Isagenix IsaLean Shake Review: A Sugary Meal Replacement

Posted on February 11th, 2016 By Allie Lewis in Protein Powder Reviews Read Time: 12 mins.

Recently updated on September 26th, 2022 at 09:50 pm

Isagenix Isalean Shake Reviews are everywhere these days, but there’s only ONE Fit Life Allie Isalean Shake Review. And you’ve found it. Because you’re a total rockstar. Because you know how to do good research. Because you have great skin. Because you…wait. What? Where am I going with this. Lol. But seriously. You are smart because you’ve found the most informative Isagenix meal replacement shake review on the whole internet. That’s something to be proud of. That’s your crowning achievement for the day, if you’re having a day like I’m having. AKA a very slow-moving one. But we all have them, right? In this this review, we’re going to have some real fun. We’re also going to learn a thing or two about the best selling Isagenix product- the Isalean Shake. The first thing we’ll discuss is the taste. What’s more important than taste? Nothing. Just kidding. Looks. Looks are more important. So once we conclude talking about the taste, we’ll talk about looks, and then the formulation. I’ll tie all the information together at the very end with a comprehensive review summary, and then we’ll give a final review score to Isagenix Isalean Shake. And begin.

I’ve only got forty minutes before my computer dies, so we’ll have to make this review a quickie! Or not. honestly it’ll probably be just as long and thorough as all my protein shake reviews, I’ll just have to type and think faster! But it’s ok. I just ate a butt-load of carbs so my brain has SO MUCH fuel. It’s so confused. You dieters know what I mean. Nothing like wandering around the office in a fog because you’ve been so restricting of food that your brain literally has no gas to run on. Oh, what’s that? You don’t have an eating disorder? Oh. Maybe it’s just me then. LOL. Ah. Good old-fashioned dry humor. But. Speaking of dieting. I scored a few samples of the Isagenix IsaLean Meal Replacement Shakes from one of the ‘Isagenix Chicks’ in our office (every office has one or two, you know this), so I decided to do a review. I’m starting to realize that Isagenix is a monstrous company on the level of Herbalife or Advocare or Shakeology. You know. Those really big, soul-less companies that turn your friends into salesmen overnight and annoy you. Yep. But let’s hold judgement until we get a better sense for the Isagenix products. Maybe they’re super good. 

Isagenix Isalean Shake Flavor Grade: 8.0

So I had the opportunity to try three different flavors of the Isagenix IsaLean shake- and I’m like 90% sure that one of these three is the best flavor of Isagenix IsaLean. The three flavors that I had were the Limited Quantity Eggnog, the Creamy French Vanilla, and the Creamy Dutch Chocolate. There is also a black sesame flavor, that I did NOT try, and also a Strawberry flavor. I’m hesitant to try either of these flavors because they sound, er, bad? I mean. Who wants to drink a ‘black sesame’ shake?? It sounds gross. But here are my thoughts on the three flavors that I DID try: 

Eggnog: Ok, this was not the best flavor for Isalean meal replacement shake. Was it good for the first sip? Absolutely. Was it REALLY good for the second sip? Sure. Was it really hard to drink the entire thing? You bet. This shake was rich, sweet, and did have some eggnog flavor, but like real eggnog, you only need a little bit before it becomes ‘too much’. I would give it an 8 out of ten. 

Creamy French Vanilla: I think the WORST flavor of IsaLean Meal Replacement shake is the french vanilla. It’s surprising, because often times companies will invest heavily in the development of a really strong vanilla flavor- knowing that it will often times be the best seller. But, alas, Isagenix Vanilla shake is bad. French vanilla can be kind of hit or miss. It’s some sort of strange, spiced form of the vanilla that always gets me. It makes it taste almost filmy in your mouth. This flavor of Isalean was also too mild in terms of sweetness. I think they need to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch. 

Creamy Dutch Chocolate: NOW we’re talking the Dutch Chocolate tastes the way a protein shake SHOULD taste. I will give it a 9.4 out of ten- a pretty darn good score. This Isagenix Protein Shake is totally rich, totally decadent, and gives you everything you need on your tongue. It gives you a fantastic chocolate, first of all. The bitterness is that of 60% cacao- a nice sort of ‘in-between’ between milk and dark chocolate. I found it to be quite pleasant. The sweetness level is on point, and even the texture is an improvement over the others. I thoroughly enjoyed this protein shake from start to finish. 

Isagenix Isalean Shake Packaging Score: 7.8

I know. Usually I do the formula grade after taste, but I need a little change of pace from that routine today. So we’re going to do this from the OUTSIDE in. Just like how you size up a guy in the gym. You don’t know his personality until AFTER you see that he’s 8% bodyfat and has a nice smile. Calm down, Allie. Lol. But yeah. Appearance wise, the Isalean Meal Replacement shakes are NOT 8% bodyfat. They are the equivalent of, like, a 12% bodyfat. Eh. Higher. 18%. Above average. (What even is a normal person’s bodyfat?). 

The container is boring and white. The lids are boring and white. The labels are mostly boring and mostly white. For some brands this works, and for some it does not. Bikinibod is one example of a brand that does well in white. But this is not Bikinibod, this is Isagenix and white is not flattering for their Isalean Protein Shakes. They use a boring, faded strip of color as the feature graphic on each shake’s label. The product name ‘IsaLean Shake’ is reversed out from that strip, in white. It’s not big enough. It should be bigger than the Isagenix logo. 

The one thing they have done an OK job of, is making the flavor easy to identify. There are large, bold graphical representations of each flavor that, if nothing else, make you more curious and excited to try these meal replacement shakes. 

The other thing that I do kind of like about the labeling of these protein shakes is the ittle grid of product callouts. Oddly, some flavors have this and some do not. But they are colorful and make you think that there are some features of the shake that set it apart. In reality it’s just a fun little colored box grid with product statistic on it- but I still enjoy it. Ok. Let’s talk about formulation now. 

Isagenix Isalean Shake Formula Grade: 7.5

I’ll give the Isalean shake an 8/10 on the formulation because it’s not the best formula that I’ve ever seen, and at the same time it’s not the worst. As you know from the GNC LeanShake review that I literally JUST did, you know that I’m not the biggest fan of meal replacements. Some meal replacements are better than others, but the fact of the matter is that most meal replacement shakes are just regular protein shakes with added sugar, and sometimes a multi-vitamin component. This product does at least have that multi-vitamin component. But it also does have that added sugar. Here are the macros: 

Calories: 240

Total Fat: 5g 

Sat. Fat: 1.5h

Cholesterol: 45mg

Sodium: 240mg

Total Carbohydrate: 24g

Dietary Fiber: 8g

Sugars: 11g

Protein: 24g

So there’s a few things to like, and a few to not like as much. 24 grams of protein is pretty good by me. It’s good, high-quality dairy protein. Not junky soy, not low-impact vegan protein. Good old dairy. The thing I don’t like about Isalean from a formula perspective is the sugar, and then also the Isomaltooligosaccharide powder. This is the weird, synthetic goop found in Quest bars that make them taste good and also be mystery franken-foods. I try to avoid it because I don’t think it’s very good for your digestive system. Now. the other things to consider here are just the sheer amount of metals and preservatives and other additives that provide all the vitamin content in this Isalean shake formula. I prefer to get my micronutrients from real food- but you might be different. But when the ‘ingredients’ list of your protein shake is like, a LONG paragraph, typically it’s not that great for you. 

Isagenix Isalean Shake Review Summary

  • Isagenix Isalean Shake Flavor Grade: 8.0
  • Isagenix Isalean Shake Packaging Score: 7.8
  • Isagenix Isalean Shake Formula Grade: 7.5
  • Isagenix Isalean Shake Value Grade: 7.0

So here’s the scoop. (get it?) These shakes taste ok if you get the chocolate. The formula is too artificial and sugary for me but the protein itself is of good quality. The kicker is the price. You have to pay over $3 per serving for these shakes, and they are just not worth that to me, all things considered. 

 

Isagenix Isalean Shake Final Review Score: 7.7

Allie Lewis

By Allie Lewis

Hi, my name is Allie and reviewing products is my hobby. I am passionate about being fit and active, so making a blog about my experience with different products that help me stay healthy made sense to me. Please contact me at any time if you would like to guest post or advertise on-site.