Sunday, October 6, 2013

The All Important Meal Replacement Shake Debate, Part 1 of 4 Review


People love meal replacement shakes..they are easy, convenient and often aid people in weight loss.  The question is..which one is right for you?  I'll review some of the most popular shakes on the market today, beginning with:

Body by Vi by Visalus

First, let's take a look at the ingredient list:





Right off the bat, I see way too many ingredients that I couldn't even begin to pronounce.  I don't see anything too special about any of the ingredients to warrant the price either.  No super-food concentrates..no innovative ingredients, nothing that stands out that would actually heal the metabolism and make one healthier. 

The sugar is low and that is good; however, this product contains the artificial sweetener sucralose which has become very controversial lately.  Also, the body does not recognize artificial sweeteners and insulin will be raised even when ingesting artificial sweeteners.  Here is an article that explains this very well.  I personally stay far far away from anything artificial.

Lastly, this uses soy as the primary source of protein.  Did you know that 91% of soy is GMO?  Visalus does claim that their product is GMO free, but here are some facts on soy:

1) Raw soybeans contain a form of phytic acid that can block certain mineral absorption. (the vi shake is promoted as not being raw yet we don’t really know do we?)
2) Soy contains isoflavones genistein and dadzein which can affect and inhibit thyroid peroxidase which is necessary for the
production of T3 and T4.
3) Soy can negatively affect estrogen levels in the body.

Lastly, here is a site that has real unbiased reviews

I have never personally tried this shake..and it's obvious that I am a promoter of Shake FX (which I will review last).  Since I have been reading more about these things, I've become more aware of what actually goes into these shakes..and it's not all it's hyped up to be.  Just please be aware of what you are putting in your body :)