Tuesday, June 5, 2012

CalNaturale Svelte Protein Shake Review and Giveaway!

You all know that I've been hooked on Athlete's Honey Milk...excuse me, Core Power (and yes, I'm still rolling my eyes at the name change) for quite a while now, and was dismayed when they decided to discontinue their Coffee Light flavor, so I jumped at the chance to try out CalNaturale Svelte's protein drinks, especially when I saw that one of their flavors was cappuccino...could this be the replacement I've been looking for?
 
Well, yes and no.  It's not the same, but it is good.  Just a little sweeter than I'd like, but then, I don't *do* a lot of super-sweet drinks.  I think maybe it's the stevia that makes it a little too sweet for me; I was tempted to "cut" the drink with some skim milk, if that makes sense.  Also, the main ingredient is organic soy milk, so if you have to watch soy intake due to certain health issues, then this wouldn't be the protein drink for you...I don't have an issue with soy, so it was fine for me.

What I liked about the Svelte protein drinks:
  • they are rich and creamy;
  • for a protein drink, they do not have that "protein-y" taste that a lot of other brands do;
  • the large size and reclosable cap, which makes it easy to drink half and store the remainder in the fridge;
  • the packaging - it's bright and cheery, and who wouldn't like a nice affirmation like they've printed on the front of the bottle?
What I'm not so fond of:
  • the large size - if I wanted to bring this with me to drink after a workout and didn't have access to a fridge, I'd have to toss what I didn't finish;
  • the reason I might not drink the entire 15.9 oz container is because of the calorie count - 260.  That's quite a bit, and way more than the 150 calories I used to get from the other protein drink - of course, that container was only 11.5 oz.
  • not as much protein bang for the calories as I'd like - these come in at 16g per container, while the other was 20g per bottle.
  • a little too sweet for my taste.
I was surprised that out of all the flavors - chocolate, french vanilla, cappuccino and spiced chai, the one I liked the best was the spiced chai...and I don't drink chai tea or lattes, either.  But it was really good, and my assistant taster (Jeff) also liked that one the best - who knew?

Would I buy these if I found them in my local store?  Yes, but only to split with Jeff, say, after a long run.  I'm too stingy with my calories, otherwise.  Thanks to the kind folks at CalNaturale Svelte, one lucky reader will get the opportunity to try a sample pack of their protein drinks - all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me which flavor you'd like to try - although the winner will receive all four flavors.  This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents (although the product is not yet available in Canada, you can order it from their website).  I'll let random.org draw a winner and announce it in Friday's Mishmash - good luck!

FCC alert!  I was given a sample pack of four flavors of Svelte protein drink to sample; review is all my own opinion.  CalNaturale Svelte will provide giveaway winner with a sample pack.

29 comments:

  1. I would like to try the Spiced Chai!

    Thank you for doing the review. I never heard of this protein drink. I will check my WHOLE FOODS to see if they have it.

    Have a wonderful day,Shelly

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  2. Sits in a corner being a grumpy old woman .... thinks ... should move to the US










    :)

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    1. Don't enter me, I can't have soy but YES FRAN move to the USA!!!!

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    2. Yep but where should I live? I mean you, Shelley and Lori are too far apart to "tackle" all three of you :)
      Maybe I should buy a camper and move from state to state :)

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    3. That works, Fran - this way you can also be where the weather is optimal at all times! :)

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  3. I never pass up a chance to try cappuccino flavour. Sigh, another thing I will have to go to Buffalo to try. Thanks for the review.

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  4. I always love a chance to win free stuff... I want to try the Chai flavor!

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  5. Anything chocolate always sounds good.

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  6. Hmm, I'd be curious about the cappuccino flavor. Thanks, btw, for all the nice comments over at my silly 'ole blog! I so enjoy yours, so please NEVER stop writing, lol.

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  7. Don't enter me...but I'm curious but hesitant about the erythritol...did you have any reactions to it?

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    1. Karen, I didn't have any reactions (I also just had about 6 oz of each flavor per day), but it was really, really sweet...

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  8. I'd love to try the chocolate or the spiced chai! Love reading your blog!

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  9. I would like to try the chocolate or French Vanilla! I am a fan of sweet drinks so I think I would like them:)

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  10. Normally Id say choc or vanilla, hands down, but you have me intrigued by the Chai :)

    Happy belated birthday BTW!

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  11. I've never tried a protein drink. These sound cool!

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  12. Chocolate or french vanilla!But wow that is a lot of calories!

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  13. I've not heard of these, would love to try them. The Spiced chai sounds very intriguing, as I do like chai tea.

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  14. I'm sticking to the chocolate coconut water. Whole Foods was out of it for a while, so when I went the other day I bought a case!

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  15. I feel the same about protein drinks tasting too protein-y. Having trouble getting enough protein though since I'm avoiding meat/chix. I would try the chai-I'll look for this since you like it :)

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  16. The spiced chai flavor sounds amazing :)

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  17. CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE SVELTE PLEASE :)

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  18. Chocolate!! Yes please!!! Ive never heard of these!@ Thanks for sharing!!

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  19. I'm curious about the chocolate. I'm just really starting to run - suffered through a 2.75 mile run yesterday in the humidity of Savannah. My goal is a half marathon in November, but I feel like such a newbie! I don't even have a favorite post-run food or beverage yet, but I'll have plent of runs this summer to figure that out!

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  20. Cappucino for me. Thanks for linking back to this post so I didn't miss it!

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  21. These come in an 11 oz version! only 180 calories and 6 grams of sugar :)

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  22. I just finished a cappuccino, it's amazing and only 5 points for weight watchers

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