Post Published on October 29, 2013.
Last Updated on April 29, 2016 by davemackey.
I’m eagerly awaiting the release of Soylent…but it seems likely that it will be sometime later in Q1 2014 before I’ll get my hands on it. In the meantime I’ve been drinking a good bit of Ensure. It is a nice, easy way to get some caloric and nutritional content without a lot of work. How good is it for me? Hmmm…I’m not sure.
I recently saw they had a “Complete” product which is supposed to provide support for muscles, heart, immune system, and bones…but it is significantly more expensive. You can buy a six pack of Ensure for around $9-$10, a four pack of Ensure Complete runs around the same. So which should I buy? I decided to do a side-by-side comparison – and since I’m doing it, I might as well share it with you.
| Product: | Ensure | Ensure Complete |
| Calories: | 250 | 350 |
| Fat Calories: | 50 | 100 |
| Total Fat: | 6 g | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 5 mg | 5 mg |
| Sodium | 200 mg | 240 mg |
| Potassium | 370 mg | 560 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g | 51 g |
| Sugars | 23 g | 20 g |
| Protein | 9 g | 13 g |
| Vitamin A | 25% | 25% |
| Iron | 25% | 25% |
| Vitamin K | 25% | 25% |
| Niacin | 25% | 25% |
| Vitamin B12 | 25% | 25% |
| Phosphorus | 25% | 35% |
| Zinc | 25% | 25% |
| Manganese | 60% | 60% |
| Chloride | 8% | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 50% | 60% |
| Vitamin D | 25% | 40% |
| Thiamin | 25% | 25% |
| Vitamin B6 | 25% | 25% |
| Biotin | 25% | 25% |
| Iodine | 25% | 25% |
| Selenium | 25% | 30% |
| Chromium | 25% | 25% |
| Choline | 15% | 15% |
| Calcium | 30% | 35% |
| Vitamin E | 25% | 30% |
| Riboflavin | 25% | 25% |
| Folate | 25% | 25% |
| Pantothenic Acid | 25% | 25% |
| Magnesium | 25% | 25% |
| Copper | 25% | 25% |
| Molybdenum | 50% | 60% |
| Amino Acid Metabolite HMB | No | Yes |
| Omega 3’s | No | 650 mg ALA |
| Probiotics | No | Yes |
Based on this analysis, I think I’ll stick with the regular nutritional shakes. I wouldn’t mind the Amino Acid Metabolite HMB, Omega 3’s, or Probiotics…but I can get these from other sources. Everything else seems fairly minor or something I don’t necessarily want (e.g. extra calories)…and the lower price of the regular shake makes more financial sense.
Any thoughts? Do you use nutritional drinks? If so, what kind and how frequently? I’d say I use them on average once a day – though sometimes twice…and of course, there are the odd days where I don’t use them at all.