I’ve analyzed and reviewed dozens of protein powders, and here’s the truth about what my Herbalife reviews revealed:

Herbalife protein powder and shakes have some ingredients you might want to take a second look at.

In this Herbalife protein powder analysis, I used three objective criteria: 1.) Ingredients, 2.) Nutrition, and 3.) Cost.

Let’s see how they stack up …

What Is Herbalife?

Herbalife Protein Powder has a sales model similar to Shakeology: they pay other people to sell and promote their products (this is called MLM, or Multi-Level Marketing). Former employees have accused Herbalife of running a “pyramid scheme”.

Herbalife has been in hot water several times in the past because of their “Multi-Level Marketing Scheme” (the FTCs words, not mine).

Herbalife Reviews: Is Herbalife Protein Powder Healthy?

The biggest problem I have with most Herbalife reviews you’ll come across online is that they are quite biased because the site owners have a vested interest in selling Herbalife products.

Similar to my other plant protein powder analyses, I am reviewing Herbalife protein powder and shakes based on health and nutrition … NOT taste. If you want to know how it tastes, read the Herbalife reviews on Amazon.

Overall, there are 5 things that I think could be improved with Herbalife protein powders:

1. Their ingredients are not organic, which means they may have been sprayed with chemical pesticides and herbicides.

2. The sugar content in many of their products is high (more on this below).

3. At $.05/gram, Herbalife is not cheap. You can get protein powder with organic ingredients for about the same price.

4. Similar to 99.9% of protein powders on the market, Herbalife protein powders have “natural” flavors. Natural flavors may be filled with chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says natural flavors “may trigger an acute, allergic reaction, intolerance, or other problems.”

5. The protein sources for most Herbalife shakes are the two I recommend least: whey and soy. Learn more about whey protein dangers and side effects here.

Soy is one of the “Big 8” food allergens. The soy protein in most powders usually comes from GMO soybeans that are often processed using the petroleum-based solvent hexane.

Dr. Mike Roussell, a nutrition scientist who has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also had this to say about soy protein: 

Ninety percent of genetically modified soy is resistant to glyphosate, the pesticide found in Round Up. A concern raised about eating products with soy protein isolate is that you will consume excessive amounts of this chemical.

The data is shaky at best about soy protein. Some studies say it’s safe and effective for older women. Others like the one above suggest it may be harmful. I’ll cite this one published in the Journal of Nutrition:

Overall, existing data are inconsistent or inadequate in supporting most of the suggested health benefits of consuming soy protein.

Next we’ll look at the nutrition facts and ingredients for each of Herbalife’s protein powders and shakes. I’ve listed the nutrition label for all products below, along with red flags under each set of images.

Herbalife Protein Powder Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix

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Red Flags–Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix:

10 grams of sugar

Contains gums, fillers, flavors, and additives

Contains corn- and soy-based ingredients

Protein Drink Mix Chocolate

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Red Flags–Protein Drink Mix Chocolate:

Contains “natural” flavors

Contains gums, fillers, and additives

Contains corn- and soy-based ingredients

Protein Drink Mix Vanilla

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Red Flags–Protein Drink Mix Vanilla:

Contains “natural” flavors

Contains gums, fillers, and additives

Contains corn- and soy-based ingredients

Protein Drink Mix Peanut Butter Cookie

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Red Flags–Peanut Butter Cookie:

Contains “natural” flavors

Contains gums, fillers, and additives

Contains corn- and soy-based ingredients

Personalized Protein Powder

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Red Flags–Personalized Protein Powder:

Contains “natural” flavors

Contains gums, fillers, and additives

Contains dairy- and soy-based ingredients

Formula 1 + PDM Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix

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Red Flags–Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix:

6 grams of sugar

Contains “natural” flavors

Contains a looooong list of high processed gums, fillers, and additives

Contains corn- and soy-based ingredients

Other Herbalife Reviews

Herbalife as a company is rated 2.5 out of 5 stars (out of 294 reviews) on ConsumerAffairs.com.

On TrustPilot, they’re rated 4.2 out of 5 stars.

On Amazon, here are the top positive and negative reviews for two of their protein products:

Top Positive Review: Herbalife Formula 1 Shake Mix

Would definitely buy again.

Started taking this one week ago. Using it twice a day along with the Herbalife tea and the Herbalife active fiber and the Herbalife aloe. I am feeling so much better. Eating a salad with grilled chicken at night. My bloating has gone down some but still no weight loss. Will continue until it is all gone. Not giving up on it yet. Flavor is fine. Taste like birthday cake to me. Weight 153lbs

Update:Been using for 3 weeks. Twice a day, along with the Herbalife herbal tea, Herbalife fiber and Herbalife Aloe. With no exercising lost 5 pounds. Just ordered a new one and a new flavor. Started exercising today and will continue to exercise and take the Herbalife and will come back in a few weeks and update if there has been any change. I eat one meal at night usually a salad, fish or chicken. I am going to continue for 90 days before saying it does or doesn’t work.Hopefully when I get back on here it’ll be to say I lost another 5 and that it’s working. Weight 148lbs

Top Negative Review: Herbalife Formula 1 Shake Mix

CONTAINS NEURO TOXIN (BLACK MOLD) listed in Ingredients.

Bottom Line: Is Herbalife Protein Healthy?

Herbalife shakes and protein powders leave something to be desired.

Unfortunately, all of them:

a) Are not organic.

b) Contain sugar or artificial sweeteners

c) Contain fillers, additives, and/or “flavors”

d) Have a premium price of $.05 – .06/gram (you can get a good organic raw vegan protein powder without the fillers and other junk for only $.06/gram)

Plant Fusion sells a lot of protein powder. But based on the Plant Fusion reviews on Amazon, it’s clear many people are awfully confused about what constitutes a “healthy” protein powder.

Not to worry, because I’m here to clear up the confusion with my typical sardonic wit and wisdom. 🙂

Here are the long and short versions of my PlantFusion Protein Powder review:

Plant Fusion Protein Powder Review (Short Version)

Plant Fusion Protein Powder Review (Long Version)

Plant Fusion Protein Powder Review (Short Version)

Similar to my other protein powder reviews, I am evaluating Plant Fusion’s protein powders based on health and nutrition … NOT taste.

There are four key criteria I use to determine the “healthiness” of a protein powder in my reviews:

1. Organic, whole food ingredients.
2. No allergens or inflammation-causing soy, dairy, or gluten.
3. No fillers, flavors, or gums.
4. No added sugar or artificial/highly processed sweeteners used.

On its website, PlantFusion says:

Let’s stick to the facts … the “supplement facts”

Clever marketing talk, but here’s a fact they’re not telling you:

Plant Fusion uses the same processed junk as every other popular plant protein powder!

Here’s a quick breakdown of their ingredients and nutrition facts:

	PlantFusion Organic Plant Based Protein Powder	PlantFusion Complete Protein Powder	PlantFusion Phood	PlantFusion Lean	PlantFusion Ready-to-Drink
Calories	120	120	200	170	150
Grams of Protein	20	21	18	21	19
Protein Source(s)	Organic pea protein, organic amaranth, organic quinoa, organic flax seed	Pea protein isolate, artichoke protein, organic sprouted amaranth powder, organic sprouted quinoa powder	Pea protein isolate, artichoke protein, organic sprouted amaranth powder, organic sprouted quinoa powder, algalin	Pea protein isolate, artichoke protein, algae protein, fermented & sprouted organic millet, organic lentil, organic flax, organic chia	Pea protein isolate, artichoke, organic sprouted amaranth, organic sprouted quinoa
Grams of Sugar	0	4	1	2	7
Free of “Natural” Flavors	No	No	No	No	No
Free of Gums & Thickeners	No	No	No	No	No
100% Organic	Yes	No	No	No	No
Vegan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cost Per Gram	$.07	$.04	$.03	$.05	$.01
Nutrition/Ingredients (click each image to enlarge)

The “facts” speak volumes about the quality of PlantFusion’s protein powders and shakes. So my reviews of all their products are summed up as-follows:

PlantFusion makes yet another very average line of plant-based protein powders and shakes. If you’re a clean eater who avoids processed ingredients like flavors, fillers, and sweeteners, you may want to choose something with organic, whole food ingredients instead. 

If you’re interested in taking a little deeper dive and learning more about PlantFusion’s ingredients and nutrition facts, keep reading.

Plant Fusion Protein Powder Review (Full Version)

Let’s switch gears for a brief moment and talk about what I like about Plant Fusion. As a company, I admire their commitment to plant-based nutrition and sustainable, eco-friendly products. I also really like most of the plant protein sources they use (pea protein, amaranth powder, chia powder, flax powder).

And their fermented, sprouted foods blend in the organic product is great:

On its website, you can read about Plant Fusion’s story. Here’s an excerpt:

The second part I highlighted in red is what really concerns me … and what should concern you too if you follow a clean, plant-focused diet.

Allow me to elaborate:

1. “Natural” flavors are NOT natural.

Natural flavors aren’t real food … they’re science experiments. All the big protein powder companies, PlantFusion included, claim that they make “proprietary natural flavor blends”.

This means nothing.

Ask them exactly what ingredients and how many ingredients go into those “natural” flavors and you won’t get a straight answer (if they answer at all … I emailed them and didn’t get a response).

Natural flavors are often chemical-filled junk. Check out our article “What Are Natural Flavors?” to learn more.

2. Inulin

PlantFusion (along with many other protein powder manufacturers) contains inulin, which is a starchy carbohydrate that’s not absorbed by your upper GI tract (and is thus considered a type of fiber).

While protein powder companies will tout inulin’s benefits as a “beneficial prebiotic fiber”, what they don’t tell you is that these prebiotics are not always beneficial … particularly for those with GI sensitivities. Prebiotics can actually lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or worsen existing digestive ailments. If you have SIBO, certain prebiotics will ferment and create more gas that will cause your symptoms to worsen.

On top of that, studies have shown that inulin encourages the growth of Klebsiella, a bacteria implicated in Ankylosing Spondylitis and leaky gut syndrome. Klebsiella can lead to serious infections in the urinary tract, pneumonia, and even death. So while inulin may indeed promote the growth of good bacteria, it feeds “bad” bacteria too.

If you suffer from GI sensitivities like I do, prebiotic fibers like inulin may only exacerbate your suffering.

3. Xanthan gum

Xanthan gum is another highly-processed, mostly-indigestible starch that’s used to thicken protein powders. It’s made by bacterial fermentation of a sugar-containing food. Usually that food is an allergenic and/or GMO-containing substance such as corn, soy, dairy, or wheat.

Here’s another little-known (and tragic) fact about xanthan gum. In 2013, several infants who consumed a baby formula with xanthan gum tragically passed away after developing necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease where the wall of the intestine is invaded by bacteria, causing infection and inflammation that can ultimately lead to death in infants.

Scientists reviewed the cases of xanthan gum-associated NEC, and found that the xanthan gum caused increased bacterial production of short chain fatty acids in the newborns’ intestines, and thus contributed to the development of NEC, which led to their deaths. (side note: the New York Times reported the story if you care to read about it)

On top of that, it can cause unpleasant gut symptoms in adults. No thanks.

4. Sugar

One of PlantFusion’s products, the Ready to Drink Complete Plant Protein, has 6-7 grams of sugar per serving (depending on which flavor you choose). On its website, Plant Fusion says you shouldn’t worry about this because the type of sugar they use (fructose) is lower on the glycemic index:

Patrick Skerrett, former Executive Editor of the Harvard Health, disagrees:

Crystalline fructose … is not fructose gently extracted from fruits or vegetables; it is crystallized high grade HFCS.

Ouch.

Physician and author Dr. Joseph Mercola also warned about the potential dangers of crystalline fructose in a HuffPost article.

Crystalline fructose (a super-potent form of fructose the food and beverage industry is now using) may contain arsenic, lead, chloride and heavy metals.

Sugar is sugar. Please Plant Fusion, do us a favor and stop trying to spin it.

PlantFusion’s other protein powders use a combination of highly-processed fructose, stevia, and erythritol. You can read about the potential dangers of these pseudo-healthy sweeteners here.

Plant Fusion Reviews Summed Up

Plant Fusion makes very average vegan protein powders that contain too much junk, in my opinion. Personally, I’d rather spend a few extra dollars on a product with organic, real food ingredients.

Finally, the long-awaited, much requested Orgain protein powder review.

Just like my other reviews, in this article I’ll show you exactly why clean eaters should avoid Orgain organic protein powders (and shakes). 

I’ve broken this into two versions: a short version for those who have a limited attention span like me, and the full version for those who want to explore Orgain’s ingredients and nutrition facts a little deeper.

(Disclaimer: I sell a protein powder. This admittedly creates some potential bias. That’s why my reviews focus on Orgain’s nutrition facts and ingredients. At the end of the day, this is just one person’s opinion).

Click here to get instant access to my FREE Google spreadsheet comparing 20 of the best plant protein powders (including Orgain) by ingredients, nutrition, and cost.

Orgain Protein Powder Review

First, let’s get this out of the way: I evaluate protein powders based on health and nutrition … NOT taste. If taste is your number one priority when choosing a protein powder, then this article probably isn’t for you. I’ve tasted most of Orgain’s products and they taste quite good.

Anyways …

When I analyze whether a protein powder is “healthy” or not, I look at the only two objective pieces of information you will see on any protein powder package:

1. The Ingredients
2. The Nutrition Facts

The ingredients and nutrition facts label will help you answer these important questions:

• Do they use organic, real food ingredients?
• Any allergens or inflammation-causing soy, dairy, or gluten?
• What about fillers, natural flavors, and gums? (these are all warning signs of a cheap, highly processed protein powder)
• How much protein does it have per serving?
• What are the protein sources?
• How much sugar is added?
• What other sweeteners (real or artificial) do they use?

Orgain’s ingredients and nutrition facts information for their protein powder and shakes reveal a lot:

	Orgain Organic Protein Powder	Orgain Meal Powder	Orgain Nutritional Shake	Orgain Vegan Nutritional Shake	Healthy Kids Shake	Slim Protein Powder
Calories	150	220	250	220	200	150
Grams of Protein	21	20	16	16	8	20
Protein Source(s)	Organic brown rice protein, organic pea protein, organic chia seed, organic hemp protein	Organic brown rice protein, organic pea protein, organic chia seed	Organic milk protein concentrate, organic whey protein concentrate	Organic brown rice protein concentrate, organic chia seeds, organic flax powder, organic hemp protein concentrate	Organic milk protein concentrate, organic whey protein concentrate	Organic pea protein, organic brown rice protein, organic chia seed
Grams of Sugar	1	1	12	9	13	1
Free of Natural Flavors	No	No	No	No	No	No
Free of Gums & Thickeners	No	No	No	No	No	No
Organic	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vegan	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Amazon Review Rating	4.3	4.3	4.2	4.1	4.2	4.4
Cost Per Gram	$.02	$.04	$.10	$.08	$.09	$.05

Let’s start with what I like about Orgain …

1. Orgain only uses Organic ingredients.
2. The plant-based protein sources in Orgain vegan products are solid.
3. Orgain was developed by a medical doctor and cancer survivor.

However, when I analyzed the ingredients list on many of Orgain’s products, there were some things that concerned me:

1. Sugar content

The sugar content in many Orgain Shakes is quite high:

• Orgain Original Shakes: 12 grams
• Orgain Plant-based Shakes: 9 grams
• Orgain “Healthy” Kids Shakes: 13 grams

Orgain uses LOTS of different sweeteners. Tap/click the following links to learn about some of the negative health effects of each:

• Monkfruit extract (often contains erythritol … see below)
• Erythritol (causes diarrhea when consumed in large amounts)
• Brown rice syrup (empty calories like most refined sugars)
• Cane sugar (leads to metabolic disease and obesity)

2. “Natural flavors

The Environmental Working Group says natural flavors are:

Unspecified mixtures of as many as 100 flavoring substances and solvents, emulsifiers, and preservatives.

Food manufacturers are only required to list “flavors” on their ingredients lists, without revealing the original sources or chemical mixtures of these flavors.

Long story short:

[bctt tweet=”Your natural flavors may not be natural at all” username=”nutritionguy”]

To learn more about this mystery ingredient, read my article “What Are Natural Flavors?“.

 

So let’s look at the big picture view of all the junk ingredients in Orgain’s products … I’ve highlighted ingredients that I personally avoid:

Product	Orgain Organic Protein Powder	Orgain Meal Powder	Orgain Nutritional Shake	Orgain Vegan Nutritional Shake	Healthy Kids Shake	Slim Protein Powder
Nutrition
Ingredients

Phew, that’s a lot of red flags! Let’s sum up this review …

Orgain Reviews: The Final Verdict

Orgain’s sugar-free products are cost-effective and contain all organic ingredients. 

However, many of their products contain 10 grams or more of sugar per serving. The average American already gets plenty of sugar (82 grams per day).

I recommend sticking with one of their sugar free products or looking for a plant-based protein powder  style=”font-size: 14.4px;”>instead.

Click here to get instant access to my FREE Google spreadsheet comparing 20 of the best plant protein powders (including Orgain) by ingredients, nutrition, and cost.