I was given a free sample of Vega's new line of Shake & Go Smoothie. Or should I say, "smoothie"? I'm just not able to call something a smoothie if it's not a frozen treat where ice or frozen fruit is involved. Shake, yes, smoothie, nah. Out of the 4 flavors (Bodacious Berry, Tropical Tango, Choc-o-lot, Vanilla Almondilla), I chose Tropical Tango. The 300gr pouches of the product retails at $23.95 and are available online. Forewarning: I have never had a protein/supplement powder that I have actually liked and used continually.
It took me awhile to finally try the product. I love the idea that I can just shake it up with some water and go, especially when I haven't felt like cooking in the a.m. as of late, but these types of products don't get me excited. I don't have a lot of luck with them tasting great and something needs to taste great (or my life has to depend on it) for me to continue using something. I tried this product twice and I couldn't get over the texture. The flavor wasn't bad, it was totally doable, but there was a bit of grittiness to the smoothie. Perhaps I didn't shake it enough? What I did learn was that it gets really gross looking if you let it sit around for awhile, this is because it consists of xanthan gum.
I did give the Tropical Tango to a friend who was really interested in trying it. She had this to say:
It is great in yogurt with a banana, but it is not great w/ soy/rice/almond milk b/c it is too sweet. I haven't tried it w/ water but the sour quality of plain yogurt seems to cut down on some of the 'starburst-sweet' quality. I like it, the bag style is convenient, and I keep it in my lunch sack and when my blood sugar starts to drop at work I mix a little into a container of yogurt and it stabilizes the blood sugar much better than using just yogurt alone, actually almost as well as a high protein animal source like cheese. I would recommend it for anyone with blood sugar issues who needs pick me ups through out the day and doesn't want to use protein bars (I think this would be healthier and cheaper). anyway, thanks for the sample, it is great to have at work!
I think it's a great idea to put it in some yogurt, much better than plain water. Have you tried it? What do you think?
Thanks to the Vega people for the sample! I appreciate you guys making healthy vegan products!
2 comments:
i also can NEVER find protein shakes that i actually WANT to drink. and they're so expensive. ANDDD they almost always have really nasty preservatives or processed sugars in them
oh well, maybe one day we'll find our perfect lazy breakfast treats.
Hemp protein is so hard to make ungritty. I think that's the "problem" with vegan shakes and smoothies. And yet it's so good for you! So I just drink it anyway, grateful that it at least doesn't taste or feel like all the things I'd have to chew and swallow in order to get the same levels of nutrition. Nutrient density is a beautiful thing— even if it has to be a little gritty to be good vegan protein.
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