the first week
- stop taking at least 2 weeks before surgery
- if you take any medications such as blood thinners talk to your doctor
- Pregnant or nursing – ask your doctor first
In June 2013 the website, Consumerlab.com found lead contamination in Greenberry Shakeology. They found 12.7 micrograms of lead per serving of Shakeology. Beachbody, the maker of Shakeology, responded to this by stating:
“While they seek to inform consumers, they may be actually misleading consumers by not distinguishing between harmful heavy metals and those that are naturally occurring in plants, vegetables and minerals.”
Consumerlab, on their website, fired back stating:
“Lead contamination of plants generally occurs to do contamination of the environment in which they have grown – often caused by industrial pollution or proximity to roadways, where in the past, cars used leaded gasoline. “
So, it sounds like Beach Body is saying that lead is a natural occurrence while Consumerlab is saying, the lead is present because the plants used were contaminated by the environment in which they are grown.
Here is a link to the Dr. Oz Show website shows Beach Body response to the Consumerlab findings.
In 2015 Consumer Reports noted that Shakeology had been reformulated and they no longer detect lead. Shakeology is now in the “approved” category. For more on this, see my Vegan Chocolate Shakeology review.
Other Meal Replacement Shakes
Other meal replacement reviews worth looking at
Shakeology And Weight Loss?
In the Shakeology program, people are instructed to replace one meal a day with Shakology. They are also supposed to exercise 3x a week and eat a healthy diet. This is similar to the reasoning behind other weight loss plans you've probably already heard of. For example:
- SlimFast: drink 2 shakes and eat a sensible dinner
- Special K diet: eat 2 bowls of cereal and eat a sensible meal
If you read my review of Right Size Smoothies, you may remember that the Right Size Smoothie plan was to replace 2 meals with 2 smoothies.
So, the idea behind Shakeology for weight loss makes sense; just use the shake to reduce the calories you eat.
The same thing is also true for many of their competitors like the Isagenix Shake
So for people who don't have the time to eat well or make their meals, I can see how something like Shakeology (or similar weight loss shake) would be attractive. People are more likely to do things that are easy.
How Does Shakeology Taste?
Does Shakeology taste good? I had a chance to try Shakeology thanks to a friend who gave me some samples. Here are the results of my Shakeology taste test.
Also, see the Vegan Chocolate Shakeology review for how it tastes.
How Much Does It Cost?
When I wrote this review, the cost of Shakeology was $119.95 a month (30 servings). This comes to about $4 per shake. You may be able to get it cheaper than this if you are a Team Beachbody coach and have other Beachbody coaches selling products under you on the pyramid. As such, some people may become Beachbody coaches as a way to get Shakeology cheaper.
Who Makes Shakeology?
Shakeology is made by the company Beachbody also known as Beachbody LLC. Beachbody is not only is behind Shakeology but a wide range of other fitness-related products ranging from P90X to Insanity to name a few.
According to the Better Business Bureau, BeachBody LLC is located at 3301 Exposition Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404 .
Their contact number is (800) 998-1681.
What is a Team Beachbody Coach?
These are the people who often sell Shakeology and other Beach Body products. Team Beachbody Coaches may or may not have a background in fitness, health or wellness. On the TeamBeachBody.com website it says only that:
“You don’t need to be a fitness or weight-loss expert to become a Beachbody Coach. You just need to be ready to commit to changing your life.”
That's a little vague, so do ask about the credentials of a Beachbody Coach before you take any specific health advice from them.
The name Beachbody Coach is actually smart marketing. Instead of calling the people who sell Shakeology (and other Beachbody products) Beachbody distributors, they call them “Coaches”. It's like Walmart calling their sales staff “Associates”.
To be a Team Beachbody coach, people pay $39.99 to start. Beachbody coaches receive a commission for sales they make. Fortunately, Beachbody coaches do not have to buy Shakeology or other Beachbody products before they sell them. Team Beachbody coaches also are used to help people reach their fitness goals. The extent to which they can help would depend on how smart -fitness-wise they are.
Remember Beachbody coaches don't have to know anything about fitness, health or wellness.
Beachbody coaches also try to recruit others to become Beachbody coaches. They in turn, receive commissions on what their recruits sell.
So, Team Beachbody has a multi level marketing aspect. I'm not against MLM companies but it does by nature give incentives to coaches whose main goal is to recruit new people rather than selling the product. This ultimately might dilute the quality of the coaching service.
So Does It Work
Despite the hype, Shakeology is just a low-calorie meal replacement shake. If you follow the plan, you'll likely lose weight. But that's because of your eating fewer calories. Don't believe the hype. It's all about eating fewer calories.
Here are less expensive options
What do you think?
I don’t know if I mentioned it before but I went from 198 lbs fasting cholesterol of 297 to 165 lbs non fasting 196 with a ratio of 2.7 as of about two months ago jan 2012. My ratio before was not good. Now its very good.
Of course, I just did p90x to begin, worked more and more on my diet and finally added Shakeology after being a coach for about 8 months.
So my route was not typical but it works.
I have kept the weight of 165 within 3 to 5 lbs for about 2 years now.
Hi Joe,
In fact I did NOT lose any weight during that 60 day trial period. (And why would I? I had increased my caloric intake, without adding exercise into the program to negate those calories). I in fact stayed at regular weight (about 115lbs. overweight). Now, since that initial 60 day trial, I HAVE added exercise into my diet and completely changed my eating plan. Due to a severe allergic reaction to eating fresh produce with bruising (mold allergies), I have to be very careful about making my own fresh shakes. That is one of the things that made me look into Shakeology brand in the first place. (Plus, the state I live in has to barge in/ship in all of our produce).
And to be honest, I have a very tightly regulated schedule between my patient caseloads, exercise, hobbies, marriage, household… life in general. That maintaining the stores of fresh produce, cleaning properly, making the shakes takes time and space that I just do not have (we still have to find time for those 7-8 hours of sleep we need!). So grabbing a package of Shakeology, tossing it into a shaker cup, adding water, or milk, almond milk, juice… whatever, and I am out the door. Super handy when I am out hiking or out with friends too. But I am not one of those super pushy coaches either.
I also agree with another post of yours regarding personal trainers. As a physical therapist, there is not a year that goes by where I don’t get quite a few patients from injuries caused by poorly educated though well meaning personal trainers. So again it all comes with the territory. You will have good, the bad, and the ugly. And hopefully we can keep doing studies and researching what will help us all. If I had more time in my schedule I would try and write up some case studies. Not just on my results, but also from some of my customers (including patients who have lowered their blood pressure enough to come off their medications, as well as diabetics (type II) coming off their metformin). There are plenty of testimonials out there… but you are right, we need more case studies and larger source groups to do some double blind studies.
Laura, well then if you didn’t lose weight then that is very interesting and I hope the people at beachbody see this and do some research because its encouraging. Since you mentioned the personal trainers, I thought I’d pass along my review of rhabdomyolysis as it pertains to personal training. It’s off topic (sorry everybody) but I thought you might like to pass this along to your patients as I believe its under-repoted in the medical literature http://www.joe-cannon.com/rhabdomyolysis-personal-trainers-exercise-review-symptoms-negatives-eccentric-fitness-bootcamp/
Good luck with your case load (I know what your paperwork is like!)
As a person who has experienced the traveling issue noted above by Robert and Joe. I purchase the individually packaged Shakeology. It is individually labeled, complete with ingredients/nutrition, and passes through airport security without issue. I packed enough for 10 days my last trip south, went through 4 different airports, and never had an issue with it. Travel smarter, buy it in individual packets if you travel frequently.
Hi Joe,
First off, so there is no confusion, I am an independent team beachbody coach. I am also doctor of physical therapy and have multiple other degrees in the sciences.
I wanted to thank you for your review of Shakeology. I had many of the same concerns and look for peer reviewed articles on items I am planning on trying. And I agree, I think Beachbody should provide Shakeology to a university to perform such studies.
As for myself, I ordered Shakeology and drank one shake a day for 60 days. Prior to that, I went to my own physician and we took cholesterol and blood sugar (fasting and 2 hour uptake) levels. I did NOTHING to change my diet. I ate the same cruddy food I was guilty of eating due to my busy schedule. I in fact ADDED Shakeology to my daily caloric intake.
After 60 days my physician and I re-tested my cholesterol and my blood sugar levels. I did in fact lower my cholesterol consistent with the reported levels from Beachbody. My blood sugar level (fasting) also reduced from Pre-Diabetic levels to a roughly 75-80. Of course, if you would like to slam that I do not have those numbers directly in front of me at this moment, I will concede. But I can dig up those records and provide those exact numbers later. Oh, my lab work was performed by a gold standard diagnostic lab out of state as well.
Is this definitive? Certainly not. But it certainly did provide me the information to allow me to begin my health improvement focus. So yes, I became a beachbody coach to get my Shakeology at a more affordable rate (as well as discounted exercise programs). But I also know that when I have a fully booked case load of patients, my shakeology in the middle of the afternoon helps give me “more energy” (note those quotes… it is completely subjective, not quantitative).
I will also note that I have all 3 flavors. Chocolate is by far my least favorite. I actually enjoy greenberry (which per their marketing is the least popular) and the new tropical strawberry is nice as well (though requires extensive blending and a sit and rest period to resolve the grittiness from the brown rice protein).
Thank you again for the review. I am sorry you did not care for the chocolate. If you are interested in trying the other flavors, feel free to contact me. I will even let you pay for the cost of the samples to avoid any potential bias on a “freebie.”
Laura, thanks for writing and thanks for your feedback and for your info on your blood sugar levels. No need to “prove” it. I will take your word. Question, did your weight decrease while taking shakeology? Just curious as I know weight loss can reduce blood sugar levels. Either way, I am very glad you are moving away from metabolic syndrome as we both know what bad things that can lead to.
As an aside I did an interview with someone who cured her type II diabetes through weight loss and exercise so if anyone would like to read her story here it is http://www.joe-cannon.com/interview-yolanda-bowles-diabetes-exercise-nutrition-cure-type-ii-diabetes/
Thanks for calling me “lazy” for trying to get my nutrition in. Won’t be visiting this blog again.
Veronica, not sure what you are referring to. I don’t remember anybody calling you “lazy.” In fact I searched the comments for the word “lazy” and “veronica” and didn’t see either mentioned anywhere. I know I would never insult anybody for using shakeology or any supplement for that matter.
Well, I’m a pilot so we get special privileges, but we do get screened at my airport, just different rules. I once brought 6 lbs of PB2 packed close together in 1lb mylar vacuum packed bricks and they looked at it, but let me through. I bet it did look suspicious on xray. I don’t THINK there is a restriction on powders, because you can turn a solid into a powder just by smashing it.
Worst case, they might swab and run it for explosives screening. Consult the TSA website but I don’t think it’s an issue. Even coming through customs I asked about it and they are looking for whole foods really. I put down that I had PB2 and protein shakes, and they didn’t care basically. Once again, consult appropriate sources but I’ve never heard of any problems. I have heard horror stories about huge whole food fines from bananas and stuff you forgot to claim that you grabbed from the U.S. hotel that morning and came back from Mexico with and forgot you had. As in, hundreds of dollars. That’s a lot of Shakeology budget. 😛
As to extract vs. whole, all except the last two items on the ingredients label are powdered, so I would consider them portable, concentrated whole foods. They just took the water out. I’m not sure about the grape seed, which is 50mg, but for the green tea extract, they decaffeinate using water so it may have to be listed as an extract as a result. Out of the 48,000 milligram serving size of Shakeology, only 100mg is listed as extract. The rest is whole if you consider dried and powdered to be whole. A .002 portion.
Sure, you can get a tax benefit from any other business, but if you use supplements, want to buy gear and programs, or use one of our services such as meal planning, it may be a better way to buy them when factors such as that are considered. We offer a lot more than P90X and Shakeology.
That to me is one of the main functions of a coach, hence I find the term appropriate. Customer: here’s my issues: (price, time, convenience, goals). Coach: here’s something you may not have considered, here’s what I do, try this, etc.
I try to lower cost, and get better results for people. That’s it.
We all want to make money and there’s good and bad coaches out there just like there are good and bad used car salesman, insurance agents, etc.
My goals I try to keep to: best price, best service, best results, live the example. Money will follow.
I digress. As to the whole food concept, I don’t think you yourself could make the case you can get the best results with whole food ALONE otherwise, why look at any supplement, ever?
In my case (airline pilot) you CANNOT do whole food alone. Customs issues alone prevent that, both into and out of the country. Also timing: where do I get fruit and healthy cereal at 4something AM? What do I do late at night at a hotel in the middle of nowhere when the kitchen is closed? I’m in the cockpit for almost 4 hours. What then? And the time factor, which everyone has issues with.
Again, I suppose that’s a digression from the relative worth or not of the supplement. But it does mix pretty well with just a shaker cup and some ice, which others may not and it travels well and I can get it through security. I think it tastes pretty good like that but I doubt any shakes without a lot of sugar and calories are going to be a total 100% taste treat without texture, flavor, or aftertaste issues. If you saw the diet and fitness state of many airline pilots you’d want them to consider a bag too. 😛
You gotta compromise somewhere, sometimes.
Rob, interesting. so if I took shakeology to the airport, it would not red flag with TSA? I know they have a limit on the amount of liquids I bring on board a plane. What about powdered substances? This never occurred to me until you brought it up. Just wondering what would happen to a passenger, going on a week long trip who tried to bring several days worth of shakeology with them in their carry on bag.
I mention the whole food because the evidence for many supplements stems from the research done on food and not the supplements themselves. Sometimes scientists concentrate things that they think are the active ingredients in food. sometimes they are right and sometimes they are not right. While I see a place for some supplements and when it comes to convenience, they are unparalleled, Id rather do the food when I can and supplement where needed. In the case of what you are doing as well as shift workers, police on stakeouts etc I can see where a meal replacement would be worth it.
Yes, we are OCD, because we have to be. If we were not we’d get lambasted every time we weren’t 100% clear. People like to toss about comments like ‘It’s overpriced!’. On the face of it, yes, it appears so. I don’t think under $3 a serving is overpriced. Again coach cost, because to buy it any other way is a waste of money. One bag every 7.5 weeks is break even on the fees. $89.96 shipped for advertised 30 servings, really 33-35. I went through 2 bags @ a level scoop just to see, because I’m a skeptic at heart too. And as a coach, consider the tax write-offs for a ‘business’ into that figure. You could never profit a cent and write off reasonable expenses for 2 years.
All your fees, a portion of your cell phone, and internet, at least plus a small amount of housing for home office use. (I am not a CPA but this is what mine told me.) If you stack it against Jamba Juice or a retail smoothie shop, you’re way ahead. Yes, it depends on how you look at it. How beneficial is it? LOTS of supplements are murky science. Worst case, it’s a bunch of handy, long shelf life, protein, fruits, veggies, etc. that I think you can compare favorably to most other health drinks and it tastes good, again IMHO.
Plus, you can try it for 30 days, and if it does nothing for you, get your money back. You have a month to see if it does anything for you. Heck, let’s just pretend NOTHING in it’s any good, but if you lost weight and felt better somehow, it worked. I’m sure someone would make THAT statement. As a whole, the Beachbody workouts and supplements worked for me, and how many people can say that something actually works vs. all the failed diet and exercise programs out there? I’ve got MY pictures, cholesterol results, and logged workouts to prove it. Why mess with success by trying to pick the pieces apart?
Rob, just to toss in my 2 cents, I’d rather people eat the fruits and veggies -even frozen fruits and veggies – because Shakeology – shelf life or not – does not contain whole fruits or veggies, rather just extracts. Also, I’m pretty sure your cholesterol dropped in part because of your weight loss (and exercise) rather than a direct cholesterol lowering effect of shakeology. I see no proof that shakeology alone lowers cholesterol. That said I’m glad you have found something that has worked for you. Like all weight loss paths, results will vary and be based in part on how much effort the person puts into the program.
The idea of the tax write offs for BB coaches is interesting and its a benefit you can get from almost any other home-based business.
According to Wikipedia the definition of gluten free is: gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as “dextrin”.
If Shakeology if doing false advertising, they are opening themselves up to a potential lawsuit. I know Arbonne’s shakes are gluten free and certified vegan made with pea protein, brown rice protein and cranberry proton.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought a product could not be considered gluten free if it contains barley!
Just don’t get it ? These BB coaches are OCD about this stuff . Seems overpriced and not much research is done on it .They must be making alot of $$$ on it ! I am more interested in health then the lastest FAD out there ! Have heard alot of good things on Red Yeast Rice and how it lowers your LDL. So happy I finally found someone who is honest! Always thankful for your unbiased thoughts!
Kathy, thanks I’m glad you found me too 🙂 Yes red yeast rice has research that it can lower cholesterol levels. Thats because it contains an ingredient that is basically a primitive statin drug.
This is a simple method of calories in versus calories burned. It doesn’t matter if it is Shakeology, a banana, or milk chocolate. If you consider the obesity rates in the United States, supplementing one meal a day for a 140 calorie replacement….work out as directed…etc…etc… you are almost guaranteed that some weight will be released from your body. I am not saying a calorie is a calorie but I think it is a safe bet that if you take the average lunch in this country out of your diet and replace it with 140 calorie substitute…and not work out…a person could more than likely still lose some weight.
Responded also via email so I’m not accused of spamming. 🙂 I know someone who has gluten issues, and their ‘wellness doctor’ told them Shakeology has gluten which it clearly does not so it’s a bit of sore spot for me. It says gluten free on the bag, so no one should ever say that it does. It’s kinda like saying ‘That car isn’t a Ford’ when it has the ‘Ford’ logo on it. ‘Major’ is debatable, but all it takes is a look at the labeling, which you do in great detail, so it’s confusing that you missed it. I agree most people don’t have issues but for those that do this has useful ingredients that are harvested young, before they develop gluten. Have your wheatgrass and eat it too.
Robert, yes I did see your email yesterday, thanks for writing. My not mentioning that shakeology was gluten free was just that it was not my main focus and so I did not think to do it. My goal was to review the ingredients. I will go back and add that in now however. As for the “wellness doctor” I’d be curious of the background of the person (MD, pHd etc). Even if they were a “doctor” nobody knows everything and it was just a mistake. We all make them.
Suma Root has been taken out of the newest Vegan Shakeology and all future packages of the other flavors. Beachbody listens, I think. They continually do things like that. Non-GMO sweeteners for example, was another change.
As for the free trial, there is a ‘bottom of the bag’ guarantee. If you want to test it, I would do this: 1. Sign up as a Coach. 2. Order the box with both flavors on autoship/home direct so you can try both flavors, but I can tell you the chocolate is vastly preferred over greenberry and the tropical is so new most people don’t have it yet. 3. Get your cholesterol checked, take measurements such as weight. 4. Take it for a month with your regular routine, working out or not. 5. At the end of thirty days, keep going if you’re satisfied or send the coach kit and the empty bag/box back for a refund. Autoship makes shipping free, so your only risk is the postage to mail a small package back. $8 at most? $8 for 1.44 kilos of supplement is a good price. If you think it’s a scam, scam us right back buy getting a month’s supply for $8 or less. 🙂
Rob, I removed your BB affiliate link from your post. I’m honestly surprised that you tried to get me to sign up under you as a BB coach! You could have said “sign up at BB.com” which would have been fine but you sent me through your own website link to do it. My hats off to you for your chutzpah but that’s not going to happen. I let your website – and FB page – slide in another post because you offered some interesting info on tax deductions for Beach Body coaches, but trying to recruit me just took the cake.
You also posted about 9 different times today, most of them on this post. I love comments because that’s how I learn from others but you could have said almost everything in 1 or 2 comments. Each comment had your website link and/or your Facebook page. If I was a suspicious person, I’d think you were trying to maximize the chances of somebody seeing your link and clicking on it so you could sell them shakeology. If I’m wrong, I apologize. That’s just a trick I see online sometimes.
As for the claim that shakeology lowers cholesterol, maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. Let’s study it in the ABSENCE of weight loss and see what happens. Rob, weight loss causes reductions in cholesterol so if I lost weight with shakeology (and I have no reason to think I would not if I followed the plan ) then how would you know it was the shakeology that did it? Why not get 100 people and randomly give them 2700 calories per day and have them work out the same. Some get shakeology and some get a placebo powder drink that had the same calories. That would be abetter test as to whether shakeology can lower cholesterol or not.
Hey college students, this would be a GREAT project to do (hint hint!)
Shakeology is certified gluten free, so that’s a major mistake in your review. They have good customer service in my experience. Not perfect, but better than a lot of companies today, IMHO. You also haven’t mentioned the new VEGAN version with no animal products at all. (Which is understandable since it’s only been available to order for 2 days.)
Coach price is about 25 cents more a serving, which I think is a reasonable increase for a more unique product. Whey is in nearly everything, and this is brown rice based protein, so for vegans or those with allergen or digestive issues from animal based supplements, this may be a huge attraction.
As to taste the new Vegan Shakeology is Tropical Strawberry which I’m hoping will be a flavor most people will like. The Greenberry is something I’ve got to be in the mood for. The chocolate I love.
You should try it again with 4 oz ice, 4 oz water vs just water. I agree with the statement that with just water, it’s just OK. But who wants a room temperature shake? Blech. Ice in everything I make, even the recovery drink. I sometimes add coffee, peppermint oil, or peanut butter, or combos like cold coffee/peppermint to chocolate Shakeology. Those are GREAT, IMHO. And they have changed the formula some since your review over a year ago.
Robert, I dont think not mentioning that shakeology was gluten free was a “major” mistake in my review. I know that there are people who can’t tolerate gluten and that’s great that shakeology is gluten free. But I also know that “gluten free” is trendy. Capitalism dictates that you go where the money is. If it were only gluten insensitive people who were buying gluten free products, then hardly anybody would be selling gluten free products. Research finds thats that most people can digest gluten just fine. For those who cant digest gluten, then gluten free makes sense.
I still believe I have one of the most unbiased Shakeology reviews on the web but I am willing to try the new Shakeology flavor and write about it if any BB coaches want to send me some samples.
Thanks so much for the review. I am not a Beachbody coach, but have used Shakeology and other (video) products offered by them. Before taking the Shakeology I did look at the extensive ingredients and I felt like it was too much to evaluate. The things I did not like were the stevia, ginsing and the acai berry. Although it looks as though they are minimal. I don’t use the Shakeology every day but it is a great supplement when I don’t have the time/energy/resources to prepare a healthy meal. And to that end I have not noticed any side effects. Thank You for your input. It was helpful.
My pleasure MommaO 🙂
I am NOT a Beachbody coach but I have been drinking the Greenberry Shakeology drink for about 6 months now and I love it. It’s very strange because I am usually a very picky eater but for some reason I like this. I make it with coconut water and blend it with ice to make it really thick. It’s so thick I eat it with a spoon. I haven’t found anyone I know who likes the shake besides me. I am also looking forward to the Tropical flavor that comes out next week. I’m hoping I like the taste of that one as well. I have tried the chocolate shake but did not like it. I’m not a huge chocolate fan anyway.
Didn’t know where to post his ? Could you please tell me your thoughts on Protandim ! Thank you 🙂
Kathy, I did a fast search for it today and it looks like an anti-aging supplement. Thanks for letting me know about this! I will look into it further in the near future. Until then know that no supplement can slow the rate of aging. they say its “clinically proven” and Ill be looking at their research when I review it. I did see that it has Ashwagandha – if you search the site for that you’ll see the other products that contained it.
I was wondering if you have done a review on the Visalus “Shake that tastes like a cake” meal replacement. I used to use Shakeology but came to the same conclusion you have provided, maybe but who really knows as there is no scientific evidence to support their claims.
Additionally, there seems to be issues for some having gastro issues because of the product. So I found Visalus to be a better option, less expensive, tastes better and it works without the exercise you need for Shakeology to be successful. Just wonder if you have any comments?
Marc, Yes Ive done a couple of Visalus reviews here is my review on the Body By Vi Shake http://supplementclarity.com/visalus-review-vi-shape-visalus-supplements-body-by-vi-challang-weight-loss/
I also compared body by vi to shakeolody also here is that review http://supplementclarity.com/shakeology-visalus-body-by-vi-ingredients-compare/
I will also update my reviews of Shakeology and include a link to Body by Vi in case others are wondering about it. thanks for the heads up!