18 Shake vs Ideal Protein: Is There Any Legit Difference?

Diets are everyone's go-to if they want to stay healthy, lower their body weight or maintain that hot summer body. Because of this, companies promoting different kinds of diets pop up almost everywhere you look. There are some who offer exercise programs, food plans, workout equipment, pills or shakes. It seems as though many people gravitate towards the idea of drinking shakes to achieve their ideal body weight.

There are plenty of weight-loss shakes on the market, all of them claiming to help you lose weight efficiently. The question of "which shake is the best?" often pops up. As of late, 18 Shake and Ideal Protein are two of the biggest names in the diet shake industry.

If you’ve ever wondered which between the two is the better choice, then this article is for you! We'll go through the ingredients, effects, and side-effects of both shakes and find out which one is better.

What is 18 Shake?

18 Shake is one of the best meal-replacement shakes on the market as of today. It was rated as The Best Diet Shake of 2017! It claims to be made only from natural ingredients, high protein and quality fiber that helps with appetite suppression. Not only that, it claims to increase energy and promote efficient weight loss!

18 Shake claims to have no preservatives, zero artificial additives or colors. Its company has such faith in their product that they offer a 30-day full money back guarantee if it doesn't work. It comes in two flavors, namely: chocolate and vanilla.

What is Ideal Protein?

Ideal Protein is another weight loss brand that offers a variety of meal-replacement food products. They often come in the form of drinks, puddings, meals, snacks and more. However, all are recommended to be taken with a diet plan and exercise.

The company claims that if you use their whole product line-up, you will achieve optimal weight-loss results. The reason for this is because they have a complete lineup of fulfilling food that will replace your meals. These help in suppressing your appetite while still providing necessary nutrients.

The company's goal is to give people an idea for long-term diet solutions even after they've stopped taking their products.

18Shake Ingredients and Side Effects

18 Shake contains the Duo Protein Complex, which is a mixture of Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Concentrate. These types of proteins are extracted from cheese making process. They are easy-to-digest and contain essential amino acids that are important when using meal replacements. Whey is said to be healthier than most types of protein. It is absorbed quickly and helps increase muscle protein synthesis.

The consumption of whey keeps your lean muscle growth stable. When exercising, you lose fat and develop muscle. However, the development can be slow and tedious. Whey can definitely expedite muscle build-up.

Whey is also known to help reduce deficiencies that occur during aging. It is also helpful in providing nutrients for people suffering from diabetes and other conditions.

18 Shake also has Digestive Resistant Maltodextrin, which is a flavorless soluble fiber that helps with digestion. How does it do this, you ask? Well, it helps regulate acid-base range for the intestines to digest properly.

Digestive Resistant Maltodextrin also helps against gas and bloating. Aside from this, it helps create a stronger immune system and even improve your mood!

The chocolate version of 18 Shake also contains natural cocoa. Natural cocoa is a fermented extract of the cacao bean often used in the making of chocolate bars. It is high in calcium and potassium!

18 Shake uses stevia extract to sweeten their shakes. Stevia is a sugar substitute that has virtually no effect on blood sugar levels. This makes it a much more effective and healthy alternative to sucrose, fructose, and other artificial sugars. Thus, it is attractive to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.

Stevia has 150 times the sweetness of sugar. It is heat-resistant, pH stable and non-fermentable. In 1991, stevia was banned in the United States after early studies claimed it might be carcinogenic. However, FDA's recent studies about stevia disprove this.

In 2011, the European Union approved stevia additives. In Japan, stevia has been used as a sweetener for decades.

Ideal Protein Ingredients and Side Effects

Ideal Protein puts milk protein concentrate in their products. This type of protein is made from skimmed milk. This is often used as a cheaper substitute to other protein sources. This protein largely imports from different countries. Because of this, the Food and Water Watch organization states it is quite hard to keep track of. Hence, there is a lack of safety of imported milk protein concentrates.

Ideal Protein has an ingredient similar to 18 Shake which is Whey Protein Isolate. As we've discussed previously, this is a type of protein that came from the making process of cheese. It has benefits in muscle building.

Skimmed Milk is also an ingredient in Ideal Protein's line of products. This type of milk does not have cream and therefore has the lowest fattening protein source. Skimmed milk often contains fat as low as 0.1%. However, the taste of skimmed milk is similar to that of watered down milk which makes it less appetizing.

Cocoa Powder processed with Alkali is often used for chocolate flavored Ideal Protein Products. Because of the different process used for the cacao bean, its antioxidant effect is lessened. This type of processed cocoa powder contains high levels of caffeine, reducing vitamins and minerals for it to be preserved better. This may also cause unwanted side-effects such as rapid heart rate, insomnia, and restlessness.

Ideal Protein simply uses sugar as their sweetener. Unfortunately, this can lead to a gain in body weight, especially when taken daily. Sugar can also leave you feeling unfulfilled and have you crave for more food.

Carrageenan is also present in Ideal Protein products. This is a thickener and stabilizer used in many processed foods. It is made from heavily processed seaweed. A study from Juntendo University revealed that carrageenan is carcinogenic.

Xanthan Gum is yet another thickener Ideal Protein uses in their products. This thickener is a mixture of sugar and bacteria. It can be extracted from many natural sources such as corn, wheat, and soy. It is very low-cost to produce and is present in many kinds of foods.

Ideal Protein has an artificial sweetener in their products called sucralose or most commonly known as Splenda. This particular sweetener is about 1,000 times sweeter than sucrose and can lead to negative side effects. One of these side-effects is an induced DNA damage in gastrointestinal organs.

Ideal Protein's products contain silicone dioxide, which is a mineral that shares similar qualities to plastic. Often used to treat weak bones and stroke, it is often used as an active ingredient to prevent caking. While it is safe for food consumption, in high amounts, it could be dangerous. Therefore, consumption of silicone dioxide without knowing its total amount is worrying.

The Difference Between the Quality of Ingredients

Reviewing the ingredients list of both products, it is clear that 18 Shake has been focusing on selecting the best ingredients that provide optimal results. Despite some of these products being rather expensive, you can rest assured that they will work. Not only that, the health benefits of 18 Shake's products are through the roof!

On the other hand, Ideal Protein's ingredients seem to be mostly imported from China. While this greatly reduces the price of their products, the health benefits, and side-effects remain rather questionable.

The Price Difference of 18 Shake and Ideal Protein

One package of 18 Shake is $59.99. Multiple purchases of their products will allow you to get huge discounts. Aside from this, their company offers a 30-day full money-back guarantee if the product does not work for you.

Ideal Protein sells their products in 3 phases:

Their first phase is sold for $85.00 a week. The whole first phase will cost you roughly around $500.

The second phase is around $60.00 for a week. The second phase will then cost you roughly $120.

For the third phase, you will have to pay $30.00 per week. For the entire third phase, you will be paying $60.00.

All in all, you will be paying $700 for 10 weeks; or $70 a week!

Final Verdict

Many customers seem to complain about the taste and texture of Ideal Protein products. To top it off, the ingredients in their products seems rather questionable. These ingredients also seem to have negative side-effects for long-term use.

We can clearly see that the winner is 18 Shake! Not only does it provide healthy and natural ingredients, it also tastes good! Aside from this, its health benefits are through the roof and there are almost no side-effects.