Adkins Shake Mix - can be a tasty treat!
Written: Jun 22 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Can be pretty yummy if you make it by modifying the ingredients...
Cons: PRICE! Wow! $20 a can! Sheesh!
The Bottom Line: I will not recommend this product because it is too expensive and you can make your own yummy protein shakes for meals and desserts with other recipes.
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| techmommy's Full Review: Atkins Diet Shake Mix |
I went on the Atkins Diet to lose those last ten pesky pounds after having a baby - and BOY! Does that diet work! I have never eaten so well (or so much!) and lost weight so rapidly - 11 pounds melted off in less than a week - and I was sold! I'm staying on the diet now to control my blood sugar levels and frequent headaches - I decided the diet makes sense to me (bought his book so I fully understood the diet itself, how and why it works) and went ahead to my health food store to buy some of the shake mix and diet bars for snacks and meals on the go.
I was mortified at the price of the Shake Mix - my health food store was selling it for $19.99 per can. Seemed mighty pricey - especially when you consider a can of Slimfast about the same size is only about $7! But the diet is working for me and I'm determined to stick with it. Eating bacon/sausage and eggs for breakfast is new to me - I usually skip breakfast entirely (I know - I know - it's the most important meal of the day!). So once I have a big breakfast like that - I'm not really in the mood to eat again for many more hours. I bought the shake mix so that I could just make a quick shake instead of cooking up a chicken breast w/ salad, etc....I'm just not accustomed to having lunches that big, especially after such a big and filling breakfast.
Here's the trick I found for making the shake mix taste fairly yummy - if you're using it for a meal replacement, there is a way you can make it much creamier and it adds only about one extra carb to the serving. Crush the ice cubes very well in a blender first, then add a tablespoon or so of cottage cheese and whip it up for several seconds. It becomes a creamy base. Then add the 8 oz. of water and the two scoops of the diet mix and beat it a while until it becomes frothy and the powder is fully dissolved. The cottage cheese adds a creamy consistency (which you'd normally get from milk) and you cannot taste it (believe me - you can't - because I HATE cottage cheese!)
You can also add a 1/2 cup of heavy cream instead of the cottage cheese and it makes it feel and taste more 'milk-based'. Again, the heavy cream adds practically zero more carbs -- so why not? I don't know why the Atkins folks don't put these variations on the label -- it sure makes the mix much more palatable and adds very little carbs in the end.
For a dessert at night which tastes like a milkshake - I make it with lots of crushed ice, the cottage cheese, etc. as described above, but only add one scoop of the powder mix. It actually makes a really filling and satisfying dessert shake. You can also top it with heavy whip cream, or add a touch of dissolved instant coffee to make it mocha flavored. Because you're using half the powder mix, the carbs are cut down, too.
So will I go out and buy another $20 can of this stuff when this one is gone? Probably not - since starting the diet I've found dozens of websites with low carb recipes - many for protein shakes. I'll just use these recipes to make my own protein shakes and forgo the expensive Atkins mix. Here's one simple recipe: 1/4 c. heavy cream, 1/4 c. cottage cheese, 1/4 c. water, 1 egg, vanilla or cocoa to taste, crushed ice. Mix all in the blender and you have a protein shake that has about 3 grams of carbs (about the same at Atkins). You can experiment with the flavorings, too, and add sugar free instant jello flavors instead, and I've seen the recipe without the egg, too. You can also substitute a few unsweetened strawberries and a packet of nutra sweet instead of the egg.
All in all -- I would only recommend this powder to someone who is just beginning on Atkins and needs some variations in their meals - especially in the 14 day induction diet phase. It just makes it easier. But I would not make it without adding the cottage cheese or heavy cream. Bottom line is that it's way overpriced and you can search the net for great substitute shakes you can make on your own that only cost pennies per serving and have the same or less amount of carbs.
But I love the Atkins diet - and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to lose weight, or is having problems with blood sugar levels, diabetes, heart disease or cholesterol. Buy the book and learn about it before deciding if it's the right diet for you!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
techmommy
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Location: The Heart of America - KANSAS!
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
Maria is a stay-at-home internet business entrepreneur, writer and mom of seven young children.
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