Shakeology Review 2020: The Truth Behind the Hype

In today’s article, we’ll talk about the product itself, the nutritional aspects, pros & cons, and weight loss effects.

This way, by the end of this Shakeology review, you’ll know if this is the way to go for you. 

What is Shakeology?

Shakeology is a powerful superfood supplement shake (to quote the site) that promises to provide the necessary nutritional components for a healthy lifestyle and a diet-oriented meal program. In plain terms, it’s a combination between a protein shake and a meal replacement shake that’s available in a wide range of flavors.

The product was developed by Darin Olien, the co-founder of Beachbody and well-known fitness and lifestyle coach and advisor.

About Beachbody

The company and program that stand behind Shakeology are known to practice an MLM marketing system, which is not the most trustworthy. While this may be one of the reasons behind Shakeology’s popularity, it’s important to note that it’s not the only one.

First, the fitness routine and exercises are quite useful, and many people practice them on a regular basis. Second, when you ignore the marketing campaign and have a look at Shakeology, you can see why it’s a solid product that packs a series of benefits.

The bottom line here is that, even though you may be tempted to dismiss the product because of the way it is promoted, have a second look at its nutritional value.

Nutritional Value

Most Shakeology shakes pack about 18 grams of protein and 160 calories per serving (36 grams).

If we break this further down, you’ll see that there are only 8 grams of sugar (which is a lot better than many protein powders out there), several proprietary blends of exotic herbs, vitamins, antioxidants, and plenty of pea and whey protein.

Shakeology also has a healthy amount of fibers (both pre and pro-biotic) coming from foods like flax and chia (which is very good) and digestive enzymes. Even more, the nutritional content is a bit different for each blend.

For instance, you can get the Super-Fruit or Super-Green blends which have powders obtained from healthy vegetables and fruits such as kale, goji berry, pomegranate, and chlorella.

Recommended Dosage

The good thing about this product is that you have options.

First, Shakeology comes in a wide array of flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, greenbery, and more. In addition, the producer recommends a series of recipes that help create a healthy and delicious meal.

The recommended dosage of Shakeology is one scoop of powder mixed with about 12 ounces (350ml) of water, milk, juice, or nut milk.

However, they also mention that this is not enough to use as a meal replacement and should be consumed as an energy snack or in addition to a healthy meal. Still, if you want to use the shake as a meal replacement, have a look at their recipes and select the ones that work best for you.    

Shakeology is more of a supplement than a meal replacement, but the final choice is yours. While it doesn’t have enough nutritional value to be used instead of a healthy meal, there are plenty of users who swear by its efficiency.

Still, if you do use it as a meal replacement, don’t use it more than once a day!

What Does it Do?

According to the producer, Shakeology packs quite the benefits. From supporting your efforts to become ripped to a healthy diet and more, the shake seems to have it all.

So, let’s go through each of the benefits and learn where the marketing campaign stops, and the real benefits begin.

Craving Control and Energy

The combination of proteins, fibers, and carbs can help curb cravings and provide you with a boost of energy. Shakeology is a low glycemic index food, which means the carbs it contains will be released at a slower rate, thus causing a decrease in blood glucose.

While all these are true, we believe you’ll only reap the benefits if you use Shakeology as a snack or an energy booster. If you use it as a meal replacement without any extra ingredients, it won’t be as useful in curbing the appetite and keeping you going.

Good Protein Source for Lean Muscles

Protein shakes and powders are at the basis of a healthy muscle mass gain as they support tissue recovery. However, you won’t gain muscles by sitting around drinking shakes all day!

Still, Shakeology does come with a healthy serving of proteins from high-quality sources, so it is useful in providing the necessary support to your efforts.

Gut Health

According to recent studies, the gut (also known as the second brain) is one of the main players responsible for overall well-being and health. In conclusion, a healthy gut promotes a healthy life, both physically and mentally.

As such, Shakeology contains several elements that promote gut health: prebiotics, probiotics, beneficial bacteria, soluble and insoluble fibers, and digestive enzymes.  While we don’t know the exact quantities, it does sound that the product is aimed at helping the gut stay healthy and strong.

Fighting Free Radicals

Free radicals are the ones to blame for damage to cells, protein, and eventually DNA, but most of us know them for their effects on the skin and our youthful looks.

According to science, while we can’t stop this process, there are ways to slow it down. And the first fighters are the antioxidants which are usually found in the so-called superfoods (blueberries, raspberries, pomegranate, and other exotic fruits and vegetables).

The powder mix in Shakeology contains extracts from these superfoods and has a healthy dose of antioxidant vitamins (A, E, and C). However, we don’t know just how much of each, which is a bit confusing.    

Unique Ingredients that Fight Stress

Stress is one of the main damaging factors in our modern lives and it can be found everywhere. So, to fight its effects and keep it at acceptable levels, Shakeology promises a blend of unique ingredients (ashwagandha, reishi, or chaga) that are not found in a regular diet and can produce better stress-relief effects.

Will I Lose Weight with Shakeology?

At its core, Shakeology is promoted as a product that can help with weight loss.

However, this only happens if you use it to replace one of your meals (usually breakfast, but not mandatory).

Since the resulted shake is low in calories and doesn’t have that many carbs, it will create a calorie deficit that translates in weight loss (assuming you’re not supplementing calorie intake on the other meals of the day).

The weight loss effect is not due to Shakeology per se and can be achieved with most protein shakes if you use them as a meal replacement. Even more, you can do this without shakes, by just practicing healthy calorie reduction techniques on the long-term.

At the end of the day, Shakeology is not a miraculous weight loss recipe; it’s just another protein shake with high-quality ingredients. Still, you can use it to start a healthy diet based on fewer calories and better ingredients. The trick is to either use it on the long-term or find ways to implement calorie reduction habits in your lifestyle.

The Good vs. the Not-so-good

Now that you know more about the product, let’s create a summary of pros and cons, to give you a bird’s-eye view of the entire concept.

The Good

The Not-so-good

Final T​houghts

At the end of the day, Shakeology does look like a solid protein shake, with good ingredients, and interesting ways to prepare it. However, it is not a product focused on weight loss or even body transformation.

Shakeology is a supplement and can help with energy levels and overall well-being. Still, given that the producer also recommends a healthy diet and regular exercise, it’s difficult to attribute all these benefits to the shake alone. Not to mention, many find the powder to be rather on the expensive side of the spectrum.

In the end, the choice is yours. So, if you want to give Shakeology a try, it helps to know that it doesn’t have any harmful side effects (when consumed according to the recommendations). But, if you decide Shakeology is not the best choice for you, have a look at these alternatives that also use protein powder.