They key to a healthy body is nothing but a healthy diet. You cannot maintain a healthy weight if your nutritive requirements are not met. This principle holds good equally – be it weight gain or weight loss. You cannot lose weight simply by starving yourself. You need to supply your body with the right nutrients in right amounts so that it is able to shed those extra kilos without weakening the body. To serve this purpose, Herbalife has presented Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix which over the years has turned into Herbalife’s star product. This completely vegetarian product has been formulated to assist the aspirers with their health and fitness goals especially weight loss and management. It has earned quite a reputation, all thanks to Herbalife’s ferocious MLM module. Today, we will get into the details of this product.
Note: This product review is for Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix and NOT for Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix Alternative Proteins or for Formula 1 Instant Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix. These are 3 different products. Do not confuse one for another. Here is a quick brief:
Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix Alternative Proteins: As the name suggests, this product uses an alternative for protein source i.e. other than Soy. Protein has been extracted from pea, sesame and rice. Thus, this is a soy free and gluten free product. Nutrition wise both products are alike. Hence, if you are looking for a vegetarian meal replacement that is soy free as well, then this might be the one
Formula 1 Instant Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix: As the name suggests, this is an instant preparation i.e. it can be had on the go. The mix needs to be added to plain water and that is it – your nutritious meal replacement is ready and hence, it can be had anytime, anywhere. It contains soy as the protein source but is dairy-free. However, the label does mention that it is manufactured in a milk processing unit. Hence, traces of lactose might be present.
Product Description
It might interest you to know that Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix is one of the first health supplements to be launched by Herbalife. It is quite commendable that even till date, this product is embraced as Herbalife’s best selling product. This Healthy Meal Nutrition Shake Mix acts as a meal replacer that provides your body with all the vital nutrients with a minimum amount of calorie. Apart from providing nutrition, it also keeps you fuller for long so that you can curb your hunger and food cravings. Formula 1 provides Protein in the form of Soy Protein Isolate, Carbohydrates, Fibers, 21 Vitamins and Minerals with as low as 90 calories per serving and is certified as gluten free. The idea is to gain nutrition from this low calorie liquid meal and cut down on your high calorie solid meals. This way, Formula 1 assists in your weight management goal without depriving your body of any kind of nutrition. The best part is that the product comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. Hence, if you feel that Formula 1 magic is not working for you then you can demand your money back from Herbalife.
Ingredients
Since it is a meal replacement product, the list of ingredients is pretty exhaustive. We would like to highlight the major ingredients here that are crucial from weight loss and management point of view. The pluses and minuses of this product lie in these ingredients.
The major source of protein for Formula 1 is Soy in the form of Soy Protein Isolate. Apart from this, it also contains Casein – a form of milk protein. However, since the label mentions only about the amount of protein obtained from Soy, we can assume that casein is present in negligible amounts. Soy is a great vegetarian protein source but the only worrisome part is that Herbalife does not state the source of Soy. Almost 90% of the soy available is GMO – i.e. its natural genetic structure has been altered with Genetically Modified Organisms. If it is a non-GMO soy, then its great but if it is indeed GMO soy then you will need to reconsider your choice for meal replacer.
Fiber is crucial for the success of any meal replacement product. Cellulose Powder, Rise Fiber, Psyllium Husk Powder and Corn Bran seem to be the major sources of Fibers in this product.
Fructose is the major sugar component in this product. The product utilizes artificial fructose as well as derived from beet and cane sugar. Fructose just like glucose is digested by the body to release energy. However, if not digested properly, fructose is stored in the body as fat which contradicts your weight loss goals. May be that is why Herbalife recommends to add fruits to the serving. Fruits have natural enzymes that helps in metabolizing Fructose. With the Fructose being utilized efficiently, it is a rich source of energy.
Apart from these, there are various fruit and herb powders like Papaya Fruit powder, Blueberry Powder, Honey Powder, Ginger Root Powder etc. that together provide the 21 vitamins and minerals.
Another major component is Inulin that acts as a Prebiotic. It thus, helps in maintaining the beneficial flora that exists in our gut which in turn improves digestion and metabolism. It also contains Aminogen – an enzyme complex that helps in digestion of proteins.
Nutrition
The task of a meal replacer is to provide you with enough nutrition so that you can cut down on your solid meals. Hence, it is important for the meal replacer to keep you fuller for long i.e. it should be a hunger suppresser. Let us see, if Formula 1 is able to achieve this:
Protein is the most crucial nutrient here. It has been clinically proved that fat loss is more rapid when the diet is protein rich. The protein intake is directly proportional to fat loss as protein keeps you full for long and signals the brain to curb hunger. Another nutrient that does a great job at keeping you full is Fiber. Hence, any meal replacement is rich in these two nutrients.
Each serving of Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix i.e. 25 grams provides 9 grams of protein. On adding to milk, this could go up to 15-17 grams (depends upon the quality of milk). This concentration is indeed good but since this is a meal replacement drink, this concentration is not great. This much of protein won’t be enough to keep you full or to suppress your hunger for long. Fiber concentration of 3 grams is workable (most of the meal replacers go with this amount of fiber) provided you increase the protein intake by adding Formula 1 to some other protein rich source. Even Herbalife recommends using Formula 1 Shake Mix with Herbalife Formula 3 Personalized Protein Powder to increase the overall protein intake which is crucial for weight loss and management.
Second point is the sugar content. Herbalife has used Fructose as the sweetening agent that could be a concern for reasons we have stated above. With Formula 1, you take in 9 grams of sugar with each serving. If you can monitor your overall sugar intake, then this part should not bother you much.
It does a pretty good job of combining the nutrients and surely presents a complete meal however, when it comes to satiety which is very important for a meal replacer, this product is surely going to fall short. If only Herbalife could increase the amount of protein in this product, it could help to increase the credibility of Formula 1.
Use
Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix aims at giving your body a balanced liquid meal that is rich in nutrition and low in calories. It acts a meal replacer and assists the user with weight management. Even if weight loss is not your goal, you can still take this product simply for health maintenance. For the sake of health maintenance, it can be taken by anyone over 4 years of age. However, for weight management, it is not recommended for kids.
This is a meal replacer to aid in weight management and health maintenance. It has no quick acting protein source like Whey and has considerable amount of sugar and hence is not recommended for use by bodybuilders.
Package
Herbalife Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix is available in 500-gram pack that provides 20. In India, it is available in French Vanilla, Mango, Dutch Chocolate and Orange Cream Flavors.
Availability
Herbalife Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix is available with almost all the leading online stores. There are no Herbalife stores as the company sells its products through MLM (Multi Level Marketing). Hence, you will need to look for a nearby located Herbalife associate. You can do so through Herbalife website.
How to take Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix:
Depending upon the need, the serving would change.
- If you are taking Formula 1 for weight loss then replace two meals with this shake and have one solid nutritious meal.
- If weight or health maintenance is your goal, then simply replace any one meal with this shake and have two solid nutritious meals.
One serving for Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix should contain 2 scoops i.e. 25 grams of the mix in 1 cup of non-fat milk. Herbalife also recommends adding fruits and ice to this mixture.
For kids:
Mix 1 scoop i.e. 12.5 grams to 1 cup of non fat milk.
We repeat again: This product is not intended for weight management for kids. Do not use for kids less than 4 years of age.
Price:
Pricing is a consistent flaw with Herbalife products. It needs to be noted that one of the major reasons behind Herbalife’s success is not its quality but its strong MLM module. We are comparing Herbalife Formula 1 with another leading brand called St. Botanica Nutritional Meal Replacement which is enough to prove that Herbalife’s reputation and pricing is over hyped.
Both the products contain almost the same ingredients.
| Product | Weight | Price
(On Amazon) |
One Serving | Servings per pack | Protein per serving | Fiber per serving | Sugar per serving | Vitamins & Minerals | Energy per serving
(without milk) |
Cost per serving |
| Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix | 500 grams | Rs. 1100 | 25 grams | 20 | 9 grams | 3 grams | 9 grams | 21 | 90 kcal | Rs 55 |
| St. Botanica Nutritional Meal Replacement | 500 grams | Rs. 899 | 25 grams | 20 | 9.25 grams | 2.75 grams | 9.7 grams | 22 | 89 kcal | Rs 44.5 |
It is pretty clear that St. Botanica Nutritional Meal Replacement provides almost all the same nutritive values as that of Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Mix at almost Rs 10 less per serving. This margin could widen further as St. Botanica Nutritional Meal Replacement – Pack of 2 is available only for Rs. 1399 i.e. Rs 670 per 500 grams. This brings down the cost per serving to Rs 34 only.
With almost the same ingredients and nutritive values, Herbalife surely has an outrageous price tag.
Summary
- Formula 1 is a 100% vegetarian product
- It is gluten free
- It is available in 4 flavors – vanilla, mango, orange and chocolate
- Each serving of 25 grams gives you 9 grams of proteins, 3 grams of fiber, 13 grams of carbs and 21 vitamins and minerals
- It is a meal replacer to help you in weight loss
- Each serving costs you Rs. 55
- It can be taken by everyone, men and women alike, for weight management
- Kids above 4 years can be given Formula 1 for health maintenance only
- It is not recommended for weight management for kids
Product Review
- Ingredients: Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Mix is a 100% vegetarian product. Hence, it is a great nutritional supplement for a nation like India where the population of vegetarians is significantly big.
- Nutrition: The product surely packs in an array of nutrients that are essential for your well-being. One serving (with milk) can yield up to 15-17grams of protein, 3 grams of fibers, 13 grams of carbs, and 21 vitamins and minerals that surely make up one completely balanced meal.
- Adaptability: The product can be taken by anyone over 4 years of age i.e. by kids, men and women alike. Hence, it serves as a complete family nutrition meal.
- Taste: The product is available is 4 flavors – Vanilla, Chocolate, Mango and Orange. It thus, one won’t get bored of having the product.
- Availability: Herbalife products are available on all leading online stores as well as with Herbalife Associates. Getting your hands on the product is pretty easy.
- Pricing: Needles to say, the product is heavily priced. A lot of similar meal replacers with similar nutritive values and lesser price tags are available out there. With 2 servings a day, a 500-gram pack lasts only 10 days. This means that you would be spending Rs 3000 solely on Formula 1. If you are adding another protein rich source to it, then that further adds to the cost. It definitely does not present a sum that is affordable by most.
- Satiety: The amount of protein in the mix is not sufficient to give you satiety for long. Since, this is a meal replacement, it should be able to keep you full for at least 4 to 5 hours so that you do not give into your cravings and unhealthy eating habits. If it cannot curb your hunger, then its purpose as a meal replacer is not completely achieved.
- Sugar: The product surely has a good amount of sugar Fructose which is not ideal for a meal replacer. A lot of meal replacers use sucralose as sweetener that is digested slowly in the body. However, Herbalife Formula 1 uses generous amount (9 grams per serving) for Fructose. With two servings a day, you take 18 grams of sugar. Hence, you need to monitor your sugar intake closely in the solid meal and in any snack you have in the day.
- Soy: The main source of protein is Soy Protein Isolate. It is a great vegetarian source and is being used widely but estrogens in soy can affect the human health in the long run. However, soy drawbacks are still just theoretical or to be more precise, a possibility. Many cancers have an underlying cause as elevated estrogens levels. So adding more estrogens to the diet is not advisable. As a precautionary action, you may try to rely less on soy protein.
- Efficacy: The main aim of the product is to help you in losing weight healthily. However, not everyone using the product have been able to lose weight. However, this cannot be attributed to the product entirely. Your lifestyle and diet also decide how well the product would come.
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