Vega One Nutritional Shake

Vega is a brand that promotes wellness through “premium, clean, plant-based nutrition.” They have various products that are intended to improve health and encourage making healthy choices.

Vega One Nutritional Shake certainly abides by the brand’s goal of wellness. Take a look at the ingredient list and you’ll find it brimming with organic ingredients. There’s quite a media battle taking place regarding whether or not organic foods are truly healthier than non-organic. Non-organic foods are treated with hormones to increase the size and pesticides to discourage bugs and pests from destroying the crops.  They’ve been approved by the FDA for human consumption. Organic, on the other hand, are naturally grown and the crops tend to be smaller in size with imperfections. At this point there’s no known nutritional benefits to eating organically, though many people do prefer foods that haven’t been treated with hormones and pesticides.

Vega doesn’t pretend and or isn’t marketed as a meal replacement shake. In the FAQs, Vega explains that Vega One Nutritional Shake should be treated as food and used accordingly. They advise that if you want to use it as a meal replacement, look at the ingredients list to ensure you’re getting sufficient micro and macro nutrients. The ingredients vary slightly depending on flavor, as do the calories. For review purposes, we’re looking at the French Vanilla flavor.

French Vanilla contains 160 calories. If you want to use it as a snack and don’t include and milk products or blend it with any fruits or vegetables, this is a reasonably low amount. If you choose to use it as a meal replacement, be sure to carefully measure how many additional calories you include, as 160 calories is a higher starting point than many other meal replacement shakes have. Vega One Nutritional Shake has least half of your recommended daily amount of almost 20 different vitamins and minerals.

The two ingredients that play a big role in the quality of a meal replacement shake are protein and fiber. This shake contains 20 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, both of which are high amounts according to the FDA.

This shake contains a few different kinds of proteins: pea protein, hemp protein, and SaviSeedTM protein. These aren’t combined in any particular proprietary blend, but each are beneficial, pea in particular. Pea protein is considered a complete protein, which means it contains all of your essential amino acids. It’s also high in BCAAs (branched chain amino acids), which are great for repairing muscles and therefore, great for people who work out. Since it encourages muscle growth, it also keeps your body in a fat burning state which can help flatten your belly and lose weight overall. Pea protein can keep you feeling full for hours, energize your workouts, and is hypoallergenic. Another big factor about pea protein is that it’s lactose free, making it an excellent choice for those who have lactose sensitivities.

With less than 1 gram of sugar, this shake is impressive. We think it’s best that meal replacement shakes contain little to no sugar, as too much sugar in your daily diet can accumulate to fat. However, we also didn’t see a significant source of sweetener, either. We’re glad there aren’t any artificial sweeteners because those have become highly controversial as of late, but the amount of stevia listed in the ingredients is minimal – less than 2%. This is undoubtedly a healthy shake, but the taste is highly subjective.

Last but not least is the pricing. There are several options to purchase – the large tub, the small tub, 10 single packs, and one single pack. There are approximately 20 shake servings in the large tub, which costs $69.99. Depending on how many shakes you’re planning on drinking a day, that price tag will add up fast! We recommend two a day for initial weight loss, which means that a large tub will only last 10 days. Even if you only drink one a day, the large tub will last less than a month. It seems like Vega One Nutritional Shake is a shake that’s suitable for those who are looking for a convenient on the go meal or snack rather than someone who’s looking to lose weight.

Over all, this shake seems like a healthy option for those looking to make improvements to their lifestyle. That being said, there are factors to consider when deciding whether or not this shake is worth purchasing over other more affordable options.