Slim Fast Shakes Taste Good but Are They Good for You?
Written: Jun 13 '01 (Updated Jan 19 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use and has a lot of vitamins.
Cons: Loaded with sugar. Be careful, one has caffeine in it.
The Bottom Line: I cannot recommend this product. Although it tastes good and has vitamins it has too much sugar and will trigger reactions in some people.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Slim Fast Shakes |
Slim Fast Shakes I realize have been reviewed many times, but I am drinking them as part of a weight loss attempt and will review them. I have been drinking them for several weeks and am not going to review the diet plan as yet.
I have tried several flavors: French Vanilla, Cappuccino Delight and Rich Chocolate Royale to name just three. I have picked those three because they taste very different. The Cappuccino I like the least, in fact, I dislike the taste and won’t buy it again. In addition, when I bought it, I didn’t notice that it is made with real coffee. Luckily that is the 7th ingredient and not the first or second or it would have kept me up all night. I really like the taste of the chocolate and vanilla.
I have noticed two things about the taste:
1. After you shake it really well, it tastes much better in a glass than from the metal can. Put ice in the glass and it is very good.
2. I made the mistake of doing something not very bright. The drink is a stand-alone meal and meant not to be eaten with anything else. That is the point of this diet. I was really hungry though and I though some pretzels would go well with the chocolate drink. (Which tastes very much like chocolate milk.) Slim-Fast and food, in my opinion, do not mix. That is a good thing. I won’t eat anything again while I am drinking it so it has served its purpose on that front.
I have bought them individually and in the 6-pack. I buy them individually because, unfortunately the 6-pack doesn’t come in a variety pack, which it should. So to add variety, I have picked up several individual cans just to vary the 6-pack of French Vanilla which I have currently.
The individual cans sell for $1.29 and the 6-pack I bought in CVS for $6.59. That is a lot! (Since writing this I have bought the 6-pack at Stop & Shop for $2.00 less.) Buying it as a 6-pack saved me $.20 a can. The cans are 11-fluid ounces. If you have it very cold, with ice, you can sip it making it last a little longer. They aren't thick so it is easy to just drink them in a few gulps. The fact is, these aren’t super filling. They are satisfying, though, because they are so sweet. Many of us have a sweet tooth and that is why the Slim-Fast plan is appealing.
I’ll review the French Vanilla which comes in a box with an expiration date on the side. We are told that there are 24 Vitamin and minerals, it is artificially flavored, high in calcium, 99% fat free, have one for breakfast, one for lunch and a sensible dinner, drink lots of water and exercise.
There is an exchange rate from the American Diabetes Association, which is 1 fat-free milk and 2 carbohydrates for the Shake. You can call them toll free at 1-877-375-4632 or visit their website, www.slim-fast.com if you want more details about the Slim-Fast Plan to Lose Weight and Keep it Off and get a free Guide to Healthy Living. I went to the website and it is very helpful. If you are on this plan I would suggest you go visit. There is a lot of nutritional information as well as information about the products and a message board.
Let’s look at the Nutrition Facts of the Shake (This comes from the website.)
Amount Per Serving
Calories (Energy) 220 Calories From Fat 25
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 220mg 9%
Potassium 600mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 40g 13%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Sugars 35g
Protein 10g 20%
Vitamin A 35% Vitamin C 100%
Calcium 40% Iron 15%
Vitamin D 35% Vitamin E 100%
Vitamin K 25% Thiamin 35%
Riboflavin 35% Niacin 35%
Vitamin B6 35% Folate 30%
Vitamin B12 35% Biotin 35%
Pantothenic Acid 35% Phosphorus 40%
Iodine 35% Magnesium 35%
Zinc 15% Selenium 25%
Manganese 35% Chromium 35%
Molybdenum 35%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Your daily values may be higher or lower depending
on your calorie needs.
It is low in fat and as a meal it is low in calories. I am impressed with the quantity and percentages of the vitamins and minerals. I think they should emphasize this on the box rather than the term “healthy” because, in my opinion, anything with 35 grams of sugar isn’t healthy. That is a lot of sugar to be consuming at one time. That is also the reason it is so good and the reason people will stick with this plan. It tastes like a thin milk shake.
From the website: Caution: Avoid simple carbohydrates, such as soft drinks or candy, within an hour before exercise, as they may cause a drop in blood sugar, leading to fatigue. Also, such simple sugars, while they do supply immediate energy, offer no nutritional value.
There are 40 grams of carbohydrates, which for some may be just fine, but when combined with only 10 grams of protein we are nowhere near a healthy ratio, in my opinion.
In fact, if you do the math that is a ratio of 80% - 20%.
Some of you may be familiar with other products that promote 40%, 30%, 30%. I am not promoting that either. I am just suggesting to you that the Slim-Fast ratio may not be as healthy as it says it is.
Other ingredients include: fat-free milk, water, sugar, gum arabic, calcium caseinate, celluslose gel, canola oil, potassium phosphate, soybean lecithin, mono and diclycerides, artificial flavors, carrageen and dextrose. In fact there is no vanilla in here, although as I said the Cappuccino Delight does have some coffee and the 6th ingredient in the Rich Chocolate Royale is cocoa. In general when ingredients are listed, anything lower than number 5, is considered insignificant. Number 6 is pretty close so I wouldn’t criticize the chocolate as having a small amoung of cocoa just keep in mind, it isn’t in the top 5 ingredients.
In summary, is this shake, in my opinion healthy? No it isn’t because of the amount of sugar in it. The vitamins and minerals are great but you can get that with food or a multi-vitamin. Will I stop this diet right now? No, because I have a major sweet tooth and if I can lose weight this way I will use the Slim-Fast Shakes. Can I recommend them to you? No.
Since I wrote this one week ago, I am not sure I will continue with the Slim-Fast program (although I still have 2 more products I own to review!) There is so much sugar in many of the products that it triggers a reaction in me to eat more. (The carbohydrate addict syndrome.) This just adds to my emphatic no to recommending the Slim-Fast Shakes.
Other Slim-Fast reviews you might be interested in are:
Ultra Slim Fast Powders
Slim-Fast Meal on The Go Bar
Slim-Fast Breakfast and Lunch Bars
Slim-Fast Shakes
Slim-Fast Juice Based Shake Mix
Slim-Fast Juice Based Shakes
Recommended:
No
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