NOW Carbo Gain review

[Julian_H]

NOW Carbo Gain (maltodextrin product)
============


I find it hard to stomach a lot of carbs without bloating like I'm 10 months pregnant, so mixing maltodextrin in my shakes is ideal. Carbo Gain is very reasonably priced at BB.com, and considering NOW's reputation for simple and effective products, I thought I'd give it a whirl.


Price: 10/10
$16.99 for a whopping 7 lb. tub!! The handle is conveniently placed on the lid, but I neglected to screw on tightly and spilled white powder all across my floor and clothes (which looked rather suspicious to my girlfriend). My only complaint here is that the tub does not come with a scoop. Luckily I have extras in stock

Taste/Flavor: 6/10
Like most other maltodextrins, Carbo Gain carries a mild sweetness that i do not care for. It tastes nothing like dextrose or sugar, so I cannot make a comparison. I prefer CytoCarb's virtual tastelessness.

Mixability: 3/10
Herein lies the biggest problem. No matter how much i stirred or shaked, this stuff left big and small clumps. It clumped even with one 14g scoop in whey and 8oz of water. It drove me NUTS!!

Final: 6/10
If you can handle chugging funky globs at the bottom of your shake, you probably won't mind this product. I switched back to CytoCarb because it mixes without any problems.

[Julian_H]

bump?

[mrk23]

I use CarboGain but it mixes PERFECTLY with a blender bottle (get one for 5 bucks at the Vitamin World.. you won't regret it!). Also, here's an advice, add the protein to the water first, then the carbogain on top of the protein; I've found this method has given significantly less clumps, if not, at all!. I'd give it a better rating than 6/10 - more like a 9/10 imo (due to its sweet-giving taste).

[theone787]

i take carbogain with my shakes daily and have never had one problem with mixability. it mixes perfectly if you use a magic bullet type of blender or any blender whatsoever. also, it is pretty damn near tasteless so that wasnt an issue for me either

[Julian_H]

i have a blender but daily use is impractical in my household, so it's shaker bottles for me. i don't think you can judge mixability with blenders, considering they can chop up about anything.

thanks for your sharing your experiences.

[juiyuanwu]

I use CarboGain but it mixes PERFECTLY with a blender bottle (get one for 5 bucks at the Vitamin World.. you won't regret it!). Also, here's an advice, add the protein to the water first, then the carbogain on top of the protein; I've found this method has given significantly less clumps, if not, at all!. I'd give it a better rating than 6/10 - more like a 9/10 imo (due to its sweet-giving taste).

Do you leave the blender thing in the bottom when stirring? I mean, do you add water first, then protein, then carbogain? Then shake with the blender inside?

[mrk23]

Do you leave the blender thing in the bottom when stirring? I mean, do you add water first, then protein, then carbogain? Then shake with the blender inside?

Yes

[dingjc]

NOW Carbo Gain (maltodextrin product)
============


I find it hard to stomach a lot of carbs without bloating like I'm 10 months pregnant, so mixing maltodextrin in my shakes is ideal. Carbo Gain is very reasonably priced at BB.com, and considering NOW's reputation for simple and effective products, I thought I'd give it a whirl.


Price: 10/10
$16.99 for a whopping 7 lb. tub!! The handle is conveniently placed on the lid, but I neglected to screw on tightly and spilled white powder all across my floor and clothes (which looked rather suspicious to my girlfriend). My only complaint here is that the tub does not come with a scoop. Luckily I have extras in stock

Taste/Flavor: 6/10
Like most other maltodextrins, Carbo Gain carries a mild sweetness that i do not care for. It tastes nothing like dextrose or sugar, so I cannot make a comparison. I prefer CytoCarb's virtual tastelessness.

Mixability: 3/10
Herein lies the biggest problem. No matter how much i stirred or shaked, this stuff left big and small clumps. It clumped even with one 14g scoop in whey and 8oz of water. It drove me NUTS!!

Final: 6/10
If you can handle chugging funky globs at the bottom of your shake, you probably won't mind this product. I switched back to CytoCarb because it mixes without any problems.

ok dude.. just got my carbo gain.. i cant seems to find the scoop inside.. what u meant by u are lucky to ahve extra in stocks? so does the tub contain a scoop or it doesnt?

i am currently using the ON whey protien scoop instead =(

someone please advise me ! thank you

[H1Tm4n]

ok dude.. just got my carbo gain.. i cant seems to find the scoop inside.. what u meant by u are lucky to ahve extra in stocks? so does the tub contain a scoop or it doesnt?

i am currently using the ON whey protien scoop instead =(

someone please advise me ! thank you

it does not come with a scoop...he said he has other scoops

[anabolicgiraffe]

I use CarboGain but it mixes PERFECTLY with a blender bottle (get one for 5 bucks at the Vitamin World.. you won't regret it!). Also, here's an advice, add the protein to the water first, then the carbogain on top of the protein; I've found this method has given significantly less clumps, if not, at all!. I'd give it a better rating than 6/10 - more like a 9/10 imo (due to its sweet-giving taste).

good advice!

[AHF_DrgKing]

Yeah I got the big bag and it took me 5 min to look for a scoop and came to realize that it did not come with one. Was not to happy about that but hey that is life.

Just wondering. Does carbo gain really help support weight gain?
I am currently trying to gain weight and thought that adding more carbs to my diet would help me gain more weight along with my daily intake of 4500+ of calories.

Thanks in advance!

[grdfootball25]

is it ok to take this with milk???

[doomfreek]

Yes you can mix it with milk and yes it would support weight gain...

[Julian_H]

For the record, I no longer use maltodextrin. Ice cream kicks ass.

[shadar]

Yes you can mix it with milk and yes it would support weight gain...

I'm sure they are glad to know this months later



I have been using this stuff for a few weeks now and absolutely love the texture it gives my protein shakes after semi-freezing them. They taste like milkshakes. Great stuff. Nice way to boost my calories by 300 per day too (add 75g of malto to my PWO shake).

It definitely has a taste, but I kinda like the taste. It works well with XF Arctic Lemonade anyhow, can't speak to anything else as it's all I've used it with. Makes the shake taste a lot creamier and silkier.

[msw76]

I have been using it for 2 months now and half way through my second container. I take it 3 times a day.

One of my servings x 3
2.5 cups of soy milk
3 tbls of soy protein 14g
3/4 cup of carbo gain

I mix in the shaker i got from the vitamin store for a bout 2 min then drink.

my total daily calories are between 4800 and 6500 depending on what all i eat.
total weight gained so far 5lb. I just can’t eat any more then that at the moment.

my strength has doubled sense i started my workouts as well. I’m expecting to platto soon but hope the weight gain does not stop.

[shadar]

I have been using it for 2 months now and half way through my second container. I take it 3 times a day.

One of my servings x 3
2.5 cups of soy milk
3 tbls of soy protein 14g
3/4 cup of carbo gain

I mix in the shaker i got from the vitamin store for a bout 2 min then drink.

my total daily calories are between 4800 and 6500 depending on what all i eat.
total weight gained so far 5lb. I just can’t eat any more then that at the moment.

my strength has doubled sense i started my workouts as well. I’m expecting to platto soon but hope the weight gain does not stop.

4800-6500 is a HUGE variance in calories. Remember, every 500 calories over or under maintenance is a pound a week you're gaining or losing. The higher or lower you go from your maintenance the greater the fat gain or muscle loss potential. I'd suggest narrowing down that range to something like 5300-6000 at the very least.

Also remember that carbogain is malto which has the same impact as dextrose, meaning it's sugar (despite it not being labeled as a sugar). This means you're taking 2.25 cups of sugar per day from this alone. Granted you have a lot of calories you're working with each day, but it's still quite a bit of sugar from a single source.

Using that much I'd also suggest you check out some bulk malto. I bought 50lb for $54 shipped. That much will last me a few years, heh.

[BrewCity24]

it does not come with a scoop...he said he has other scoops

Using a protein scoop? Isn't a serving size a 1/2 cup?

[lukevanginkel]

4800-6500 is a HUGE variance in calories. Remember, every 500 calories over or under maintenance is a pound a week you're gaining or losing. The higher or lower you go from your maintenance the greater the fat gain or muscle loss potential. I'd suggest narrowing down that range to something like 5300-6000 at the very least.

Also remember that carbogain is malto which has the same impact as dextrose, meaning it's sugar (despite it not being labeled as a sugar). This means you're taking 2.25 cups of sugar per day from this alone. Granted you have a lot of calories you're working with each day, but it's still quite a bit of sugar from a single source.

Using that much I'd also suggest you check out some bulk malto. I bought 50lb for $54 shipped. That much will last me a few years, heh.

where can you find a 50 lb. container of maltodextrin? i would love to buy in bulk on this help appreciated