Herbalife Review | Are The Shakes As Bad As People Say?

Herbalife is a well-known meal replacement brand. People have different views about its products and multi-level marketing model. In this review, I explain my purchasing experience and assess the shakes.

How does Herbalife work? Can I use Herbalife to lose weight? Should you buy it? What’s really on it? You will find as many positive as negative reviews on Herbalife. But who’s right?

I will try to answer all those questions and more in this Herbalife review. I will have a look at the nutritional values (is Herbalife healthy?), at the prices of the shakes, compare them to other meal replacements and give a verdict as an expert.

Spoiler: I found Herbalife difficult to buy and expensive for what it offered. I also struggled to get the customer support I needed. Rootana is our current preferred meal shake alternative.

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Our top meal shake recommendation

Rootana Real Food Shake

Rootana is our top everyday meal shake, with premium plant-based nutrition from oats, pea protein and golden flaxseed. Its carefully balanced nutritional profile combines protein, complex carbohydrates, fibre, essential fats, vitamins and minerals in a satisfying, convenient meal.

The clean ingredient list uses organic coconut sugar for subtle sweetness, with no stevia, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K or monk fruit. Our review found a mild, pleasantly oaty flavour and smooth texture, without the intense sweetness or lingering sweetener aftertaste of many meal shakes. It becomes creamier with milk or a milk alternative.

Visit Rootana ↗Read our Rootana review

Complete ingredients & label facts

Complete ingredients by flavour

Original: oat flour, pea protein isolate, organic coconut sugar, gold flaxseed powder, sunflower lecithin, sunflower oil powder, vitamin and mineral blend (potassium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, magnesium phosphate, ascorbic acid, d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, phylloquinone, retinyl palmitate, zinc oxide, manganese citrate, cholecalciferol, D-calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, biotin, folic acid, copper sulfate, pyridoxine HCl, thiamin HCl, riboflavin, chromium picolinate, cyanocobalamin, potassium iodide, sodium molybdate), guar gum, xanthan gum.

Dark Chocolate: oat flour, pea protein isolate, organic coconut sugar, gold flaxseed powder, sunflower lecithin, sunflower oil powder, cocoa, natural flavors, vitamin and mineral blend (potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, magnesium phosphate, sodium chloride, ascorbic acid, d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, phylloquinone, retinyl palmitate, zinc oxide, manganese citrate, cholecalciferol, D-calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, biotin, folic acid, pyridoxine HCl, riboflavin, thiamin HCl, chromium picolinate, cyanocobalamin, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, sodium molybdate), guar gum, xanthan gum.

Both current US labels show 14 servings per pouch. Contains oats.

Rootana: current US labels, per serving

Nutrient	Original · 102 g	Dark Chocolate · 105 g
Energy	400 kcal	400 kcal
Total fat	14 g	14 g
Saturated fat	2 g	2 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	440 mg	400 mg
Total carbohydrate	44 g	46 g
Dietary fiber	8 g	9 g
Total sugars	12 g	12 g
Added sugars	11 g	11 g
Protein	20 g	20 g

All vitamins and minerals, per serving

Rootana: complete vitamin and mineral amounts

Nutrient	Original · 102 g	Dark Chocolate · 105 g
Vitamin D	3.8 mcg	4 mcg
Calcium	270 mg	280 mg
Iron	8.1 mg	10.5 mg
Potassium	860 mg	1070 mg
Vitamin A	180 mcg	180 mcg
Vitamin C	18 mg	18 mg
Vitamin E	3 mg	3 mg
Vitamin K	24 mcg	24 mcg
Thiamin	0.24 mg	0.24 mg
Riboflavin	0.26 mg	0.26 mg
Niacin	3.2 mg	3.2 mg
Vitamin B6	0.3 mg	0.3 mg
Folate	80 mcg DFE	80 mcg DFE
Vitamin B12	0.5 mcg	0.5 mcg
Biotin	6 mcg	6 mcg
Pantothenic acid	1 mg	1 mg
Phosphorus	340 mg	370 mg
Iodine	30 mcg	30 mcg
Magnesium	75 mg	90 mg
Zinc	2 mg	2 mg
Selenium	11 mcg	11 mcg
Copper	0.2 mg	0.2 mg
Manganese	0.5 mg	0.5 mg
Chromium	7 mcg	7 mcg
Molybdenum	9 mcg	9 mcg
Chloride	730 mg	630 mg

US labels: Original 102 g; Dark Chocolate 105 g. Official ingredients and nutrition.

Herbalife Review at a Glance

Flavours: Banana, Berries, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate, Cafe Late, and Banana Caramel.

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Opinion

For this Herbalife review, I didn’t really have high expectations. That said I tried to keep my mind open and give the infamous Herbalife shakes a try.

What came after it was frustrating. From the get-go, I found the buying process difficult. I went to the site and I was unable to buy any. Therefore, I used Amazon where there were so many options at different prices that it was hard to work out which one was a good deal. Many of the distributors had only 1 flavor available, and I could not find out how many servings there were per tub.

And then there was the price. 750g for $43?! This is very expensive. I could not believe my eyes. I thought that at least it was going to be cheap.

Thankfully, once the product arrived (not beautifully packed, or with helpful guides on how to start like the top competitors), I had the chance to taste it. This was the only good thing about this whole ordeal.

The taste was a positive for me, but the purchasing experience and nutritional profile did not meet my expectations.

What I like

1. Good taste and texture. Shakes are easy to like, sweet, smooth, and tasty.

2. Available widely on Amazon.

3. Whey-based and plant-based formulas.

4. 6+ flavors to choose from.

What I dislike

1. Expensive for what it is. For what it offers, Herbalife is very expensive.

2. Difficult to buy in my experience. It’s hard to find what products you can buy, what flavors are available or even to know which allergens the product has.

3. High in sugars, and it has added fructose. Even if the saturated fat is well within the recommended limits, and contains MCTs that can act as fast fuel, I think that it could be slightly lower.

4. Low in essential fats.

5. Can’t buy directly from Herbalife website. You need to use an “independent Herbalife distributor”.

6. Information is hard to find (allergens, price, product availability_.

7. No bulk or subscription discounts.

8. MLM structure. The company is notorious for taking advantage of its distributors and not caring about the final customer.

Nutritional Breakdown

Nutritionally, Herbalife tries to offer low calorie meal replacements that are best suited for those looking to lose weight. Even then, Herbalife’s are far from being the best shakes for weight loss you can buy.

Within their range of products, Formula 1 is the meal replacement shake (Formula 2 and 3 are dietary supplements that I will talk about later). Despite its fancy name, Herbalife Formula 1 is a meal shake whose nutritional profile does not meet my preferences.

Formula 1 Herbalife is filled with low-quality ingredients, lacks many essential nutrients, it’s filled with sugars and requires you to add milk to be complete. For instance, fructose (sugar) is the 2nd ingredient on the list. Furthermore, there is nothing but highly processed ingredients with very low nutritional value.

All in all, Herbalife meal replacements do not provide much nutritional value and they are not a balanced meal. Besides, it’s worth noting that Herbalife is not a vegan brand, but they do have some plant-based shakes.

Herbalife Nutrition Overview

Kcal/meal	170**
Macros (C/P/F)	55/40/5
Vegan	No*
Keto	No
Features	High Protein
Non-GMO	Yes
Organic	No
Includes Probiotics	No
Artificial Sweeteners	Yes
Synthetic Additives	Yes
Contains All Micronutrients	Yes
Controversial Ingredients	Fructose

Carbohydrates

Based on 170kcal serving prepared with 8fl oz of non-fat milk:

• Total Carbs: 25g, 9% of DV.
• Net Carbs: 22g, (Total Carbs – Dietary Fiber – Non-digestible Carbs).
• Sugars: 22g.
• Of Which Added: 8g, 17% of DV.
• Fiber: 3g, 11% of DV.

Looking at Herbalife Formula one’s carbs there are multiple red flags:

• High in added sugars. The powder formula (without the added milk) is already really high in added sugars. This is because Herbalife adds fructose, which is usually a low-quality source (unless it’s naturally occurring).
• Low in fiber. Fiber is essential for gut health and having a regular flow. In Western diets, this is a nutrient that is often lacking.
• Low in complex carbs. Complex carbs are slower to digest and can have other nutrients (vitamins and minerals) that provide extra benefits.

All in all, you will be getting the lowest tier carbs possible, and it’s clear that this is an area where the brand has looked for the cheapest alternative possible.

Protein

Based on 170kcal serving prepared with 8fl oz of non-fat milk:

• Total Protein: 17g, 35% of DV.
• Source: soy protein isolate and milk.

Herbalife’s meal drinks are high in protein. Part of it comes from soy protein isolate, which is a complete protein source. This is, it contains all essential amino acids, and it’s also easy to absorb for your body. Great.

Besides, because the recommended servings suggest adding milk, you will also get naturally occurring protein in milk. These are also excellent when it comes to quality.

Thus, unless you have an intolerance to soy or milk, you’ll find that the protein in Herbalife shakes is good.

Fats

Based on 170kcal serving prepared with 8fl oz of non-fat milk:

• Total Fats: 1g, 1% of DV.
• Saturated Fats: 0g, 0% of DV.
• Omega-3s, 0g.
• Omega-6s: 0g.

When looking at how little fat there is in Herbalife’s meal shakes, some of you might think this is good. Quite the opposite, actually.

Fats are essential nutrients. Our body needs them for energy, to protect our organs, help us absorb vitamins etc. Your body needs to consume fats like omega-3 fatty acids (which are essential for proper brain functioning), unsaturated fatty acids etc.

Since Herbalife has 0g of omega-3 and negligent amounts of fats, it means that it’s not a complete source of nutrients. Thus, not as healthy of a meal as they want you to believe.

Micronutrients & Other Nutrients

Regarding micronutrients, Herbalife shakes contain at least 30% of 21 vitamins and minerals. Most top meal replacement brands contain 26, and include nutrients like choline which keeps your brain young.

Besides, many of them also add probiotics, prebiotics and/or greens to help you with your digestion. Herbalife adds none of it.

Allergens

Herbalife shakes might contain milk and soy.

Taste Test

Looking at the ingredients, I had little doubt that Herbalife had at least tasted good. There would be literally no reason to otherwise buy this product.

Plus, most Herbalife reviews hate on the product due to its distribution model, but are quite positive about the taste.

I wanted to buy a taster pack or multiple flavors, but I found 0 options near me, and the Herbalife site wasn’t of any help (more of this later). I was even more shocked when I saw the price of the product! 50$ for 550g!!!!

I almost stopped then and there, but I got my hands in some Chocolate Herbalife Formula 1, nonetheless. Therefore, apologies for not reviewing all flavors Herbalife offers, but there simply wasn’t an easy way.

Best flavour	Chocolate
Taste	It’s really sweet, very reminiscent of a thin chocolate milkshake. I added milk and this added even more milkiness and sweetness. However, it was actually tasty.
Texture	Mixes surprisingly well, there’s no sandiness and the shakes were quite smooth.
Satiety	I was hungry an hour after having the meal every time
Easy to Clean	Yes.
Afterthoughts	Herbalife shakes are fairly easy to drink and pleasant. I suspect this is the same for all flavors, quite sweet, but they blend well.

Herbalife Shakes Taste Review

As mentioned beforehand, I was only able to test Herbalife Formula 1 Chocolate shake. However, it did give me a good idea of how most Herbalife flavors might taste.

So, is Herbalife tasty? Ultimately, I think that Herbalife shakes are pretty tasty yes. Quite sweet, a little artificial, but it does have that familiar flavor that it’s easy to like. It reminded me of a Nesquick or another milk-chocolate powder.

Furthermore, it had a thin but smooth consistency, which made it really easy to drink. I can see how Herbalife might appeal to those that struggle with eating.

That said, if you are not fond of sugary shakes or artificial flavors, you will hate Herbalife. For that, I recommend you check out shakes without artificial sweeteners.

Ultimately, Herbalife’s are not the tastiest shakes I’ve tried (that might be Ka’chava), but they are pretty good.

However, you can check out some great Herbalife recipe ideas to spice your meal shakes a little.

Customer Herbalife Reviews

Reviews of Herbalife from actual customers are hard to come by on their site.

However, there are tons of Amazon Herbalife reviews that we can look at; customer reviews are not independent evidence of product effectiveness.

The Amazon listing reviewed here showed 4.6 stars out of 5 from almost 7,000 reviews. Ratings differ between third-party sellers and can change over time. Automated review-analysis tools do not establish whether an individual review is genuine.

Most positive reviews highlight the flavor, while the more negative Herbalife reviews say that it’s not as filling as promised.

I was originally sold on the idea from a friend at work, but after having tried it I was somewhat disappointed in this as a meal replacement, which is what it claims to be. Here’s a few pros and cons that hopefully will help you figure out whether this is right for you.

Pros:
-Many vitamins and nutrients to help balance your other meals during the day.
-A good amount of protein

Cons:
-Flavor is not that great
-Does not keep me ‘satisfied’, I feel hungry even 15 minutes after consuming the normal serving size
-The price

Overall I don’t believe you the value out of this product for how much you pay for it. I have found other protein powders that I purchased for far less and much tastier than this.

Tristan, 3-star review

Trustpilot Herbalife reviews are more negative, with 3-stars out of 5.

Herbalife Reviews by Doctors

Most Doctors that review Herbalife don’t have any good things to say about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSZnTQjIVao

More about Herbalife

Now, we will dive into my favorite part of this Herbalife review. While I usually don’t enjoy talking about the company that much, and I rather focus on the product, Herbalife is different. The question is… where do I start?

Herbalife was funded in 1980 by Mark R. Hughes. It has since become one of the most well-known meal replacement brands in the world, partially due to controversy and partially due to their efforts in advertising.

Currently, Herbalife focuses on nutritional products directed to weight loss including meal replacements, protein bars, protein powders etc. They have a revenue of 5.4billion, which showcases that despite the controversy, they are still wildly successful.

Herbalife – The Dark Past

So why am I being so negative throughout this Herbalife review? Do I hate Herbalife? No, well, yes perhaps a little bit.

There are a few issues with Herbalife (that I experienced while trying to buy the product) and how the company fundamentally operates.

Is Herbalife an MLM (multi-level marketing)?

It is perhaps a little outside the scope of the Herbalife reviews, but I want to showcase where you are buying your product from.

Herbalife uses a multi-level marketing model. My assessment here concerns the product and my purchasing experience.

This means that the company makes most of its money by recruiting people to sell their products, rather than by selling the products themselves.

This recruitment-focused business model has been found to be incredibly harmful, both to the people who are recruited and to the general public.

My concerns here relate to the product information, price and purchasing experience described in this review.

The Ugly

For instance, in 2016 Herbalife paid a $200M fee to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as part of a settlement after accusations of being one. They even agreed to change their structure within the US.

Watch the original review video

The fact is that Herbalife uses independent contributors to sell their products, instead of using their website or other well-known retailers (Costco, Amazon, Wallmart…). Why use unprepared professionals instead of your own customer team? Why not have your in-house team deal with sales?

Furthermore, the Herbalife salespeople, “coaches” or distributors are more incentivized to get more people into selling Herbalife than selling Herbalife products. So, does this company really care about what they sell you? Does Herbalife care about the quality of its nutritional products?

Or do they just care about money and profit? You draw your own conclusions.

Further reading on the multi-level marketing model:

• Is Herbalife an MLM? by Eater.
• “The truth behind the new nutrition clubs” by Mashed.

A documentary discussing multi-level marketing:

Watch the original review video

Pricing & Shipping

Anyhow, I’ve already strayed from this Herbalife review enough. I just wanted to share my concerns about the company, and reflect on how could affect your customer experience.

In fact, as previously mentioned, I found that buying Herbalife shakes is difficult. Here’s why:

• There’s no official site to buy it from. This caused a lot of mistrust to me. I want to know that I’m buying the official product.
• Different pricing. Because the independent distributors set the price, there are tons of Amazon “shops” with different Herbalife products and pricing.
• Products are hard to find – stock is all over the place. Not all suppliers will have all their product catalogue. Thus, you will struggle to find all the flavors.
• I found the product listings incomplete and struggled to find out how many servings each tub is, or what other flavors are available, or which allergens the product contains etc.

Pricing

As such, for pricing, I will take Amazon listings as a reference.

• Herbalife Formula 1 (1.8oz or 750g) – 30 Servings –> $43.99 or $1.47/serving.

There are no subscription or bulk discounts for most distributors.

Is Herbalife Expensive?

Is Herbalife expensive, then? Well, looking at the raw numbers is not. However, when you consider that for a “full serving” you need to add milk and the serving size, it’s clear that it’s not the cheapest meal replacement shake on the market.

Let’s compare it to some other popular options:

price ($) per 100kcal	Herbalife F1	Huel	Instant
Expensive	$0.86	$0.61	$1.05
Cheapest	$0.86	$0.48	$1.05

Herbalife Products

So what does Herbalife actually offer? Which nutritional products can you buy from them?

Well, there’s a big array of Herbalife products but here are the nutritional products:

As you can observe above, Herbalife has a wide range of products ranging from protein powders to Herbalife tea, to aloe vera moisturizing creams. Briefly looking at most products, I would say that they are below average. The protein mix and Formula 1 and 2 can be used at times, but Formula 3 feels like a cash grab.

Herbalife Total Control is marketed for metabolism and cognitive support. It would not be my preferred option based on the formula reviewed. ThinkEase is our current preferred nootropic alternative.

The Herbalife weight-management programme would not be my first choice. Our meal shake comparisons explain the nutritional features I look for.

All in all, I feel like most other Herbalife products are there to make bulk and sell you more unnecessary stuff. I would stick to the Formula 1 and 2, and the Protein mix, at max.

Shipping

Herbalife is available worldwide. Shipping terms, however, will vary according to the distributor that you use. On Amazon, it’s very likely that you will be able to use your Prime account for free shipping.

Herbalife vs.

For this comparison, I will compare Herbalife Formula 1 to some of the best meal replacements. In fact, over the past few years, there has been a renaissance of meal replacements that aim to provide you with quality alternatives to fast food. Hence, they are not only for those looking to lose weight but for everybody that wants a healthy meal.

As such, they are very careful in choosing the right ingredients, making sure they provide you with all the essential nutrients and providing you a good customer experience.

Head to Head

Category	Herbalife	Huel Black	Lyfefuel
serving price	$1.46	$2.12	$2.50
servings per	30*	17	24
kcal/serving	170	400	140
Packaging	Tub	Bag	Bag
Flavors	6	9	2
Protein (g)	17	40	18
Sugar (g)	22	4	3
Fiber (g)	3	7	1
Fats (g)	1	17	2
Carbs (g)	25	24	24
Vegan	Y	Y	Y
Organic	N	N	N
Micronutrients	24	27	27
Artificial Sweeteners	Y	N	N
Synthetic Additives	Y	Y	N
GMO	Y	N	N
Protein Source	Soy/Whey	Pea/Rice	Pea/Rice
Availability	Worldwide	Worldwide	US

Herbalife vs Huel

Huel is the most popular meal replacement brand with over 5 different products (bars, powders, hot meals, ready-to-drinks). They are simply the best company that offers a little bit of everything. On top of that, their vegan meal powders are great value for the price.

Nutritionally, Huel’s shakes are notorious for being very high in protein, low in sugars, and high in fibers. They take special care when it comes to nutrition, and they are some of the best daily drivers you can have.

In comparison to Herbalife, they offer 9 flavors per meal shake, but have a grittier more oaty flavor. It has a more acquired taste that’s not of everyone’s liking at first.

Another advantage when comparing Herbalife vs Huel is the price. Huel is much cheaper across the board. Huel’s customer service is also among the best.

All in all, there’s no reason (besides the taste), why you should choose Herbalife over Huel.

Lyfefuel vs Herbalife

On the top part of the spectrum, we have Lyfefuel. A more premium brand that does natural meal replacement shakes without artificial sweeteners, no soy, no gluten, and all from real food ingredients.

This is, the complete opposite approach to Herbalife when it comes to nutrition. Lyfefuel also offers low-calorie shakes, that are packed with micronutrients, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents etc. In fact, they focus on providing you with nutrients you might lack in your diet.

As for the taste, Lyfefuel is easy to like, but it does not have the range of flavors Herbalife does. It’s also more expensive due to the quality of the ingredients, so it might be out of budget for some.

They both offer a protein powder, and in this case, I think that Lyfefuel’s protein drink is vastly superior. Not only from the taste angle but as a health supplement too. It’s got better protein sources and a more complete amino acid profile.

Rootana is our current top meal shake recommendation.

Herbalife vs Shakeology

Shakeology might be one of the other most famous meal replacement brands, together with Atkins. Unlike Herbalife, Shakeology tries to appeal to a more premium crowd.

While nutritionally Shakeology shakes do offer something more (better ingredients, more nutritious shakes), they do have some shortcomings as well. In fact, it might not even be worth the difference in price, as Shakeology is much more expensive than Herbalife.

Besides, Herbalife’s shakes taste better and have a much smoother texture. I was very disappointed with Shakeology in this regard.

It must also be said that they both have an MLM structure and that neither brand offers good customer service. Shakeology hides their best prices behind “coaches” from which you need to buy the product, for instance.

I would say buy neither, but if you are desperate, Herbalife might be marginally better.

Herbalife FAQ

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Verdict – Herbalife Review: My Experience and Reservations

Coming to the conclusion of this Herbalife review, I was disappointed by my purchasing experience and by aspects of the nutritional profile.

Nonetheless, it’s not all bad with Herbalife shakes. One of the few positives about Herbalife Formula 1 was its taste. It was easy to drink, reminiscent of a chocolate milkshake, and I can see how most people would find it tasty.

However, that’s where my praises towards Herbalife end. The rest is below average or just outright bad. Here are a few issues I had with having Herbalife drinks:

• Difficult customer experience in our review
• You cannot buy directly from Herbalife
• It’s hard to find information on the product
• Hard to see what the prices are (varies from supplier to supplier)
• Nutritionally deficient shakes (high in sugars, low in essential fats)

In short, my buying experience was frustrating, and then I was very disappointed to see that the shakes needed milk to be nutritionally complete.

Herbalife meal replacement shakes are not good, and I would not recommend them to anyone. Rootana is our current top meal shake alternative.

Herbalife would not be my preferred meal shake based on this review.