Shakes/Bars the good, the bad, the just plain gross

I have been looking to add some weight gain shakes and bars to help with my intake. I have tried Boost in the past, but the taste was so bad it was hard to get down.
And went to the store yesterday and there are so many bars and shake's/powders to choose from!
I was wondering if anyone else had tried some that they liked and would recommend :]

Hi I used Mutant Mass - http://www.mutantmass.net/

.. lots of body builders use it but its fine for anyone trying to gain weight (don't worry about putting on huge amounts of muscle ..its not gonna happen unless you do some serious weight training along with it)

It comes as a powder and you mix it with water or milk, however I found water was much nicer.  You can make it as thick as you like (its actually quite nice thick which also = more cals!)  I used to have 2 scoops and that was about 500 calories and basically tasted like drinking chocolate cake!!

I live for Clif Bars. I like em cause they give you the calories (usually ~250 per bar), they have the fat (~6g) AND they have the protein (my peanut butter one has ~12g). And we're not even talking about the body builders one...

You'll also likely hear lots about Larabars as well, but I find they don't give me nearly as much bang for my buck (they are quite expensive). Thought they are very tasty... but the plus of Larabars is that they're easy to make yourself!

When I've been inpatient, the supplements they usually use are Ensure or Boost Plus, which have 350 calories per 8 oz, protein, etc.  They're not THAT bad.  Personally, I prefer ensure to boost.  I like the vanilla flavor better than chocolate (it's too rich in my opinion).  Sometimes you can kind of change them to make them better.  Like heat up the chocolate ensure to make it like hot chocolate, or add coffee to make a mocha.  You can blend them with other things to make smoothies or milkshakes also (ie add fruit, yogurt, ice cream, flavorings, etc).  Some people like using the vanilla ensure in place of milk, ie in your cereal.

I like luna bars, too.  They have lots of yummy flavors, but they aren't as calorie-dense as other bars or supplements.  They only have 180 calories and they fill you up a lot.

There's also carnation instant breakfast.  It usually comes in like a packet that you add to milk.  On its own, i think it has about 130 calories, but if you mixed it with 1 c whole milk it'd be 270...and it tastes pretty decent.  On their website they have lots of smoothie recipes.

Personally, using food that is energy (calorie) dense is much cheaper and tastes better.  Make your own smoothies/shakes with whole milk or cream, greek yogurt (high protein), fruit, etc.  Trail mix or nuts are good too (typically 170-ish calories per 1/4 c).  Dried fruit is pretty dense as well.  Be creative.  Planning ahead is helpful too.

here in the uk i was given fortisips very similar to the us ensure , they are a good idea as for one it takes the decison away and they are easy to carry around people who i know have added them and took them out when maintaning as a means to measure there weight.

personally though i prefer proper food particuarly since my hunger has come bk i have milkshakes cereals bagels , i prefer these an they are far cheaper

just use whey,try adding 500 cal. pf protien induced food to ur daily diet,on that manner ull be gaining 0.5 pounds every week,but remember eat clean.

gl

Original Post by swimfan93: There's also carnation instant breakfast.  It usually comes in like a packet that you add to milk.  On its own, i think it has about 130 calories, but if you mixed it with 1 c whole milk it'd be 270...and it tastes pretty decent.  On their website they have lots of smoothie recipes.

Personally, using food that is energy (calorie) dense is much cheaper and tastes better.  Make your own smoothies/shakes with whole milk or cream, greek yogurt (high protein), fruit, etc.  Trail mix or nuts are good too (typically 170-ish calories per 1/4 c).  Dried fruit is pretty dense as well.  Be creative.  Planning ahead is helpful too.

 I did pick up some carnation instant breakfast. ill check out there site, i have been in the need for some good recipes.

And thanks everyone!
I got some clif bar's, it was hard to choose because they have so many flavors.
I went with their seasonal pumpkin flavor, and i must say it was delicious!

tessa1223 - I also prefer proper food, but for now shakes and bars are helping me get to where i need to go untill my tummy gets okay with the amount of food im taking in.

Oh, and if anyone has any good smoothie/shake recipes please do share!

I absolutely swear by Eat Natural cereal bars.

Packed full of nuts, seeds, rice, honey, dried fruit - all natural and all very delicious.

At about 200 cals a bar, they are a great thing to have as a snack.

"just use whey,try adding 500 cal. pf protien induced food to ur daily diet,on that manner ull be gaining 0.5 pounds every week,but remember eat clean."

-well, I HAVE heard a lot of good about whey, and I usedit for almost 2 years. Ittasted GREAT!! I would get the Body Fortress brand and mix it w/water or milk...it was good hot OR cold, and came in awesome flavors! HOWEVER, as I know you are regaining from an ED, not gaining mass from weight training DO NOT USE IT. As I said-I used it off and on for two years,and it didnt help me gain an OUNCE. I couldnt figure out why....after researching I found why. There were approx. 52 grams of protein oerserving of the powder. AWESOME, I thought!!! I found though that the body actually cannot metabolize this much protein at once, and it is actually absorbed into your urine, and you pass it straigth through (gross but true). IF you are doingmassive muscle building, you may be able to use it better as your muscle repair is so rapid. I do NOT reccomend it though for your purpose, I wasted a ton of time and money on the stuff.

On another note, I have been put on Ensure the past couple months and have one Ensure PLUS (350 cal) a day since. Since then, I have been gaining more steadily, it really helps get the cals in-not OVERLY filling, and relatively good combo of fat and protein. I use a store brand of it, as it is MUCH cheaper, and the only way I have found it drinkable is to mix it with some good joe and heat-like a mocha! The coffee helps cut the intensity of the taste.

As far as bars-I try to not eat them unless I am on the go or something. I used to LIVE off of them, but now I ealize I want to eat REAL food,food that is NATURAL, NORMAL food!! BUT, occasionally, I do have them when I dont have much time-girl's still gotta eat:) PERSONALLY, I dont tolerate a lot of sugar well, so that pretty much eliminates all the bars on the market for me. MOST all of them are glorified candy bars. Im gonna get slaughtered for this but.........Cliff bars ACTUALLY have about as little nurition as a Snikers bar.....youd be better off eating one of those........Sorry all you Cliff lovers out there-nothing personal:) I DO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Pure Protein bars though! HEAVEN ON EARTH! WOW!! They are about 200 cal, 19 grams of protein WOW, and 1 ram of sugar!!!! They are by FAR the best tasting bar ever! I recomend the marshmellow eclipse or the ultimate chocolate!

I just bought some larabars at Trader Joes for the first time a couple days ago, have yet to try one but they look perfect. They are made of only dried fruit and nuts, with no added sugar so they are both calorie dense and nutritious. Although like izzy says yes they are wayyyy overpriced (i bought them for $1.29 each! aggh!) Perhaps try buying in bulk for bars and things like these?

Also, has anyone found any other bars that don't have any added sugar besides larabars? I noticed Cliffbars and Lunabars have a bunch of sugar added, although they still seem pretty healthy I think. 

here in england there isnt alot to chose from but alpen do some good bars , there are also brunch bars, one of my favourite is nutrigrain elevenses rason bake bars

I really love the Balance Bar Bare ones - Sweet & Salty Almond is my favorite, followed by Sweet & Salty Peanut. I don't like the Trail Mix one. I like them because they're, well, sweet and salty and nutty, but not too sweet. They're sort of crispy and have nuts, but they don't have that odd cement-y texture the normal balance bars have. They're 210 calories each, easy to eat. They're my snack of choice when I just don't want to have a snack but I need to.  The Whole Foods near me sells them for 99c each, and 10% off if you buy a case, so I get them for 89c each which is really pretty cheap.

In terms of the gross, I HATE the pure protein bars. They have sugar alcohols (artificially sweetened) and they taste SO SO bad to me. Ew ew ew. I recommend staying far, far away from them.

I'm not a big fan of luna bars because they're a bit too sweet for me, but I know a lot of people like them, depends on your taste.

Original Post by appletwo:

I really love the Balance Bar Bare ones - Sweet & Salty Almond is my favorite, followed by Sweet & Salty Peanut. I don't like the Trail Mix one. I like them because they're, well, sweet and salty and nutty, but not too sweet. They're sort of crispy and have nuts, but they don't have that odd cement-y texture the normal balance bars have. They're 210 calories each, easy to eat. They're my snack of choice when I just don't want to have a snack but I need to.  The Whole Foods near me sells them for 99c each, and 10% off if you buy a case, so I get them for 89c each which is really pretty cheap.

In terms of the gross, I HATE the pure protein bars. They have sugar alcohols (artificially sweetened) and they taste SO SO bad to me. Ew ew ew. I recommend staying far, far away from them.

Thanks! I'll give balance bars a try.

I had a pure protein bar today and i have to agree that the taste was gross! 

as far as shakes are concerned... i absolutely HATE ensure. i think it might just be from bad memories but ive tried them in smoothies, frozen like a popsical, EVERYTHING and i cant stand them! i finally found carnation instand breakfast. it's just like ensure except it tastes so much better they have like 8 different flavors.... yummmmm, heres to gaining weight..

*Cheers*

Powerhouse Smoothie (550 calories)
-1 c. 2 % milk
-1 c. ice cubes
-1 ripe banana
-1 packet French Vanilla flavor CIB
-1 tsp. honey
-1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Choco-Nana Shake (400 calories)
-1 c. 2% milk
-1 banana
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavor CIB
-1 c. ice cubes
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Chocolate, Banana & Peanut Malted (450 calories)
-1 c. 2% milk
-1 packet Classic Chocolate Malt flavor CIB
-1/2 banana
-1/2 c. ice cubes
-1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Shake (350 calories)
-1 c. 2% milk
-1 c. frozen strawberries
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavorCIB
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Jitterbug (300 calories)
-3/4 c. chocolate milk
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavor CIB
-1 1/2 tsp. Nescafe' Taster's Choice instant coffee granules
-1 c. ice cubes
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Milk Chocolate Shake (500 calories)
-1 c. Edy's vanilla ice cream (grand NOT light haha)
-1/2 c. 2% milk
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavor CIB
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Frozen Mocha Latte (300 calories)
-1 c. 2% milk
-1 c. ice cubes
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavor CIB
-1 tsp. Nescafe' Taster's Choice instant coffee granules
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Crazy Banana (350 calories)
-1/2 c. 2% milk
-1 banana
-1 packet Classic French Vanilla flavor CIB
-1 c. ice cubes
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Jungle Smoothie (400 calories)
-1/2 c. 2% milk
-1/2 c. tropicana strawberry kiwi juice
-1/2 c. cubed frozen mango
-1/4 banana
-1 packet Classic French Vanilla flavor CIB
-1/2 c. ice cubes
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Frozen Neopolitan Swirl (450 calories)
-3/4 c. 2% milk
-1/2 c. edy's neopolitan ice cream (once again, grand NOT light)
-1/2 c. frozen strawberries
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavor CIB
-1 c. ice cubes
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

Caramel Frappuccino (450 calories)
-1/2 c. 2% milk
-1/2 c. Edy's vanilla yogurt blends
-1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate flavor CIB
-1 tbsp hershey's caramel syrup
-2 tsp. Nescafe' Taster's Choice instant coffee granules
(place all ingredients in blender; cover. blend until smooth.)

rchklove - Thank you for posting those recipes! 

I cant wait to try the Jungle smoothie, it sounds so good

Hey I'm also wondering, whats your guys opinion on odwalla bars? They are $1 each at safeway so i bought banana nut, chocolate peanut, sweet and salty almond, and strawberry pomegranate. Sound delicious, but I don't know if they're that healthy or just full of added sugar!

cowcow44, when you are trying to gain weight (which i assume you are, seeing as this IS the weight gain forum) don't worry about added sugars! really, don't worry about any of the nitty gritty details of what you're eating! just focus on getting enough calories and including a balance of protien, carbs, and fat and you'll be fine!

anddd...just because something has added sugars does NOT mean it is unhealthy!

just wanted to throw that out there ;)

good point rchklove, i was just wondering about how "healthy" or not the bars were, although you are definitely right i shouldnt' be worried about that type of stuff too much! Its not like i'm going out and eating a whole stick of butter or something. 

BTW I tried the chocolate chip peanut odwalla bar today, and i thought it was really good! Yummy crunchy and chocolately :)

These are fine for weight gain. Once you get in your nutrient needs with foods like protein/fats/produce etc the extra calories and where they come from are no as important and why treats are ok. For awhile in a past recovery I did a milkshake from Mcdonald or Wendys every day once I got off Ensures and was at a more stable point. I am not a bar or shake fan though I did Ensure and Carnation Breakfasts with whole milk for awhile ip. They had to be real cold,only vanilla and on ice. I don't have a trader joes by me anymore but they have many kinds at an affordable price. For myself I would rather have a bakery muffin then 2 luna bars or what ever but everyone is different

Just wanted to add BearNaked bars to the list of ones you might try.  They are shaped a little differently than the usual-- square and more thin and very tasty--might be sugary, I don't know.  The grocery store cashier noticed the bars and asked if they were like the fruit leathers/fruit strips.  They are not as thin as those and they are nuts and fruit--like a regular bar.  I like Bear Naked cherry and vanilla granola, too. 

Rchklove--thanks for all the CIB recipes.  I like CIB, chocolate.  I buy it in a canister.  1/3 cup mixed with milk.

SSkirt