Protein shakes have become very popular in the market. They are consumed by many people to aid in weight loss. By replacing your unhealthy snacks with a serving of your favorite low-calorie-yet-filling protein shake, you can control your caloric intake more easily. In this article, we’ll compare Juice Plus vs Shakeology nutrition to help you choose the best protein shake.
Read on below to learn further about:
- The available flavor choices of Juice Plus and Shakeology
- How to brew these protein shakes
- The ingredients used in each protein shake
- The effects and benefits of each protein shake
- The comparison of Juice Plus vs Shakeology nutrition
- Whether Juice Plus or Shakeology is more recommended for you
Overview
Juice Plus is one of several direct competitors of Shakeology. It is a brand of dietary supplements produced by Natural Alternatives International for National Safety Associates. The company is quite well-known in the market. They are known for producing dietary supplements, many of which are designed to support overall health, some of which are aimed specifically for weight loss. In this article, we will focus squarely on the protein shakes.
The company claims that their products are the best alternative to veggies and fruits. Well, that is quite a bold claim. It is said that every Juice Plus drink is made from about 30 different vegetables and fruits, and is further enriched with various vitamins, minerals, and plant-based compounds. Juice Plus aims to complete your nutritional requirements (some of which aren’t fulfilled by your meals) in order to support your overall well-being.
On the other hand, Shakeology is produced Beachbody LLC, an American multinational corporation that is famous for selling fitness, weight loss, and home exercise programs and videos. Shakeology is produced by the company to support and complement their exercise programs. However, many people also buy and consume the shake even though they don’t take any of the exercise programs.
Shakeologyis actually a unique shake. It is one of the most popular weight loss shakes in the market. However, according to the manufacturer, Shakeology is neither a meal replacement shake nor “just” a protein shake. It doesn’t contain complete nutrition, so it should not be used as a meal replacement shake. It contains proteins, but it is also rich of various other nutrients. Nevertheless, you can use Shakeology to reduce your hunger and craving.
Shakeology is designed to be easy to make. The company is aware that a lot of modern people are active with tight schedules, so they can’t spend much time to prepare their shakes. Hence, Shakeology comes in a powder form that is easy to mix with water or milk. It comes with rich protein and fiber to promote weight loss, muscle growth, and muscle recovery. It also supports your digestive system and enhances your energy. (Read also : Shakeology vs Melaleuca)
Flavor Choices
Now, let’s take a look at the available flavor choices that are offered by the two weight loss shakes. In general, having more flavor choices is better. With more options, you have a better chance of finding your favorite flavor. You also get more options to switch to when you are bored with a particular flavor, so you will not get bored with the drink too quickly.
It is kind of unfortunate that JuicePlus only has two flavor choices, which are Dutch Chocolate and French Vanilla. Note that both options are vegan, as they are made from non-dairy milk. However, the product does not have any fruity flavor option. This is not a problem if you are personally a fan of either chocolate or vanilla (or both). But if you don’t like any of the two, you may feel compelled to find an alternative.
Nevertheless, Juice Plus does have a good taste. It is sweet and tasty. The texture is pretty thick, but still easy to drink. Of course, it tastes nice because it contains some sugar and sodium. The sugar content is about 10 grams per serving, whereas the sodium content is about 240 mg per serving.
On the other hand, Shakeology is better in terms of innovation. It comes with multiple flavor choices, so you have some options to switch to in the future. The five flavor choices include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, café latte, and greenberry. As you can see, besides the standard chocolate and vanilla options, there are some fruity options in strawberry and greenberry. People who don’t like chocolate and vanilla still have other options to enjoy the benefits of Shakeology.
As mentioned previously, Shakeology is better in innovation. The company is aware that there are some people who prefer vegan products. Shakeology is available in vegan versions with four flavor choices, which are chocolate, vanilla, tropical strawberry, and café latte. So, if you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can opt for these options to lose weight.
In general, Shakeology tastes good. Chocolate and vanilla are the favorites, followed by café latte. The strawberry and greenberry flavors aren’t too bad. Each serving contains about 9 grams sugar and 100 mg sodium.
Ingredients
In order to compare Juice Plus vs Shakeology nutrition, we need to first see the ingredients of each weight loss shake. By seeing the ingredients, we can determine the nutritional quality of the drink. Checking the ingredients is also very important if you are allergic to some foods. You need to make sure that the drink does not contain any ingredient that may trigger your allergy.
The Juice Plus shake contains four proprietary blends, which are protein blend, fiber blend, ancient grain and sprout blend, and powder blend.
- The proprietary protein blend contains protein-rich ingredients that can provide energy and promote muscle growth and recovery, which include low-processed soy protein, pea protein, rice protein, and chickpea powder.
- The proprietary fiber blend provides fiber-rich ingredients that can reduce hunger and craving while supporting digestive health. The ingredients include natural gums, fructooligosaccharides, soy fiber, apple fiber, rice bran, pectin, and plant cellulose.
- The proprietary ancient grain and sprout blend contains highly nutritious plant-based ingredients, which include alfalfa sprout, broccoli sprout, radish sprout, organic quinoa, organic amaranth, and organic millet.
- The proprietary powder blend contains healthy fruits and vegetables that have been powdered. The ingredients include pomegranate powder, pumpkin powder, spirulina powder, mushroom powder, and yucca powder.
Other ingredients include calcium, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and soy and sunflower lecithin. The vitamins and minerals are beneficial for supporting normal bodily functions.
To create a tasty and palatable drink, Juice Plus uses a natural sweetener blend, which is made from stevia and organic evaporated cane sugar. Depending on your flavor choice, it may contain cocoa or vanilla. It also contains sea salt.Juice Plus uses plant-based milk and is lactose-free.
Shakeology also uses several proprietary blends. Each proprietary blend is designed for specific benefits. The product boasts that it uses super-fruits and super-greens that are rich in nutrients and positive health effects.
- The proprietary protein blend contains pea, whey, chia, flax, sachainchi, and quinoa. This blend provides high-quality proteins to provide energy and support muscle growth and recovery.
- The proprietarysuper-fruit/antioxidant blend contains acerola cherry, bilberry, camu-camu, goji berry, luohanguo, pomegranate, rose hips, green tea, and vitamins A, C, and E. This blend protects the body against free radicals and oxidative damage.
- The proprietary super-green/phytonutrient blend contains chlorella, spirulina, kale, spinach, and moringa. This blend provides fiber along with phytonutrients to support overall health and vitality.
- The proprietary adaptogen blend includes astragalus, ashwagandha, maca, cordyceps, maitake, schisandra, and reishi. Adatogens are substances that can help the brain and body adapt to stress. They also support mental focus and alertness.
- Proprietaryprebiotic,probiotic, and digestive enzyme blend includes chicory root, yacon root, Bacillus coagulans, cellulose, lactase, amylase, glucoamylase, invertase, and alpha-galactosidase. The enzymes support the digestive process so that your body can absorb more nutrients from the foods you eat. Meanwhile, the prebiotic and probiotic content supports the overall digestive health.
The regular versions of Shakeology contain dairy and lactose. They don’t contain soy, but they are processed in facilities that also process soy. As the effect, they may have trace amounts of soy. Meanwhile, the vegan versions are dairy-free and lactose-free. Again, these products don’t use soy but may contain trace amounts of it.
Shakeology uses fructose and stevia to create a nice palatable flavor. Fructose is a type of sugar that is acquired from fruits, whereas stevia is a non-caloric natural sweetener that won’t convert into calories. It also uses natural flavorings, which depend on the flavor choice.
Juice Plus vs Shakeology Nutrition
Juice Plus is probably better for you if you are really strict with your caloric intake. But, honestly, the caloric difference to Shakeology is quite marginal. Still, lower is lower; Juice Plus does contain fewer calories than Shakeology.
Each serving of Juice Plus contains about 130 calories. It comes with 20 grams of carbohydrates, with 8 grams of fiber and 10 grams of sugar. In addition, it contains 13 grams of protein. A nice advantage of this drink is that it contains a very low amount of fat, which is less than 0.5 grams. So, it is very unlikely to increase your cholesterol.
Furthermore, each serving of Juice Plus comes with several vitamins and minerals. They include vitamin C, vitamin D, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, sodium, and potassium. As you can see, there aren’t many varieties of the vitamins and minerals.
Keep in mind that the sodium content of Juice Plus is quite high. Each serving has about 250 mg of sodium. Although sodium is needed by the body, be careful not to consume too much sodium. Many people in the modern world suffer from excessive sodium consumption, which causes high blood pressure, kidney problems, and heart conditions. Excessive sodium intake may also hinder your weight loss progress as it increases water retention.
On the other hand, Shakeology contains slightly higher calories. Each serving provides about 140 calories. It has 17 grams of carbohydrates, with 3 grams of fiber and 9 grams of sugar. In addition, it also has 17 grams of protein. The total fat content is less than 1 gram. The regular version has about 15 mg cholesterol, whereas the vegan version doesn’t contain cholesterol.
Shakeology is rich of vitamins and minerals. The drink contains vitamins A, C, D, E, K1, B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12. There are also folic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid. Furthermore, there are calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, phosphorus, and sodium. Compared to Juice Plus, Shakeology has a lower sodium content of only 100 mg.
Effects and Benefits
Both drinks claim to be helpful for weight loss. They do contain promising ingredients and nutritional values. However, are they really effective?
Juice Plus has received generally good reviews. It has good amounts of protein and fiber to work as an appetite blocker. It is able to make you feel full for a few hours. Unfortunately, it seems to be less effective after a few hours in preventing cravings.
One possible reason to this is the relatively low vitamins and minerals. Your body may experience cravings and fatigue if you don’t get sufficient vitamins and minerals. Nevertheless, if you aren’t particularly busy or active, you can still get good results from this drink.
Shakeology has also received generally good reviews. Although the fiber content is lower than Juice Plus, it still contains good amounts of carbohydrate and protein. As the effect, it is still able to make you feel full for several hours.
Shakeology is quite effective in preventing cravings and boosting your energy. The rich nutrients play a key factor here. It supports your bodily functions by providing the necessary vitamins and minerals. It can make you feel more focused and less fatigued. Hence, this is a great choice for active people.
Shakeology vs Juice Plus
| Juice Plus | Shakeology |
|---|---|
| - 2 flavor choices: chocolate and vanilla | - 5 flavor choices: chocolate, vanilla, café latte, strawberry, greenberry |
| - Vegan (doesn’t use dairy milk) | - Has regular and vegan versions |
| - Contains 4 proprietary blends | - Contains 5 proprietary blends |
| - Lower total calories | - Higher total calories |
| - Fewer vitamins and minerals | - Rich vitamins and minerals |
Conclusion
After comparing Juice Plus vs Shakeology nutrition, we recommend you to choose Shakeology. This shake can be more effective for reducing hunger and preventing cravings due to the rich nutrients. It can support your bodily functions by supplying the necessary vitamins and minerals. It will boost your energy and mental focus without adding excessive calories. In addition, it also has more flavor options, so you will not get bored quickly.