Monday, March 16, 2009

Shakeology, Activit, and Peak Health


At the Team Beachbody Summit this weekend we launched a product we’ve been working on for a few years. It’s called Shakeology. I think it’s better served by its tag line, The Healthiest Meal of the Day.

It’s a protein shake, greens formulation, pre and probiotic supplement, anti-oxidant, phytonutrient, adaptogen, enzyme formulation all rolled into something that tastes like dessert. In short, it’s the smartest 140 calories you can put into your body.

I’ll be writing, chatting, and blogging about this formulation over the upcoming weeks. Today I’d like to begin by addressing the most popular question of the weekend: Should I keep taking my Activit (or Peak Health) along with Shakeology.

The short answer is yes, but since Shakeology has a lot of vitamins in it already, this requires further explanation.

First off, taking your vitamins with Shakeology will improve their bioavailability. It’s a perfect transport vehicle for most of your supplements. All of them, really, except for creatine, Recovery, and other sports specific supplements. As you’ve probably heard, you don’t get all the nutrients on the label of a vitamin, nor do you get all of the nutrients in the foods you eat. The better your diet is (more balanced, pH-wise, in short) the better it can utilize nutrients in the foods you eat. Shakeology will help with both.

Next we need to address the RDA. It’s important to keep in mind that the RDA for everything is targeted for a subsistence level. An active person needs more, and it can be a lot more. When we try and decide how much more we should use the example of an extreme athlete. When you’re involved in something like the Tour de France, you CAN’T consume enough nutrients in a day to recover from what you’ve done. This is why drugs are used and why doping in sports is such a problem. With this in mind it’s easy to see how someone working construction would have a vastly different RDA than a computer programmer. So you can see how RDAs have little relevance to you, especially if you’re doing something like P90X.

This is why you’ll want to continue to take your vitamins. As you get into better and better shape your nutrient needs continue to grow. The cool thing is that you get to eat more. The downside is that the harder you train the more you’re at risk for overtraining. And the best way to keep from overtraining is to eat well. The more nutrients your calories contain the better you are eating.

There’s an old sports adage that states, “There is no such thing as overtraining. There is only undereating, undersleeping, and failure of will.” With Shakeology as a component of your diet you stand a better chance of checking off, at least, one part of this equation.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve,
For my specific training needs do
you suggest taking pre or post ride?

Lisa Romney said...

He would suggest you drink it all the time... you hungry? Shakeology? You sick? Shakeology. You drunk? Shakeology. I've been drinking it for nearly a year now...

I cannot deny, the berry flavor is good.

Steve Edwards said...

or not sick, though that would be if you're already drinking it. Haven't had a cold since I started drinking it, but I prefer chocolate. Haven't tried it for hangovers but it wouldn't hurt.

I'm not sure it's perfect for pre-ride and, post, something with more sugar and glycogen replenishment oriented would be better. It's got 3 grams of fiber. Not a ton but, as you know, you want to limit it during exercise.

Unknown said...

What kinda burrito is ground up in that thing?

Steve Edwards said...

Cuca's. Super Asada.

Unknown said...

Standard.

Unknown said...

Hey steve! I've been following your blog for a little while now, and I just ordered my shakeology in the mail,and I'm uber excited about it! I'm a beachbody coach, and I wanted to share more info about it on my blog, so I just copy and pasted your article, and of course a link to your page. I hope that's ok. If it's not, just let me know and I'll take it down! :)

Reedster said...

God, I haven't had a Cuca's burrito in the longest time. That sounds so good. Super Veggie with chicken. Yummy. And then a good combination of both the red and green salsa slathered on top for a little extra flavor.

If my wife wasn't ready to pop I'd head up there this weekend for one.

~R

Anonymous said...

She'll be fine. She's a rock.

Anonymous said...

why isn't allowed to buy the product from Canada?.


thanks.

Steve Edwards said...

Canada has different laws but we're good to go. Only not offering it there right now because are our orders are spoken for.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Steve for the answer about shacology. I understand tha law part in CANADA, but whatI don't understand is this,since everything is natural ingridients what will be the problem?.Sorry to reapeat it I'm just trying to understand it better what you are saying.

thanks.

Anonymous said...

Steve, I am currently doing P90X and I am interested in adding Shakeology to my diet. Can you tell me if Shakeology is lactose free? I see that there is milk in the ingredients, but that doesn't always mean there is lactose. I want to get started but I am lactose intolerant and I really would like to know before I buy it. Thanks!

Ben

Steve Edwards said...

Shakeology is lactose free. It's also been cleared for Canada, so it will be available up there during our next run. The current batch is already spoken for in the US.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Steve I really appreciate the info on the lactose.

Ben

Anonymous said...

Steve, are you sure it's lactose free? According to YOUR post on the teambeachbody website (link below), you stated "It does have lactose since it has whey protein." If that was posted by a different Steve Edwards, I apologize.

http://teambeachbody.com/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/message/34346611;jsessionid=ED251AE7B56B871CC49F4AFE2C458E07.node3

Further, the nutritional information says it contains milk ingredients and does not specifically say "lactose-free" despite specifically saying "gluten-free" and "caffeine-free"

I just want to make sure it's lactose free as I am extremely lactose intolerant.

Steve Edwards said...

We've been getting some conflicting information. The lab tested it as "lactose free" but we've changed our stance to say that it has some because there is always lactose associated with whey protein. I think we did this because our lawyers determined that it was safer. While we do have a test that came back with quantities low enough to be considered lactose free (whatever that standard is must be more than zero I guess) we've decided not to claim that any longer. This could be because we don't want to be responsible for that claim as we manufacture to a larger volume. Sorry for this confusion but I have to defer to legal in these cases.

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the info. Quick question for you - How many grams of lactose is found in a serving of Shakeology?

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve

I've been trying Shakeology for 3 weeks, but I've been experiencing sever bloating, gas, and constipation.

I tried changing the times of day and I tried just adding water (instead of Almond or Soya milk)...but nothing has changed.

I really like what this supplement has to offer, but I can't take the bloating, constipation, and gas.

Any suggestions?

Steve Edwards said...

come the the Message Boards and ask that question in the nutrition forum:

http://teambeachbody.com/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/category/19535469;jsessionid=BB015130F02FE4B41E92B6E86AEAEB82.node6

This way we can do some back and forth.

One of the unfortunately situations that we find ourselves in today is that of food allergies. These basically did not exist until we began tampering with natural food. Now because the nutritional balance of processed foods is so out of balance food allergies have become commonplace.

It hard to say if it is an allergy to something in Shakeology or just your body getting used to processing such a nutrient rich food, which is why we'll try some testing with you to find out.

Cut and paste your question and this answer into a forum post and we'll take it from there.

Leeann said...

http://myshakeology.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/downloads/shakeology_faqs.pdf

Lactose:
Because needs vary for each person with lactose-intolerance, it is recommended you check with your doctor first. However, the whey protein in Shakeology is whey protein isolate , which is over 90% pure protein leaving only 10% of the ingredient, or 1.5g, where some lactose can be found. In addition, Shakeology is loaded with digestive enzymes—and Lactase is one of them. Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose and is found in overthe- counter products like Lactaid ®. So, given that Shakeology is made with whey protein isolate and includes Lactase means that it may have a higher likelihood of being acceptable for most people with lactose-intolerance. It’s recommended that someone with lactose-intolerance start with a small dose of Shakeology, monitor their body’s reaction and, if tolerant, slowly build up to a full dose or take a half-dose at two separate times during the day.

Concerning digestion:
Not at all! For some people, experiencing digestive sensitivities is a normal part of the cleansing process. It just means that your body is working hard to eliminate the toxins built up in your system over several years. It will not get
flushed out in one day! Help your body to clean itself out more gently by reducing your dosage to a ½ scoop once a day. Slowly build up to a ½ scoop twice per day as your tolerance increases. You may then work up to one full scoop per day. (Although it is perfectly fine to continue to use Shakeology as 2 small snacks (at a ½ scoop each) throughout your day.) For some people, this process could take as long as three months. Since every body reacts differently, if you continue to experience digestive problems at lower dosages, please consult your doctor.

NorthTexasBB said...

Steve, for the price of shakeology why does Beachbody use sub par ingredients such as cyanocobalamin b12 and Magnesium oxide, both of which are extremely cheap forms and somewhat contradict the whole notion of what shakeology is suppose to stand form when the liver has to strip a cyanide molecule and then reconvert b12 to its more natural state before being usuable.

Steve Edwards said...

From Dr. Wheeler:

The Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) used in Shakeology is the highest quality available. Furthermore, it is of a pharmaceutical grade that exceeds the quality standards set by the US Pharmacopeia. This form of vitamin B12 has a high rate of absorption by the body.

No cyanide is used in the production of cyanocobalamin. In fact, it results from a fermentation process that uses bacteria (Streptomyces grisus). The term "cyano" used in the chemical name (cyanocobalamin) refers to its chemical structure that involves carbon bonded to nitrogen with a triple bond.

At this time, we are evaluating methylcobalamin as an added source of vitamin B12 for Shakeology.

Steve Edwards said...

From Dr. Wheeler:

The Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) used in Shakeology is the highest quality available. Furthermore, it is of a pharmaceutical grade that exceeds the quality standards set by the US Pharmacopeia. This form of vitamin B12 has a high rate of absorption by the body.

No cyanide is used in the production of cyanocobalamin. In fact, it results from a fermentation process that uses bacteria (Streptomyces grisus). The term "cyano" used in the chemical name (cyanocobalamin) refers to its chemical structure that involves carbon bonded to nitrogen with a triple bond.

At this time, we are evaluating methylcobalamin as an added source of vitamin B12 for Shakeology.

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve I wanted to know if you four drink the shakeology and right after the activity pills??