Nutrimeal Review: Does it Work?

What is it? 

Nutrimeal is a meal replacement shake brand made to help reduce cravings for carbohydrates and food, while providing a low-glycemic meal. It’s said to be formulated for optimum nutrition, and it has 15 grams of GMO free protein.

There’s whey only, all natural, and regular versions available in different flavors. The overall intended benefit of these shakes is to help provide a healthy weight. There’s a combination of several ingredients added to this formula as well. So are there any benefits to drinking Nutrimeal? What have customers experienced, and is it filling and healthy? Featured in this review are all the details to make an informed choice on this meal replacement.

Nutrimeal Ingredients and Side Effects 

Here are the ingredients to their regular Nutrimeal shake: 

Soy Protein Isolate	Whey Protein Isolate	Pea Protein	Crystalline Fructose	High Oleic Sunflower Oil
Maltodextrin	Soy Fiber	Cane Fiber	Oligofructose	Gum Arabic
Xanthan Gum	Organic Agave Inulin	Cellulose Gum	Potassium Phosphate	Prune Powder (Prune, Calcium Stearate)
Calcium Carbonate	Natural Flavors	Beet Juice	Sodium Caseinate	Sea Salt
Citric Acid	Magnesium Oxide	Soy Lecithin	Zinc Gluconate	Malic Acid
Ascorbic Acid	Ferrous Fumurate	D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate	Vitamin A Palminate	Niacinaide
Cholecalciferol	Folic Acid	Cyanocobalamin	Pyridoxine Hydrochloride	Riboflavin
Potassium Iodide	Thiamin Hydrochloride

Soy Protein Isolate: Soybean extract containing all the amino acids, and a 90% protein by weight mixture. This ingredient is controversial due to its potential for increasing estrogen.

Food Renegade confirms the possible effects on hormones:

“leading cause of breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and low libido is unopposed estrogen or estrogen dominance” 

The National Center for Toxicological Research also says:

“widely consumed soy products may cause harm in the human population”

 “either or both estrogenic and goitrogenic activities is of concern” 

Goitrogens are compounds which may damage the thyroid, making it easy to gain weight and have overall health issues.

The Nestle Research Center also reviewed soy protein isolate:

“phytic acid is a major inhibitory factor of iron absorption in soy-protein isolates” 

Therefore, this can also affect the rate of mineral absorption. This can potentially lead to nutritional deficiencies. 

Pea Protein: Easy to digest protein extract from the legume peas. It’s low in the important amino acid cysteine, which is why it’s always mixed with other proteins.

Pea is quickly absorbed by the body, and this can potentially lead to side effects:

• Nausea and bloating.
• Frequent bowel movements, loose stools, and diarrhea. 

Crystalline Fructose: A 100% fructose sweetener made from corn.  In Nutrimeal there’s around 18 grams of total sugar that comes from this ingredient.

It’s believed that the rise of fructose added to foods is a major reason for obesity.  This ingredient isn’t used by the cells like other sweeteners; it goes directly to the liver where it can be converted into fat.

A thorough clinical study by the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology confirmed:

“intake of fructose has rapidly become and important causative factor in the development of the metabolic syndrome”

“urgent need for increased public awareness of the risks associated

According to several other clinical studies as well as this one, this sweetener is potentially damaging to insulin, and it may cause weight gain and obesity related illnesses. 

Gum Arabic: Sap taken from the acacia tree. This is used to thicken products and to promote a sense of fullness.

Side effects are possible and they include:

• Loose stools and frequent bathroom usage.
• Gas, bloating, and flatulence.
• Nausea and stomach discomfort. 

Xanthan Gum: Mixture of fermented sugar with bacteria which is used to create a thickener. It also has use as a laxative and blood sugar regulator.

Possible side effects may include:

• Increased gas and stomach discomfort.
• Bloating, loose stools, and increased bathroom usage. 

It’s a cheap ingredient that is often added to processed foods.

Cellulose Gum: Carbohydrate taken from the cell walls of plants. It is a stabilizer that adds texture and bulk to other ingredients.

Nutrimeal Quality Of Ingredients 

There’s a lot of sugar at 18 grams, and the product is full of stabilizers and thickeners.

The protein amount is good at 15 grams, but it’s a combination of soy and pea that bring down the overall quality. Whey protein is a good ingredient since it’s easy to digest and it has all the amino acids. Though pea is limited in its amino acids, and soy is potentially damaging due to its phytates and estrogen like compounds.

The potential for the crystalline fructose to cause obesity has been shown in multiple clinical studies as well.  There’s a lot of this added, and there’s no nutritional benefit to including it. It’s only added to provide a sweet flavor at the expense of potential health problems. At 18 grams of sugar per serving, 2 shakes a day surpass the advised limit set by the American Heart Association:

“The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 tablespoons, or about 25 grams” 

2 servings of Nutrimeal provide 36 grams, or 11 more than what’s advised to keep healthy.

It’s a fairly lacking meal replacement and its unknown how well rounded the amino acid profile is. This is important to know to determine whether it’s balanced and able to provide the body what it needs when replacing a meal.

The Price and Quality of Nutrimeal 

One 9 serving bag costs $34.05, this is if you purchase their basic formula and not the all-natural or whey only blend.

This means for a full 27 days’ worth of product, you have to spend $102.15.  This is incredibly expensive, and it means it’s one of the most costly of all meal replacements.

This high price tag isn’t reflected in the quality. It has a high amount of calories at 240, and there’s a total of 18 grams of sugar.

The amount of protein is good at 15 grams, and the fiber is also high at 8 grams. Overall however, the formula has too many unnecessary ingredients added.  There’s also a major emphasis on this to use lots of thickeners which can potentially cause digestive issues. 

Business of Nutrimeal 

The company is owned by USANA Health Sciences and they can be reached below:

Phone Number: (888) 950-9595 

Address: 3838 Parkway Blvd

Salt Lake City, Utah 84120 

Email: [email protected]

Since it’s a multilevel marketing business, most of their sales are made via regular people who want to sell their brands.

A New Zealand government statistician was quoted as saying:

“this could be a pyramid scheme” 

One customer who left a negative review on their Better Business Bureau page has had the following to say:

“have tried numerous times to cancel my service” 

“have complied with their ridiculous policy to provide written notice to cancel” 

Some customers found that he returns policy was not allowed, and that dealing with distributors of these brands can be difficult.

Since if you make a purchase indirectly, the people you buy it from have to contact the company for a return. This can delay the return process and make it hard to make a secure purchase.

Customer Opinions of Nutrimeal

When looking at reviews for a product owned by a multilevel marketing company, it’s important to look out for potentially fake reviews. Often distributors claiming to be customers will add fake reviews in order to make sales more likely.

Here are what some customers who have verified purchases made from Amazon have had to say:

“particular flavor is pretty gross” 

“don’t like the way it taste or the way the texture feels”

 “I got very sick” 

“It didn’t mix up well, very gritty” 

Customers often mentioned how this product failed to mix well, and that it was awful to drink. It’s odd that people say it does not mix well, as there are many stabilizers and thickeners added.

In reading the reviews there wasn’t anyone who mentioned weight loss as a benefit. There are only complaints from verified customer reviews.

Conclusion – Does Nutrimeal Work?

In deciding whether or not Nutrimeal is a useful meal replacement, keep in mind this brand was often rated as being poor in terms of taste and how well it mixes. There’s’ also a significantly high amount of calories and sugar, which can potentially make weight loss harder. The kind of sweetener used in crystalline fructose has also been shown to potentially cause obesity and insulin resistance.

Better options which have only high quality when protein, only wholesome sweeteners added in low amounts, and all natural ingredients are available. The best option in 2024 is called 18Shake.

This meal replacement has no added binders or artificial ingredients, and it’s made with a great fiber and protein for real appetite suppression. It also has a well-balanced nutritional profile, and a full amino acid listing so you know how good it is. Customers also agree, and you can read about their experiences via the testimonials featured on their official website.  Many have had great weight loss benefits.

18Shake is available now, and it’s backed by a great 100% money back return policy with no questions asked.