SlimFast

You’ve definitely heard of the brand slimfast, most because of their broad marketing strategies. But is this shake actually as effective as it claims to be? Will it help you lose weight? How does it affect your overall health and does it contain controversial ingredients?

SlimFast Nutritional Facts

The SlimFast protein shake mix comes in four flavors: Rich Chocolate Royale, Strawberries & Cream, French Vanilla and Creamy Milk Chocolate. For the purpose of this review, we are going to look at the label for the French Vanilla product…

Calories

The first thing you need to look at about this product is that it requires adding milk, now adding milk will definitely increase the amount of calories per serving. On its own the shake contains 110 calories per serving but after adding about 8 fl ounces of milk the calories go up to 200.

For meal replacement shakes it’s best to choose the ones with about 100 calories per serving, to keep your daily calorie count down and allow you to add other healthy ingredients into your shakes. So in our opinion, the calorie count in this shake is too high.

Protein

The SlimFast meal replacement shake has a surprising amount of protein, it contains only 2gs of protein per serving. But after adding milk it is about 10gs per serving which is still quite low for a meal replacement shake. A meal replacement shake that is beneficial for weight loss should contain 14g – 20g of protein per shake serving, in order to keep your body full and boost your metabolism to burn fat. Anything less than that amount would not have enough protein necessary to help propel your weight loss efforts or keep you full in between meals.

Fiber- Soy fiber

The SlimFast Vanilla Shake contains a decent amount of fiber at 4g total (with or without milk). Although this is an okay amount, it can still be higher at about 5g or more, in order to keep the body full, digest properly and cleanse the body of toxins. Something we don’t like, however, is that soy fiber is in the ingredient list, and soy is a controversial ingredient in terms of potential negative health effects. There is a lot of controversy surrounding too much soy in your diet, and some studies say it may cause health issues including hormone disruption in men and women, and even fertility issues.

Vitamins/Minerals/ Superbland foods

The SlimFast Shake contains a good amount of vitamins and minerals (24 in total) including Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B6 and B12, and minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate and copper. Though this is a nice array of vitamins/minerals, it would have been nice to also see some super food blends or additional ingredients for overall health.

Sugar

When it comes to sugar SlimFast fall completely behind, it contains a whopping 11gs of sugar per serving, which is extremely high for a meal replacement shake. First off, there is 11g of sugar per serving in the protein mix ALONE, and then when you combine it with the fat free milk, that leads to 24g of sugar per shake serving – an absolutely crazy high amount for a healthy meal replacement shake.

Sugar can make you fat

Because SlimFast foods are so full of sugar, you might be running a hamster wheel when it comes to keeping the weight off. Sugar affects leptin, the “starvation hormone.” Leptin is secreted by fat cells. As our fat cells increase, they secrete leptin, which tells the brain that we’re full and don’t need more food. But if you’re consuming so much sugar that your brain becomes resistant to leptin, it never receives the signal that you’re full. It’ll keep seeking out more food, hoping to finally get that “I’m full” memo from leptin. Oops.

Artificial Sweeteners: Maltodextrin, Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame and Artificial Flavor – Also Leads to Weight Gain!

Another major problem with this shake is all the artificial sweeteners used, there are way too many! Even though there are mixed opinions about artificial sweeteners, there are still plenty of studies and evidence to show that all of these manufactured ingredients could potentially do your body harm: maltodextrin, acesulfame potassium, aspartame and artificial flavor.

Maltodextrin – Maltodextrin is a highly processed white powder used to thicken foods or liquids — that shake has to feel hefty somehow! It’s also used as a preservative to help processed foods last longer. Because it’s cheap to produce, you can find it in products ranging from salad dressing to body lotion. Maltodextrin has a similar calorie count to table sugar, but its glycemic index is much higher. That means it’ll cause your blood sugar to spike quickly then crash. This isn’t just dangerous for anyone who has diabetes or doesn’t want their energy to plummet mid-day. One study found that maltodextrin can keep healthy gut bacteria from growing while increasing bacteria like E. coli, raising the risk of autoimmune diseases. Next, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), is a calorie-free sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than table sugar. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), there may be a link between Ace-K and thyroid damage. Aspartame (better known by the names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal-Measure), may be the worst one of all. Aspartame may account for 75 percent of adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA including weight gain, depression, fatigue, irritibility, anxiety attacks, migraines, heart palpatations and more. Some researchers say that chronic illlnesses may also be triggered or worsened by consuming aspartame.⁵Sounds like a potentially very scary ingredient! Finally, artificial flavors are chemicals that are created and not originally sourced from a food product or nature. Artificial flavors may cause reactions including allergic reactions, chest pain, fatigue, headaches and depression.

But the bottom line is also this: artificial sweeteners contribute to weight gain. In fact, they may contribute to weight gain even more than regular table sugar.

Studies show that artificial sweeteners, despite what many people think, actually increase the motivation to eat, since they do not activate satiety signals in your body. Several studies have shown a link between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. As you can see there are many controversial ingredients in SlimFast, and there is also one more…

Another harmful ingredient

Carrageenan – SlimFast shakes are full of carrageenan.

What is carrageenan?

It’s an ingredient that’s extracted from edible seaweed and used to thicken and stabilize foods and drinks. While the scientific community often debates on exactly what side effects carrageenan can have on people — it’s been linked to everything from fetal toxicity to liver cancer — one that’s fairly agreed upon is that carrageenan is super inflammatory. Because inflammation is at the root of most diseases, I say it’s not worth taking your chances, and it’s best to avoid carrageenan.

Price

It costs, $1.24 per serving which is extremely low for a meal replacement shake. This questions the quality of the ingredients used. SlimFast shakes can’t be purchased online but they are only available in retail outlets.

Slimfast Diabetic Weight Loss, Vanilla Milkshake Mix-10g Of Protein-12.8oz

$7.00

in stock

3 new from $7.00

as of May 23, 2022 11:12 pm

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Slimfast Keto Meal Replacement Powder Fudge Brownie Batter Canister, 13.4 oz, Pack of 1

$10.49

~~$14.98~~

in stock

11 new from $10.49

as of May 23, 2022 11:12 pm

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SlimFast Original Rich Chocolate Royale Meal Replacement Shake Mix - Weight Loss Powder - 31.18oz...

$13.98

~~$17.19~~

in stock

11 new from $13.98

as of May 23, 2022 11:12 pm

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SlimFast Advanced Nutrition Creamy Chocolate Smoothie Mix - Weight Loss Meal Replacement - 20g of...

$38.59

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4 new from $38.59

as of May 23, 2022 11:12 pm

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SlimFast Boosters Control Gummies, with Garcinia Cambogia and Green Tea, Great Tasting Mixed...

out of stock

as of May 23, 2022 11:12 pm

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SlimFast Original - Weight Loss Meal Replacement RTD Shakes - With 10g Of Protein & 5g Of Fiber -...

out of stock

as of May 23, 2022 11:12 pm

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Final Thoughts

Many individuals enjoy the Slim Fast weight loss program because of its simplicity, safety, effectiveness and ease of use. If you are serious about losing weight, then the Slim Fast weight loss program is well worth considering. This holds especially true if you are the type of individual that is not looking for a weight loss program in which the meals are delivered to your home.

However, if you are the type of individual that does not work well under a dietary approach that is limited in selection, or if you get bored with consuming the same type of foods over an extended period of time, you may want to consider a weight loss program that allows for greater flexibility. The Slim Fast weight loss program has added greater variety to their product line and drastically improved their support tools. This being said, for individuals that are slightly more independent and are able to regulate their meal choices and food types, Slim Fast is a viable weight loss program that is well worth considering.