Atkins Shake Reviews

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Atkins Shake Summary

Thinking about trying Atkins Shake to help you slim down? This in-depth review will get you up-to-speed on this time-tested, popular diet plan.

On the shake product page it says “you can make deliciously creamy shakes by just adding water or you can completely customize your drink with mouthwatering smoothie recipes. You can even bake with Atkins protein powder to give your favorite baked goods extra protein.”

This sounds great, but how do the shakes taste? What ingredients are they using and how do they measure up as long-term health shakes?* Read on to find out more…

Taste: Mixed Reviews

Atkins shakes come in both protein powder and ready-to-drink form. Whereas the powders come in just milk chocolate and vanilla, the ready-to-drink versions have much more of a variety. These come in flavors like chocolate banana, café caramel, dark chocolate, mocha latte, strawberry and more.

For the purpose of this review, we’re going to be looking at the Vanilla Protein Powder. Starting with taste, there were mixed reviews in this category. Here are some of the positive taste review comments from Atkins Shake Reviews: (1)

• It’s one of the best protein powders they’ve ever tried
• It’s very easy to mix
• Tastes delicious especially with unsweetened almond or cashew milk

Some of the negative taste reviews stated that:

• It has a terrible after-taste
• The powder is hard to dissolve
• They like the ready-to-drink shakes much better

In general, there were much more positive reviews than negative ones, with a lot of people saying they really enjoy the taste. So, let’s see what makes this shake taste yummy to most and if that’s a problem for your health…*

Atkins Nutrition Facts

A quick glance at the label shows that this shake has some potentially unhealthy ingredients such as soy protein, artificial sweetener (Sucralose), and controversial additive, carrageenan. Let’s dig in to find out more about each…

Atkins French Vanilla Label:

Atkins Shake Ingredients:

WATER, DAIRY PROTEIN BLEND (MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE), CREAM, SUNFLOWER OIL, COCOA POWDER (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CELLULOSE GEL, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, CELLULOSE GUM, SALT, CARRAGEENAN, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, SUCRALOSE. VITAMIN & MINERAL BLEND: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), ZINC GLUCONATE, DL-ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), MANGANESE GLUCONATE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE (VITAMIN B5), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, FOLIC ACID (VITAMIN B9), BIOTIN (VITAMIN B7), POTASSIUM IODIDE, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, SODIUM SELENITE, PHYLLOQUINONE (VITAMIN K1), CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12), CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3). CONTAINS MILK, SOY.

Calories

Starting with the calories, this shake is right on target with 100 calories per shake serving. Many meal replacement shakes are loaded with calories (and are high in sugar, carbs and fat), but Atkins keeps their calorie count at a decent level.

Why do you want a shake with around 100 calories per serving like this one? Flexibility. This allows you to add more healthy ingredients into your shakes. And, if you’re trying to lose weight, it can help you get there faster.

As long as you’re getting a variety of healthy nutrients in the shake, 100 calories per serving is a great start for a meal replacement formula.*

Protein Amount

Next, let’s look at how much protein is in each Atkins French Vanilla Protein Shake and where it comes from.

Starting with the serving size, there’s 15g of protein in each scoop of an Atkins Shake – which is an ideal amount. Protein is a cornerstone in an effective meal replacement shake formula. If you have too little, you don’t give your body what it needs for fuel and to maintain a healthy weight.

Adequate protein not only keeps you full after a meal, it helps boost your metabolism and supply you with needed energy. It also assists with building lean muscle and for stamina while exercising.*

Protein Source – Contains Soy

The problem in the Atkins shakes comes from the source of the protein … it’s a blend containing soy protein isolate.

Our problem with soy protein stems from the fact that it contains phytoestrogens – which are basically estrogen mimickers in your body. Obviously, having extra estrogen in your body could cause some problems for both males and females, including messing with your hormones. (2)

The other problem is that 90 percent of the soy used today is genetically modified (90 percent)! Genetically modified (or GMO) foods come with their own host of potential health problems. This is mainly because they destroy the good bacteria (probiotics) in the gut, negatively effecting immune and digestive health.

Organic soy is the only safe bet to be non-GMO, since there are no harsh chemicals, fertilizers or pesticides used while growing. The problem is that most of the soy used in products today is not organic! And this is the case with the Atkins shake since the label does not say organic.

Since there is still no much unknown about the potential negative health effects of consuming soy on a regular basis, we believe it’s best to avoid this protein, especially since there are so many other nutritious options.

Fiber Source

Moving onto fiber, we see 5g of dietary fiber per serving, which is great. Fiber is needed for proper digestion, and to help your body burn fat. It also promotes optimal colon health by supporting regularity. It also helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable and prevent spikes and crashes.

However, we aren’t a fan of the source of fiber, which is soluble corn fiber – a highly processed ingredient. Soluble corn fiber (SCF), also known as maltodextrin and resistant maltodextrin, is a non-digestible fiber used as a thickener, filler and preservative. Manufacturers use it often because it’s a cheap way to bulk up foods and increase shelf life. (3)

The problem is that it’s far from natural (it starts with corn syrup), and therefore can cause some unpleasant digestive side effects such as bloating and gas. It can also spike your blood sugar (the opposite of what you want to do), and disrupt your gut bacteria, weakening your immune system.

Finally, unless specified, you can bet that SCF is made from GMO corn, going back to the potential health issues of GMO foods. The bottom line is that a meal replacement shake is something you’ll be drinking one or two times every day, and the less processed the ingredients, the better.

Carbohydrates – Low Net Carbs

Obviously, since this is an Atkins shake which is part of the Atkins low-carb diet, it offers low-carbs at 7g per serving. The label also tells you the amount of net carbs that you receive in each shake. You get net carbs by subtracting the fiber (5g) from the total amount of carbs (7g) to get 2g of Atkins net carbs.

Obviously, for anyone following a low-carb diet, this is a great shake to help you stick to that plan, even though there are some concerns in the sugar department…

Sugar and Sweeteners – Includes Sucralose

Next up, sugar. The ingredient you definitely don’t want in any type of healthy lifestyle shake. First the good news… Atkins Shakes only contain 1g of sugar per serving. This is obviously great for low-carb and low/no sugar diets.

The problem is that instead, they use the artificial sweetener, Sucralose, to sweeten the shake. Studies show that not only might artificial sweeteners be bad for our health in the long-run, but they can also contribute to weight gain!

This is because these “fake sugars” mess with your body’s ability to count calories, and as a result you may end up eating more food and therefore more calories than you would have otherwise. (4)

In addition, artificial sweeteners don’t give the brain the same “reward” sensation that eating regular sugar does. And our bodies simply aren’t as satisfied, so we just may end up eating something else that actually has real sugar in it later. We’ll tell ourselves it’s okay, because we “skimped” on real sugar earlier in the day!

In this way, artificial sugars can actually cause us to eat an unhealthy diet while thinking we are eating healthy!

Vitamins & Minerals But No Superfoods

Each Atkins Shake contains 24 vitamins and minerals, all at 20% of the daily recommended serving or higher. Since these shakes will be replacing meals, it’s great that there are essential nutrients in every serving to give your body what it needs.

However, there is a big difference between the Atkins Shakes and healthier shakes in the market that also include a long list of superfoods. These may include organic fruits and veggies, herbs, digestive enzymes and probiotics for gut health. A shake that has additional superfood ingredients will provide more antioxidants and other immune-boosters for increased wellness.

The bottom line is that the Atkins shake may be a product that can help with weight management for the short term, but it probably isn’t the best shake option for the duration. This is because it doesn’t provide any extra health-enhancing ingredients.

The Company Behind Atkins Shake

Atkins was started by cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins 45 years ago, yet this low-carb diet is still popular today. The Atkins diet, according to the company, focuses on eating right, not less.

Atkins is based on the premise that when there is too much sugar in the bloodstream, your body stores it as fat. And even complex carbs can have this effect. The Atkins diet is intended to satisfy the body while creating greater energy, higher metabolism and less stored fat.

Along with Atkins protein powders, the company also offers ready-to-drink shakes, meal kits, Atkins protein bars, Atkin meals, frozen foods and Atkins snacks. All of the packaged products are meant to be aids in following a strict low-carb Atkins meal plan.

The company also offers a section on Atkins diet recipes on their website, including the best foods on the Atkins food list. This makes it easy to stick with the Atkins diet plan and not fall off. For instance, in the Atkins diet phase 1, things are pretty strict, and you can only eat 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks. Atkins products make it possible to stay true to the plan on a busy schedule.

Contact Information

You can contact the Atkins team by phone or email by filling out the form on this page. You can also download a quick-start kit from the same page.

Return Policy

Atkins does allow returns (just follow the instructions on this page), although they do not mention how long you have from the date of purchase to return an item. They don’t process exchanges, though, so you would have to return one item and then order another.

Price

On the Atkins website, the price of one shake canister (20 servings) is $13.98 (or 70 cents a serving)! They also offer a 3-pack of canisters for $38.94.

Now, I know what you’re thinking… this is a very cheap shake! While that can be seen as a positive quality, it also makes you think… “Why are all of the other shakes in this field more expensive?!”

While Atkins shakes may be affordable, a quick glance at the label shows they use some cheaper, lesser quality, and controversial ingredients. In this review, we touched on soy, maltodextrin and Sucralose. It’s also not a long-term health shake by any means… in contrast to our #1 rated shake, 310 Shake, which has an economical price and high-quality, nourishing ingredients.

Atkins Shake Review Conclusion

All of this being said, if you’re following a low-carb diet, the Atkins shake has some desirable traits. It’s a quick and convenient way to have a meal on-the-go while sticking to your diet plan.

The shake has low-carbs and only one gram of sugar (but don’t forget about that Sucralose, which may actually make you eat more sugar/calories later on)!

Atkins Shake reviews are mixed on the taste of these shakes, but a lot of people seem to enjoy them. However, we were less than impressed with a lot of the ingredients. Soy protein, soluble corn fiber, sucralose… Sure, these are “acceptable” ingredients, but they certainly aren’t the best ones out there for you.

Before you pull the trigger on which meal replacement shake to try, check out the other reviews on this site so that you can make an informed decision!

Sources:

1. https://www.amazon.com/Atkins-Gluten-Protein-Powder-Vanilla/product-reviews/B07FMZ48WQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
2. https://draxe.com/is-soy-bad-for-you/
3. https://perfectketo.com/soluble-corn-fiber/
4. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20130710/could-artificial-sweeteners-cause-weight-gain#1