Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Serving Size 3 scoop(s) Servings Per Container 17 Calories 280 Fat 1 g Carbohydrate 7 g ( Fiber 1 g, Sugars 2 g) Protein 60 g I purchased this protein powder for a member of my family, and I tried it out, too. This protein mix contains whey protein isolate and hydrolyzed whey, which are good for building and maintaining muscle, and meeting dietary needs for protein in general. Note that the recommended serving size is a huge amount of protein to take at one time. This whey drink is flavored with cocoa. It has a good taste and is low in carbohydrates. It blends well using a Blender Bottle or a whisk. This protein drink is of better quality than GNC Pro Performance Amplified 100% Protein Drink, which is filled with multiple ingredients which are either unnecessary in a whey-protein product, downright unhealthy, or both. This drink doesn't have nearly as many of those types of ingredients, but it does have six of them. On the unnecessary side there is fiber (polydextrose). Fiber is generally considered good for you, but there is no need for it in a protein drink, and if you blend up your protein drink and don't chug it down immediately, the fiber could cause it to thicken unpleasantly. Lecithin is included as an emulsifier, but that is unnecessary in a whey protein powder, and most really good protein powders don't include an emulsifier. I presume it is included in this particular drink to deal with the unnecessary fiber and counteract the tendency of the fiber content to thicken any liquid it is added to. Natural and artificial flavors are both unhealthy and unnecessary, since the product contains cocoa to make the drink taste like chocolate. Their inclusion, though, is a clear signal that the manufacturer has tried to cut corners by using natural/artificial flavors as cheap, chemical substitutes for adequate amounts of the more expensive cocoa to sufficiently flavor this drink. Acesulfame potassium and sucralose are unhealthy artificial sweeteners, and there is a much safer alternative, stevia. There are several commercial protein powders that use stevia instead of artificial sweeteners, for example: Jay Robb Whey Protein and NOW Foods Whey Protein Isolate. It is also possible to purchase unflavored whey powder, such as Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein, and add your own cocoa, if you want chocolate, and sweeten it with stevia yourself. If you do this, you pay about half the price of purchasing commercial whey products sweetened with stevia. I make my own this way all the time. It tastes great and blends exactly the same as the whey protein powder does when it is used plain. Below I've provided a list of ingredients for this product, and beneath that an explanation of those ingredients which aren't obvious as to what they are. Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolyzed Whey), Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Polydextrose, Lecithin, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium. Acesulfame Potassium: An artificial sweetener also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K (K being the symbol for potassium). It is marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. Like aspartame, it is 200 times as sweet as sucrose (white/table sugar). It is one-third as sweet as sucralose, which is 600 times as sweet as sucrose. A main problem with this product is that during its manufacture, methylene chloride is used, a solvent regularly used in paint strippers, degreasers and propellant gas. Potential side effects of regular exposure include: headaches, vomiting, depression, mental confusion, renal and liver problems, visual impairment, and potentially cancer. Artificial Flavor: The definition of artificial flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations is: "Any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is *not* derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof. " (21CFR101.22). That essentially means that artificial flavor is derived from non-food substances, that is, chemicals created in a lab. Even more so than for a "natural" flavor, because the process by which it is derived is unexplained, there is no way for the consumer to decide how safe the artificial flavor is. Lecithin: This substance is prepared by extracting and purifying phospholipids from products such as eggs, soybeans, sunflower and canola seeds. In food products and cosmetics, lecithin is used as an emulsifier. At issue is how exactly it is derived. Lecithin is a fatty substance that is extracted either chemically or mechanically. Certainly some small businesses around the world exist which employ non-toxic, cold-press methods of extraction, but big factories do not. They create lecithin by means of highly toxic, carcinogenic chemicals such benzene and hexane. The food and cosmetic industry are not required to report on their labels how the lecithin they use is extracted, so we have no reliable way of knowing how safe it is. Natural Flavor: The definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations is: "The essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional" (21CFR101.22). That essentially means that natural flavor is derived from a real food, but the process by which it is derived is unexplained and there is no way to know how safe or healthy a natural flavoring is. Polydextrose: This is a soluble fiber synthesized from dextrose, sorbitol (a sugar alcohol) and citric acid. It is commonly used in the US to replace starch, fat and sugar in many processed foods, most especially in for products labeled low-carb, diabetic or sugar-free. It also serves as a stabilizer, thickening agent, and humectant (adding moisture). Sucralose: An artificial sweetener also known as Splenda, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren and Nevella. Most of sucralose's content cannot be digested by the body, which is what renders it essentially without calories. It is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose (white/table sugar). It is twice as sweet as saccharin and three times as sweet as aspartame and Acesulfame potassium. It is stable enough to be used in baking. Potential side effects of regular exposure include: Headaches, digestive problems, bladder problems, dizziness, seizures, blurred vision, muscle aches, numbness, anxiety, skin rashes, swelling, rise in blood sugar (and resulting weight gain), and bladder problems. Long-term use can potentially cause heart damage, a weakened immune system, liver and kidney damage, and cancer.