It is always exciting to hear about a new health product or food that would enhance our current lifestyles. Recently, I was introduced to USANA Health Sciences and their new low-glycemic load and gluten-free MySmartShake.
I wasn’t quite into protein shakes previously because most of the protein shakes sold in the market contains whey and some other animal-derived ingredients. In addition, the ingredients found in protein shakes are usually artificial. Thus it is really difficult to find a healthy protein shake formula which contains all natural ingredients and is cruelty-free unless you purchase it online through iHerb or other online health supplement stores.
You’d be glad to know that USANA’s MySmartShake has vegan-friendly options and it is a customizable protein-based shake. And what it essentially does is to restore balance into our diet by supplementing our bodies with macronutrients ( Carbohydrates, proteins and fats).
These proteins shakes could also be used as a meal replacement for weight loss or for the maintenance of healthy muscle mass.
During the launch of MySmartShake, we get to create our own proteins shakes with MySmartShake and a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. It’s exciting when it comes to making smoothies because I find joy in creating healthy smoothie recipes! Do check out my smoothie recipes under the ‘recipes’ tab right above.
We made a Berry High Antioxidant smoothie loaded with a lot of strawberries, blueberries, kiwis and raspberries. It tasted really nice but I guess we added too much of the protein whey because the consistency is quite thick. We were told to add 3 scoops of whey but actually, we just need to add about 2 scoops.
And this is our Tropical Sunshine Smoothie which contains spinach, mint, pineapples, celery and banana. This is my absolute favourite because it has this refreshing citrus taste. It’s a good way of introducing greens into your smoothies. Baby spinach goes really well with a lot of fruits.
It’s great that we could bring back some of the products to try it at home. I chose the MySmartShake – Soy and Fibergy Plus Booster. We were also given the flavour optimiser in chocolate and orange creme to try. These flavour optimisers are great if you do not have a blender at home to blend fruits into your shake for flavour. If you are on the go, you can also add in the flavour optimiser into your blender bottle and shake it all the way to work.
To customise my own protein shake, here’s what I did:
(1) Add 2 tablespoons of protein base (soy) : I chose the soy protein base as it is vegan-friendly, plant-based and dairy-free. Both Whey and Soy protein are gluten-free. However, the products are produced in a facility that manufactures other foods that contain dairy, soy and gluten.
(2) Add 1 tablespoons of MySmart Fibergy Plus Booster (optional): It contains soluble fibre like psyllium (a bulking agent) and a prebiotic, Inulin that promotes the growth of healthy bacteria.
(3) Add 1 sachet of USANA Probiotic (Optional): This also helps to promote bowel regularity and healthy bacteria growth which I totally need it as I do experience irregular bowel movements. I could already experience the positive effects of the probiotics after drinking the protein shakes that I’ve made at home.
(4) Add some flavours and colours! : The soy protein has a mild vanilla flavour so it is alright to drink it without adding any other flavours or fruits. It has a pleasant taste but it isn’t sweet. So to sweeten it up, you can add fruits like bananas or blueberries. Likewise, you can also add in the flavour optimizers which contains natural flavourings and stevia. I actually enjoy the chocolate and the orange creme flavour which is quite a unique flavour. It just makes the shake tasted like orange juice and it’s quite refreshing to drink it in the morning.
Once you’ve all the superfoods added into your shake, you can add in about 300ml of water, coconut water or milk to the blender and mix everything up. You can add some ice cubes too to thicken up the smoothie.
Check out my smoothie bowl right below! I used almond milk and dragonfruit to the soy shake. I would have added some bananas in it to sweeten it up but unfortunately, I ran out of bananas that afternoon.
To create the smoothie bowl, you can just serve the smoothie in a bowl and savour it like you are drinking soup. Add your favourite toppings for that crunch and voilà!
I also tested the flavour optimizer in chocolate which has a light chocolate taste and it isn’t too heavy in cocoa taste. To enhance its flavour further, I added a dash of cinnamon and it turns out really nice too!
Prices
MySmartShake – Whey (14 Servings): $65
MySmartShake – Soy (14 Servings): $65
Flavour Optimiser – (7 Sticks): $10 (Available in Chocolate, Banana, Cappuccino and Orange creme)
MySmartTMShake – Protein Plus Whey Booster (28 Servings): $35
For more information, visit http://www.usana.com
