Editor’s note: Pricing has changed significantly since this was first written — the old pricing is out of date, and BODi now sells two different formulas. See “How Much Does It Cost” below for both.
Have you been struggling to find a protein shake that actually works — one that provides enough vitamins and minerals to make a real difference in your daily training? BODi’s Shakeology is a comprehensive meal replacement shake — or protein shake, as some say — that’s basically a complete meal in itself, covering many of your daily allowances.
I have tried a variety of supplements over the years and can tell you that you are unlikely to find such a beneficial combination of ingredients combined into one shake. Each ingredient was carefully chosen for optimal benefits.
Quick Facts
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What I Liked
- Awesome ingredients— real fruit, greens, and protein sources, not just a synthetic vitamin-sugar shake
- Uses a healthy sugar to sweeten it with stevia rather than real sugar or fake aspartame
- Is really easy to mix and prepare — it works great for a breakfast meal replacement
- People will like that is has both whey and plant-based versions to support your personal diet.
What I Didn’t Like
- So its not cheap but what is anymore. Compared to a basic protein powder — you’re paying more for the extra healthy ingredients, not just protein
- The texture can have that traditional chalky taste if you don’t blend it well
- Some people get gas or bloating the first week or two — not surprising given how much fiber and probiotic content is packed into one scoop, but worth knowing before you drink a full serving right before a workout
How It Rates
What Is Beachbody’s Shakeology?
There are thousands of different supplements, shakes, and meal replacement products that claim to provide the vitamins and minerals needed to improve your metabolism and ability to build muscle or lose weight. With so many products to choose from, why should you choose Shakeology?
Shakeology are instant shakes that can be used as a meal replacement or post-workout meal. These shakes were launched in 2009 and released by Beachbody, the company responsible for the popular P90X workouts and Focus T25.
This is not your regular protein drink. Shakeology was created to help people stay healthy and get more from their workouts. Each drink includes over 70 healthy ingredients and all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs for muscle recovery and growth, a strong metabolism, and better heart health.
Drinking one shake as a meal replacement, replacing your breakfast or lunch, will provide you with folic acid, biotin, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, zinc, and copper, along with the rest of the essential nutrients required by your body.
Instead of relying on whey for protein, Shakeology shakes include a diverse blend of proteins for lean muscle building, mental clarity, and to help reduce food cravings. Along with whey, each shake includes a combination of chia seed, flax, quinoa, brown rice, and peas — all great sources of protein.
To help improve your immune system and lower blood pressure levels, each Shakeology shake includes a mixture of fruit. Goji berry, grape seed, bilberry, acai berries, acerola cherry, and pomegranates, to name a few, are blended together to provide your body with antioxidants.
Shakeology Ingredients
After trying dozens of different meal replacements, protein shakes, and health supplements, I was surprised to discover that Shakeology includes about 70 ingredients in each serving, along with 23 essential vitamins and minerals.
All the ingredients contained in each shake are carefully chosen to provide you with the most nutrition available in a meal replacement. The ingredients can be divided into different categories, including essential vitamins and minerals, a protein blend, a fruit and antioxidant blend, a phytonutrient blend, and a probiotic and enzyme blend.
Essential Vitamins and Minerals
It is always a smart idea to take a closer look at the ingredients that are included in a meal replacement. After all, you are replacing an entire meal with another food source. Some of the essential vitamins and minerals in the drink: biotin, chromium, copper, folic acid, iodine, magnesium, manganese, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, and zinc.
The biotin, also known as vitamin H, can break down fatty cells in your body, improving your metabolism. Folic acid can help improve sperm quality and reduce the risk of strokes. Magnesium is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels and improving heart health, while pantothenic acid can increase oxygen utilization, fueling your muscles, increasing muscle recovery, and alleviating sore muscles. Copper can also help with regulating blood sugar levels and improving blood circulation.
Manganese is useful for improving your digestive system, which can also improve your metabolism. Chromium is another ingredient that could assist diabetics — this nutrient increases the production of insulin, which is important for the health of your metabolism and the storage of proteins, carbs, and fats.
The Protein Blend
Protein is an important part of any meal replacement. You need protein to help build lean muscle, improve mental clarity, and increase the health of your hair and skin. Receiving enough protein can also limit sugar cravings. The Shakeology ingredients used to create this protein blend include brown rice, chia, whey, quinoa, Sacha Inchi, and amaranth.
The Fruit and Antioxidant Blend
Shakeology also includes a powerful blend of fruits, providing your body with antioxidants that can help improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. Antioxidants are also essential for improving your immune system. To create this blend of antioxidant-rich fruit, it includes acai, acerola cherry, bilberry, goji berry, grape seed, pomegranate, rose hips, and other fruit with powerful antioxidants.
The Phytonutrient Blend
Phytonutrients are an important part of the shake. This blend of ingredients is designed to help detox your kidneys and liver, while also detoxifying your blood cells. To achieve this, it includes barley grass, chlorella, kamut grass, moringa, oat grass, spinach, spirulina, and wheat grass.
The Probiotic and Enzyme Blend
Increasing the amount of healthy gut bacteria in your system can cut down on the need for detoxification and the cleansing of your system. This can also improve your digestion, boosting your metabolism and immune system by having a healthy digestive tract. A handful of ingredients were chosen for their probiotic benefits: amylase, bromelain, cellulase, lactase, Lactobacillus Sporogenes, lipase, papain, protease, and yacon root — the same category of live cultures the NIH’s own consumer fact sheet on probiotics covers, if you want the science behind why gut bacteria matters beyond digestion.
Each serving also includes a natural sweetener blend and natural flavors. Shakeology uses a small amount of stevia for sweetness, one of the FDA-recognized high-intensity sweeteners, instead of relying on sugar or aspartame.
Does Shakeology Really Work?
The main question that people want to know, when purchasing a health product, is whether or not the product actually works. I have been an athlete my entire life, so believe me when I say that I have tried a large variety of nutritional supplements, meal replacements, and health products over the years. When looking at a health product, one thing that I pay attention to is the ingredients.
Keep in mind that Shakeology may not be the best solution for everyone. You need to put in some work if you want to reach your fitness goals. A food supplement will only help you so much — you also need to get your blood pumping. Try to combine the use of this meal replacement with a workout routine, like 21 Day Fix or Focus T25.
Original or 0g Added Sugar — Which Formula?
BODi sells two versions of Shakeology now. Original is the formula I’ve been describing this whole time — still what shows up first on bodi.com. 0g Added Sugar came along later: same basic idea, just nothing extra added for sweetness, plus a couple of flavors Original doesn’t have, like Café Latte and Cookies & Creamy. It also comes in a 7-serving trial bag, which Original doesn’t offer — if you just want to see whether you like it before committing to a full 30-serving bag, that’s the one to grab.
How Much Does It Cost?
This is genuinely more complicated than it used to be, and worth comparing before you buy:
- Original, Amazon one-time purchase: a 30-serving bag.
- Original, Amazon Subscribe & Save: a lower price per bag on a recurring order.
- 0g Added Sugar, Amazon: a 7-serving trial size, or the same 30-serving bag as Original.
- Direct BODi subscription (either formula): a monthly plan, or a lower monthly cost if you pay for the year upfront.
Compare that to a fast-food meal or a frozen dinner and it’s not actually a bad price, especially since you’re getting real nutrition instead of empty calories. Price out the actual ingredients you’d need to match one shake’s nutrition profile yourself, and it adds up to more than a shake costs. My take: grab the 0g Added Sugar trial size on Amazon first if you’re not sure you’ll stick with it. Once you know you’re in for the long haul, the direct BODi subscription is the better deal per serving — do the math against how many shakes you’ll actually drink in a month before switching over. And don’t hold me to these exact numbers forever; pricing on all of this shifts, so double-check before you buy.
Who This Is For
- You want a meal replacement you can mix up in a hurry
- You want more than just protein power and you want those extra superfood ingredients
- You’re already doing a BODi workout program and you want the extra benefit of recovery the shake offers
- You want a shake that has been tried and tested for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a vegan version?
Yes — the plant-based version swaps whey for a pea and plant-protein blend and is otherwise built the same way. Both Original and 0g Added Sugar offer vegan options.
Do I need to be doing a BODi workout program to use it?
No. Plenty of people just drink it as a meal replacement and never touch a BODi workout — it’s built to pair well with one, but that’s not a requirement.
Amazon or a direct BODi subscription — which should I pick?
Start on Amazon with the 0g Added Sugar trial size — it’s the cheapest way to find out if you actually like it before spending more. Once you know you’ll keep drinking it, switch to the direct BODi subscription; you’ll pay less per bag, you just give up the flexibility to cancel or pause whenever you want.
The Bottom Line
What is Shakeology? The simple answer — meal replacement shakes that include an abundance of essential vitamins and minerals that you can use to help you lose weight, build muscle, or get in better shape. It isn’t cheap, and it isn’t a substitute for actually eating well, but the ingredient list is genuinely more substantial than most meal-replacement shakes on the market. Not sure which formula to start with? The 0g Added Sugar trial size is the cheapest way to find out.
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