Customer Reviews

Nutiva Organic HempShake, Chocolate, Superfood Drink Mix, 16-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 2)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've tried all kinds of hemp powders and this is my favorite. Hemp is a super source of EFA's and the protein is a highly available type due to the amount of different amino acids. It is good for those with animal milk allergies or who are concerned about cruelty to farm animals. And it is also good for those of us who need to avoid the estrogenic properties of ingesting too many soy products.

Great, so it's healthy, but how does it taste? Well, this hempshake is amazing -- the taste is really great. I particularly like the chocolate. And I'm impressed that although it tastes a 1000 times better than plain hemp powder, it only contains 80 calories and 7 grams of sugar.

As for digestibility, they do add inulin, which is good for the gut, and I don't have any problem with it. However, the high amount of fiber might present a problem for those coming straight from a SAD (standard American diet), so you might want to begin slow with a small drink and work up to the full dose.

In fact, I'm drinking a Nutiva Hempshake smoothie right now for my breakfast. It contains hempmilk (natch), choco hempshake, cayenne, cinnamon, and frozen berries. It is awesome.

I have been using this product since fall 2008. I use it as a morning oatmeal mix-in and have been very pleased. It adds a vaguely sweet/nutty, chocolate taste (though not EXACTLY like "cocoa," which might irk some people with the wrong expectations) and a good amount of protein and fiber to boot. I also like to use it in baking that could use a chocolate-y hint (and discreet nutritional benefits) without adding too much bulk. Natural ingredients, fair-trade certified, low-calorie, lots of protein and fiber, tastes good -- what more could you want? (Warning, though: do not, "for the heck of it," try to eat a spoon of this stuff out of the canister! Ha! A friend of mine made that mistake and remarked its texture/dryness (not flavor) as similar to eating straight baby powder. Does not dissolve easily on tongue.)

I love this product! I'm a runner who is also into organic and vegetarian foods. I absolutely love this shake because as someone who works out frequently, I sometimes have bowel troubles. The combination of fiber and protein is perfect for my lifestyle. I mix it with chocolate soy milk and it tastes just like a normal chocolate shake---sooo yummy and full of good stuff! Helps keep me regular, energized, and FEELING FULL. It can serve as a meal replacement, or even as a snack. Very low in calories compared to other protein shakes.

I don't want to comment on how this protein shake affected my body. I will only say that I worked out like usual and drank this powder mixed with milk and neither gained nor lost weight. I like that there was no funny aftertaste (unlike some protein powders containing artificial sweeteners).

I am giving this product three stars because I like that it is of organic and fair trade origin.

I would have rated it higher, but I find that if I mix this with milk, the resulting shake feels gritty and has a weird and almost unpalatable taste. If you mix too much powder with not enough milk the shake needs to be consumed quickly! If not, you will have a jello-like substance that is best eaten with a spoon or mixed with more milk.

The two containers I received were probably not well mixed. I found that as I got closer to finishing the product the shakes I was making started to taste sweeter, so I wonder if the sugar was just not evenly distributed. Given that this product is a powder, I don't think settling during shipment was a problem.

At this point, I will probably not order this product again simply because I find it too hard to drink given the flavor and texture.

I read some reviews that claimed that this shake cause GI issues.

Everyone has different sensitivities. My son has autism and according to his IgE and IgG panel test he has about 20 food sources that he has to avoid, such as: gluten (wheat, barley, rye), oats, milk, garlic, walnuts, sesame, grapefruit, coconut, and so on. I myself am sensitive to gluten and dairy and would get bloated and heartburn if I consume gluten or dairy. So this may not be the fault of this product because I found it to be a great product. I suggest if you have any GI issues you check with a good GI doctor, not just ANY GI doctor. The best GI doctor in the world is Dr. Arthur Krigsman. He practices either at Throughtful House in TX or in NYC. He has helped so many children with autism and addressed their GI issues that eventually the autistic behaviors improve. My son has been treated using simiar protocols by our DAN! doctor, Dr. Neubrander in NJ, and has recovered from autism just by cleaning his GI problems.

I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because I wish it would not use sugar. It uses sugar cane, but natural sugar or not it's still sugar. Sugar feeds yeast, and yeast causes GI and neurological issues (definitely behavior issues with my son). Signs of yeast overgrowth: dark circles under the eyes, red cheeks/ears, rashes/ezcema, hyperactivity, fatigue, craving for carbs and sugar, and so on (check out SCD diet on the Internet). I would rather use Stevia or Xylitol, so I wish this product didn't come sweetened. Xylitol actually has an added benefit, to prevent and fight cavities, since we don't use fluoride at home (fluoride is toxic, and it binds to calcium but it can't tell the difference between calcium and lead, so it increases metal retention in your body). I know this is digressing from the topic, but since I mentioned it I thought I'd explain a bit for those who are not familiar.

The ingredients have not been updated in the description, and are no longer accurate.
The "New Formula!" is actually a cheaper formula. Nutiva has replaced the Organic Fair Trade Certified Chocolate with "organic chocolate flavor".
I'm not sure what "organic chocolate flavor" actually is, so I now make my own mix by combining Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein Hi Fiber, 3 Pound Bag and Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao Powder, Mayan Superfood, 16-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 2) and a little organic cane sugar.

I love this shake! While it doesn't look like the "chocolate milkshake" on the cover of the bottle, it's a great healthy shake. I make it with 20 oz. of almond milk and I love the flavor. It had a slightly "mocha-ish" flavor and it really is awesome to me. Mixing it with double the amount of liquid, adding a tiny bit of chocolate syrup and lots of ice and shaking it up in my Black 28 Oz. Blender Bottle W/wire Shaker Ball makes for a super easy breakfast and it keeps me full for several hours! I absolutely love this flavor! I hope they come out with a simple vanilla flavor as well!

This shake is really tasty and is fairly filling too! It took me a while to figure out how to mix it - the first few times the protein would just clump up in my almond milk instead of completely dissolving. BUT this is easily fixed - just dissolve however much hempshake you will use in a little bit of water first, then add that to your milk! My favorite way to mix it is to add 3 tablespoons to just enough water to make it dissolve, then shake (it'll make a nice and thick mixture as the protein absorbs the water). Then I add enough unsweetened Almond Breeze to make it 1 cup. Makes a great breakfast that's yummy and healthy!

I'm a vegetarian and had been supplementing my protein intake with whey protein for a long time. It really frustrated me that there wasn't a good, competitively priced organic protein mix available. I was skeptical about using hemp protein because I had never tried it before. I was extremely surprised when I bought this chocolate hemp-protein mix and found that not only did it taste great, it also has exponentially more fiber than whey protein. While the taste of this protein isn't necessarily what I would call "chocolate", it definitely is chocolate-like. If I had to give a comparison, I would say maybe hot cocoa? While hot cocoa does taste similar to chocolate, it is nothing like biting into a chocolate bar. Overall, I would highly recommend this product!

Tastes good, but barely any protein. If you want protein, get Nutiva's unflavored 50% protein powder. You can flavor it yourself. It's cheaper and has more protein.