or as I am going to start referring to as, “Glorified Milk.”

The reason I decided to write this blog is because:

1. I hate how GNC is absolutely everywhere. I feel there is too much unnecessary crap inside their store which most people do not need to be taking.
2. I have had multiple people telling me they drink GNC Lean shakes and have asked for my opinion.  I cannot recommend a product if I don’t fully understand what is in it. So I did some research.
3. This “health” shake is very deceiving and I want people to understand that. I have the “Vanilla Bean” shake label below, notice that vanilla isn’t even an ingredient. What?!

The Label:

A closer look:

Calories: If you are using this as a meal replacement shake for weight loss and looking ONLY at the calories (which I hope you don’t), then I think you’ll loose weight. You’ll lose weight because 180 calories for one meal is not very much, and is probably less than what you are eating now. So since you are pretty much just eating less, you’ll lose weight.

Fat: The label on the actual shake tub of powder says “Trans Fat: 0 g.” Did you know that companies can say “zero” as long as it contains LESS than 0.5 grams per serving. Look at the ingredients on the label, it says “partially hydrogenated soybean oil.” Do you know what that is? TRANS FAT! Drinking this regularly you are drinking more trans fats than you think.

Sodium: Not bad, same as in a glass of milk.

Carbohydrates: 30 grams is about equivalent to two pieces of bread. This shake won’t raise  your blood sugar like plain white bread would because it contains fiber and protein to slow down how fast the sugar is absorbed, but it is pretty high in carbs.

Sugars: 4 grams of sugar for a meal isn’t bad either. The reason the sugar is low is because it contains an artificial sugar, sucralose and Acesulfame potassium. Sucralose is the same thing as Splenda and acesulfame potassium is also called Ace-K and is also a calorie-free sugar substitute, both which have zero calories. We could debate for days about the safety of these sugar substitute, but most health nuts like myself are cutting artificial sugars and sweeteners out of our diets. You can do your own google search on those 2 ingredients.

Protein: 9 grams isn’t too bad either. Kind of on the low end for a full meal, but if you ate enough protein throughout the rest of your day, this isn’t too low. You could also just have 1 hard boiled egg, 1/4 cup nuts or 1 glass of milk.

Vitamins & Minerals: Nothing special about the quantity of nutrients in this shake. You can pretty much find that exact same label on a box of cheerios.

Carrageenan: What is it? An ingredient made from parts of red algae or seaweed.  A quick scientific search of this ingredient and I found this study on the harmful GI effects it has: CLICK HERE.

Fructooligosaccharides: Sugars naturally occurring in plants. Good.

Milk Protein Concentrate: If you look at the GNC site with the nutritional label, there is a section called “health notes,” with a specific note in there about the benefits of Whey Protein and recovery after workouts, all which I agree with.  However, look at the ingredients in this shake, it does not say “whey protein,” it says “milk protein concentrate.” So what is Milk Protein Concentrate? It is an ultra-filtered milk, basically powdered skim milk. Milk Protein Concentrates have the same concentration of casein and whey as a normal glass of milk. (80-82% casein protein, 18-20% whey protein). It should not be called the same thing as whey protein. More info here.

Natural & Artificial Flavors: That means something different for every company.

Vanilla: Not even an ingredient. Why is it called “vanilla bean,” if there isn’t even vanilla in the ingredients?

2 A Day: The label says you are supposed to drink 2 shakes a day for maximum results. It is my opinion that you should be consuming more of a whole foods diet and less of a diet based around supplements.

 

Glorified Milk?

I think so.

In summary… you can get the same amount of calories, vitamins, minerals, and protein in a bowl of cheerios with 1% milk. Hey, you might even lose weight with having a bowl of cereal a day instead of that large McDonalds sandwich!

Not worth your money.

 

As with all supplements, I recommend you do your research before investing your money. Look at quality, not just cost.