7 of the Best Organic & Natural Meal Replacement Shakes in 2020

Before we move on, I want to make clear that not all natural meal replacements are organic certified.

Latestfuel’s Top 3 Natural and Organic Meal Replacement Drinks

Criteria

These were the criteria when assessing over 50 different brands and products.

For Organic shakes:

• Organic. All organic meal replacement powders were taken into consideration by default. Only those which have 100% organic ingredients would be considered as such.
• Balanced nutrition. Good amount of calories as well as balanced macronutrients and micronutrients.

For Natural shakes (shakes that are not 100% organic):

• Non-GMO. If it is not organic, it could not list any GMO ingredients.
• Lack of artificial additives. Sweeteners, artificial flavourings, synthetic vitamins and minerals… Any enhancer that had a synthetic origin was ruled off.
• Real food based ingredients. Closely linked with the above, for non-organic shakes it was highly considered to use whole food as source of nutrition.
• Balanced nutrition. Similarly to organic shakes it had to have a well rounded nutrition.

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It is a close call between Ambronite and Ample, two of the biggest brands when it comes to real food shakes; and for many it will come down to personal preference. However, I believe that Complete Meal Shakes is the better of both, due to the fact that offers a full micronutrient profile.

While not all ingredients in Ambronite CMS will be from organic origin; you will get all your nutrients from real food. What does this mean? It means that the prime ingredients used by Ambronite are minimally processed (and as such you will be able to recognize them). Thus, for most people this will be the healthiest meal replacement shake they can buy.

Therefore, each Ambronite shake will provide you with optimal nutrition and healthy nutrients, as well as, other beneficial compounds (like antioxidants) that will improve your gut flora and boost your health. One of the best dairy free meal replacement shakes you can buy, currently.

Ambronite CMS comes in 3 delicious flavours, Original (Ginger & Apple), Banana and Berries; all which have a smoothie like taste and texture. They have handy individual bags (400kcal) and bigger bags (1600kcal).

The best way to purchase Ambronite is in bulk, to make use of the huge savings they offer, paired with the code LATESTFUELS for and extra 5% off.

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Good For: those who want to get their nutrients from real food ingredients.

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Ample is an excellent US based company that focuses on providing you with the optimal meal replacement shake. For that, they use real food ingredients of high quality, as well as, probiotics and prebiotics to help your gut microbiome.

On top of that, they are all gluten-free shakes, making them perfect for people with many intolerances. As such, they are also some of the healthiest shakes you can buy in the US. In fact, Ample meals make me feel very energized and are some of the most helpful boosting my health and mood.

The strongest point of Ample (beside the quality of their products) is that they offer 3 different formulas: Vegan, Original and Keto. Thus, there is a shake for almost everybody.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the magnificent shake of all Ample meals. My favourite is the Keto Chocolate mix, but that’s due to my chocolate-bias. I found Original Vanilla to be very creamy and enjoyable, too. Perhaps a little too sweet for some; but a joy for most.

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Good For: those looking for a healthy shake that also tastes great.

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Orgain is one of the leading organic brands in the US market. They have plenty of nutritional products (including protein powders), all of which are USDA organic certified.

Their All-in-One ready-to-drink meal replacements are very convenient and nutritious. Besides being gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO; they are rich in protein and contain 21 vitamins and minerals. Plus, they add a custom superfood blend that includes kale, acai, spinach… and many other organic vegetables to boost your nutrient intake.

This formula is available in both whey (organic grass fed cows) or as a vegan shake. In both, you will find 2 flavours: Vanilla and Chocolate. I personally love the chocolate, but both are smooth and delicious.

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Good For: Those who looking for a tasty and convenient organic meal.

Garden of Life is another popular US brand that provides with quality organic (certified) produts. Raw & Organic is one of their best sellers, a low calorie diet ideal for weight loss, or to use is as a snack or booster for your smoothies.

While for my personal taste is too small, it is packed with nutrients. 20g of protein from organic pea and rice protein, as well as, quinoa, buckwheat, chia, pumkin seed etc.

In fact, the amount of plants and vegetables present in Raw & Organic is incredible. Consequently, you will get tons of nutrients and phytonutrients that will help you boost your health. Plus, it contains 1.5 bilion CFU of probiotics per serving.

As far as the flavours go, currently there are 4 available: Chocolate, Lightly Sweet, Vanilla, and Vanilla Chai.

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Good For: Those who are searching for a low calorie and high protein organic shake.

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Bertrand is special. I say so, not only because it offers one of the few certified organic shakes; but also because it has a unique biodegradable bottle. You read well, they use bioplastics that can be composted within 90 days in your backyard!

In fact, Bertrand is all about organic, sustainable and enviro-friendly business. Their meal replacements are some of the “cleanest” you will be able to get.

They offer Bertrand Original, Bertrand Vegan and Bertrand Active; all organic formulas. The first two are fairly low in protein, and quite high in fat content (although not as much as Ample); while Bertrand Active, packs extra protein at a premium (€1.43 per bag).

All 3 are available in four flavours: Nature, Vanilla, Bilberry and Baked Apple & Cinnamon. Both Vegan and Classic are available in pouches or the green bottles I have previously mentioned; whereas, Active is only available in bags.

Without a doubt, Bertrand is one of the best organic meal replacement shakes.

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Good For: Those who care looking for the ultimate organic shake.

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Another very strong contender, Vitaline is a relatively small brand from France with the aim to make the the healthiest meal replacement shakes in the market. They have some of the shakes with the highest Nutriscore values (French system to assess quality of food). On top of that, all their shakes are 80%+ organic, and this number keeps increasing.

In all honestly, you can feel how natural Vitaline is from the taste of their shakes. Very plain flavours, no overly sweet tones and not a hint of any artificial enhancers. They are a pleasure to drink.

They use a diverse pool of ingredients, mostly locally sourced (France), to achieve a rich profile with high antioxidant index. Furthermore, they incorporate probiotics to help with the digestive process.

Vitaline’s Daily range is available in 5 flavours (one of which is vegan); and can be bought in bottles or pouches. The second are more affordable and more environmentally friendly.

The best way to start with Vitaline is by purchasing their Starter Pack and you will be able to try some of the best organic meal replacement shakes in Europe.

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Good For: People that want a wide array of flavours.

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7. Purition Original and Vegan

Purition is a UK based brand that sell high quality natural shakes in both Europe and the USA. The have a wide range of very enjoyable shakes (try out the Pistachio flavour!) with vegan and vegetarian versions.

What sets Purition apart is that they go the extra mile when only sourcing real food ingredients. They add no emulsifiers, no synthetic vitamins or minerals, no gums, no artificial sweeteners. This can be noticed in the shake; where you will notice the chia seeds, the natural flavours and lack of anything weird.

Unfortunately, Purition shakes are not nutritionally complete; since they lack some micronutrients. They are, however, low in sugar and high in fibre and healthy fats. In fact, their blend is quite low in carbs, and high in fats.

The best way to start with these natural drinks is to enjoy a starter pack in my opinion. They are very affordable, and it will allow you to test the different flavours.

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Good For: People tha tare looking for nutty natural shakes.

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A Guide to: Organic and Natural Meal Replacement Shakes

What Are Organic Meal Replacements?

Organic meal replacement drinks are those that are made of solely ingredients of organic origin. This means that every ingredient found on the organic powder is individually organic certified and comes from certified “bio” agriculture.

Consequently, every ingredient found in the organic shakes have no genetically modified seeds, no chemical inputs (fertilizer, pesticide, additives); or in the case of animals have been feed in a regulated manner.

This laborious regulation is what makes the prime ingredients more expensive, and subsequently the organic meal replacements more expensive.

Organic vs Non-GMO

I thought it would also be useful to make a distinction between organic and non-GMO meal replacements. Once again, it comes down to the ingredients they choose to use and how they have been cultivated.

	Organic	Non-GMO
Pesticide & Herbicides allowed	No	Yes
GMO crops	No	No
Antibiotics	No	Yes
Growth Hormones	No	Yes
Sludge & Irradiation	No	Yes
Animal Welfare Specifications	Yes	No
Lower Environment Pollution	Yes	No
Farm to Table Inspection	Yes	No
Certification Required	Yes	No
Restrictions on Allowed Materials	Yes	No
Crop Rotation required	Yes	No

From USDA organic legislation.

What Are Real Food Based or Natural Shakes?

Real food based shakes are meal replacements that use no artificial ingredients.

This is particularly challenging when trying to achieve your Daily Values or Recommended Intakes of vitamins and minerals. Thus, in order to provide all the nutrients your body needs they use different foods (usually different vegetables) and avoid using synthetic micronutrient mixes.

In the case of some brands, they will get ingredients of organic origin, but they will not be certified. This is partially due to the fact that monitoring the whole process is costly and hard to do.

What Are the Benefits of Real Food Based Shakes?

1.Real Food Ingredients Are More Than a Source of One Macronutrient.

This, perhaps, is one of the strongest points in favour of using whole food ingredients vs highly processed or synthetic ones. Food sources are more than just calories or just carbs or just fats. They are complex entities formed by multiple nutritents and other compounds, interconnected to create food.

Let’s take oats vs maltodextrin for example.

	Oats	Maltodextrin
Carbs (%)	55	100
Fiber ( % )	11	0
Fats (%)	7	0
Protein (%)	17	0
GI	55	85
Has Vitamins	Yes	No
Has Minerals	Yes	No
Has Phytonutrients	Yes	No

Percentage of mass for 100g. Oats also contain 4g of beta-glucans and other compounds that make the % that is not displayed.

2.Not All Nutrients and Their Roles Are Known: Meet Phytonutrients.

Following the above example, we know what is in maltodextrin: simple sugars attached to each other to create a complex sugar. We are also aware of most of the compounds that you can find in oats, but not of their role as “nutrients” in promoting healthy living.

“Nutrients” such as carotenoids, polyphenols, isoflavones… are categorized as phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients are compounds found on plants that have direct and indirect roles in nutrient absorption, anti-immflamatory responses, and other essential metabolic functions. However, because the health effects are not clearly defined yet; they are not currently considered nutrients.

The lack of understanding is in both their roles and the compounds themselves; raising the question of how many “nutrients” remain unkwnon.

As such, shakes that use real food, particularly plants (vegetables and fruits), naturally rich in phytonutrients, will almost always offer more than just calories. That is why usually, I enhance my shakes with the best green powders I can find.

3. Benefits to Digestion and Health.

Partially, due to the point made above, real food shakes will come with health benefits for most customers.

A good example for this could be beta-glucans. These compounds are type of soluble fiber found in plants like oats and barley. They have been found to be beneficial in many ways; including, reducing the blood cholesterol levels, improving the glucose metabolism by lowering the blood glucose levels.

Furthermore, many of the phytonutrients act as antioxidants (carotenoids, phenolic compounds etc.). Antioxidants are compounds that reduce free-radicals that occur in our bodies through natural processes. Free radicals are toxic compounds that can damage cells, DNA and protein causing various diseases. Thus, obtaining antioxidants through our diet is essential, and this is often better achieved by real food based shakes.

4. Distinctive Flavour Profile.

Straying away from the potential health benefits; there are also certain pros in more subjective areas such as taste.

Standard shakes are dominated by artificial flavours and processed ingredients that give the meal replacement shakes very defined flavour profiles (note: this is a generalization).

On the contrary, brands that opt for whole food ingredients tend to avoid artificial additives (vitamins, minerals, flavouring systems…); which gives their shakes a very natural, food-like taste.

Moreover, the lack of sweeteners enhances the natural flavours of the ingredients. While at first they might strike as flat; in the long run you will notice that the flavour profile is more diverse and has more depth.

On Top of That Organic

If we add Organic labelling on top, we will have other indirect positive impact in the environment and agricultural management and sustainability of crops; as pointed out on the images above. Thus, they are some of the healthiest meal replacement shakes you can buy.

Negatives of Whole Food Shakes

I have been hyping up whole food shakes as the ultimate nutritional meals. However, there are often some flaws with these.

1.Lacking Micronutrient Profiles.

Perhaps, the most common issue with real food based shakes is that they often fail to deliver a fully fledged micronutrient profile.

This is due to the fact that creating a food based complete micronutrient mix is complicated. In fact, you will need multiple plants which will have a knock-on effect on the price and manufacturing process. Also, there are some vitamins, like the aforementioned vit B12, which are scarce in plants and hard to implement in shakes.

Thus, for most is a lot more easier to create a synthetic vitamin and mineral mix (ultra cheap, ultra easy to add) that will fit with the guidelines.

2. Phytonutrients Can Be Negative.

Previously, I have spoken marvels about phytonutrients and how beneficial they can be to our health. However, there are certain phytonutrients that can have a negative effect.

For instance, in the last decades, isoflavones (common in soy) have had a negative press, particularly on males. While the science behind the claims has been lackluster, there is evidence that phytoestrogens like ligans (common in flaxseed) might contribute to increased colorectal cancer risk among women and prostate cancer among men.

Another example is safrole, a potentially carcinogenic compound naturally found in spices, like, nutmeg and cinnamon. However, the level of risk for causing cancer in humans is as low as breathing indoor.

3. Price.

Whether is a marketing strategy or a real reflection of the cost of manufacturing the product, whole food based shakes are more expensive in average.

For example, Ample and Ambronite, two of the best all natural shakes, are among the most expensive with prices up to $6.5/400kcal. On the other hand, you can find “standard” shakes as cheap as $1.4/400kcal.

4. Taste.

The flavour profiles for whole-food based shakes is often more limited. While a brand like Soylent offers up to 7 different flavours (including caffeinated options), the options are more limited on natural drinks.

Not only the options are more limited, but the flavours might come accross as flat. Particularly to the average user accustomed to sweeteners and strong flavours, which are achieved with the help of artificial flavourings.

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Before You Buy

Prior to making your purchase, I strongly recommend you to look at these characteristics on each shake to decide whether is the ideal one for you.

• Are you looking for a vegan organic shake? This one is straight forward and the one that will help you narrow down the choices significantly.
• Organic or real food based? Hopefully, I have make the distinction clear, but make sure the shake you are buying is what you were looking for. Many brands will trick you into thinking they are organic, when truly are not.
• Macronutrient distribution. Depending your activity levels, personal preferences or health biases you will need higher protein, or lower carbs or more fiber. Look at the macro profile before buying your organic shake.
• Allergens. Many of these shakes use nuts, milk or other allergens that might negatively affect you. Double check before you buy!
• Micronutrients. Perhaps the biggest downside with natural shakes is that some fail to deliver all the vitamins and minerals. Read the description to know if you are getting all you need.
• Calories. Lastly, make sure you are having upwards 400kcal per meal. You will see many products that will provide you with less calories and will be much more expensive. I would avoid these.

FAQ

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Final Thoughts

It is important to consider that buying organic meal replacement shakes goes beyond committing to your body, but it is also a commitment to the environment. A belief for a more sustainable agriculture with less impact on the crops and the land; as well as, improved conditions for the pastures.

Thus, the main benefit of these products may not be to your health, but to planet Earth.

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Sources

1.USDA Organic.

2. European Union Organic Rules.

3. FAO Organic.

3. WHO Nutritional Guidelines.

4. EFSA Nutritional Guidelines.

5. More in: latestfuels.com/resources. A compilation with different governmental guidelines and references.

6. Ultimate Meal Replacement List. List with all the brands.