The Kids Shake | Chewsday Review

The breakfast powder that promises no more kicking, screaming, or bribing your kids to eat breakfast. Is this the magical food (or drink) we’ve been waiting for? Let’s find out if we can have our shake and drink it too. Brace yourself, it’s a long one…

Ingredients

Milk Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate), Sweet Potato Flour, Fibresol-2™, Soluble Maize Fibre, Beetroot, Thickener (Maize Starch), Natural Flavour, Mineral (Tricalcium Phosphate), Soy Lecithin, Coconut Milk Powder (Milk), Honey Powder, Chia Seed, Flaxseed, Psyllium Husk, Probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifodobacterium lactis, Bacillus coagulans), Natural Sweeteners (Steviol Glycoside, Thaumatin), Vitamin D3.
Milk protein blend is the first ingredient, which explains why this product is high in protein.
Soluble Maize Fibre, Flaxseed, Psyllium Husk, Sweet Potato Flour and Fibresol-2™ are all ingredients that contribute to the fibre content.
Beetroot seems a very random addition.
Allergens: Milk and soy (according to the packet warning but not declared on the website!) and processed in the same facility as cereals containing gluten.

Positives

The powder is high in calcium with 670mg per 100g. This seems like a lot, but one scoop is 30g, so each scoop actually contains only 200mg of calcium. When it’s made according to packet instructions (one scoop with 150mL of milk) the milk adds another ~150mg, so there’s about 350mg of calcium all up. This is similar to a 250mL glass of milk (250-312mg) and one tetra pack of Up&Go (300mg). So in short, if your child drinks milk already or eats yoghurt they’re likely doing ok without this.
This product is high in fibre at 4g per serve, which is the same amount as Up&Go, Up&Go Dairy Free or 2 weetbix.
Total fat and sodium are within healthy guidelines.

Negatives

The sugar is above recommendations at 11.2g per 100g (we’re aiming for less than 7.5g per 100g for drinks). Most of this will be coming from the milk powders, but it also has honey powder, which is why this product isn’t recommended for kids under 12 months. A drink option with less sugar is Up&Go (6.5g/100g)
I feel quite uncomfortable about this product, mostly because it’s unnecessary, but also because it’s owned by the same people who created the Man shake and the Lady shake, which are meal replacement weight loss shakes for adults. This product isn’t marketed as a weight loss shake, but I worry it’s a slippery slope into diet culture if kids think they need to have shakes, rather than food, to be “healthy,” (which clearly isn’t true). Also, on the website it talks about how you can have 2 shakes, 2 snacks and still enjoy a cheat meal and glass of wine (on the kids page!!)
Saturated fat is 2.4g per 100g, which is higher than recommended for drinks (1.5g per 100g).
This product costs $29.95, which is $71.31 per kilo! This also doesn’t include the price of shipping or the milk you have to mix with it. Each tub contains 14 serves, so it’s $2.14 per drink (plus cost of milk). Overall, it’s a lot more expensive than Up&Go which costs $6.93 a litre or $1.86 per tetra.
Drinks don’t keep us full for as long, so to prevent your little monster (hey- their words, not mine!) from becoming a hangry little monster by morning tea, it would need more substance. I’d recommend serving a piece of fruit or toast on the side if you were using this product.

Marketing

“Sick of fighting your child for breakfast.” I get it, feeding kids can be hard but if you feel like you’re fighting your child at any meal it doesn’t have to be this way. Join me at Toddler Mealtimes or Family Mealtimes where I help take the stress and overwhelm out of feeding your family. Also, not sure why this product specifically would cause less fights?!
“Low in sugar.” Most is natural sugar but there is some added sugar and it’s above recommendations for drinks.
“Full of protein for their growing muscles, calcium and vitamin D for strong bones.” This is all true but even fussy toddlers (this product is recommended for 12mo+ 😳) are still likely going to get enough protein from food, and it has a similar amount of calcium as a glass of milk.
“Each serve contains the ORAC equivalent of 1 serve of veggies.” The beetroot makes sense now. To be clear, this is NOT the same as one serve of vegetables. It’s just saying the shake has the same amount of antioxidants as one serve of vegetables, and I think it’s misleading. We don’t eat vegetables just for their antioxidants. There are so many other great things about vegetables, which is why I’m always suspicious of shakes or supplements that claim to be as good as real food.
5 star health rating. The health star rating system is a good, quick comparison of similar foods, but it’s not perfect. I’m guessing that compared to Milo or Nesquick, this product comes out on top.

Alternatives

If your kids currently drink this shake and it works for your family, then that’s fine- it’s unlikely to be harmful. Otherwise, kids don’t need a specific kid shake (or protein powder) unless directed by a paediatrician or dietitian. If you are told that your child needs a supplement, this product is unlikely to be the recommended option. And remember, if you feel you need this product because your kids are kicking and screaming at mealtimes, I’m here to help.
Up&Go and Up&Go Dairy free have a similar amount of fibre, lower sugar, are more readily available and cheaper. Weetbix and milk is another great cost effective breakfast option.
A homemade smoothie is another option if you have time. Blend up milk, oats, frozen fruit and weetbix and ice. Maybe add beetroot then tell me how it tastes?

The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.