United Dairy Farmer’s protein shakes – sounds delicious and healthy. But are they truly a “healthy” alternative to the traditional malt?  In this blog we will discuss calories, carbs, protein, as well as give an opinion on taste.

First things first, there are about a dozen different varieties of protein shakes to choose from at UDF.  They have everything from traditional chocolate and vanilla to peanut butter and cappuccino.  All have around 28 grams of protein which is more than a traditional malt at UDF.  We were told by a worker that the higher protein content was due to the ice cream they specifically use for the protein shakes; ice cream which has a higher cream content.

Ok – so what about calories and carbohydrates of these versus the traditional malts? When we looked up this information, we were surprised to find that for the chocolate version (the one we tried) the calories and carbs (sugar) were HIGHER in the protein shake as compared to the traditional malt.

Now on to taste.  We found the chocolate protein shake tasted like a Wendy’s chocolate frosty.  This was not a bad thing, but we prefer the traditional malt shake taste more. Essentially it makes it a toss up on taste, all dependent on personal preference.

When it comes to what is healthier, we base our opinion on the fact that we are always looking for options that support weight loss and weight management goals. Thus, based on the nutrition content, the UDF protein shakes would not be a good option for someone focusing on either of these goals. It would be better to treat on a traditional malt than be deceived into thinking consuming more protein in a shake makes it healthy.