Vega is a household name when it comes to vegan protein products. Brendan Brazier, a professional tri-athlete, wanted to create a clean plant-based shake product to help him perform better without compromising taste or nutrition. He partnered with Charles Chang, and together they created their first nutrition shake. Since Vega’s inception in 2001, the company has expanded their product line to powders and bars that provide pre-workout, mid-workout, post-workout options, plus products for everyday on-the-go nutrition.
Today we’re looking at the Vega All-In-One Nutritional Shake, that you can find on Amazon here. This shake is one of Vega’s original products that has been reformulated and repackaged a few times throughout the years. The All-In-One shake is available in two sized tubs that provide either 11 or 22 scoops in each. The shake powder comes in eight flavors, yes eight! You can find Vega All-In-One Shake in Mixed Berry, Chocolate, Coconut Almond, French Vanilla, Mocha, Natural, Natural Unsweetened, and Vanilla Chai (all on Amazon of course). My husband doesn’t like chocolate (something I still don’t understand), so I opted to try the Mixed Berry. The All-In-One shake aims to provide everything you would want in one scoop. We’ll take a closer look at what that means in the nutrition section but first, let’s talk about the taste.
Taste Experience – Score: 6 to 7 out of 10
Vega All-In-One Shake can be mixed into water, stirred into a non-dairy beverage, baked into a recipe, or blended in a shake. I’ve tried the mixed berry in water, in almond milk, and in a smoothie which I’ll briefly talk about each experience.
The shake powder smells like dehydrated berries with a sprinkling of dehydrated vegetables. It has a faint smell and certainly more pleasant than some of the other powders I’ve tried. First, I’m trying it in water and it takes a while to mix it up evenly without any chunks. I tried both room temperature water and cold water and the Vega shake powder mixed more evenly in the room temperature water. This is my least favorite way to consume it as the grit from the powder is significantly noticeable in plain water. The taste is pleasant, slightly fruity without being overly sweet and slightly like grassy greens without being bitter. One full size scoop takes too long to mix evenly for me, so I experimented with ½ scoop to reduce the grit of the Vega powder.
Second, I mixed it into unsweetened almond milk. This tastes better than water since the almond milk provides a creamy base that the Vega All-In-One Shake complements well. It’s like berries and cream but with an after note of spinach, broccoli, and spirulina. It has less of an aftertaste than when mixed with water and goes down smoother. The powder can still be gritty in some gulps, so I again compared a full scoop to a half scoop with much tastier results in a half scoop. One full scoop is 1.5oz and no matter how much liquid you add, that’s a significant amount of powder being stirred into a liquid and it’s going to have some grit.
The last way I tried Vega All-In-One Mixed Berry Shake was blended with one scoop Vega protein powder, one cup frozen berry blend, one banana, one cup of almond milk, one juiced lemon, and four ice cubes. Adding real berries into the smoothie helped bring out the berry flavor of the protein powder. The juiced lemon is my smoothie hack. It cuts through any bitterness and adds a refreshing pop.
After trying Vega All-In-One Shake all three ways, the smoothie variation was the most filling (not surprising with all the fruit). All three variations settled in my stomach well. An unsettled stomach can happen with some protein bars and powders. Vega didn’t do that at all.
I should also mention that I’m giving Vega All-In-One Mixed Berry shake a variable rating because I feel like the All-In-One powder tastes depends on how it’s prepared. The powder blends into smoothies well but isn’t as smooth when mixed into unsweetened almond milk or water. I strongly recommend it to be blended into a smoothie. You can get all of the Vega protein powders on Amazon by clicking on this link.
Nutrition – Score: 10 out of 10
If I could arbitrarily create a nutrition label for a protein powder to also serve as a potential meal replacement, Vega All-In-One Shake powder would be it. I feel like as vegans and plant-based eaters, we’re starting to move past the “protein” concept. There’s more to life than protein. There’s also more to life than masking low-cost ingredients with artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. Vega understands both of these concepts and when you look at the All-In-One Shake, it’s comprised of real, whole foods with substantial protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
There are 150 calories in one scoop of Vega All-In-One Shake with only 45 of those calories coming from fat. This tells me that there is a significant amount of other macronutrients (protein and carbohydrates) providing the calories. The vegan protein powder has 20 grams of protein and only 11 grams of total carbohydrate. That’s a significant amount of protein; we’re talking about the equivalent amount of protein as in of three ounces of meat. The protein source in the shake is primarily pea protein but also includes flaxseed, hemp protein, and sacha inchi protein. You may not be familiar with sacha inchi protein. Sacha Inchi is a complete plant-based protein, containing all 8 essential amino acids that our bodies cannot create. This rainforest super seed is 60% protein by weight—higher than many nuts and seeds. These protein sources help create a nutrient and protein dense powder.
Vega All-In-One Shake powder contains six grams of fiber per scoop from wholesome dried foods like broccoli, spinach, carrot, beets, tomatoes, kale, and mushrooms. The product is nutrient dense from the protein and vegetables, but you’ll also find dried fruits that add a significant amount of flavor and micronutrients. In one scoop of Vega All-In-One, there’s over 50% of more than 12 vitamins and minerals (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Biotin, and Pantothenate). These micronutrients have several roles in the body from maintaining healthy vision to keeping our hearts happy to repairing damaged muscle fibers. The micronutrients are not added from an isolated form but rather from the whole foods Vega uses. This means you’re getting the whole food nutrition from one scoop of powder.
Macro and micronutrients are powerful and important to our nutrition landscape but Vega All-In-One Shake goes above and beyond by including shelf stable probiotics. In one scoop, you’ll find over one billion CFUs bacillus coagulans to promote our digestion and immune system. One scoop of the protein powder also contains 1.5 grams of ALA Omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed. ALA are plant-based sources of essential fatty acids that promote heart health and reduce inflammation.
Vega All-In-One has no sugar added. This makes it a great choice for anyone trying to reduce their added sugar intake (which should be most if not all of us). This is also great if you are trying to lose weight or watch your blood sugar levels as the powder does not have empty calories from sugar and sweeteners. The product is also gluten free and soy free aside from being vegan, making it a great choice for anyone with soy or gluten sensitivities and allergies. If you’re ready to give it a go, check out Vega All-In-One on Amazon here.
The Non-Vegan Review – 9 out 10
Holy miss Molly! Protein shakes have come a long way since my muscle beach days. I used to get those nasty vanilla whey protein shakes from GNC and they were nearly impossible to stomach. This mixed berry Vega shake is awesome. Yeah, my carrot slaying wife is right, it’s a bit gritty in plain water, but who really drinks these with plain water. Add this to some almond or soy milk and you have a delicious protein bomb. Man oh man, I can feel my biceps swelling just looking at this stuff. Hold up, let me throw a pose down. That’s right girl, I know you want these pecs. Yeeaah. And, you get probiotics and a ton of fiber. Get your protein on, and tackle your IBS and regularity issues, all-in-one (see what I did there?). I’m telling you, this Vega powder stuff is the unicorn of protein powders. Get ya sum on Amazon now! Omnivore husband out.
Parting Thoughts
If you’re new to vegan products or looking to add more plant-based protein into your diet without a lot of additives, Vega One All-In-One Shake is a great option. The gluten free, soy free shake powder is made with wholesome foods and without added sugars, colors, or artificial anything. The Mixed Berry flavor is fantastically light and fruity without being overly sweet. It has a refreshing flavor profile, unlike anything else on the market. The Vega All-In-One shake delivers a lot of nutrition and taste in only one scoop, making it convenient and versatile. If you’re thinking about buying any of the Vega products, please consider buying them through my Amazon links. Just click here and help a fellow vegan out. Gracias!