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Comparison of Energy Diet with a gainer

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2017-07-16

All articles by the author ➤

Hello everyone. The main goal of this article is to convey to the reader the idea that Energy Diet, while being a decent product, is nothing more than a high-protein gainer (or low-protein protein) at a price inflated by 3-4 times.

But someone might ask: don't gainers use for weight gain? How is it that people lose weight on Energy Diet (and they really do lose weight)? Well, the serving of this product is 30 grams. In one serving, there are about 100 kcal. If mixed with milk, the calorie content of the ready dish will be around 200 kcal. Meanwhile, an average girl weighing 60 kg eats about 500 kcal (or even 400) in one meal with three meals a day. So, when you consume Energy Diet, you get 2 to 2.5 times fewer calories than if you just ate normally. That's why people are losing weight. Now, let's move on.

In this article, I will compare the composition and price of two lines of Energy Diet (namely: Smart and the standard line) with high-protein gainers. One gainer is the most expensive Russian gainer. The other is one of the most popular foreign ones. Specifically:

All prices are current as of summer 2017. All compositions are taken from the official websites of the manufacturers. Let's go!

Energy Diet Smart "Latte" per 100 grams: kcal: 377 protein: 48 fats: 5 carbohydrates: 15 fiber: 13.3 price per 1 kg: 4900 r (450g can costs 2200) +23 vitamins and minerals in small dosages	Energy Diet "Vanilla" per 100 grams: kcal: 376 protein: 37.2 fats: 9.1 carbohydrates: 33 fiber: 6.5 price per 1 kg: 4900 r (450g can costs 2200) +23 vitamins and minerals in small dosages
Mass Gainer from Dobromil Fit per 100 grams: kcal: 359 protein: 38 fats: 1 carbohydrates: 51 fiber: 0 price per 1 kg: 1100 r (1500g can costs 1700)	MHP: Up Your Mass per 100 grams: kcal: 386 protein: 35 fats: 8.5 carbohydrates: 45 fiber: 0 price per 1 kg: 1400 r (2270g can costs 3200) +17 vitamins and minerals in small dosages

What do we see from this comparison? Let's analyze it.

Energy Diet Smart is essentially a fairly low-protein protein (with protein being slightly less than half), where the amount of fiber is almost equal to that of carbohydrates. The protein sources include whey, milk, and soy. However, the exact amount of soy protein (the cheapest option) is not specified by the manufacturer. To be fair, almost no one indicates this. Note: the official website http://nlstar.com specifies the composition for 30 grams, so I translated everything to 100 grams.

What is the purpose of fiber (dietary fiber)? Firstly, it reduces the production cost of the product. Secondly, it makes it less calorie-dense. After all, Energy Diet was primarily created for those who want to lose weight. Speaking of calories, if you add up the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, you get 303 kcal. However, the official website states 377 kcal (95 kcal in 30g). Where did the extra 74 kcal come from?

There are also 23 vitamins and minerals included. However, the dosages are quite insignificant. I don't think such dosages can have any noticeable effect. Rather, this is more of a marketing gimmick. Interestingly, it is also quite common nowadays for sports nutrition manufacturers to fortify their gainers and proteins with vitamins and minerals.

Energy Diet Cocktail is already essentially a high-protein gainer. The amount of protein and carbohydrates is roughly equal. Fiber content is 6%. The protein sources are the same: soy, whey, and milk. The specific amounts of each protein type are, once again, not specified, but roughly the calorie content aligns.

Regarding carbohydrates, the manufacturer states that both fast (dextrose/glucose) and slow ones are included. This is very good. However, it does not specify exactly which slow carbohydrates are present and in what quantities.

Mass Gainer from Dobromil Fit is an excellent high-protein gainer. Yes, it does not contain vitamins and minerals, but there are 38g of protein per 100 grams. Moreover, all the protein is milk and egg-based. No soy. After all, soy protein has no significant advantages over whey or casein. You can compare for yourself.

MHP: Up Your Mass – all the protein also consists of whey and casein. No creatine, but there are 17 vitamins and minerals, with dosages roughly comparable to those of Energy Diet.

Price – it is easy to calculate that the cost of Energy Diet per kg is 3.5 to 4 times higher than that of even the most expensive gainers (4900 r per kg). What components in these products drive their prices so high? None! It’s the same: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber. Moreover, fiber and soy protein should, in fact, make the product cheaper. Yet we see the opposite picture.

Conclusions

I do not aim to bash Energy Diet. Despite everything mentioned above, their products are indeed decent. All their “flaws” are common to many other manufacturers. However, I think this article clearly demonstrates that their products are not unique and essentially replicate the compositions of high-protein gainers or affordable proteins.

Energy Diet simply positions its products as food for ordinary people, not athletes. However, there is no substantial difference between them. Yes, there are more flavors suitable for regular food (omelets, etc.). There are small amounts of vitamins and minerals. But believe me, this is no reason to pay four times more. By purchasing a good high-protein gainer, you will (if you drink 30 grams in the same manner) get the same effect as from Energy Diet. Good luck to everyone!