I got my mass shipment of Tropical Shakeology this weekend (a couple bags for myself and a few boxes for samples). I have spent the past few days trying a few different recipes, making several batches with ingredients varying from plain water to the full-throttle fruit smoothie.
With the Tropical, it’s tempting to throw a bunch of fruits and juices in with it to really have an amazing taste, but that also adds a lot of calories, so while taste matters, so does meeting your nutritional goals for the day. That’s why I believe it’s important to not only come up with a recipe that suits your taste buds, but more importantly helps you meet your daily goals.
After some initial trials, what are my opinions on the new Tropical Strawberry flavor? I’d say it’s good, but not my favorite.
I still LOVE my chocolate, and the recipe I use for my chocolate is simply perfect for my goals (I use 1 scoop chocolate shakeology, 1 scoop chocolate whey, and 1 tablespoon of PB2 with water and ice and get an amazing tasting shake with 256 cals).
I can definitely get an equally yummy Tropical shake, but it requires adding vanilla whey, a banana, blueberries, some orange juice, and ice – BAM! It tastes amazing, but it also packs a whole lot more cals and carbs than my chocolate recipe.
I will most likely keep using my usual Chocolate Reeses Shakeology every day, but once or twice a week I will do a Tropical shake for some variety. I will most likely do just a scoop of Tropical, a scoop of vanilla whey, ice, and water. It tastes fine that way, but not totally delicious. With just the Tropical Shakeology and water, you’ll get a slight chalky taste but it’s nice and smooth, without a grainy texture like I’m used to from plant based protein drinks.
As for specifics about the flavor, I must preface by saying that I find it rather miraculous that Beachbody’s experts can take 70+ superfood ingredients — many of which have pungent, harsh tastes — and create a shake with no artificial flavoring that tastes remotely decent at all. That in itself is pretty amazing.
With that said, I have rather fallen in love with Chocolate, so Tropical had it’s work cut out for me to win me over. And it came up a little short in the taste department. It tastes good, don’t get me wrong. It has a strawberry, tropical flavor. But it also has a bit of a chalky taste to it. I’m not surprised though. Like I said, this isn’t designed with just taste in mind. It’s designed to be the best nutrition we can put in our bodies. If it can be made to taste good, that’s a bonus. And it definitely tastes good.
Beachbody has created the perfect shake for those on a strict vegan diet or for those with any allergies to whey or dairy. Tropical allows someone to benefit from the nutritional superiority of the ingredients in Shakeology with a completely vegan, completely natural shake. I am a big believer in the benefits of the sprouted brown rice protein they use in the Tropical. I can’t wait until they transition their full line of Shakeology to this new protein.
When used in an all-out fruit and juice smoothie, I’ve got to say the new Tropical flavor totally rocks! If you have it in your calorie budget for a big, high calorie, healthy fruit shake, this is the ticket. But if you are on a fat shredder diet and want to keep your shake simple, don’t expect the flavor of Tropical to be the best thing you’ve ever tried.
It does mix well with water, and if I were taking a packet of Shakeology and a bottle of plain water with me for a Shakeology on the run, I’d rather have Tropical mixed in water than my usual Chocolate, which doesn’t mix too well in plain water.
But when I’m at home with my blender, I’ll be reaching for the Chocolate more often than the Tropical. And since I’m not doing strict vegan anymore, the fact that the Chocolate has whey in it isn’t a deterrent to me. Although I won’t mind when BB ends up switching Chocolate to vegan at a later date (which is in the works). What can I say, I’m a chocolate lover at heart :-)
I am very glad to have options though, because I never liked the Greenberry. Anytime I drank Greenberry, I was trying to mask the taste with fruit and juice. With Tropical, the natural taste is already good. No “masking” necessary — just accentuating.
I’m putting new links on the Shakeology sample request form for the option “Tropical”, so if you want a sample, just fill out the form (be sure you put your MAILING ADDRESS, and be sure that I’m your coach). I’ll send them out to those who request them, while supplies last (if I get more requests than I have samples to send, I’ll give preference to those on my team who already order Shakeology monthly).
I hope this review, from my humble perspective, helps you decide which flavor best suits your tastes and goals. I try to be as candid as possible anytime I review any supplement or product.
For those of you who have tried the Tropical already, I’m interested what your take is. Do you like it better than Chocolate? What recipes are your favorite?
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
