Product review: PBCo protein shakes

PBCo, formerly known as The Protein Bread Co, specialises on high protein, low carb products. Their PBCo protein shakes are a good alternative to similar powders in the market that contain sugar or artificial ingredients.

PBCo protein shakes

These protein shakes come in three flavours (banana, chocolate and vanilla) in 500g resealable bags, which equals 14.3 servings.

Each serve contains 23g of protein that come from whey protein concentrate. The shakes are gluten free, low carb and contain vitamins and enzymes making them more digestible. They have no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners (they’re sweetened with stevia).

Ingredients

• Banana: Australian whey protein concentrate, vitamin blend (calcium carbonate, whey protein isolate, vitamins C, B3, E, B2, B6, B5, B1, folic acid, vitamins A, B7, B12, D3), natural banana flavour, salt, stevia leaf extract, guar gum, digestive enzymes (protease, lipase, lactase), sunflower lecithin.
• Chocolate: Australian whey protein concentrate, cocoa powder, vitamin blend (calcium carbonate, whey protein isolate, vitamins C, B3, E, B2, B6, B5, B1, folic acid, vitamins A, B7, B12, D3), natural chocolate flavour, salt, guar gum, stevia leaf extract, digestive enzymes (protease, lipase, lactase), sunflower lecithin.
• Vanilla: Australian whey protein concentrate, vitamin blend (calcium carbonate, whey protein isolate, vitamins C, B3, E, B2, B6, B5, B1, folic acid, vitamins A, B7, B12, D3), natural vanilla flavour, salt, guar gum, stevia leaf extract, digestive enzymes (protease, lipase, lactase), sunflower lecithin.

Nutrition information

Nutrient	Banana per serve (35g)	Chocolate per serve (35g)	Vanilla per serve (35g)
Energy (kJ)	524	498	512
Protein (g)	23.9	22	23.4
Fat, total (g)	1.4	1.7	1.4
– saturated (g)	0.8	1.0	0.8
Carbohydrate	3.9	4.0	4.4
– sugars (g)	3.4	3.0	3.3
Dietary fibre (g)	0.0	0.0	0.0
Sodium (mg)	153.0	42.0	52.0

Taste test

I took advantage of a sale on the website an bought all three flavours. We’ve been having them post-workouts on days when our next meal is a few hour away. They’re easy to mix and digest, at least in our experience. We liked all the flavours with a slight preference to vanilla followed by chocolate. I like the fact that they’re not too sweet and enjoy the touch of salt in them.

Summary and recommendations

PBCo protein shakes are a good alternative to other similar products in the market that may be high in sugar, contain artificial ingredients or protein powders that are hard to digest. However, it’s always good to remember that most of your dietary intake should come from food. For example, you can use these shakes after exercise if you won’t be having a meal in the next few hours, if you are very active and need extra calories or if you have an injury that prevents you from consuming solid food.

More information

For more information about these shakes and other PBCo products, head to their website.

You can also check out my review of PBCo protein pizza bases.

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