Buying things off the internet can be a minefield. Clothing doesn’t look the same as it did in the pictures, homewares turn out to be that little bit cheaper looking than you’d hoped – and with foodie bits (like the Nutribuddy Shake Complete thing that I’ll get to in a minute) you’ve got the added fear that if you don’t like it, you probably can’t even send it back.

Not so long ago, I spent more money than I care to remember on a different, well-known meal shakey thing, thinking it would solve my problem of always getting up too late for a proper breakfast, or being too busy for a decent lunch. It was vile, and put me right off the whole concept. But then earlier this month, the team at Nutribuddy* got in touch and offered to hook me up with a free trial of their vegan-friendly ‘Nutribuddy Shake Complete’. And it turns out, meal-shake-things can be really good. Result!

Before we get too far into this I will mention two things:

1. I’m not just being nice about this product because they gifted it to me. Nutribuddy Shake Complete might not be a name that rolls off the tongue, but it’s freakin tasty. More on that later.
2. This post does contain affiliate links, which I’m sticking stars next to so you don’t think I’m trying to slip them past you. Click ’em if you decide you’d like to try this stuff for yourself!

Who the heck are Nutribuddy?

Nutribuddy* make vegan food products like breakfast shakes, instant chia and coconut porridge, nutrient boosters and other good stuff. They put a big emphasis on being more eco-friendly and sustainable than other brands in the same industry, and as well as using glass or cardboard packaging which can be reused and recycled, Nutribuddy also sell reusable stainless steel bottles, and steer clear of palm oil in their products.

Aside from enjoying the girl power aspect of Nutribuddy, which was founded a few years ago by a 19 year-old woman who was fed up of brands claiming to be healthy or eco when they weren’t, I’m also enamoured by their ‘Happiness Guarantee‘. If you try the Nutribuddy Shake Complete for yourself and decide you don’t love it as much as I have, you’ve got 31 days to send the product back even after opening and using it, to switch it out for something else.

Nutribuddy Shake Complete: First Impressions

If you’re going to tell me there’s something that’s 100% vegan and cruelty-free, which constitutes a nutritionally-balanced meal, and which I can make in under a minute as I’m running out the door to work / leaping between meetings, obviously I am going to be intrigued.

Add to that some more virtue points like also being organic, preservative-free and sugar-free, then wrap it all up in reusable, recyclable packaging and make it taste like vanilla… and we’re really onto a winner. Oh, and it’s gluten-free too!

(FYI, ingredients = Gluten-Free Oats, Coconut Nectar Sugar, Rice Protein, Ground Flaxseeds, Pea Protein, Desiccated Coconut, Hemp Protein, Chia Seeds, Natural Flavourings, Pink Himalayan Rock Salt, Wild Blueberry Powder)

The cardboard tube the Shake Complete comes in has a simple design featuring Instagram-friendly rose gold colouring. All-in-all, as far as what the product promised to be and the vibe I got when I was unpacking it, first impressions were darn good.

Super Speedy Eating: Success

The only way the Nutribuddy Shake Complete could be easier to consume is if they just went ahead and sent you a giant vat of pre-mixed milkshakes. But that would be impractical. Instead, chuck four scoops of the shake mix into 400ml of soy/coconut/almond milk, shake the hell out of it and voila: you have yourself a seriously speedy meal.

If you get one of the Nutribuddy* shakers, don’t worry about measuring your dairy-free milk out either – just pour it in up to the T on the side of the bottle. Simple. Some people make these shakes in a blender, but if you’ve ever bought a protein shake powder or something similar and already have one of those shaker bottles with the little metal dooberywhatsit in it, you’re set.  (Is it a whisk ball? Is that it’s name? Someone must know.)

Some days I’ve made these for breakfast, either to guzzle before I leave the house, slurp on the way to work or to shake up once I’m at the office. They’re also great at lunch whether you’re busy or not – less time spent waiting for the work microwave to be free and more time to do whatever you’d rather be doing on your lunch hour! (Or if you work in hospitality, your lunch five minutes.)

Flavour and Texture

This particular vegan meal shake just comes in vanilla flavour for now, but a darn good vanilla flavour it is too. I’ve mostly been making it with soy milk, but did also try it with coconut milk which is rad if you’ve got a sweet tooth.

There are very faint hints of blueberry in there, and overall I’m really impressed with how tasty these shakes are. They’re also not sandy and gritty like protein shakes can be (these are nutritionally-balanced meal replacement shakes rather than protein shakes), but the oats and seeds do mean these don’t have a totally smooth texture.

In terms of mouthfeel, I’d say if you like juice with bits in and similar things, you’ll be more than happy with the feel of the Nutribuddy Shake Complete. I don’t even typically like ‘bitty’ drinks, but these are genuinely tasty enough that if you’re like me, you’ll look forward to drinking them rather than thinking “eugh, need to drink that health thing again”.

Feeling like a healthy human

The serving size of these shakes is just right, enough to leave you feeling full without feeling over-full or bloated. As you might imagine, they also give you a bit more energy than either not eating breakfast because you’ve run out of time, or shoving a couple of slices of toast in your face in a hurry.

There are loads of vitamins and minerals in the Shake Complete, and I do think I had more energy in the mornings as a result of bringing them into my routine. On the days I ate them for lunch, they prevented me entering an afternoon food-induced haze as I sometimes do after grabbing whatever processed thing-to-go is nearby.

Overall, I’m a big fan and whereas there are other meal shakes I’ve actively told people to avoid, it’s an honest thumbs-up from me for the Nutribuddy Shake Complete.

If you’d like to give them a spin yourself, head on over to the Nutribuddy website* where you can find out more about the brand, their Happiness Guarantee and all the other products they sell.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
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For more inspiration on feeling good without much effort, check out “Meditation tips for the easily distracted” and “5 Easy-to-adopt wellness habits“.