Monday 9 June 2014

Upbeat high protein dairy drink review

I will be honest with you I don't know much about protein and how important it is in our daily life. But I do know that I like dairy products and all sorts of dairy drinks.

When I used to work in a banking industry, I remember those breaks when me and my mate shared a milk shake, it was our supplement to a food as it kept us going throughout the day.

When I was offered to review Upbeat (by The Good Whey Co., a family business with over 60 years of dairy heritage and over 40 years of expertise in crafting whey protein)- high protein dairy drink I was pleasantly surprised as
"many expecting mothers to be don't realise how important it is to consume the right amount of protein in their diet during and after pregnancy. The need for protein increases during this time to support the baby's growth, contribute to the extra muscular support for mum and to help produce healthy blood cells for both baby and mother. Also, as one of the components of breast milk is protein, it is essential that breastfeeding mothers increase the amount of protein in their diet".

Nutritional credentials:
20g protein
Low fat
Half the sugar of most fruit juices and smoothies
A source of calcium
Under 150kcal
Made with real fruit

Want to know more about the drink and if it's suitable for you or your family members please check FAQ section here.
Sounds great, right? So, my husband and I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, you can't find Upbeat in any supermarket (available at Tesco, Ocado, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, Booths), therefore I would suggest checking the nearest stockist on Feelingup beat website. Holland & Barrett was the only choice in my area, we were lucky enough as they had 2 last bottles: mango & passion fruit and strawberry (the only Upbeat flavours so far).


Each Upbeat bottle is only 250 ml, £1.79. I poured both drinks in a glass so that we can compare thickness and taste both drinks with my husband. What you notice straight away is that they smell exactly like mango, passion fruit and strawberry.
We have also noticed that mango & passion fruit drink was slightly thicker than strawberry one. Mango and passion fruit leaves sour/bitter aftertaste ( I had to have a whole 1 Litre bottle of water to get rid off this aftertaste), which we didn't like. Strawberry dairy drink is more of a watery consistency, but has better flavour and we definitely preferred strawberry flavour than mango & passion fruit flavour.

Would we buy it? Probably not, it is a bit over our budget and not too thick for our liking. But if Upbeat will be on offer or reduced will certainly buy strawberry flavour.

Recommendations: I would prefer if strawberry flavour could be more thicker and mango & passion fruits would be a little less strong. It would be great to see a chocolate flavoured Upbeat as well we would definitely try it!

Disclaimer: I was sent complimentary vouchers for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinion are my own. 

46 comments:

  1. I hate it when you get a milkshake that is thin and lacking flavour!

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  2. Never tried this but I have seen it in Tesco. Might give it a miss. Seemed expensive

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  3. I think it would be much simpler to get some protein powder and add it to a home made milkshake or as a health supplement

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  4. for me I am not a fan of supplements , i love a milkshake but not sure i would try these x

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  5. I've never really done food supplements, though I guess if you had a specific condition or were unable to eat properly for any reason they might be useful. Thanks for the review :)

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  6. I love milkshakes but not sure I would try these. I imagine if you are deficient in something, then it may be a good idea x

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  7. Although I love milk I'm not a fan of milkshakes. Thanks for a balanced, honest review.

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  8. Don't think I've ever seen these in the shops - thanks for your review - it's always good to know the positives and negatives

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  9. I don't think I could drink these - I hate anything that is too thick.

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  10. I haven't spotted these before

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  11. Not seen this before ,they look so good .x

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  12. They don't sound good, think I will get my protein in other forms!

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  13. I personally couldn't drink them, they don't look very appetising but have heard lots of others that have so each to their own.

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  14. I'm not a fan of supplements - nice to read a balanced review x

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  15. I'm not a supplement drinker either but you've given a thorough review, which is always appreciated.

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  16. I also got these to try and have to say I really enjoyed the strawberry flavoured one. I am not sure of I noticed a huge difference but did like the taste x

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  17. Not heard of these before...I don't normally drink supplement drinks...but do love mango!

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  18. Good honest review. Not sure it's something I'll be trying

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  19. I have tried these too, I wasn't keen on the strawberry as I found it very artificial tasting and I too was put off by the price, great honest review #triedtested

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  20. I have heard a lot about these and will be trying them myself soon, I shall let you know what we think! Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested

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  21. I haven't thought of supplements during my pregnancy and I'll admit to being useless at drinking milk. I'm so wary of supplements anyway, and these do seem a bit pricey xx

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  22. I'm so glad I've across this post -- I've put myself on a low carb food plan and very often, feel so restricted when it comes to things other than meats. I'm going to have to check this out, it looks really yum and probably could tackle cravings for high-fat puds that I seem to get from the lack of cake ;) Ah, have very happily made a note of where I can find this. Thank you!

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  23. I don't think it is something that I would go for, however my hubby would probably drink these

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  24. If I was on the go I might consider reaching for these

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  25. Thank you for a honest review....I haven't heard of these before....

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  26. Great honest review. Im not a milkshake lover particularly so not sure I would try these. x

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  27. I'm not a fan of supplements to be honest - appreciate your honest review x x

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  28. I am not keen on protein shakes and the like. Don't think I would spend money buying a bottle myself.

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  29. I love milkshakes but am lactose-intolerant so I stick to Lactofree milk otherwise the tummy aches come.

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  30. I tried the mango flavour and really wasn't keen on it, but I may still try the strawberry

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  31. I've not seen these anywhere, I'm not sure I like the sound of them to be honest

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  32. I tried some protein shakes a while ago and liked how they kept me feeling full for ages afterwards so I didn't feel like snacking between meals.

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  33. I haven't tried them yet, I will have to see if my local store has some in stock

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  34. I actually love milkshake (especially chocolate) but I am not sure I need the extra protein. Good idea if you do or if you were trying to tone up your muscles though I suppose! Thanks for the honest review.

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  35. Good review, think I will give it a miss seems a bit expensive

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  36. I'm not a fan of food supplements, I believe we should get everything we need in a healthy balanced diet. It's good to see such an honest review!

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  37. Never seen these before, like you i'd probably prefer the strawberry over the Mango & passionfruit.

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  38. It is a bit on the expensive side for me but if it id on offer I suppose I would try it for the protein for after my runs

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  39. I'm not much of milkshake drinker I have to admit - I think personally I would go for strawberry though if I did give it a try :) x

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  40. Hmm never seen them before but I must admit I make my own milkshakes with fruit or yoghurt in!

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  41. If you gave me the choice between a mango milkshake and mango lassi, I'd go with lassi every time - that said, you might get me on the strawberry one but I don't buy dietary supplements, I try to eat a balanced diet instead.

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  42. Sounds great but I do think the price is a little high and I would love thicker shakes too - the flavours sound yummy! :)

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  43. Every now and again I have dietary supplements so I would be interested in trying these. Hope they do make a chocolate one!

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  44. I've never seen these before, but I appreciate your honest review! :) I've been reading a lot lately, about how we don't need as much protein as the health industry would have us believe. I think I'd prefer to drink plain mango or strawberry juice, rather than in a shake :) xxx

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  45. I guess it depends whether or not you need protein in your diet, it's not something I'd drink for enjoyment even if it did taste good

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  46. Always suspicious of low fat-if they made it full fat they wouldn't need (half) half the sugar of normal juicies! Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts

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