What a start to 2024! We have had a lot of new products by some of the best companies in the world. They are giving us no reason to not stick to those new year’s resolutions you made at the end of December. In fact, in this plant-based HLTH Code review, you have the perfect keto shake to lose some weight this year.

We have previously reviewed HLTH Code, and it earned high marks its ingredients and its taste. It was the a great low carb, keto-friendly shake formulated by the metabolic expert Dr. Bikman for optimum blood sugar control.

Now, HLTH has released a plant-based formulation of their Complete Meal.

Like its original whey-based formula, the new plant-based meal also contains 27g of protein, only 4g of net carbs, and 27g of fat. This 1:1 protein to fat ratio is meant to improve nutrient absorption, lean muscle mass growth, and help you with regulate blood sugar.

So is the vegan HLTH Complete Meal as good as the original? Is this the best vegan keto shake in the market? Let’s find out!

Flavours: Chocolate & Vanilla.

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First take, what they’ve accomplished is very impressive. Many companies have varying plant based, and animal-based product lines, and there is always a give and take. Generally, you can count on the nutrition to not be quite the same, the taste may be close but different, and the texture will likely be night and day.

What I like

1. Kept everything that made original great. No drawbacks from either product line.

2. Improved chocolate flavor. Even better than the original chocolate, which was already good.

3. Very minor price bump over original. Only a difference of 33 cents per serving.

4. Super filling.

What I dislike

1. Same boring flavors. These are good, but time to explore new flavors.

2. May need a blender for best texture. Minor gripe, still mostly ok.

3. Not the most stomach friendly if you aren’t used to high fiber. Won’t say I was gassy…but there might have been gas.

4. No more international shipping due to costs

All the original hallmarks are here from the original formula including the macro breakdown, to the micronutrients included.

Plant Based HLTH Nutrition Overview

Kcal/meal	400
Macros (C/F/P)	12/27/61
Vegan	No
Keto	Yes
Features	Vegan, DF, GF, SF
Non-GMO	Yes
Organic	No
Includes Probiotics	Yes
Artificial Sweeteners	No
Synthetic Additives	Yes
Contains All Micronutrients	Yes
Controversial Ingredients	None

Carbohydrates

Based on 400kcal serving:

• Total Carbs: 19g, 7% of DV.
• Sugars: 1g.
• Of which added: 0g.
• Fiber: 17g, 59% of DV.

One of the two major changes of this product is the amount of fiber per 400cal serving, which has jumped from 9g to up to 17g, which keeps it keto friendly.

Opting for soluble tapioca fiber, this is a unique sweetener and dietary fiber made from non-GMO tapioca starch, which is sweet tasting as well as keto-friendly.

As expected, they have done a wonderful job in keeping the product tasting good, while not needing to use tons of sugar, fake sugars or artificial ingredients.

Protein

Per 400kcal serving:

• Total Protein: 27g, 35% of DV.
• Source: Pea & Rice protein

And of course, the biggest change, is the switch from animal-based protein to plant-based protein. We’re all very happy to see that it’s kept its same protein amounts despite the switching of the source.

Plant based HLTH Code has chosen pea & rice protein, which is nothing new or exciting. But what is new, is that their proteins have been fermented using proprietary shiitake mycelia mushroom process. According to the HLTH Code’s research, this results in improved digestibility, nutritional value, flavor and functionality of plant proteins.

Below is a chart outlining the amino acid score, indicating HLTH Code provides a complete protein.

Fats

Per 400kcal serving:

• Total Fats: 27g, 35% of DV.
• Saturated Fats: 16g, 80% of DV.
• Omega-3s (ALA): ?g.
• Omega-6s: ?g.

Lots of healthy fats is the name of the game when it comes to a keto diet, and HLTH Code as plenty such as:

• Coconut Oil Powder
• MCT Oil
• Olive Oil Powder
• Avocado Oil Powder
• Vegan Cocoa Butter

This blend of beneficial fats can certainly keep you energized during your keto diet.

Micronutrients

On another note, it is great to see that each HLTH shake provides you with 50% of most of your daily recommended vitamins and minerals.

There are few notable differences between the plant based, and the original:

• Calcium has increased from 31% to up to 41%
• Potassium has increased from 9% to up to 16%
• Iron has decreased from 50% to to as low as 31%

Depending on the flavor, these number will vary somewhat.

Extra Ingredients

Perhaps what’s more interesting than the micronutrient content is the addition of few “odd” ingredients.

• Apple Cider Vinegar. There are many proposed health benefits of apple cider vinegar, like: help with weight loss, improvement in insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control, and benefits for dry skins. Vinegar also acts as preservative, killing bacteria found in food.
• Digestive Enzyme Blend. Another interesting feature is that it contains one of the most comprehensive enzyme blends to help you digesting food: alpha and beta amylase (breaks down starch), protease I and II (help with protein breakdown), lipase (lipids breakdown), hemicellulase and cellulase, invertase, and diastase.
• Lactobacillus acidophilus (probiotics).

Allergens

Plant Based HLTH Code contain no mainline allergens, and is suitable for all diets, so it can be enjoyed by all.

These were rated as some of the tastiest shakes by our editor-in-chief, and while I didn’t like them quite as much as he did, I did think they were pretty good, especially their chocolate macadamia. But now that they’ve replaced the ingredients that provide a great mouthfeel, lets see if they were able to catch lightning in a bottle.

Chocolate

Starting with chocolate, and this shake comes out THICC! Mind you I used oat milk, but I definitely had to add some water to get the consistency to where I didn’t need a spoon.

WOW! This was amazing! Even better than the other milk based shake! This is right up there with other amazing chocolate flavors such as LyfeFuel, Kachava & Hol Food. It certainly has an argument for the top spot of the best chocolate in the game.

Vanilla

I should have started with vanilla, as I know it’s not going to be as good as chocolate. Honestly, it tastes much like the milk based version, which is a victory in my opinion. To not have a fall off while changing a core part of the make up is a win. And to be clear, its not bad, tastes somewhere between whipped cream and cake frosting, its just ok.

Summary

Both shakes were very drinkable and provided mostly delightful experience. They were good tasting and mostly smooth. Also, HLTH Code is one of the more filling shakes, one that should keep you right for almost 3 hours.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, as mixing was just so-so, with lots stuck to the lid and the mouth of the blender bottle. Also, while I was certainly full, they high fiber might be a bit much for some who are more used to get 5g or less per serving of other meal replacements. I definitely had some cramping, and lets just say I turned on my air purifier.

Behind HLTH code there’s one family: the Bikman’s. HLTH Code is the child of three brothers – Joel, Sam, and Benjamin- that have created this company to higher quality meal options to fellow Americans.

On one side, there’s Dr Benjamin Bikman. He’s in charge of the nutritional aspect. In fact, he’s an accomplished molecular biologist that studies the roles of insulin and ketones in metabolic functions and disorders (obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia).

I believe that fats and proteins are best in a one to one ratio. Fats help to digest the protein best and ensure we get all the nutritional goodness. That’s why I designed our shake to have equal amounts of fats and protein.

Dr. Benjamin Bikman

On the other side, Joel Bikman acts as the CEO. He is has had a long career in nutrition companies; and this expertise is now allowing to create a HLTH Code.

Lastly, Sam Bikman came out of retirement to help out his brothers with the distribution. Him and the family are in charge of delivering the goods to you.

HLTH Code’s Mission

As mentioned above, the core of HLTH’s vision is to combat misnourishment and unhealthy diets by offering a healthy and delicious alternative.

Pricing

HLTH Code can only be purchased from their website. They offer a subscription discount of $10 off per bag, and free monthly shipping.

Product	Total Price Non-Sub/Sub	Serving Price Non-Sub/Sub
Original (15 servings)	$60/$50	$4/$3.33
Plant Based (15 servings)	$65/$55	$4.33/$3.66

Shipping

Shipping is free with the purchase of 2 or more bags, or with a subscription. Orders containing only a single bag of shake have a $10 shipping fee.

HLTH Code used to ship overseas, but due to significantly increased shipping costs, we no longer ship outside of the US.

How does HLTH compare to some other strong products? Products that all have shunned artificial ingredients, are all plant based, and all have unbeatable nutritional value.

Overview

	HLTH	Kachava	Huel Daily Superblend	Basically Food BURN
price ($)	4.33	4.66	3.76	2.50
kcal/serving	400	240	250	210
Macros (C/P/F)	12/27/61	38/38/21	39/38/23	9/19/72
Flavors	2	5	2	4
Protein (g)	27	25	25	24
Sugar (g)	0	6	4	0
Fiber (g)	17	4	6	9
Fats (g)	27	8	6	10
Carbs (g)	21	21	27	10
Net Carbs	4	17	21	1
Vegan	Y	Y	Y	Y
Organic	N	N	N	N
Micronutrients	26	26	27	26
Artificial Sweeteners	N	N	N	N
Synthetic Additives	Y	N	N	N
GMO?	N	N	N	N
Protein Source	Pea & Rice	Pea, Brown Rice, Quinoa	Pea, Oats, Fava Bean, Hemp Seed	Brown Rice
Other Products	Original HLTH	Bars	Everything	BOOST, BALANCE, BUILD
Availability	US	US	Worldwide

Plant HLTH Code vs

Verdict – HLTH Code Review

This was a long one, I’ll admit that. I had much more to say than I expected.

I think this product is a winner. They’ve taken an already well built and established product and made it even better. The fact that it now plant based will open the door to so many more people interested in a complete product, but were unable or disinterested in consuming animal byproducts.

I think about how easy it would have been to just swap the whey and eggs with some generic plant protein, and have them make the case that its lesser in this or that area, but its plant based now, but thats not what they did, they improved on the taste, fiber amounts and kept the micros intact, and it didn’t come with some obscene price increase.

I will caution everyone to start with one scoop, as that fiber is no joke. I’d like to see more flavors too. Take that vanilla and try and jazz it up with something.

Bottom Line – Plant Based HLTH Code not only made a complimentary product, they made a better product. You can enjoy this version just as much as the original!