Update 4/22/20. What's better: Shakeology or Body By Vi Shakes? Have you ever wondered which of these shakes might be best for you? Just in case you were thinking about this, I thought I would compare some of the aspects of Shakeology and BodyByVi shakes side by side so that you might have a better idea. For Body by Visalus, I’ll use their Vi Shape shake as this seems to be their biggest selling item. My goal is not to promote one supplement over another. Rather, I want to give you some information side by side so you can make the decision that is right for you.
I also suggest you read the comments that follow each review as this will give you additional insights.
Product Label. Body by Vi vs. Shakeology
Assuming that both shakes are mixed with water, here is how they compare.
|
Body by Vi |
% DV |
Shakeology |
% DV | |
| Calories | 90 | 140 | ||
| Calories from fat | 10 | 10 | 3 | |
| Total fat | 1 | 2 | .05 g | 0 |
| Saturated fat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trans fat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg | 5 | 10 mg | 3 |
| Sodium | 75 mg | 3 | 95 | 4 |
| Potassium | 125 mg | 4 |
?* |
|
| Total carbs | 7 g | 2 | 19 g | 6 |
| Dietary fiber | 5 | 22 | 3 g | 13 |
| Sugars | 1 g | 11 g | ||
| Protein | 12 g | 24 | 15 g | 30 |
*The Shakeolgy label did not list potassium. I found this odd given the health benefits of potassium.
Shakeology also contains a wide range of other ingredients which may or may not play a role in health. For more on these ingredients, I encourage you to read my review of Shakeology.
Looking at the main product label, we can see is that Shakeology has 50 more calories than the ViSalus shake. This is neither good or bad since anyway you look, at it 140 calories per Shakeology shake is not much.
Both ViSalus shakes and Shakeology still have fewer calories than my homemade smoothie recipe that I discussed previously.
In case you were wondering, Right Size Smoothie which is marketed on TV, radio ect. has 100 calories per scoop. Right Size Smoothies also has many other ingredients including caffeine.
How Do They Taste?
Taste is subjective. I can tell you I thought ViSalus shake tasted better than Shakeology. For more info see my reviews on the tastes
Shakeology vs. Visalus: Fiber Content
In the fiber department, the ViSalus shake has 5 grams which squeaks past Shakeology which has 3 grams of fiber. While 5 g vs. 3 g of fiber may not seem much, 5 grams is 22% of our daily value for fiber. Shakeolgoy only has 13%. This means Visalus is “high in fiber.” Since most people don't eat enough fiber this is something to consider.
The fact that shakeolgy has less fiber is ironic since some BB coaches have said you'd have to eat lots of different veggies (which have fiber) to equal what’s in Shakeology. These ads are obviously referring to the “phytonutrients” in Shakeology. However placing Shakeology on the same level as vegetables gives the impression that it contains vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower, which is not true.
Carbohydrates
ViSalus shakes have about 3 times fewer carbs than Shakeology (7 vs. 19). I wonder if this has to do with the “fear of carbs” that some people have? Any way you look at it, 7 carbs or 19 carbs is not a lot and really shouldn't factor into what's better.
Cost Comparison. Shakeology vs. Body By Vi
|
Shakeology |
ViSalus Shake |
| $119 per month | $49 per month (Vi Shape only) |
| $1428 per year | $588 per year (Vi Shape only) |
ViSalus has many supplements. If you use more than the Vi Shape shake, the cost you pay will be more than what I have listed.
Costs Per Serving. Shakeology vs. Body by Vi
|
Shakeology |
ViSalus Shake |
| $ 4.00 per serving | $ 1.50 per serving |
Protein Content
In terms of protein, Shakeology has 15 grams per serving vs. ViSalus which has 12 grams of protein. Both shakes have more protein than Right Size Smoothie which has only 9 grams of protein per serving.
So What's Better?
If price matters, Visalus wins hands down. It's much less expensive than Shakeology. From my taste tests, I can say I preferred Visalus too. I just thought it tasted better. Both shakes are low in calories, and as a meal replacement, both will lead to weight loss if you follow their diet programs.
I have a severe allergy to soy and two VI reps have tried to tell me that because it is non GMO soy that it is safe for me. Soy Protein is Soy Protein, doesn’t matter if is non GMO or GMO, I am allergic to the soy protein. It just amazes me that they believe in this stuff so much that they will try to sell it to someone with a soy allergy and it could be life threatening. Currently, I am trying the Shakeology Shakes!
Michele, thanks for your words. you really have to take -with a grain of salt – some of what sellers of these products say. Not only because they have a money-related interest in keeping you on the product but more than this, I’d bet a lot of them don’t have a background in nutrition. Either way, if soy is a problem for you, then that is good enough reason for me to say steer clear of it.
have you evaluated Akea Essentials and/or compared it to Visalus?
Lana, I have not yet done so but I have added to my list of things to look at. If you know its ingredients, you can enter those into the search box of my site and see what Ive said about them in other supplements.
I look forward to seeing your review/research when you do it. Akea is organic, whole foods, many of them fermented so the ‘search’ wouldn’t show much about it The only less natural ingredients are the maltodextrin and silica dioxide – not sure of there source of purpose but maybe the malotdextrin is to sweeten it a bit. I saw one post where you commented on the low protein. I agree if you use it as meal replacement you need to increase the protein by using almond milk or add some protein powder. I know people using Visalus and I am skeptical due to the long list of synthetics. Look forward to reading more of your reviews.
Lana thanks. Ill see what I can dig up on it. It should have a website somewhere.
The main website is akealife.com From there you will find lots of information on ingredients, claims about health benefits, etc. I look forward to seeing what you post when you review it. From what I’ve read about in your comments about Shakeology and Visalus it will be unbiased and based on your knowledge which is perfect. Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks Lana 🙂
Hi, I’ve been very interested in comparing Shakeology and Body by Vi. I noticed in the Shakeology review you pretty much included all the ingredients but in the Visalus review you left off a lot. Here is a sample of what I was looking at.
http://visalus.com/sites/default/files/products/ingredients/web-prodpanel-vishapepouch.jpg
Listed in the Ingredients are things like Soy Protein Isolate (Which some are now saying is really harmful to the body), a lot of things I can’t even say, and sucralose. Sounds like a lot of chemical processing and preservatives. I don’t see all these processed ingredients in Shakeology. Shakeology looks like a lot of food just ground up. What is your opinion on how that part compares?
Katt, the main claim of both of these products is that they will help weight loss. In that respect both are low in calories and if you drank either in place of a meal, I believe both will cause weight loss. thats why I only looked at the main food label ingredients in both.
As for the other ingredients in the Body By Vi shake, its mostly a bunch of vitamins that dont do anything for weight loss. As for the soy in Body By Vi, this is a criticism they may have to deal with because there are people who don’t like to eat soy. Soy does reduce thyroid hormone. It does not cause hypothyroidism however. How much does the Vi shake reduce thyroid hormone, I don’t know. I would have liked it if the shake had whey protein.
On the flip-side, Shakeology has ginkgo which is a blood thinner and may interact with blood thinning drugs. how much might it do this? I don’t know. Its a theoretical possibility but I wish they would take this herb out of shakeology
I think both of these products are way over priced and except for maybe helping weight loss (if they are combined with eating fewer calories) never of them has been proven (through good research) to provide any health benefits.
You did touch on something very important though when you talked about shakeolgy being basically ground up food. Why not just do that in a blender. I know that doing this will help people be healthy. Here’s my smoothie recipe. Give it a shot.
Yes eating right does do the same thing. But here is the difference. I’ve always been passionate about health and nutrition. But it takes a lot of work finding foods that aren’t full of sugar and processed. On top of so expensive! I tried for a while to eat fresh fruit, no boxed meals and that is time consuming.
Visalus shakes take 1 minute to make and guaranteed 30% daily vitamins, full serving of fiber, around 20g protein when used with milk, only 1 gram of sugar, 1g fat, lactose, gluten free, kosher certified.. The benefit is it took the guess work out of it for me and provided ALL that nutrition for $1.50/meal. Not everyone that drinks the shakes adds exercise to their routine. I know several who have only drank the shakes and lost weight. I for one only do it for the health because I feel a significant difference by drinking them.
Wouldn’t just eating right do the same thing as these shakes. To me most people weren’t even exercising until they started the shake routine. So is it really the shake or the fact that you started exercising and watching what you ate.
Jack I agree, I started the Body by Vi 3 weeks ago, I was told to expect a generous amount of weight loss, I have lost a total of 0.8 lbs in those 3 weeks. I did start exercising, but I do the Insanity Max 30 video’s every day and add in between 1-3 mile treadmills every other day.
The shakes were not enough to fill me up, and regardless I saw a nutritionist, as my weight loss needs to be upwards of 80lbs, she told me to use the shakes for the protein but not to drink your calories anyway. So I’d eat a banana with the shake. the algorithm for weight loss is Colories out > Calories in and you will lose weight.
I have since canceled my Visalus, will continue my Workout regime, and am thinking about adding shakeology for the nutrition factor.
Marsha, if I can chime in, Here is my review of Shakeology for more insights on that product.
I have been drinking the body by vi shakes since february when my friend introduced it to me. I have never tried shakeology. But from feb-june, I lost 30 lbs. Lost all the baby weight. I can tell you one thing, this is NOT a scam! I was approached to become a promoter, which I did and started to get my shakes for free..but then my customers dropped off and I went back to paying for them every month. I tried to go the cheaper route and stopped visalus in july/aug. and drank another protein shake made by Optimum Nutrition..it was SUCH a hassle to drink! I didnt want to drink it..whereas visalus tastes AMAZING. I went back to paying my $100/month! Its TOTALLY worth the money.
I love how it tastes, heck I crave it..no joke! I was offered to go up the Body by vi ladder, but I declined because I would have to find more customers, and I didnt have any and just dont feel that i’m make for the marketing world. But I do love my visalus shakes, and would recommend them to anyone who is looking to replace a meal and lose weight. It definitely works!
Have you tasted Vi Shake? I add 2 cups of spinach and a banana in a blender and its amazing. No stevia needed.
Christina i have. its not bad tasting. never mixed it with anything though
All the numbers aside, the taste of a shakeology shake with stevia can’t compare. Taste! People actually have to enjoy drinking it!
Hey Joe you are very welcome! I enjoy answering questions and filling people in :).
Here’s the thing, at the ESS level you can be any level of director. For instance, I’m a Director and am within a month of hitting Regional Director. You can go to Visalus website and check out the compensation plan.
Once you hit Regional Director you qualify for BMW, and if you don’t want the car they give you cash bonus instead and will make aroun $1500 extra/month.
When you hit National Director you will receive a $25000 bonus check which ends up around $2000/month extra.
I believe it’s something crazy like 20 ppl/ day are qualifying for their BMW. Visalus was in Forbes magazine and talked about how it is the fastest growing MLM. Our compensation plan blows others out of the water and the personal stories that we hear on a daily basis is so inspiring it gives customers the passion to flip into a promoter.
I have a promoter that started customer, she had to have gastric bypass and drank the sahkes 2 weeks before her surgery and lost 11 lbs. If it weren’t for an intestinal problem she would have drank the shakes and not had gastric bypass.
She loved them so much she flipped to promoter 3 weeks after she started the shakes.
I’ve researched every angle on this product and it is truly a very well made mix. Nutrition is something I’m extremely passionate about. 🙂
Shay, thanks for filling me in on all that! I appreciate it.
ESS is the Executive System, in it includes your personal product, sample packets, all the reading info, internet info, dvd, and magazine subscription. The cost for this is $499; then you also have to be signed up on a monthly auto-ship. This level allows you to be eligible for BMW and your ability to make a higher commission % on product sold and promoters signed up.
Shay, thanks for letting me know that. Wow. thats a lot of money. Do you have any stats on what the average person at the ESS level makes per month or how many have gotten BMWs?
Joe, as a $49 level promoter, you will ONLY receive commission off of product you sell/promoters you sign up and are NOT eligible for the BMW and other incentives. It’s basic because it only allows you to make profit off of those you would have referred in order to get free product.
Secondly I’ve been promoting Vi and have the most amazing team. Not all teams are this way and there will be a bad apple in the mix just like with any other company you get involved in. Those of us who paid the extra money to be an ESS promoter truly believe in the product, what it’s doing, and the benefits of it.
This isn’t just helping people loose weight, it’s helped people go off of their diabetes insulin, blood pressure meds etc/ even helped some with fybro pain, and like myself extreme IBS.
Shay, how much does it cost to go to the ESS promoter level? What does ESS stand for?
Cathy T that is true, but let me inform you of this, on my Beachbody team one of the coaches had their before and after pic stolen by a BBV rep and falsely portrayed on their site as if BBV did the job! This coach has now taken legal steps toward this rep!
Cathy, Interesting. I wonder if stuff like this is the result when the flood gates are opened to anybody who can pay $40 or so dollars to be a distributor (or ambassador) and told that the more people they sign up under them the more $ they can make. This potential dilution of the sales force quality was something I addressed in my shakeology review. I’m saddened that I was right.
Michelle, sorry you had such a bad experience with one Vi promoter. The Visalus community does not promote dishonesty, the facts are printed clearly on the products, the price on product literature and order form.
I am a novice Visalus Promoter, however I have been using Vi products for two 1/2 years and love them. One poor promoter does not make a product a “scam”.
Visalus is a scam. They allow these promoters to sell their product and these promoters lie to you. I know this for fact, it just happened to me.
My dealings then turned to visalus customer service after I discovered this promoter (which visalus allows) lied to me every step of the way- the price, what I was being sent, when it would be delivered- you name it!
Visalus customer service is as bad if not worse than the promoter I originally dealt with. And basically in an email just told me THEY will not refund my money when the shipment (I haven’t even gotten yet) is returned to them. REALLY?????
Don’t think my credit card company will see it that way when I tell them the false pretenses that I was sold the product under….. Good Luck if you order from them- they are a scam!
Visalus is def NOT a scam .
It’s actually and amazing product ,
I was on it for years LOVE LOVE it .
I teach fitness and this was my go to for nutrition . It not only gave me energy each am , not only taste GREAT , it def help me with weight management and muscle tone as well ! I am now currently not drinking Visalus after 5-6 weeks and most def can see and feel a major Dif in my body as well as weight .
I only went off the shake because I Came to realize that it contains Iodine as well as Shakeology does and other comp shakes . I’m allergic to iodine so this did not work for my body . I’m super super bummed and def missing the shakes daily !!
I also love BBV daily vitamins and cookies .
Best of luck to you and finding what you need for you . Everyone is Dif and has Dif needs .
I personally love that BBV you can choose two shakes a day as I teach more than a class a day and this was the best thing for me to push through a tuff Kickboxing , boxing or spin class .
Hey guys don’t forget, Visalus offers a 3 for free program whether you are a customer or promoter. Oh, and I saw a comment about drinking 2 shakes a day for weight loss with Vi which ups the cost; this is true.. however it’s only $99/month which is still cheaper than Shakeology not to mention 60 meals/month for $99? Can’t eat that off a dollar menu.
One more thing is Vi is gluten/lactose free, Kosher certified, and 99.999% natural.
You missed all of the superfoods and antioxidants that Shakeology has that Visalus does not. Shakeology contains Moringa which has 3x amount of potassium then bananas do! And you also did not do your homework Shakeology has 8 different prebiotics and digestive enzymes that improves digestion improves regularity and increases nutrient absorption.
Anthony, thanks for writing. let me try to address your questions in order.
1. the ingredients I listed came right off the Shakeology ingredients list from the samples I had.
2. As for “superfoods” Anthony, please know that this is an invented word (probably attributable to Oprah or Dr Oz) that has no scientific meaning. I do agree that any food that has color could be classified as “super” (because of its phytonutrient content) but there is no food that is “perfect.”
3. As for potassium, its a great mineral and does a LOT of great stuff (like help lower blood pressure) but more is not always better. There is potassium in a LOT of foods like fruits, veggies, yogurt, salmon, nuts etc. If healthy people are using Shakeology, I’d guess they are already getting enough potassium from the other foods they eat. Shakeology wont hurt them but I dont think the potassium in it should be a factor in their decision to use shakeology if they already eat well.
For unhealthy people I do think potassium foods are something to look at because it CAN do a lot of good things. I just looked at the shakeology pack I have in my kitchen and they dont tell us how much potassium it has! There are all these other “super” ingredients, but the ingredient that have proof it helps people – potassium – is not listed. What’s up with that?
4. As for prebiotics, I dont think need them. Prebiotics are basically the food for probiotics. There is some good research on probiotics but I dont believe pre-biotics are needed by people as they likely already get them from the foods they eat.
5. Digestive enzymes. Enzymes are basically fancy protein molecules. When they are consumed, they are digested in the stomach like any other protein. While they may have some action for a very short period of time (before they are destroyed) and that might help people who have some digestion issues, where is the proof they help people who have no digestion problems? I dont think Ive ever seen any. I know of no proof that digestive enzymes help regularity either. If anything, there is more proof that exercise and fiber help regularity than enzymes.
Anthony, I know people feel very passionate about Shakeology (and other products Ive reviewed). I just want to put things in perspective and remove some the hype that can accompany some of these products. That way, people can make a more informed decision.
Aren’t there also lots of “superfoods” in Shakeology, that have health benefits? And probiotics, which aid in digestion?
Nicole, good question. First let me mention that there really are no such things as “super foods.” This is a term that was probably invented by Dr Oz or Oprah, something if true, I’m sure they regret, because that phrase has been used to sell a lot of products which just have no basis in fact. The fact is that all food is super food in moderation.
As for probiotics, yes there is a lot of evidence that they can help diarrhea, but if your digestion is fine, I dont think they add any benefit to that. I also see no proof that probiotics in shakeology are any better than probiotics you’d get from yogurt you’d get at the supermarket.
One thought I have on your comparison is that body by Vi recommends their clients take two shakes per day instead of just the one given in your example. Also the artificial ingredients found in the bbV and none found in ShakeO.
My previous post, sucralose is only .03 Mg and I meant people, not pepper, lol. Sorry, on cell at 1:30 AM
Got it Jeff! 🙂