Garden of Life Organic Raw Plant-Based Vanilla Chai Protein Powder - Vegan, Gluten-Free Meal Replacement (16oz, 14 Servings) | Perfect for Post-Workout Recovery & Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

First off, the short version: This is the worst tasting stuff I've ever actually put in my mouth, and I just ordered another tub.It's amazing what the human body can get used to. Seriously. The taste is bad. Like ground up elephant dung mixed with sand.A little about me: 38, used to be in shape, then got kinda fat and decided to do something about it which entailed T-25 and an improved diet. I also waited to write this review until after I had finished my first tub of Raw Meal and went to regular protein powder instead so that I could compare the results. Let it be known that I am not a raw foods, vegan, vegetarian, health or excersize nut or anything like that. Just a regular guy trying to correct years of eating and drinking whatever it occoured to me at the time to consume.Part of my diet is a breakfast smoothie, which is where this product came in. I read the reviews (just like you) and decided to give it a go because I had no intention of drinking it straight, but instead was planning to mix it as an ingredient in my smoothie. The other things I blend in my smoothie include ice, juice, almondmilk, frozen berries, ground flax, and chia seeds. The first day I added this to my smoothie, I thought someone must have mixed up at the Raw Meal factory and put ground up latex paint in a tub and sent it over. Awful. Really bad. Anyway, I got that choked down, and decided to try it again the next day...and the day after that...and so on. Every day it got slightly less bad and eventually became something I got used to like paying taxes, going to the dentist, or spending time with my in-laws.The problem started one day when I made my wife's smoothie too thick (Did I mention that I make a smoothie for both of us in the morning? The only difference between them is that she refuses to drink the Raw Meal and instead gets regular vanilla protein powder.) and had to drink it down a little to put more liquid in. OMG. It tasted like licking angel tears off a unicorn's horn. I couldn't believe it. So good. Then I mixed up my Raw Meal smoothie and cried.I finished my Raw Meal about 2 weeks ago, and went back to regular protein powder. There really is no compairison when it comes to taste. The only way they could make the Raw Meal taste worse would be if they somehow added durian fruit to it. New problem is that taste isn't the only thing to consider here. With the protein powder, I'm HUNGRY in an hour. With the Raw Meal, I wasn't hungry for lunch until early afternoon. Now whether this is because it keeps you from feeling hungry because it's so great, or because it makes you a little nauseous for several hours is up for debate. All I can say is that I'm eating a bunch more food now than I was when Raw Meal was part of my diet.Now lets do some Pros and Cons:Cons:Absolutely everything that has to do with sensory percetion of Raw Meal. Taste, smell, sight, texture, etc. They are all really bad. Have I made that clear? Only some vegan who'd given up on life would think this stuff tastes good.Pros:Everything else. Feel better. Full for longer. Eat less. Poop better. Etc.It's really a good product, it just tastes like the south end of a north bound rhino.A couple of things I've found to make it tollerable:Mix it with more liquid than it reccommends. This stuff is THICK and gets thicker the longer it sits. If you were to let it sit for an hour, you could probably lay bricks with it.Never mix a banana with it. Bananas make it WAY thicker than it already is. You'd have to eat it with a spoon.Drink it kinda quickly. No need to sit around and sip this stuff.I never even tried it without mixing it in a smoothie, and I never will. Do yourself the same favor, and at least put some juice or something with it.In conclusion, if taste is important to you, look elsewhere. If you can deal with putting this in your mouth and are more interested in the nutritional benefits, you can't beat this product. Understand that your body will get used to it if you force it to. You'll probably be glad you did.I was a tad hesitant to buy this because of negative reviews about flavor and texture, but my mind knew better and I gave it a chance.I'm so glad I did!I needed something to supplement my nutrition at the end of my pregnancy. This stuff is perfect! Packed full of nutrients and healthy ingredients, and enjoyable to consume to boot.I chose the vanilla w/stevia because it's always a more versatile flavor when it comes to shakes. And the Stevie flavor isn't bad at all.Yes, this tastes a tad healthy. It's fine.I also add hemp powder to mine which gives it a lot of grit, but I'm drinking it because I'm not so good about eating during this pregnancy and need something for the moments where I can't be bothered to eat.It helps if you know how to make a shake taste good. So I'd like to share a few ways I've tried making this that I've loved:1/2 frozen banana, frozen strawberries, hemp powder, almond butter, and either almond milk or oat milk.1/2 frozen banana, few chunks frozen avocado, big scoop of peanut butter, almond milk.1/2 frozen banana, 1/4C frozen tart & sweet cherries, almond butter, almond milk.1/2 frozen banana, 1/4c frozen pineapple, almond butter & almond milk.1/2 frozen banana, 1/4c frozen blueberries, almond butter & almond milk.All were blended in my ninja cup blender with 1 scoop of product and 1/2 scoop of hemp powder.Each variation has been delicious and my husband and 8yo have loved it, too.I love that it's vegan and gluten free and that it's so versatile with so many nutrients. It's seriously really hard to find a shake that's actually packed full of decent nutritional stuff. Like others have mentioned, I used to do shakeology and have been pining for a shake that costs much less with the same nutritional benefits.This is the one.I may only stick to the Vanilla considering I can always add cocoa powder if I want it to be chocolately. I find having a chocolate base is limiting as the only things I'll likely enjoy in it are banana and peanut butter. I prefer being able to change up the flavors and utilize different produce to add even more nutritional value, and I recommend everyone else look at it this way too.It's not as delicious on its own. It's delectable with frozen banana and other flavors, blends up thick like ice cream and goes down great with a big metal straw. ?Buy it.I used to buy this when it wasn’t stupidly priced and loved it. It’s been a while and I’ve been searching around for a replacement without much luck so decided to swallow the price hike and order it again. I am hugely disappointed. It seems that along with a price increase has also driven substandard ingredients to further drive profit margins because this is no way the same product I was buying before! It is totally disgusting and not even remotely the same.Do not purchase this!!It is overpriced, revolting and a rip off.My husband and I both love it. We were taking Shakeology but ran out so we ordered Raw Organic Meal Replacement in Chocolate. It's so good! It tastes amazing with frozen bananas and peanut-butter and some almond milk. That's my husband's favourite recipe. I like to add cold coffee and almond milk for my morning pick-me-up. I also ordered the Vanilla Protein and it's very versatile. I like both and will probably order again. Shipping was fast and the containers came sealed and listed all the ingredients on the back. The label looks nice too. I like the product very much.Yummy, and extremely easy to digest... The ingredients are incredible....HOWEVER, this used to be around £35 ! This is a £20 price increase. This coincides with the company's acquisition by Nestle, who are obviously on a mission to price healthy foods out of existence. Nestle is a terrible company and this is very sad.The high protein raw organic nutritional powder from Garden of Life is delivered in a 35.9oz (approximately 1kg) plastic tub with a large screw-lock lid and is available in different flavours.This is basically organic plant protein with essential & branched chain amino acids & probiotics, very low in carbohydrate. The formulation is designed to be mixed-in with water, dairy milk or more usually with vegan alternatives such as almond or soy milk, and acts as a meal substitute.Some people don’t like the taste but I find it fine, even flavoursome and appetising. Scepticism about the claim that it ‘burns fat’ is justified, but as it’s protein-based it does reduce hunger and will help build muscle mass if you exercise regularly when taking the substance.The one gripe is the price, as it’s made in the USA and needs to be imported. But generally you get what you pay for.I normally by the Cacao/Chocolate version of this but as Amazon had it listed for an extortionate price for a number of weeks, I opted for the Vanilla. Having tried both, with the same measurements, I would definitely recommend the cacao/chocolate over this. This doesn't taste bad (to me), perhaps as I am used to and fond of the chocolate. It certainly isn't revolting, it doesn't have a strong smell either. The flavour is much more subtle than the cacao - it has just a hint of vanilla to it.The texture remains grainy and bitty and clumps together so requires a thorough mix (I highly recommend the blender bottle for this as the ball provided mixes it well). It can become gloopy if left to sit, and so I advise drinking it straight away and if you do happen to leave it for a while just add some water to dilute it and mix well.I do recommend this as a healthy meal replacement, it is not a milkshake and if that's what you are after, you should probably look elsewhere. If you are used to the highly flavoured protein shakes then this will come as an unwelcome shock to your tastebuds, as it isn't particularly sweet or flavoursome.