5 Shakes Comparable to Shakeology

If you’re a big Shakeology fan but want to save money, you’ve come to the right place for shakes comparable to Shakeology. Keep scrolling down for 5 shakes comparable to Shakeology that will give you maximum nutrients at a minimum cost.

We all know that a well-prepared, balanced meal is the ideal nutritional choice to stay healthy and fit. We also know that our busy lives don’t allow us the time or energy to prepare them. Luckily, there is a convenient option besides trips to the vending machine or fast food. Meal replacement shakes provide much-needed protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and even digestive enzymes. For this reason, people who might never lift a weight are now using protein shakes as their diet supplement of choice.

One of the most popular—and expensive—options is Shakeology, a brand that offers delicious and nutritious protein shakes. However, Shakeology is by no means the only great option out there. Without reservation, there are a good half dozen shakes comparable to Shakeology in terms of taste, calorie count, and nutrients. This article discusses some other great meal replacement shakes on the market. All of these options are comparable to Shakeology.

WHY USE A MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKE TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR DIET?

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There are a number of reasons to consider using meal replacement shakes to supplement your diet. Besides weight loss and diet, meal replacement shakes can make up for any areas of nutrient missing from your normal diet. As for muscle growth, while it may be true that weight lifters and body builders love protein shakes, you can also take advantage of the muscle growth properties without being a heavy lifter. Further, meal replacement shakes stimulate your digestive tract and promote healthy digestion. Lastly, all of our five shakes comparable to Shakeology have been demonstrated to promote positive mental heath.

So many choices for shakes comparable to Shakeology

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One of the most popular (and best-marketed) meal replacement shake options is certainly Shakeology. With several celebrity endorsements and a user-friendly website, it’s easy to see why this brand is the top choice for many. Unfortunately, a serving costs about as much as a latte at your favorite coffee shop. There are several comparable (and arguably better) shakes out there. Depending on your goals (weight loss, muscle gain, energy, general well-being), some options may be better suited for your particular diet than others.

The following are the best meal replacement shakes comparable to Shakeology on the market. To sum up, we’ve selected these five shakes as good alternatives based on a number factors. Generally, we took into account cost, nutrients, taste, and availability.

Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal

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Garden of Life’s Raw Organic Meal is unique in that it uses sprouted ingredients (such as brown rice and buckwheat) for its protein source. This makes it an excellent alternative for those avoiding both soy and dairy proteins. It also lacks gluten, added sugars, artificial colors, and preservatives. All of its ingredients are left in the raw. To explain, this means that nutrients normally lost to a heating process are still kicking. While the amino acid profile isn’t displayed on the label, it is certainly available on Garden of Life’s website.

The meal also boasts 1.5 billion live probiotics, 44 superfood ingredients, and 21 vitamins and minerals. Finally, the Garden of Life comes in four flavors: original, chocolate, vanilla, and chai.

Compared to Shakeology:

Shakeology and Garden of Life’s Raw Meal each consist of a similar array of healthy ingredients. Also, Garden of Life’s raw approach to meal replacement means that more nutrients make it to the finish line. Garden of Life’s website provides access to its products’ amino acid profiles. This is an important consideration and a refreshing move toward transparency in product advertising.

Nature’s Bounty Optimal Solutions Protein Shake

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Optimal Solutions Protein Shake is part of Nature’s Bounty line of health products designed for beauty. These aren’t lipsticks or shampoos, but rather vitamin supplements designed to keep skin, hair, and nails healthy. Even better, it contains probiotics and digestive enzymes to ensure that vitamins are properly absorbed by the body. While marketed particularly toward women, this supplement can help anyone who wants luminous hair and glowing skin.

The label is refreshingly transparent—it even displays its amino acid profile. This isn’t required by the FDA, but it’s certainly helpful for the health-conscious shopper. However, a closer examination reveals a few undesirable ingredients, such as xanthan gum and fructose. As with all other supplements, take time to get to know the ingredients and decide for yourself.

The Optimal Solutions Protein Shake comes in Vanilla and Chocolate flavors.

Compared to Shakeology:

The back of the Shakeology label reads more like an advertisement than nutrition information. Shakeology has several proprietary blends that emphasize exotic ingredients without revealing their amounts. Since most nutrients need to be ingested in certain amounts in order to be of benefit, this makes it quite hard to judge the effectiveness of Shakeology. The Optimal Solutions Protein Shake, by contrast, lists amounts for almost all of its ingredients and includes an amino acid profile. This is indeed a nice break from a lot of the types of commercially marketed skaes out there. From their nutrition information, Optimal Solutions and Shakeology appear to offer similar benefits. Optimal Solutions gets a leg up in this list for having a more complete and informative label. Concurrently, as with the other shakes on this list, you’re more in the green for price saving as well.

EAS Protein powder

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Myoplex Lite is a lower-calorie version of EAS’s original protein powder. The lite version made the list because it contains more protein and less fat. However, if weight loss isn’t a concern for you, then the original blend is another great option. Unlike other meal replacements, Myoplex lite markets itself as an option for those who have several smaller meals rather than three larger ones, so certainly keep that in mind when planning meals.

Myoplex Lite comes in pre-measured packets, making it easy to throw nutrition into a gym bag. EAS even sells ready-to-drink versions of its original protein powder. One of the most highly rated shakes on the market, the taste is highly acclaimed, with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors. We’ve tried all of these flavors out and they undoubtedly really good!

An added bonus comes into the mix as well. Myoplex Lite contains no proprietary blends, so the label displays exactly how much of each ingredient is in a serving. It’s also available at many local retailers.

Compared to Shakeology:

Myoplex Lite is marketed more toward gym rats than Shakeology, but as far as macronutrients go, they come out about the same. A notable difference is that Myoplex Lite contains fewer vitamins, and can’t claim to contain superfoods. If you already have a vitamin supplement as a part of your daily routine, then Myoplex Lite is an excellent alternative when it comes to shakes comparable to Shakeology.

Orgain Organic Meal Powder

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Orgain Organic Meal Powder, as its name suggests, contains all organic ingredients. As can be seen with Garden of Life, Orgain Organic Meal Powder has no soy or dairy products and uses grains as a protein source. This shake has 8 grams of fiber, more than any other on the list. Furthermore, all of the ingredients are recognizable and pronounceable.

This product is a great option for foodies who care about pesticide overuse. It’s also vegan, an added environmental bonus.

While this shake contains more calories than the others on this list, it may be worth it. Its wholesome ingredients make it an ideal meal replacement. If you are looking for a healthy substitute for fast food more than you are weight loss or muscle gain, this is definitely the shake for you. Orgain Organic Meal Powder comes in chocolate and vanilla flavors.

Compared to Shakeology:

Orgain Organic Meal Powder was manufactured as a challenge for protein shakes that contain cheap fillers, added sugars, and artificial colors. The purity and attention to detail put into this product ought to make any health freak smile. Shakeology simply hasn’t shown the same dedication to ingredients that are responsibly sourced.

ViSalus Vi-Shape

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Out of all the shakes on this list, the ViSalus Vi-Shape is the most targeted toward weight loss, forming the base of ViSalus’ “Body by Vi Challenge Kit.” When it comes to shakes comparable to Shakeology, this one is particularly easy on the teeth. It contains less than 1 gram of sugar and even more impressive, contains only 1 gram of fat.  It’s also low in carbohydrates (only 7 grams per serving), good news for anyone on a low-carb diet.

Vi-Shape is gluten-free and low in sodium. It boasts 26 vitamins and minerals, albeit in lower amounts than other shakes. And because Vi-Shapes has three protein sources (whey concentrate, whey hydrolysate, and non-genetically modified soy), you can be sure your body is getting everything it needs to repair and maintain your muscles. According to ViSalus’ website, the whey is stripped of fat and carbohydrates, and the soy of isoflavones—leaving only the good stuff. Those looking for an array of products to help with fitness or weight loss will appreciate other products by ViSalus formulated to work well with Vi-Shape. Choose from pre-made kits or mix and match on their website to order just the products you need.

In spite of all of its health benefits, Vi-Shape is also delicious, with a unique cake mix taste and texture that make it an easy diet to stick to. Vi-Shape is one of the most affordable and best rated options on the market. The original Vi-Shape is in vanilla, and ViSalus sells separate strawberry and chocolate add-ins.

Compared to Shakeology:

Shakeology contains 5g more sugar and 70 more calories than Vi-Shape! If weight loss is your main goal, then Vi-Shape is certainly a great option. With the flavor of Shakeology receiving mixed reviews, it’s also a good alternative if you need a healthy meal that still tastes good. If Shakeology is the pop star of the meal replacement world, then Vi-Shape is a grunge band that reviewers undeniably love. However, both brands, just like the bands, are great for their own reasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shakeology better than other protein shakes?

To understand why it is or isn’t better than other protein shakes, you must first understand what Shakeology is more exactly. Shakeology is practically a crossover between a protein shake and a meal replacement shake. The brand offers a variety of flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry with vegan options available for those who can’t or choose not to consume dairy or animal products. What makes Shakeology so good compared to many other brands is the fact that these shakes don’t come with added sugar, artificial colors, unhealthy oils or preservatives. Otherwise, you can find cheaper alternatives that are just as good – with excellent examples shown right in this article.

Is Shakeology FDA approved?

A lot of people have wondered about this in the past and it seems that many others are now asking the same thing if you bother to dig a little deeper around the web. To answer this shortly, the FDA cannot approve dietary supplements – Shakeology included. In this sense, Shakeology isn’t FDA-approved, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. The FDA isn’t allowed to approve or disapprove of this type of product However, we’re fairly certain that if they could, they would definitely approve Shakeology as well as the other shakes shown in this article.

Is shakeology low glycemic?

When we talk about the dense nutrition of Shakeology, we’re talking about all of the benefits packed into a 140 – 170 calorie shake: the ratio of protein to carbohydrate (~1:1), the combination and amounts of protein and fiber, the antioxidants from vitamins A, C, and E, and the ingredients that support healthy digestion health (fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, digestive enzymes). The whey flavors of Shakeology also contain a specially designed vitamin and mineral blend with bioavailable forms of key nutrients like folate and vitamin B12. Put it all together, and you can see why we say this is the easiest thing you can add to your routine to help you start to clean up your diet.

Final Thoughts on Shakes Comparable to Shakeology

Those are our five shakes comparable to Shakeology that we’ve found to the best options on the market at this point in time. However, you might have some other ideas of good Shakeology shake replacements. If so, we want to hear from you. Please tell us any other good shakes that you’ve found particularly tasty, nutritious, and affordable, and let us know in the comments.