The Ideal Protein Diet Review: Become A Leaner You!

The Ideal Protein Diet Review: Become A Leaner You!

The product Ideal Protein is a series of products for losing weight which includes among other things drinks, meals, snacks and a meal replacement. This is to help the user undergo a lifestyle change, not only shed pounds.

The intention is on high protein and low calories as well as suppressing appetite, which in turn can hopefully teach the users how to keep the weight off once they stop using Ideal Protein products. The 18Shake Diet is one of the best products offered.

The 18Shake Diet combines a metabolism booster with a traditional meal replacement shake. Some users say this can help with lasting results.

One main problem with all Ideal Protein diet products is the company does not list any ingredients or supplement facts on their website (or anywhere else for that matter).

You instead have to photos of the foods that they give you for any insight. Should you find photos of any Ideal Protein products, it is unclear if they are current.

Furthermore, there is no way to determine categorically if the ingredients in the various Ideal Protein products are for your specific needs. All of that said, here are some of the ingredients that we know about in the Ideal Protein chocolate shake:

• Milk Protein Concentrate
• Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali
• Skim Milk
• Whey Protein Isolate
• Natural and Artificial Flavor
• Sugar
• Salt
• Carrageenan
• Sodium Caseinate
• Sea Salt
• Xanthan Gum
• Sucralose
• Acesulfame Potassium
• Silicon Dioxide

Milk Protein Concentrate

You usually make milk protein concentrate from skim milk. It is a type of milk protein that you process, spray dry and then insert as a less expensive form to other proteins.

What is especially noteworthy is milk protein concentrate now comes from outside the United States. The organization Food and Water Watch notes that there is a safety issue with the ingredient.

Comparable dairy ingredients came from China were added to baby formula, but were later found to have contamination issues. Those products has enormous levers of melamine, which can cause liver problems and other issues.

It typically has between 40-90 percent of protein in terms of weight. In one tablespoon of pure milk protein concentrate, there is about five grams of protein.

Whey Protein Isolate

Whey protein isolate is the result of cheese-making and has a wide array of amino acids. It supports lean muscle growth which you can easily digest. When you isolate whey, it has 90 percent protein by weight. This makes it rich in protein and low in fat and lactose.

There are also not very many calories per serving.

Skim Milk

Skim milk, which you can find in everyday grocery stores, is milk that you take the cream out of to have a protein source that is not as fattening.

It is usually around 0.1% in total fat. This ends up in milk that is more watery and not as tasty. Usually this is meant as a way to lower your caloric intake, but it is not really good for weight loss. This is why:

• Fats are satiating. There is no sufficient evidence to show that diets with a moderate fat intake will make you gain weight
• Skim milk does not have as many nutrients as its whole milk and 2 percent milk counterpart

Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali

Cocoa powder with alkali is a type of cocoa bean that is crushed and goes through the alkalization process takes away most of its antioxidants.

Because of cocoa powder with alkali’s natural stimulants, it can produce some side effects which include the following:

• An increase in heart rate
• Restlessness
• Insomnia

Cocoa powder that you process with alkali can also have certain amounts of caffeine. It does not have as many nutrients as regular cocoa powder because of how it is made. The additional caffeine isn’t major, but could present an issue for those with a sensitivity.

Another interesting note is the Ideal Protein manufacturers do not disclose how much caffeine is actually in the product.

Sugar

Sugar is added to foods to give a nice taste. It is inexpensive to add and fairly easy to make.

You can extract sugar from several foods including sugar cane and sugar beet. More often than not sugar goes through a crazy process and then can be used as substitute for healthier sweeteners that do not have as high a glycemic index rating.

Your weight can go up as your insulin rises. Sugar of course has this effect on your body, especially when you incorporate it on a daily basis which seems that several of the Ideal Diet products would necessitate.

Sugar has many side effects, including the following:

• Bigger risk for heart disease
• Bigger risk of obesity due to metabolism problems
• Addiction leading to flu like symptoms and mood swings
• Tooth decay

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is a stabilizer and thickener which you can find in several foods that have been processed. It is an ingredient that comes from seaweed. It is oftentimes extremely processed to be used in food products.

One study from Juntendo University found an increase in using carrageenan resulted in more tumors in what were once healthy rats.

Another study from the Laboratoire de Securite des Aliments found similar results, but also found issues with the rats, rectums and colons. This meant that consumption of carrageenan could result in cancer.

Both studies found results noting that carrageenan could be cancerous, despite not being affiliated. Carrageenan is unnecessary and does not provide any nutrition whatsoever, but instead added as an inexpensive thickener.

Multiple consumer watchdog advocates have called to get rid of carrageenan once and for all.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is a thickener made of bacteria and sugar. You can extract it from several ingredients including corn, soy and wheat. It is very inexpensive to make and can be found in a number of foods.

Unlike carrageenan, xanthan gum is safe in amounts you find in food. Xanthan gum is able to foster viscosity with only a little bit of added liquid. The concentration is 0.5 percent or less.

Xanthan gum is also helpful in preventing the oil separating when wet and dry ingredients get added to a mixture. It is also used for a gluten alternative.

Sucralose

Sucralose is also known as Splenda, its brand name. The sweetener is around 1,000 than its counterpart sucrose.

There are certain side effects when consuming sucralose. The Hachinohe National College of Technology said the sugar supplement can induce damage to your DNA in gastrointestinal organs.

Another study performed by the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental health says sucralose can exert a number of adverse effects. More specifically the study says it alters gut microflora and increases intestinal P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P-450.

The reduction of gut bacteria can damage your immune system. Furthermore P-Glycoprotein is only released when there is a potential toxin causing damage to the body. So from this study, sucralose is treated in a toxic manner.

Sucralose is typically a sugar substitute that is supposedly healthier. The problem is it has some unintended side effects comparable to table sugar.

Acesulfame Potassium

Acesulfame potassium is an artificial sweetener that has zero calories. It is about 200 times sweeter than its counterpart sucrose.

Like most of the other sweeteners previously discussed, studies shown that acesulfame potassium can cause some side effects. For example, a study in the Hormone and Metabolic Research Journal suggested consumption of acesulfame potassium can result in insulin secretion.

Even though the goal is not to affect blood sugar, it does. Another startling study from PLOS learned that acesulfame potassium could potentially affect your cognitive abilities.

Silicon Dioxide 

Silicon dioxide has comparable properties to plastic. It is inserted to the product to help with weaker bones, helping with stroke, and for preventing caking.

Larger doses of silicon dioxide can result in it going through your blood brain barrier. This is likely not healthy. But WebMD notes that it is probably safe in food doses, but unknown in medicines.

It is unclear what the actual amount of silicon dioxide is in the product, so we cannot tell you what your experience will be.

Ideal Protein’s Quality and Price 

You cannot purchase Ideal Protein’s products separately, so you must purchase the whole thing from their diet centers.

It is unclear at first what the Ideal Protein cost actually is, but this is what it tends to be:

• Phase 1: $85 a week (or $500)
• Phase 2: $60 a week (or 120)
• Third Phase: $30 a week ($60)

So you are looking at about $700 for a total of 10 weeks. This averages out to $70 a week.

When looking at photos of Ideal Protein products and learning about the ingredients in one of the products above you can probably deduce that Ideal Protein is of very low quality. There is just not enough for a quality meal replacement.

Ideal Protein Phases

As alluded to above, there are four Ideal Protein phases:

Phase 1 helps determine how much weight you want to lose. This is a more comprehensive approach, but is more expensive. Phase 2 is comparable to the first phase, though it comes with more counseling and coaching.

While it can be helpful to anyone who requires more communication in losing weight, it is not clear if those offering the advice are qualified to do so.

Also as previously mentioned, the ingredients in Ideal Protein are for the most part cheaply processed and thus unnecessarily raises the cost.

Business of Ideal Protein

As of this posting, there are no complaints that are outstanding against Ideal Protein. That said, there is not any information about the company’s customer service. Furthermore, there is not any information on any return or money back policy.

There is however what is known as My Ideal Protein which helps users learn about the company’s products through connecting them with one another. You must be a member, however, to get in. It is also unclear how comprehensive the information on My Ideal Protein is.

There is not much information on the Ideal Protein official website about My Ideal Protein. It is not known if the advice provided on the website is backed by science or just anecdotal.

The Ideal Protein company also asserts that it can teach the following:

• The foods best for keeping a good weight
• How insulin can affect your body weight
• How you can burn off body fat
• The proper combination of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins

This is helpful advice to be sure, but consider the above price of nearly $700 to get it. There is also no certainty that the advice is coming from a trained professional.

In Conclusion

A few takeaways about Ideal Protein:

• Not really sold everywhere
• Very expensive
• Ideal Protein products use cheap and potentially dangerous ingredients
• Lack of information, particularly about their products, on the company’s website

With these things in mind, it would be best to try a different route if you are looking to lose weight and stay away from all things Ideal Protein.

h/t: Women’s Health Mag, Nola.com, Diets In Review