The ketogenic diet, characterized by its low-carb, high-fat approach, has gained immense popularity for its potential benefits in weight loss and metabolic health. However, maintaining a ketogenic lifestyle can be challenging, especially when time is short or access to appropriate food is limited. Keto meal replacement shakes offer a convenient solution, providing a quick and easy way to stay in ketosis. This article provides a detailed review of Garden of Life's Keto Meal, along with a broader look at the landscape of keto meal replacement shakes.
Understanding Keto Meal Replacements
Keto meal replacement shakes are designed to mimic the macronutrient ratios of a ketogenic diet, typically high in fat, moderate in protein, and very low in carbohydrates. These shakes aim to provide the body with the necessary fuel and nutrients while keeping it in a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.
Key Considerations for Keto Meal Replacements
When choosing a keto meal replacement shake, several factors should be considered:
- Total calories: This is essential if your goal is to replace a full meal.
- Grams of protein: A good keto shake should contain a reasonable amount of protein to help maintain lean muscle tissue. Consuming significant amounts of protein doesn’t kick you out of ketosis.
- Total and net carbs: The goal of the keto diet is to limit your carbohydrate intake.
- Fat content: Fat is your primary source of energy while in ketosis, so a good keto meal replacement shake must have a high fat content.
- Other ingredients: Some keto drink mixes contain ingredients such as the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), carnitine (an amino acid), chromium, creatine, hydroxymethyl butyrate, ECA stack, fish oil, magnesium, potassium, sodium and vitamin D.
Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Keto Meal: An Overview
Garden of Life offers a line of keto products designed to be convenient for anyone who lives a busy lifestyle. All products in the Dr. Formulated Keto line are Non-GMO Project Verified and Truly Grass Fed. The Dr. Formulated Keto Meal is expertly formulated with organic grass-fed butter, which is clean fuel for the brain and body.† Our Truly Grass Fed whey protein means no antibiotics and no rBST or rBGH. Garden of Life claims to have taken the math out of Keto by providing a meal replacement with the ratios of fat to protein to carbs that you are looking for.
Key Features
- Keto-Friendly: Perfect for those on a low-carb or ketogenic diet.
- Clean Ingredients: Non-GMO Project Verified and Truly Grass Fed.
- Grass-Fed Whey Protein: Our Truly Grass Fed whey protein means no antibiotics and no rBST or rBGH.
- Expert Formulation: Expertly formulated with organic grass-fed butter, which is clean fuel for the brain and body.†
A Look at Other Keto Meal Replacement Shakes
While Garden of Life's Keto Meal offers a specific formulation, it's helpful to compare it to other options available in the market. Here's a review of several popular keto meal replacement shakes:
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HLTH Code Complete Meal
HLTH Code Complete Meal was co-founded by the metabolic scientist Dr. Ben Bikman, which means the company has first-hand knowledge about how food influences the human metabolism. One thing to note is that if you take a close look at the nutrition label, you’ll see that this meal shake has much more protein than most of the other products in this list. The reality is that gluconeogenesis (the process of making glucose from non-carb sources) is demand-driven rather than supply-driven. Additionally, some studies suggest that you can enhance muscle protein synthesis by consuming fat and protein at a ratio of 1:1. HLTH Code offers clean ingredients and is available in a pouch (rather than a plastic canister).
Keto Fuel
Keto Fuel is Super Body Fuel’s keto meal replacement shake, offering fewer carbs and slightly higher amounts of fat (medium-chain triglycerides) than their regular meal shakes. I tried mixing Keto Fuel with almond milk and I loved the taste. The only downside is that you have to let it rest in the fridge for about two hours to get the optimal taste and texture. Additionally, all of the protein from Keto Fuel comes from brown rice, which is a less-than-ideal source of protein for humans because of its poor bioavailability and absorbability.
Perfect Keto's MCT Oil Powder
Perfect Keto’s MCT Oil Powder is a great keto shake that’s relatively stomach-friendly due to its moderate amount of medium-chain triglycerides (from coconut oil). However, each serving has just 70 to 80 calories, depending on the flavor. That limits its usefulness to specific cases where you’re not actually trying to replace a meal.
Naked Keto
The unflavored version of Naked Keto contains only two simple and clean ingredients: MCT oil powder and high-oleic sunflower oil powder. However, both of these powders are made with fillers and flow agents, including inulin (a fiber that can make you bloated), sunflower lecithin, silicon dioxide and others. Adittionally, I’m not a fan of vegetable and seed oils, such as sunflower oil, because they usually contain high ratios of unstable and inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Naked Keto contains what’s called high-oleic sunflower oil, which has much lower concentrations of PUFAs in lieu of stable monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).
Fat Fuel
Fat Fuel is slightly different than the other products on this list, in that it doesn’t market itself as a shake. All three flavors contain coconut oil powder, grass-fed butter powder and MCT oil powder as healthy sources of fat. Fat Fuel Cocoa has 0.1 grams of erythritol, a sugar alcohol that I usually try to stay away from. However, it’s such a small amount that I wouldn’t worry too much about it. This is nowhere near the amount of sweetener normally found in cocoa powder. What’s convenient about Fat Fuel is that the powder comes in individual, single-serving pouches. That makes it easy to bring along on trips. As mentioned before, be careful with MCTs and note that coconut oil is a natural source of them.
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Perfect Keto's Collagen Peptides Powder
What I like about Perfect Keto’s collagen peptides powder is that it doesn’t contain anything except hydrolyzed collagen powder (amounting to 10 grams of protein per serving) and a moderate amount of MCTs (four grams).
LevelUp Grass-Fed Keto Protein Powder
LevelUp Grass-Fed Keto Protein Powder is neither a potent protein powder nor a keto meal replacement. However, considering its premium ingredients, it can still have a place in your keto diet as a supplement. It’s a tasty shake that’s easy to prepare, and it contains no chemicals or fillers.
Ketologie Keto Shake
The Ketologie Keto Shake provides sufficient calories (300) to replace at least a small meal. The other disadvantage of the Ketologie Keto Shake is its high amount of carbs per serving.
Comparing Other Meal Replacement Shakes
To provide a broader perspective, let's consider some meal replacement shakes that aren't specifically keto but are still popular choices:
Huel Powder v3.0
Huel Powder v3.0 is a plant-based meal replacement shake that comes in 10 different flavors and provides a hefty dose of calories. A single serving contains nearly 30g of complete protein from a blend of pea, flaxseed and brown rice, as well as a whooping 45g of complex carbohydrates for slow energy release. A portion of Huel Powder v3.0 also provides 27 different vitamins and minerals, probiotics, kombucha, medium chain triglycerides and nearly 8g of prebiotic fiber. It’s also very low in sugar, containing just 1g per single serving. However, Huel Powder v3.0 lacks digestive enzymes and is sweetened with synthetic sweeteners.
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Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal
Garden of Life prides itself on using only real, clean ingredients that are mostly certified USDA Organic and non-GMO verified. It’s packed with nutritious ingredients and is free from gluten, soy, dairy products and tree nuts, as well as artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives. One serving delivers nearly 20g of vegan protein that comes from a high quality blend of 13 different sprouted grains and seeds. At the same time, it provides only 130 calories and less than 1g of sugar, making it a great choice for people who want to watch their waistline. Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal also contains a rich organic fruit and vegetable blend, as well as a substantial dose of probiotics and digestive enzymes. Although Raw Organic Meal provides nearly 21 different vitamins and minerals, it’s not a huge number compared with amounts found in some competitors' products.
Exante
Exante is designed to substitute one to two meals a day. It is very low in fats, carbohydrates and sugars, and provides only 120 calories in a single serving. One portion delivers nearly 5g of inulin, a type of fiber with strong prebiotic properties. It also contains a unique ingredient called Slendesta®, which according to the producer’s claims, can block hunger and reduce food cravings for at least three hours following ingestion. However, it’s worth noting that according to the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, there is no established connection between ingesting Slendesta® and the reduction of body weight. On the other hand, Exante is relatively low in protein, containing only 12g in a portion.
Lyfefuel All-In-One Essentials Shake
According to the company, Lyfefuel is “not your typical ‘meal replacement’”. That's because, instead of just focusing on calories, carbs, and protein, it provides a full spectrum of essential nutrients. In fact, one serving contains 27 different vitamins and minerals, including 500mcg of vitamin B12 (20,833% DV), 1,200 IU of vitamin D3 (150% DV) and 75mcg of iodine (50% DV). Not only this, it contains a probiotic blend (960 million CFU per serving) and five different digestive enzymes to facilitate absorption. Lyfefuel prides itself on quality. The All-In-One Essentials Shake is made in an FDA-registered facility and goes through third party testing for heavy metals, pesticides and microbials. The powder itself is gently dried and minimally processed to retain as many nutrients as possible, and it’s vegan-friendly.
PhenQ
PhenQ’s meal replacement shake is specifically designed to help with shedding unwanted pounds. A single serving delivers 254 calories, 17g of fat and nearly 16g of whey protein, as well as only 5g of carbohydrates and less than 3g of sugar, making it a suitable choice for people following a low-carb diet. This meal replacement shake is also enriched with a substance called Innoslim®, a blend of Panax notoginseng and Astragalus membranaceus extracts. Both of these herbal additives have been marketed as weight loss aids. However, it’s worth mentioning that the evidence behind these claims remains inconclusive, as described in a review into dietary supplements published in the Nutrients journal. PhenQ shakes also contain some medium chain triglycerides and two adaptogens (ashwagandha and Reishi mushroom extract), but their contents are slightly lower than the ones found in other brands.
Ka'chava
Owing to the exceptional quality of the ingredients used to make these shakes, these products definitely belong in the premium category. A single serving of Ka’chava provides a whooping 25g of complete vegan protein and 6g of fiber, as well as only 6g of sugars. These meal replacements are packed with more than 70 different foods and nutrients too, including antioxidants, omega-3, medium chain triglycerides, probiotics and almost 26 different vitamins and minerals (with Daily Values being mostly above 40% per portion). Ka’chava products are also free from artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings and fillers. But what makes these shakes truly stand out is their high adaptogen content.
GNC Lean Shake 25
GNC is a versatile option with a low calorie value and low sugar and fat content.
Potential Downsides of Keto Shakes
While keto shakes offer convenience, there are some potential downsides to consider:
- Cost: They can be expensive, especially compared to protein shakes.
- Ingredients: Some of the ingredients manufacturers use in their products have the potential to irritate your gut.
- Taste: Some keto shakes may not have the most appealing taste.
- Satiety: Products with low protein may not keep you satiated for very long.
- Artificial Ingredients: Some shakes contain artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and fillers.
Where to Buy Keto Shakes
The most convenient way to buy keto shakes and meal replacement drinks is online. If you want to leverage any of my discount codes, you usually have to purchase the products directly from the manufacturer’s online store. However, some of the brands I mentioned above also sell their shakes on Amazon. Walmart sells numerous keto shakes online and in its stores. Target offers a ton of keto shakes.
Do Keto Meal Replacement Shakes Work?
That depends on what your goals are and how you define “work.” Keto shakes certainly work as an easy keto snack, and replacement shakes can stand in for a full meal if you don’t have access to high-quality food. In the case of exogenous ketones, they can temporarily boost your energy levels and even lessen the symptoms of the keto flu.
However, keto shakes are no miracle solution for losing weight and no shortcut for maintaining a proper ketogenic lifestyle that keeps you in nutritional ketosis.