Bulk: 1: Complete Food Shake

215n
"Quite great, quite complete .."
^{August 2, 2021 @ 14:09}

I’ve been ordering sports supplements from bulk (previously ‘bulkpowders’) for a couple of years now and was always fond of the quality of their products.

Hence, as a retailer/producer of supplements, they are in a pretty good position when it comes to creating a complete meal replacement shake. And what can I say? They’ve done a pretty decent job there.

Shake comes in 3KG pouches and BBE was a roughly a year from my order date (I’ve ordered twice so far). The pouches could be improved a bit as they are very thin and prone to tearing (I’ve had one ripped open during shipping).

As far as nutrition goes, composition is really interesting. Oats and Pea Protein is a somewhat usual combination (e.g. Huel). But Pumpkin Seed Protein, Avocado Powder, Chickpea Protein, Sweet Potato Powder, Lucuma, Baobab? There is much on that list I’ve neither tasted nor even heard of. They also add a whole bunch of ‘feel-good’ supplements like Ashwagandha, Maca, some digestive enzymes and probiotics as well as Lutein and Zeaxanthin. Apart from that, the usual Vitamin and Mineral mix and fat from quality sources (MCT and Sunflower oil). Overall, you get the impression that this is a really thought-out mix.

A single serving is 100g and mixes somewhat well with the usual 300-500ml water. Ideally, use a screen or mixing ball for best results. Consistency is very smooth and pleasant. A bit thicker than your average protein shake but no lumps, badly grinded oats or similar – very pleasant to drink.
Consistency also seems stable when leaving the shake to sit for a while, big plus here.

A single shake can be pretty saturating – while it brings ‘only’ 400kcal, I suspect that the fibre, whopping 30g of protein and complex carbohydrates keep you full for a while. At least, it is enough for me to not start snaking two hours afterwards.

Taste is really delicious, compared to many of the shakes I’ve tried so far. Flavours are not too strong, sweetness is on-par and the only real downside is that you kinda get tired of the same three flavours (banana, vanilla, chocolate) quite fast. Overall, a very decent experience and also a shake you can pass to people that are not used to meal replacements without scaring them off.

Only downside is the pricing. I’ve seen the price go up and down between 50-60€ for a 3KG pouch. While a pouch can last you about a month if you consume one shake a day (I think, the recommendation is 1-2 shakes, they actually don’t advertise this as a ‘complete’ meal replacement in the sense that you just drop everything else), you probably should wait for one of those spots when you can order on the lower end – at least for trying things out (as there is no sample option).

tl;dr:
Decent shake with interesting additions. A bit expensive but worth the money in my opinion. Very saturating, great taste, smooth texture. Perfect as a post-workout shake when you don’t want to cook after coming home from the gym at 10pm.