*Blog Post Guest Written by Henry Fleming-Smith*
Protein shake flavours and brands are now in the thousands and it can be hard to keep track of what’s worth your money. Luckily, I’ve tested hundreds, including vegan shakes, natural shakes, and every flavour imaginable. It wasn’t uncommon to come into work at Men’s Health magazine and have a table laid out with samples from multiple companies. Breakfast of champions.
For this review, I gathered a group of testers and myself to give our honest feedback on flavour, cost, and nutritional benefits. All testers have hard manual jobs and daily gym users.
The testers were sampling the two most popular flavours of IF supplements 80% whey protein powder, Salted Caramel and Chocolate.
First, we will dive into the nutritional information. This shake is a super lean protein shake, with only 116 calories per serving (without milk). The shake contains 24g of high-quality protein, and minimal carbs of 2.3g per serving. 24g of protein is the equivalent to 7 teaspoons of peanut butter or half of a good-sized steak. There is, nothing stopping you adding Greek yogurt or some smooth peanut butter to bump these numbers up. This is the type of shake that’s aimed for fat loss but perfect for gaining lean muscle mass.
Taste Test
All testers were pleasantly surprised at how smooth the shake was. The consistency was silky. Not thick and claggy like most protein shakes on the market. The shakes mixed easily, even without a mixer in the bottle. Perfect for when you’re on the go.
Chocolate
All testers agreed, the chocolate flavour was chocolatey (duh) but without being unbearable sweet or overpoweringly sickly. We have all tried the chocolate flavours that taste like synthetic cake mix that is hard to swallow the first time around and by shake ten you are considering throwing it out. This chocolate flavour could be drunk consistently and easily changed up with some peanut butter or flavourings of choice. This were tested with half milk and half water.
Salted caramel
Salted caramel was really the flavour that blew the testers minds. It was delicious, had a hint of caramel and subtle sweetness that was blended perfectly together. The flavouring was caramel but was not overpoweringly so. The shake was quite plain with only subtle hints. Perfect for when you are drinking this shake daily and could get sick of a strong taste. Easily mixed and a smooth consistency. This were tested with half milk and half water.
Worth noting that if you’re wanting to bump up on carbs, adding a few handfuls of oats to the shakes can get these macros up.
Value for money
With 30 servings per tub, each shake will cost a respectable £1.07. For the quality protein sources IF supplements use and for the blending of flavourings – testers agreed this was excellent value for money. An average serving from other brands can go from £1 all the way to £4 per serving. Premium protein sources from grass-fed cows normally are much more expensive.
It's the ultimate protein shake to boost your protein intake any time of the day. For optimal results we recommend consuming within one hour of your workout.