To Diet For - Lowcarb shake mixes

[doreen T]

hi all,

I found this soy-based lowcarb protein shake mix at Loblaws Superstore - it's made by nu-life. $29.99 for a canister, yielding 32 servings. Comes in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. It also contains thermogenic factors, mostly bitter orange, green tea extract, guarana and kola nut, among others.

The total amount of protein (12g) and carbs (1g) per serving is about half that of other hi-protein shakes, such as Interactive or DynaWhey. Do the math, and they work out to be pretty much the same cost per gram of protein.

The listed thermogenic factors total 200mg per serving. Individually, they need to be taken in much larger quantities than this, but supposedly there is some synergistic effect (??) I can't find any info. about it.

It mixed readily with liquid - I was surprised actually, most of the soy mixes are pasty and lumpy and require a blender to get them smooth. The vanilla "isn't bad". The potential exists to jazz up the taste with 0-carb flavourings, as desired. It'll do, since I've been looking for a lowcarb non-whey based protein drink. Many of the other soy drinks are high in carbs - 12 or 14g or more.

Anybody else??

Doreen

[IslandGirl]

Hi, Doreen. I've been 'shelving' these for some time. I really like the flavour, the mixability and the texture (though watch out if nuking, like a hot chocolate effect, the PP solidifies and foams up something fierce at a certain point). I found the Strawberry and Vanilla to have an excellent flavour, in fact amazingly good considering my dislike of most of the soy-based products thus far.

Are you sure about the costing? I'll have to redo the math on the cents/protein gram; I've been working on the notion that the cost was higher, but I've gone by cost/total wgt (and the Dynawhey wins that one).

Also, I have reservations about the accuracy of the carb count, because I'm positive I spotted fructose as a sweetener. Further, I found the label almost misleading in its vagueness/format, and rather difficult to determine the ingredients and nutrient info. Hmmmmmm. Has the label been 'reformulated', I wonder?

[doreen T]

Originally posted by IslandGirl
Are you sure about the costing? I'll have to redo the math on the cents/protein gram; I've been working on the notion that the cost was higher, but I've gone by cost/total wgt (and the Dynawhey wins that one).Compared to Interactive, I would say yes, compared to DynaWhey, no. DW is definitely cheaper, but tastes awful in my opinion, very fake chocolate-banana taste that kept "repeating" on me hours later. No choice for vanilla or plain, which I prefer. The Interacive Whey, both vanilla and natural, are delicious. If I recall correctly, $42.99 for a canister yielding 25 portions of 32 grams protein each.(I could be off a gram or two!!) Comparable in my mind is give or take a few cents. Most of these shakes still rack up close to $2.00 per serving of 30 grams of protein. And you have to provide your own "liquid". I only intend to use it a couple of times a week as a protein snack or quick breakfast replacement.Also, I have reservations about the accuracy of the carb count, because I'm positive I spotted fructose as a sweetener. Further, I found the label almost misleading in its vagueness/format, and rather difficult to determine the ingredients and nutrient info. Hmmmmmm. Has the label been 'reformulated', I wonder? ] Well, you've got it right about vagueness. And I could NOT find a website for either the product OR the company nu-life. I'm not particularly interested in the "thermogenic" effect, being a born-again skeptic I doubt it has any effect anyway, given the small amount in the product. And there are no directions on the container for how often to use... etc.......

As for the carb count, I think in fact that 1 carb is correct. Yes, it is sweetened with fructose, one gram of it, which makes up the entire carb content.

here's the breakdown : 60 calories / 12 gm protein (48 cal)/ 1 gm fat (9 cal) / 1 gm carb (4 cal) which adds up to 61 calories, but I think they rounded UP the fat grams. I'm just happy they didn't use aspartame. It also contains glucose polymer, which I looked up - it's more filler and fiber than anything, not absorbed and non-caloric.

Thanks for making me think, just sorry it's so darn late at nite... ;) .. take care,

Doreen

[IslandGirl]

THANKS, Doreen, for going through the effort of cross-checking. I could have done a more thorough job on checking those numbers myself instead of just "mumbling" about vagueness, for pete's sake !8-]

I checked a 'new stock' cannister today at Superstore (where they are down to 24.98 for a little sales boost, something Superstore does periodically and making it a better deal than usual) and the label has been reformulated to SOME extent.

It's still remarkaby tasty for a soy and HBVP (?) blend {did you run across the definition of *that* puppy yet?}. I myself generally prefer whey and yes, sadly the Dynawhey isn't as flavourful or mixable as some other whey protein isolates. I'd VERY much like to see a 'plain vanilla' or neutral/unflavoured version of it, for stock and baking purposes. Time to E the non-responsible folks at DynaWhey again.

BTW, have you tried the Orange Vanilla Cream (Dynawhey)? I'm thinking there's an underlying bitterness there I don't much care for. Can you taste that? Also the Optimum Nutrition Vanilla seems to have this. I'm beginning to think this may be a facet of a particular type of whey processing... Yuck.

[momo]

I spotted this product at Shoppers' Drug Mart last night and was tempted to pick up the chocolate flavour, not being a big fan of fake strawberry flavour and being concerned that vanilla would be chalky or soy-y. Have either of you tried the chocolate?
Thanks!

P.S. Speaking of Shoppers', I keep hearing about them carrying Ross sugar-free chocolate, but I have yet to see them. Am I looking in the wrong place? I check both the chocolate and diet sections.

(I live in Vancouver.)

[Lainey]

I know Jinxie found the ross chocolates in a Shoppers out in Port Coquitlam.

I've found them in the Pharmasave in Port Moody. They're with the regular chocolates up front by the till.

Lainey

[IslandGirl]

Greetings all.

Hmmmmm. I've found the Ross (a.k.a. DeLight) chocolate bars in Shoppers in the 'diabetic supplies' section, as well as the Cavalier brand (belgian chocolate). Not every Shoppers has them but they have consistently been in that section, usually quite near the pharmacy counter.

As for the To Diet For, I've been amazed at the good flavour of their strawberry and vanilla, and the chocolate isn't bad either.

I still can't get over how sweet they manage to be, though, even if the carb and calorie count match on the label. Call it my natural suspicious but EITHER the calorie count is wrong too (we assume it's right in the earlier posted method of verifying carb counts) OR I've gotten awfully sensitive to the sweet taste of any sugar at all... which IS possible.

It's definitely the best-tasting Soy blend I've tried so far, though. Perhaps I'm suffering from T.G.T.B.T. syndrome??? :p

[doreen T]

Originally posted by IslandGirl
....... I still can't get over how sweet they manage to be, though, even if the carb and calorie count match on the label. Call it my natural suspicious but EITHER the calorie count is wrong too (we assume it's right in the earlier posted method of verifying carb counts) OR I've gotten awfully sensitive to the sweet taste of any sugar at all... which IS possible.

It's definitely the best-tasting Soy blend I've tried so far, though. Perhaps I'm suffering from T.G.T.B.T. syndrome??? :p hi Judi,

First, I finally found out that HBVP stands for Highest Biological Value Protein - and it's from isolated whey. So that would explain the less soy-ey taste. Their claim for sweetness is indeed the single gram of fructose. Here from the Nu-Life site - todietfor tastes great but does it contain a lot of sugar?
todietfor is a unique weight-loss shake in that it does not contain sugar as the main ingredient. It contains only 1g of sugar per serving compared to other products that may have as many as 20g. todietfor provides only 60 calories per serving, while other shakes can give as many as 300 calories. The common high glycemic index sugars that are normally used in beverage mixes make it more difficult for you to burn away fat.You can check out the whole blurb at nu-life website's New Products page (http://www.nulifevitamins.com/newproducts/newproducts.htm#)

It would seem that some rounding up has been done with the figures in the nutrient data. The ingredient list shows only 500 mg of fat and enzymes, which means there's less than 0.5 gm of fat per serving, not 1 gm as is listed in the nutrient data. NOW we can see that the carb count is actually 2 gm total - 1 gm sugar AND 1 gm "other" carb.

I've been curious about the "glucose polymer" ingredient. From Developed.net (http://www.developed.net/glupoly.htm) sports nutrition - Glucose Polymers are a unique source of carbohydrate that is prepared from the enzymatic hydrolysis of selected cornstarch. Glucose Polymers are designed for rapid absorption and utilization, and supply an immediate and sustained level of high energy without causing gastric distress or nausea. .< snip > .USES??? An increased demand for calories. Increasing muscle size. Immediate and sustained high energy. Accelerates recovery. Carbo Loading. .. Hmmm, ... so do ya suppose this is the source of the "other" carb?? You know, if you add up the weight of ingredients listed, it comes to 15.2 gm. But the label states that a serving is 18.7 grams. There's 3.5 grams unaccounted for... :confused: .... except the taste factor ingredients, which includes the glucose polymer.

I think they've done some creative math, and I also think the calorie and carb count is higher than they claim. I'm going to start counting 3 carbs per serving, just to be sure.

Doreen

p.s.- for the record, maltodextrin is a glucose polymer.

[IslandGirl]

Truly, Doreen, there are many games to be (and apparently are) played in the foods manufacturing business.

Fer instance, just recently our local Save-On Foods (Overwaitea) store started carrying some "sugarfree" candies in their bulk bins. A first. I, of course, am minutely examining the labels of ingredients and counts they so kindly have started providing in the last year [speaks to public pressure, eh?]. Hydrolysed Starch Hydrolysate is the major ingredient in the soft(er) candies. A Ha! says I... a part of my backbrain reminds me that hydrolysing starches is the chemical/manufacturing process for many of the bulk nutritive sweeteners... think I remember that from the Calorie Control Council website and its many definitions of sweeteners, both nutritive (have calories) and non-nutritive (intense or 0-calorie cuz it takes just a teeeeeeeeny amount). And isn't polymer just a term meaning a molecular variation? Therefore a glucose polymer is still a glucose....

Here's an interesting page if one is so inclined, on the process of hydrolysis itself:
http://www.sbu.ac.uk/biology/enztech/starch.html
(and note the term "saccharification", meaning "make sweet" IIDC, and ending up with either Glucose or Maltose syrup. Yup.

I must agree, there's a distinct flavour of creative sweetness calculating going on there. I, too, will consider this a 3 to 3.5g carb per serving treat.

I trust my tongue.

Thanks for keeping tabs on this stuff, Doreen!

[debbiedobson]

i'm sorry, i just get lost in this thread. i've never bought or used protein powders before. i just bought karen rysavy's cook book Truly LowCarb Cooking. a few of the recipes i'd like to try call for protein powder mix. doreen, can you advise me as to what i can by in ontario. obviously it has to be lowcarb. karen rysavy has a recipe for a bake mix that's similar to bisquik or teabisk, but low carb. sounds really handy. i just don't know where to begin to look.

[doreen T]

hi debbie,

You should be able to buy plain, unflavoured soy protein powder at any health food store. Look for isolated soy, should be 90% protein. Loblaws Supterstore has it in bags, where they sell the other protein powders and shake mixes (usually on the bottom shelf, because it's cheap --- they want to be sure the expensive products are handy at eye level .. ;) ) Some brands of soy protein, eg. Swiss Naturals, also have some lecithin added, which is fine. Just make sure it's zero carbs.

Doreen

[IslandGirl]

Debbie, for my curiosity and clarification, can you post the exact wording re the protein powder mix in the recipe for a bake mix from the Truly Low Carb book (I don't have it, dang it).

Even better, if you have the time, could you post the whole recipe?

Many thanks in advance.

[WinterHope]

Hello Just replying to the Nu-Life posts.

I have tried some protien shakes. I love the Nulife Choclate. It is very good. I have not tried the vanilla, the strawberry is ok.

Another one of my favorites is called NHF (Nu-life Health & Fitness) same company diff product. The solgan on it is "Whey more Protien" I tried their Barvian Chocolate flavour.mmmhhhh It is the best one I found yet. I love it.

[MelindaK]

:D

Hi there! I'm new here. what a great board! I'm very interested in purchasing the DynaWhey so many people have spoken of on here. We live in the Barrie, Ontario area and there is no Loblaws here. That seems to be where everyone mentions seeing it. Does anyone know of any other place that might carry it? Thanks a lot!

[IslandGirl]

Hi, MelindaK.

The Real Canadian Superstore and the Loblaw's seem to be interchangeable. If one is in the province, the other one isn't but they carry the same products, like President's Choice or DynaWhey.

Gotta Superstore?

[DebDaCajun]

Originally posted by IslandGirl
And isn't polymer just a term meaning a molecular variation? Therefore a glucose polymer is still a glucose....


Here's two cents from a former biochemist: a polymer is a term meaning a molecule made up of several units of smaller molecules linked together. For example, sucrose is a dimer (di meaning "two") of fructose and glucose. So yes, a glucose polymer is a bunch of glucose molecules linked together to make a larger molecule. And I agree that that is where the "hidden" sugar is coming from. I am fortunate enough to be near a supermarket that carries bulk foods, so I just get soy isolate powder in bulk and use 0-carb syrups etc.

[momo]

I finally picked up the chocolate "to diet for" shake, and can't wait to experiment. Has anyone noticed that the instructions simply tell you to add "your favourite liquid"? What are you using? Have you experimented with anything interesting? Does this stuff taste ok with just water?

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions!

[doreen T]

hi momo,

I've never tried the chocolate flavour, sorry. But I have tried the vanilla, it's not bad .... and the strawberry is actually quite good.

Yes, I noticed the "preferred liquid" instructions .. :rolleyes: .. I know some folks have elaborate recipes for using the shake powders ... adding cream, ground flax meal or psyllium husks to thicken, flax oil, lecithin, juice (if allowed higher carbs), yogurt, milk or water. Personally, I just use water and add 1 or 2 Tbsp heavy cream (I have to go easy on the high fat dairy) .. sometimes I'll add flax oil to get the dose in! The strawberry flavour makes a nice smoothie, blended with 1/2 cup 5%fat yogurt (5 carbs) and 1/2 cup water.

Their carb count is a bit misleading. They show 1 g carb, then below, 1 g sugar. If you compare the weight listed for one serving (18.4 g) then compare that to the weights listed for the ingredients, you'll see there's 3.2 g not accounted for. These 3.2 g must be the "taste factors" listed at the bottom, which includes fructose and glucose polymer (most likely maltodextrin), beet juice and some gum thickeners. I'm playing it safe by counting the carbs as 3.2 g, not 1 g as they list.

Let me know if the chocolate is good. I don't use the shakes every day, but it is nice to have as a quick lowcarb meal replacement now and then.

Doreen

[doreen T]

OK, inaccurate carb count aside ..... I still think 3 carbs isn't bad .... my pronouncement on to-diet-for lowcarb protein shake mix is ... vanilla is not bad, slight "fake" taste
chocolate is better than not bad, very chocolatey (they use real cocoa, not chocolate "flavour")
strawberry is very goodMixes readily with a spoon .. no blender needed .. without turning into lumps and clumps. I just use water, and a Tbsp of cream.

FYI, to-diet-for shakes are made of soy, isolated whey protein and lecithin, with thermogen-x formula (bitter orange, green tea extract, kola, white willow and guarana, and other herbs & extracts). Made by nu-life Nutritionals.

Doreen

*note - the herbs & extracts listed do contain caffeine*

[PatHawk]

I have also just tried this new shake - the strawberry only. It does blend reasonably well with only a spoon, which makes it portable for travel. It does have a pleasant taste. I like to use them for breakfast, cause the bacon and eggs get boring after a while - and I am extremely allergic to cheese. I also use 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and fill the balance of the cup with water. when I am at home and feel like an indulgence, I add two real strawberries and blend with a blender. The berries do increase the carbs, but the flavor boost is great!
It is nice to see so many companies coming out with new products these days.

[Sharon]

Where are you finding these mixes....don't believe I've seen them around here?

[doreen T]

Sharon, here in eastern Ontario, I've seen to-diet-for Shakes at Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws Superstore, They run around $29.99 for a 600g canister, which yields 32 servings, so less than $1 per. Some health food stores may carry it too. I was informed that Nutrition House will no longer be carrying Nu-life products (that's the company that makes these shake mixes)

Here's a link to their website, which is really, really, really hard to find. In fact, I only found it by going back to an old post of my own from back in April!! http://www.nulifevitamins.com/newproducts/newproducts.htm# .. Anyway, there's a picture of it, so you'll know what to look for in the stores. Do click on the "Frequently asked questions" which is in fine print below the picture .. :rolleyes:

I'm liking the chocolate more and more. It's not overly sweet, and very intense chocolate from the cocoa, as opposed to fake chocolate "flavouring". And really like the strawberry too. The vanilla I have been adding flavourings to, such as orange, almond or maple extract .... or 1/8 tsp unsweetened Koolaid powder.

Just a reminder that the "thermogenic" herbs in these powders does contain caffeine, so caveat emptor (buyer beware). I wouldn't use this for a bedtime snack!!

Hope this helps ;)

Doreen

p.s. - for a technical discussion about todietfor shake mixes, and the specific ingredients, check this discussion thread ... http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=479