Weight loss products have never had as much competition as they have now. It seems like every so often a new product comes out in the market and becomes an instant hit to the health-conscious person. Now it is just not enough to have weight loss properties; supplements need to have great taste, nice packaging and some cost-effective promos to catch a buyer’s eye.
If you are a prospective buyer or have been an avid diet shake consumer, you probably have had this dilemma for the most part of your weight loss journey. Finding the best product is only half the job. You also need to make sure it works right for you; otherwise, you will be spending some empty dollars along the way. Most supplements are bound to make a dent in your monthly budget, and it’s better to be informed about a product than buying it blindly after someone on the internet said “it is very effective.”
We want to help the average consumer who just cannot decide to at least differentiate between two of the well-known brands in diet shake. Let us learn a few things about 18 Shake and Shakeology, and their taste, ease of use, texture, appetite control, nutritional value and other considerations.
We will also be laying the verdict to find out which shake is more ideal, or if one is really greater than the other.
THE BASICS
First things first: we have to know the basic information regarding these two products, just to give us a quick background check on their manufacturing and use.
18 Shake is a “luxury meal replacement” manufactured and distributed by 18 Nutrition. It has an assortment of ingredients, with its main protein component coming from whey isolate and concentrate. The recommended daily intake for optimal weight loss is a two-meal replacement, preferably during breakfast and lunch. You can mix it with other healthy options like almond milk and fruits, but you can also take it solo because there are no issues regarding the taste. 18 Shake is sold on their website www.18shake.com.
Shakeology is produced by Beachbody, LLC. The shakes are endorsed and sold either online or by Beachbody coaches. The manufacturers recommend replacing a meal during the day with their shake. They also provide guidelines for a well-thought meal plan or a lifestyle change for the remaining two meals of the day. They also recommend physical activity while on the Shakeology diet.
Taste Test
18 Shake comes in the common flavors of chocolate and vanilla, but the best thing about this shake is that it is easy to mix and match with other ingredients to make it more flavorful. Adding fresh fruits totally makes it yummier, upping its flavor value and makes it all the more natural tasting.
The original flavors actually taste good even without adding anything so there really isn’t any requirement to blending it with other ingredients, other than to make it have a different flavor, if you are after more variety.
Shakeology is somewhat a different story. It comes in a wide range of flavor including chocolate, chocolate vegan, vanilla, strawberry and its vegan counterpart, greenberry and the newest addition, cafe latte. They all sound attractive, but wait until you taste them because they might disappoint you. Having premixed flavors makes it taste more artificial.
It can be attributed to the fact that vitamin flavors are hard to be reformulated, but they could have done better in that department. What use is a wide selection of flavors if not one appeals to the taste buds?
This round: 18 Shake. It’s a big yes for someone who likes to experiment on flavors.
Ease of Use
18 Shake is taken twice a day, one each for breakfast and lunch. It’s fairly easy to prepare especially if you have the shaker, but if you want to follow recipes from the website, you’d have to allot more time in your shake preparation regimen to ensure you are making it right.
18 Shake comes with a free 18Meal plan ebook that details the an appropriation of the meals that are compatible to use the 18 Shake. It has complementary food suggestions that can help you lose weight faster. It is a useful companion ebook to the product and it serves as an efficient guide for someone who wants to have a balanced meal throughout the course of the diet plan.
There is no full meal plan specifically provided by Beachbody for their Shake products, but they do incorporate it in their fitness program. They typically suggest replacing only one meal (usually breakfast) with their shake and go about the day by following the Beachbody fitness program of your choice.
This round: 18 Shake. If only for that ebook that makes preparing food that goes with the shake so much easier.
Texture
Texture refers to how well the shake blends when mixed with water. This is often ignored by consumers, since they would expect grainy protein shakes to be the norm, but it does not need to be too grainy that it would already feel like you are drinking sand.
18 Shake is powdered and can be mixed with water, juice, milk, ice or the more popular choice for weight loss plan, the almond milk. It is somewhat grainy but can still be considered a smooth blend. There is no chalky taste to it. It’s texture can be rated fair.
The Shakeology product is also in powder form to be mixed with other ingredients. It also lacks the chalky taste, which is an absolute plus. The downside to it is its granulated texture after blending. You can probably taste some of the residual grains on your last drop, and it’s not that pleasant to the tongue.
This round: 18 Shake. It blends well and creates a smoother shake than the one from Shakeology.
Hunger Control
The Fibersol-2, a maltodextrin, is the main hunger suppressant of 18 Shake. It enables the consumer to feel fuller for longer. This is the proven effect of fiber; it fills you up even if you only had shake for the meal. It makes you less likely to crave for a snack in between meals, because the high fiber content stays in you stomach as a digestive resistant substance. So, while the major ingredients, vitamins and minerals are being absorbed in the system, the fiber stays as is and helps in cleansing the digestive tract.
Shakeology has the same functionality. It uses the amino acids in its protein content plus the fibers to provide hunger control for up to three hours. There is a slight difference in the appetite suppression time per flavor, maybe due to it’s different composition. For example, the chocolate and greenberry flavors have more vitamin and mineral complex, and uses whey isolate mostly, which is higher in protein content than a concentrate.
This round: tie. They both control hunger effectively, so it’s a selling factor for both shakes.
Nutritional Value
As per label indication, 18 Shake has 90 calories per serving, which is lower by 5-7 times compared to conventional meals. It has healthy portions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamin and mineral complex that follow a balanced diet. This means that 18 Shake did the work of counting your calories for you, making it easy to determine how much your intake to complete the daily-recommended values.
Shakeology is a bit more detailed in their nutritional content. Each flavor has slight differences in their values. In most of the flavors the calorie per serving is at 160, but the strawberry flavor has a slightly lower caloric content of only 130 calories. It leaves plenty of calories to be taken from other food sources that you prepare to complement the shake diet.
This round: Shakeology. You have to give it to their effort to list the exact ingredients as formulated, unlike other brands that don’t exactly care to detail any discrepancy per flavor, no matter how small it is.
Cost
18 Shake is only around $50 per bag, but the estimated length of consumption is only 2-3 weeks, so it follows that a month-long 18 Shake regimen would cost around a hundred dollars. This is compared to the Shakeology value of $130, which is slightly more expensive than the former.
This round: 18 Shake.
Other Considerations
No 2 shake brands are the same, and 18 Shake versus Shakeology are not exempted.
Milk and milk proteins: while both contain whey protein, Shakeology offers vegan options for the lactose-intolerant.
Gluten content: 18 Shake guarantees a Gluten-free formula, but Shakeology cannot say the same for theirs.
Soy content: 18 Shake has soy lecithin but is only used as an additive, meaning its value is insignificant. Shakeology does not have soy.
Sweeteners: both products do not have artificial sweeteners.
18 Shake had more wins compared to Shakeology, but it does not follow that you should dump your favorite brands for either one. If you feel like you need a change of weight loss products, I can recommend these two (leaning more toward 18 Shake, of course).
Never forget that these are weight loss supplements, and they are meant to support you in your weight loss journey. They are not intended to be your only intake for the day. You still need to follow a balanced diet and get some physical activity to achieve greater and faster results. It’s the discipline that makes for a healthier weight loss.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
If you are one of the experienced customers of these weight loss products, or if you have done more research regarding the two brands, you might want to share what you found. Feel free to voice your opinions and recommendations on the comment box below.
