Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
UNJURY is a proud sponsor of the Bariatric Foodie Pledge and is offering an exclusive Pledge discount! From January 26 – March 2 when you purchase $25+ on UNJURY products on their website you’ll receive a FREE Discover Success Product Sample bundle (more details on that at the end of this post). Just use code UNJURYCARES at checkout! (This code is one time use and not valid on subscription orders. Note – you do not need to be a new customer to enjoy this offer!)
This moment has been a long time coming. UNJURY has been around longer than I’ve been a post-op and I’ve always had a great deal of respect for their products. But for some reason (don’t ask me why) we have never worked together before. So color me THRILLED that not only can I finally put an UNJURY review on my website but they are sponsoring the Bariatric Foodie Pledge to boot?
It’s like Christmas. A month after Christmas.
Since they are a first time sponsor for the 2020 Pledge, let’s put them through all the customary Foodie product review paces.
UNJURY: What the hell is it?
UNJURY is a product of ProSynthesis Laboratories which is owned by a guy named Jerome Krachenfels. After speaking to Jerome at length I can tell you one thing about him for sure: he really, really, really, really, REALLY cares about quality protein.
Like…I didn’t even know there were as many factors to protein quality as there are until I met this man! Since meeting him, I’ve become much more discerning of my protein choices. (Although, I’m not going to lie…much like in my regular food life, I still like a few sub-optimal choices, despite knowing better.)
So you might be asking yourself: What is there to consider, Nikki? I’m glad you asked. I’m not going to fully answer that question because anytime I try to wade too deep in the science pool I almost drown and I get a stern talking to from the lifeguard. (Sidenote: Name ONE person who can carry an analogy as far as I can! I dare you. I’ll wait…)
But I will say this. There’s more to protein than whether it is whey or soy or another kind. And there’s more to it than it being isolate or concentrate. In getting to know the owner of UNJURY I learned that where your protein is sourced from matters. I learned that how it is processed matters. (And especially when it comes to proteins used for medical conditions, versus just weight loss versus, muscle gain.) And I learned that quality control matters.
UNJURY takes these things pretty seriously and, as a result, doesn’t have 8 million flavors and kinds of protein. Instead, they focus really hard on making a small collection of really, really, really high quality protein. And I really appreciate that about them!
Take a moment to learn more about this company by visiting their website!
UNJURY Ready-to-Drink Protein: What the hell is it?
You all know what ready-to-drink protein is. It’s protein that comes already mixed up for you, flavor and all!
UNJURY offers ready-to-drink protein in two flavors: vanilla and chocolate.
Now I know what you are saying. Because in the age of the Premier Proteins of the world, that seems like a limited collection. But again, I will remind you that UNJURY focuses in on making really good quality protein. So I forgive them for not having 57 flavors!
The Stats
Both the ready-to-drink offerings have the same stats:
- 110 calories
- 1.5 grams of fat
- 180mg sodium
- 2g carbs
- 2g sugars
- 20g protein
These protein drinks do contain sucralose (the base ingredient in Splenda) and contain grade A milk protein isolate, a protein derived from cow’s milk. Without going into too much detail (because I will mess this up) all protein sources have a rating of how absorbable they are called the protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). It goes from 0 – 100 with 100 being the most absorbable forms of protein. UNJURY’s ready-to-drink protein drinks have a PDCAAS score of 100.
(By the way, PDCAAS is a fascinating subject and a measure you can use to figure out what proteins are really best for you. It also helps explain why things like pork rinds – which list a good deal of protein per serving – are actually not great protein sources. I found this really good article that breaks it down in language that even I understood!)
The Aesthetics
If you’re new to my product reviews, this simply means “how did the product look?” From the packaging to the actual product itself, let’s examine.
The UNJURY ready-to-drink proteins come in a cardboard container that is 8.5 fluid ounces. It has a twist top and each container is sealed. The containers are shelf stable, which means you don’t have to keep it refrigerated (although it’s probably a good idea to do so if you like to consume your protein cold!) The containers also have good, at-a-glance information on the front of the container with a full nutritional panel on the back.
I’ll speak more about the mouthfeel of the protein in a minute, but I did want to say that the drink is not thin but also not overly thick. It’s a nice “in the middle” consistency, sort of like a Yoohoo or Nesquick. Each offering smelled true-to-flavor.
The flavor and mouthfeel
Here’s what I look for in a good standard chocolate and vanilla ready-to-drink shake:
- No clumps! Now clumps can happen if you are using ready-to-drink protein that is nearing its expiration date but, barring that, it should not be clumpy.
- For chocolate: a nice, distinguishable chocolate taste. Sometimes chocolate ready-to-drink proteins can have a bit of a washed-out flavor. I don’t expect “super chocolate” unless it says something like “Double Chocolate.” For regular chocolate, I just expect the cocoa flavor to show up to the party.
- For vanilla: I want the vanilla taste to be true. I don’t know about you but I can tell the difference between real vanilla and fake vanilla taste and aroma. I don’t like them!
UNJURY passed my test on both fronts. The chocolate lives up to its name of Rich Chocolate. It is rich, sweet but not too sweet, and I can both smell and taste chocolate. The mouthfeel is a lot like chocolate milk, which is nice and when you drink it cold it’s just a nice treat. (I’ll talk more about what I actually do with these in a moment.)
The vanilla was the same. It didn’t have a fake smell but, most importantly for me, it didn’t smell or taste like cake batter! (Many so-called vanilla proteins do and I don’t like that.) It tasted like, again, a sweet but not too sweet drink with a discernible vanilla flavor. The texture of the vanilla is the same as the chocolate.
As you can see from these photos, my go-to way to use UNJURY ready-to-drink protein is as creamer for iced coffee! I use the chocolate to make an iced mocha and the vanilla the same way I’d use regular creamer. It’s a great way to get protein into a beverage that I already love and allows me to have a treat that’s beneficial.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’m not new to this product! I’ve been drinking them for years so I am familiar with this flavor. But I hope I’ve described them in a way that you can relate to.
The Price & Value
So this is where I think UNJURY shines. It’s really good protein that does not cost a lot of money! Whether or not you look at this product as simply a protein supplement/snack or a meal replacement (which would be a call your dietitian should make) the price on UNJURY is fantastic.
- 1 “bottle” of UNJURY is $1.95
- A case of 12 is $20.95
Check out both the Rich Chocolate and the Vanilla for yourself on their website. There’s also a Starter Pack on their website that has one of each flavor for the price of one!
If you are new to my reviews, I always evaluate protein products on a metric I call “price per protein gram.” Literally that’s the cost divided by the # of grams of protein. It’s a unit measure I personally use to compare the value of different products of different sizes.
For the single bottle of UNJURY, you are paying $0.09 per protein gram. For the case of 12 that cost goes down to $0.08 (FYI, the cost per bottle in the case is $1.74 compared to $1.95 if you order individually.)
I don’t care how you look at it, that’s a damn good price!
The Verdict
I’m already an UNJURY customer. But I thought it might be helpful to know exactly how I use this protein. I do drink it straight from the container (and I like to keep one in my purse for on-the go…except in the summer when keeping anything food-related in my purse can get dicey!) but my most common use of it is as a “creamer” for iced coffee.
UNJURY warns you not to heat their protein past a certain temperature. Some proteins are made for heating and some are not. UNJURY is up-front about the fact that it is not. So if you add it to coffee, just make sure it isn’t piping hot coffee. But I’m more of an iced coffee drinker so I don’t have to worry about that AND instead of adding a bunch of cream (which doesn’t give me much back in the way of nutrition) I add some UNJURY (usually vanilla) and enjoy a nice, cool coffee drink. I’ve also used it as the base from protein pudding and that worked well!
And that is what works for me! I like the emphasis of quality and how RABID the owner is about maintaining that quality. And I love that the company was founded for folks who need protein for medical reasons (like us!).
I’d say if you are looking for a tasty protein, that isn’t too busy, that is going to be protein your body can absorb and use, give UNJURY a try!
And now is a great time to do it. From January 26 – March 2 enjoy when you purchase $25+ on UNJURY products you’ll receive a FREE Discover Success Product Sample Bundle (worth $20) that contains the ready-to-drink shakes, protein bars, and meal replacement protein powder packets. Just use code UNJURYCARES at checkout!
Visit their website to browse and shop!
