It is time to talk about protein again. If you’ve been following the blog since 2012, you’ve seen us talk about many different products in the realm of food science/nutrition/diet, etc. We’ve tested and reviewed dozens and dozens of supplements. While we don’t write about all of those items, we’ve focused a lot on one brand: Optimum Nutrition. Since 2007, I’ve used ON’s products for a variety of goals. They helped me as a high-level athlete and more importantly, they helped me as a person with a normal lifestyle. Why do I enjoy their products?
- They taste good.
- They’re reasonably priced.
- I trust the brand.
Some supplements are awful. Companies either go “way too healthy” and forget that their wheat grass based protein powder shouldn’t make someone gag or they try too hard to be cool and make you feel as though you ate enough cotton candy to fill a black hole. Many supplements are made in cheap labs where the powders don’t mix well. In an industry where you can find hundreds of brands, there are only a handful that I’d use more than once.
The brand loyalty is everything. I know that most people don’t know the individuals behind a lot of these brands. They haven’t walked through their labs and manufacturing plants. They don’t understand the science of sports nutrition. Knowing all of this is the reason why I use ON products more than any other brand.
The only issue is, ON is behind the times. They took forever to create RTE (ready to eat) products, which is a category that includes protein bars. They took longer than forever to release their RTD (ready to drink) protein shake. Why? They wanted to do it right. They probably spent an unfathomable amount of money on R&D for this product. I honestly don’t know how long they’ve been working on it. I have zero clue what they spent on it. I would, however, wager that is is a lot longer and a lot more than any other brand.
The result?
The only RTD that Alana will consume. She liked it so much that she took mine and finished it. Despite being a trainer for nearly a decade, half of the Hungry & Fit food blog, and managing a massive fitness facility, Alana doesn’t like supplements. They actually make her feel sick. We think it is most likely due to their highly artificial and manufactured nature. Not this time.
It is smooth. It drinks easy. It has a well balanced flavor. The chocolate isn’t too strong. The vanilla isn’t too sweet. The nutritional content is what you’d expect from an Optimum Nutrition product.
My only issue was some strange leakage from the portion where you drink it. I only had this occur with one of the four that I received so it might have to due with me lugging it around in my gym bag. I doubt they’re designed to be beat up like that. I’d also like to see some different sizes, such as a larger portion in the future, but I’d be entirely content if they never release a different flavor because these are so good.
You can see that I tried to recreate my famous black and white milkshake by mixing the two, but it wasn’t very successful. The flavors blended too well and you couldn’t really detect the chocolate or vanilla.
I believe these are exclusively found at GNC, so you can either order them here or go to the store. I’d check to make sure they have it in stock first, but I definitely prefer this product to Lean Body, which has been seen as one of the largest players in the RTD protein shake category for years.
Because finding convenient ways to make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet will help you get/stay hungry and fit!
(For the FTC, this isn’t a compensated article. I have a great relationship with ON, their parent company and some of their team members. I like to share great products with the world.)
