Labrada's Lean Body Natural: A French Vanilla MRP!

[Nyrin]

First up, a big thanks to fast00 and Labrada for giving me the fantastic opportunity to try and review a full bag of the Lean Body Natural--Labrada's 'all natural' MRP counterpart to their Lean Pro8 product.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/la...y-natural.html

The Profile

As you can immediately see from the nutrition facts, this is a bit of an MRP product--4g fat and 11g carbs accompany the unadulterated 20g of protein from WPC. In case you're not familiar, the purpose of a meal replacement product is to provide a more rounded 'meal-like' shake rather than straight-up protein; the macronutrient split of 4/11/20 does a pretty decent job of this, though a little more healthy fat would always be welcome to me (but likely shunned by lipophobes).

Source-wise, the fat comes from a non-dairy creamer with sunflower oil alongside a sprinkle of MCTs. Sunflower oil is a relatively healthy fat, but I'd like to see the MCT or other great fat sources take a more prominent role. Carb-wise, Lean Body Natural features a 'FiberPlex' of polydextrose and fibersol-2 along with some cellulose gum; this provides a good mix of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber that should significantly enhance the satiety of the shake. There's also a little smidgeon of cane sugar in there accompanying the natural lactose from the WPC, but there are still only a total of 3g 'sugars' present in the 40g scoop. Nice to keep that under control, especially in a natural product that can often go overboard (Vega, I'm looking at you!).

The protein comes exclusively from a (concentration-unspecified) WPC that's cross-flow ultrafiltered. From what I understand, this higher-quality manufacturing method preserves more of the intact constituents of the protein relative to the common and cheaper ion-exchange method. I can't comment on how much of a difference it makes, but it's a relatively high quality whey concentrate.

To round out the natural formula, Lean Pro Natural is sweetened with the aforementioned sugar, a bit of erythritol (the best sugar alcohol, IMO), and some lo han guo. These are all common and very well-researched sweeteners.

I'm not particularly worried about all those 'artificial' ingredients like sucralose, acesulfame potassium, colors and flavors as long as they're consumed in reasonable quantities; that said, this is a pretty decent all-around profile.

Positives:

• 4/11/20 macro split makes for a good MRP base
• Inclusion of a fiber matrix with polydextrose and oat fiber makes the shake more satisfying
• Sugar kept under control
• High-quality WPC

Negatives:

• Perhaps a little low and mundane on the fat count and quality
• Inclusion of sugar likely unnecessary -- erythritol and lo han guo can handle it, if Quest is any indication

The Mix

As you can see from the original picture, Lean Pro Natural has a soft, snowy texture in its bag with a pleasant, distinctly 'vanilla' aroma as soon as you open the bag. It blends up a little thicker than most straight whey products courtesy of its creamer and fiber inclusions, but still relatively thin--here's the result after blending 180ml of unsweetened almond milk with a 40g scoop and a couple of ice cubes:

This came out like a French vanilla-flavored milk with a creamy finish that actually reminded me quite a bit of the French vanilla flavor of "Carnation Instant Breakfast" that I grew up on--just with a much better nutritional profile! The creamy vanilla accents made me feel like I was drinking cow's milk even with unsweetened almond milk--I can only imagine how it'd be with real milk. I normally don't like thin, drinkable shakes compare to spoon-standing smoothies, but this one was actually really pleasant and refreshing.

Later on, I tried my usual style: a little over 40g of Lean Body Natural together with 170ml of unsweetened almond milk, several ice cubes, and a little extra scoop of xanthan/guar gum mix to increase thickness. Terrible picture, but this had almost a cold vanilla pudding consistency:



Nice and sweet without being overpowering, and really satisfying with the extra thickness. 200-calorie smoothies are usually a light snack at best to me, but giving these shakes a few minutes to sit on your stomach really quells hunger. Appetite-challenged bulkers beware!


The Flavor

Vanilla has a really wide spectrum of flavors. As mentioned, this really struck me as a "French Vanilla," with strong, sweet vanilla overtones accompanied by a smooth, creamy finish. It's not really an 'ice cream' variant of the flavor so much as a 'vanilla milk' variant--it'd probably still work quite well in an ice cream, but it doesn't have the same depth of 'cream' to it as you'd expect out of one of those. There's no hint or presence of any 'cake-like' taste, either, which has been really popular with vanillas as of late--it's nice to have a more purist variant to enjoy.


The Value

As of now, Lean Body Natural is available for ~$23 for 17 servings before any applicable discounts or shipping. This prices it out to ~$1.35 per 40g MRP serving, which is a little steep compared to some of the competition, but definitely in the same ballpark. With a promotional discount, it could be a pretty solid MRP value.


Would I recommend it?

The MRP market is a tough one--it's possible to make your own by throwing together a few extra ingredients, which makes the pre-mix aspect a convenience factor like it is for gainers. That said, I'm very impressed with the vanilla flavoring system here, as it's quite unlike any other I've had and provides a refreshing change of pace relative to the myriad cupcake and batter-flavored vanillas that are flooding the market. The fiber additions are really satisfying, too. But again, it's a little niche--unless you're specifically looking for a fast and easy meal replacement, the price premium likely doesn't make sense; if you are looking for those qualities, though, Lean Body Natural is one of the best 'natural' MRP options on the market.


A final use

Just to wrap up, I had a chance to enjoy Lean Body Natural in a blackberry-chia protein oatmeal, too--it was very delicious with berries, and enormously satisfying with the oats!

[fast00]

Nice! As usual great reviews sir
Thanks for the review
Glad you enjoyed it

[superhuman67]

First up, a big thanks to fast00 and Labrada for giving me the fantastic opportunity to try and review a full bag of the Lean Body Natural--Labrada's 'all natural' MRP counterpart to their Lean Pro8 product.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/la...y-natural.html

The Profile

As you can immediately see from the nutrition facts, this is a bit of an MRP product--4g fat and 11g carbs accompany the unadulterated 20g of protein from WPC. In case you're not familiar, the purpose of a meal replacement product is to provide a more rounded 'meal-like' shake rather than straight-up protein; the macronutrient split of 4/11/20 does a pretty decent job of this, though a little more healthy fat would always be welcome to me (but likely shunned by lipophobes).

Source-wise, the fat comes from a non-dairy creamer with sunflower oil alongside a sprinkle of MCTs. Sunflower oil is a relatively healthy fat, but I'd like to see the MCT or other great fat sources take a more prominent role. Carb-wise, Lean Body Natural features a 'FiberPlex' of polydextrose and fibersol-2 along with some cellulose gum; this provides a good mix of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber that should significantly enhance the satiety of the shake. There's also a little smidgeon of cane sugar in there accompanying the natural lactose from the WPC, but there are still only a total of 3g 'sugars' present in the 40g scoop. Nice to keep that under control, especially in a natural product that can often go overboard (Vega, I'm looking at you!).

The protein comes exclusively from a (concentration-unspecified) WPC that's cross-flow ultrafiltered. From what I understand, this higher-quality manufacturing method preserves more of the intact constituents of the protein relative to the common and cheaper ion-exchange method. I can't comment on how much of a difference it makes, but it's a relatively high quality whey concentrate.

To round out the natural formula, Lean Pro Natural is sweetened with the aforementioned sugar, a bit of erythritol (the best sugar alcohol, IMO), and some lo han guo. These are all common and very well-researched sweeteners.

I'm not particularly worried about all those 'artificial' ingredients like sucralose, acesulfame potassium, colors and flavors as long as they're consumed in reasonable quantities; that said, this is a pretty decent all-around profile.

Positives:

• 4/11/20 macro split makes for a good MRP base
• Inclusion of a fiber matrix with polydextrose and oat fiber makes the shake more satisfying
• Sugar kept under control
• High-quality WPC

Negatives:

• Perhaps a little low and mundane on the fat count and quality
• Inclusion of sugar likely unnecessary -- erythritol and lo han guo can handle it, if Quest is any indication

The Mix

As you can see from the original picture, Lean Pro Natural has a soft, snowy texture in its bag with a pleasant, distinctly 'vanilla' aroma as soon as you open the bag. It blends up a little thicker than most straight whey products courtesy of its creamer and fiber inclusions, but still relatively thin--here's the result after blending 180ml of unsweetened almond milk with a 40g scoop and a couple of ice cubes:

This came out like a French vanilla-flavored milk with a creamy finish that actually reminded me quite a bit of the French vanilla flavor of "Carnation Instant Breakfast" that I grew up on--just with a much better nutritional profile! The creamy vanilla accents made me feel like I was drinking cow's milk even with unsweetened almond milk--I can only imagine how it'd be with real milk. I normally don't like thin, drinkable shakes compare to spoon-standing smoothies, but this one was actually really pleasant and refreshing.

Later on, I tried my usual style: a little over 40g of Lean Body Natural together with 170ml of unsweetened almond milk, several ice cubes, and a little extra scoop of xanthan/guar gum mix to increase thickness. Terrible picture, but this had almost a cold vanilla pudding consistency:



Nice and sweet without being overpowering, and really satisfying with the extra thickness. 200-calorie smoothies are usually a light snack at best to me, but giving these shakes a few minutes to sit on your stomach really quells hunger. Appetite-challenged bulkers beware!


The Flavor

Vanilla has a really wide spectrum of flavors. As mentioned, this really struck me as a "French Vanilla," with strong, sweet vanilla overtones accompanied by a smooth, creamy finish. It's not really an 'ice cream' variant of the flavor so much as a 'vanilla milk' variant--it'd probably still work quite well in an ice cream, but it doesn't have the same depth of 'cream' to it as you'd expect out of one of those. There's no hint or presence of any 'cake-like' taste, either, which has been really popular with vanillas as of late--it's nice to have a more purist variant to enjoy.


The Value

As of now, Lean Body Natural is available for ~$23 for 17 servings before any applicable discounts or shipping. This prices it out to ~$1.35 per 40g MRP serving, which is a little steep compared to some of the competition, but definitely in the same ballpark. With a promotional discount, it could be a pretty solid MRP value.


Would I recommend it?

The MRP market is a tough one--it's possible to make your own by throwing together a few extra ingredients, which makes the pre-mix aspect a convenience factor like it is for gainers. That said, I'm very impressed with the vanilla flavoring system here, as it's quite unlike any other I've had and provides a refreshing change of pace relative to the myriad cupcake and batter-flavored vanillas that are flooding the market. The fiber additions are really satisfying, too. But again, it's a little niche--unless you're specifically looking for a fast and easy meal replacement, the price premium likely doesn't make sense; if you are looking for those qualities, though, Lean Body Natural is one of the best 'natural' MRP options on the market.


A final use

Just to wrap up, I had a chance to enjoy Lean Body Natural in a blackberry-chia protein oatmeal, too--it was very delicious with berries, and enormously satisfying with the oats!

Excellent and very informative review and I will also be doing a review soon for a vanilla protein which has a french vanilla
taste to it also, and I did something today with blueberries in it but your van chia blueberry protein oatmeal looks DELICIOUS!!!!!!