Orgain Organic Nutritional Vegan Protein Shake, Vanilla Bean - 16g Plant Based Protein, Meal Replacement, 21 Vitamins & Minerals, Fruits & Vegetables, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, 11 Fl Oz (Pack of 12)USDA Organic

Orgain Vegan Nutritional Shake is delicious and nutritious. The Sweet Vanilla Bean flavor tastes something like commercial vanilla flavored rice milk, but is a little thicker and sweeter. It's high-protein (16 grams per bottle) from all vegan sources like brown rice and chia seeds. It also contains vitamins and even fruits and vegetables. I think one of the photo views has all the nutritional info, so you can click on it to get a bigger view to see all the info. It really sticks to your ribs and keeps you going for a while between meals. The bottle is very handy; you can drink some and replace the top, and put it in the fridge for later. It's much more convenient than protein powders you have to mix with water yourself.I have a chronic health problem and a recent blood test showed I wasn't getting enough protein. I'm also not supposed to lose any more weight. Since I'm vegetarian and almost never eat eggs, this is a good way to get extra protein and other nutrients. It is sweetened with brown rice syrup and cane juice, so some people with diabetes may not be able to use it. Orgain was developed by a doctor who is a cancer survivor. When he was sick he needed to use those canned nutritional drinks, which not only tasted terrible, they were full of unhealthy ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. Orgain is not inexpensive because of its high quality, but it is worth it to me. Be aware that Orgain also has a non-vegan version made with milk protein and whey protein. It is over 99% lactose-free, but contains considerably more potassium than the vegan version (not good for people with kidney disease). The bottle looks very similar except it's green and white instead of blue and white.Since making this purchase I bought more Orgain from the Orgain company, including one pack of the Chocolate flavor. I agree with the person who wrote the most helpful critical review that the Chocolate flavor doesn't taste very good, but it's not that bad, so I'll drink them up. It just doesn't taste much like chocolate. I'll stick with the Vanilla flavor.UPDATE NOVEMBER 2014: Actually the chocolate tastes OK when chilled. The main reason for this update is the effect I believe Orgain has had on my health. I have chronic kidney disease. The way the kidney function is measured is by a waste product in the blood called creatinine. The higher the number, the worse the kidney function. In April 2013, my creatinine had gone up to 5.34, so my kidney specialist said I needed to prepare for dialysis. I felt OK, but surgery must be done to put a vascular access in your arm, since it takes 3 months for the access to be ready to use. I had the surgery in August 2013. My creatinine was fluctuating up and down; it never got as bad as 5.34 again, but the really big improvement was in August of this year. In May of this year, I was at 4.20, and then in August I was way down to 3.38, which my doctor said was "astonishing." I was not doing anything different in terms of diet, exercise, or nutritional supplements EXCEPT I had started drinking an Orgain shake every day in the middle of July. I've continued to drink it every day. I just had another blood test, and I was down a tenth of a point to 3.28, which again my doctor said was "astonishing" and "amazing." I've never had a dramatic improvement like this before. Of course I can't prove it or make any medical claims, but I think it has to be the Orgain that had made the difference.UPDATE 2016: I still recommend this shake, but with a warning for people who can't resist sweets. These do have sugar (cane juice). The chocolate ones tasted so good, especially when chilled, I got to the point where I was downing four of them a day! My blood glucose went up to 101 which is very high for me; normally it's around 70. I had to give up my beloved Orgain shakes, and my blood glucose went back down to 70.

This was a godsend after I had my daughter, who I was breastfeeding. She had severe CMPA (cow’s milk protein allergy) to the point of major internal inflammation and bleeding from micro tears in her intestines & stomach. It was awful and heartbreaking, and we only discovered what was wrong after a lactation consultant (nursing/breastfeeding specialist) urged us to get her stools checked for blood and to explore the possibility of an allergy. When a child has CMPA like mine did, it can take up to 4 weeks to heal. It’s painful, and the baby has what seems like extreme colic for months. That may be TMI for some, but I share it to give context on how much my diet impacted that of my child. Sure, we could have switched to a prescription formula, but that wouldn’t change the time it took her insides to heal, and it wasn’t the absolute best way to provide her with the nutrition and antibodies I wanted to give her. I was committed to BFing. It was a MAJOR sacrifice and made my life extremely difficult (do you have any idea HOW MUCH milk, whey, casein, and dairy in general there is in our foods, and even some toothpastes?!?!?) Dairy is everywhere so I needed some staples I could really rely on. This was my go-to.I was a dairy-aholic: yogurt, kefir, milk, cheese... so it was a big change. Even eating out is difficult. You have to talk to the chef, explain the allergy and insist everything be prepared separate from all other foods and that they use oil instead of butter. So stressful!When you’re a new mom, and especially if you’re nursing for ~12 hours (on and off) every day/night, you need nutrition and fluids. This shake is not nearly as tasty as its dairy counterpart, but you get used to it. It’s best when really cold. It’s not disgusting; it didn’t make me gag. But, it was bland, sort of like chalky dirty water with a hint of cocoa. While that’s the truth, from my POV, it’s REALLY not unbearable. Also, after a while, you come to enjoy it. It’s like anything else, it’s an acquired taste.Now, as others said, when they changed the ingredients, it did go down a good bit in taste. I’ve had both versions, and the original is way better. But whatever the current option (ingredients) is for you as you read this, if you need a dairy-free and clean nutritious RTD shake, this is your go-to — get the chocolate! I also tried the powder (non-RTD), and this (RTD) is substantially tastier and more convenient; albeit much more expensive. I’m no longer dairy free so I’ve switched to the dairy version, which I love. I’ve tried all flavors and all brands, I think... Net, if you’re not adverse to dairy, get Orgain’s RTD (with dairy) in chocolate. If you’re vegan or dairy-free, get the light blue one (dairy free) in chocolate from Orgain. I spent a crazy amount of time (researching, reading reviews, and testing) and money, and am sharing my experience in the hopes it helps someone else.