Before we switch gears into some lighter content next week (this of course is pending depending on my mood this week) – I’ve decided to dedicate this week’s blog post to the greatest “health hack” fake-out of all time:

Premier Protein shakes.

I know I’ve been a bit of a hater the last few weeks, but it’s election week so might as well keep the spice coming.

Here’s the thing. I have a personal vendetta against Premier Protein. And I’m choosing to air it out here because not a week goes by where someone isn’t in my DMs, email, or Metabolism Makeover community asking if these shakes are a good option for a quick breakfast or high protein snack.

“High-protein,” “low-sugar,” and “nutrient-packed,” – with a side of:

Vegetable oil. Artificial flavors. Artificial Sweeteners. Carrageenan. Multiple emulsifiers. Synthetic vitamins and minerals.

If you want to read about any of these ingredients along with studies, just pop them into Trash Panda.

We’ve been talking about ultra-processed foods the last couple of weeks and I wanted to call this brand out in particular because oftentimes when we hear “ultra-processed foods” we think “Doritos” or “Coca-Cola.” But the Health Halo Effect is real, and this is why it’s important to just make it a habit to flip any ready-to-eat foods over and take a peek at that ingredient list.

For a list of ingredients that I personally recommend avoiding, read my blog post from two weeks ago.

“Megan, just let me live.”

I’m trying to!

Look – if you want to drink a Premier shake every once in a while because you’re in a pinch, or hell, even if you want to drink it every day of your life – I’m not telling you that you can’t. I’m just giving you information so that you can make a decision for yourself.

Health is complex. But here’s what we know:

We are the sickest we’ve ever been. And so are our kids.

1. 1994: 1 in 8 kids had a chronic disease.
2. 2015: 1 in 3 kids had a chronic disease.
3. 2024: 1 in 2.5 kids have a chronic disease.
4. 1970: 1 in 15 kids had eczema.
5. 2024: 1 in 5 kids have eczema.
6. 1 in 5 school-aged kids are overweight.
7. 1 in 5 kids have eczema.
8. 1 in 13 kids have food allergies.

There are plenty of statistics like this for adults, too, but there’s something about looking at childhood disease rates that makes you pay attention.

We have to demand better for our bodies. For most of us, it’s not entirely possible to return to nature for all of our food, but we CAN start to eliminate frankenfoods from our diet.

Now, ready-to-drink protein without vegetable oils and other questionable ingredients are tough to come by. I’ll give you a list of alternatives, along with some “cleaner” protein bar options (these have a tendency to have a lot of artificial ingredients too).

Because if anyone understands the need to have quick, quality options at her fingertips….it’s ME.

OK let’s do this:

Protein Bars:

• Perfect Bars
• Aloha
• Epic
• Truvani
• ProMix
• Laird Superfood
• Rawr Bar

I would love to make a ready-to-drink protein shake. It’s on my vision board! But in the meantime:

• Aloha Protein Drinks
• OWYN Protein Shakes
• Iconic Protein Drinks
• Orgain Clean Grass-Fed Protein Shake (this one contains seed oils, but it’s the best option I have for a brand that you’ll at least always find at Costco)

I’ll see you on the other side of this election!

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