Products

What is ZMA Plus by IO Genix?

IO Genix ZMA Plus is an evening capsule that pairs the classic ZMA base with two sleep-related ingredients. One capsule provides 15 mg of zinc, 200 mg of magnesium, 2 mg of vitamin B6, 500 mg of L-tryptophan and 1.9 mg of melatonin. The bottle holds 60 capsules, which is two months at one a day.

The initials ZMA originally stand for a simple combination: zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6. It has been sold in bodybuilding circles for decades, with standardised doses and clear European claims. The "Plus" version adds melatonin and tryptophan, which shifts the product from recovery towards sleep.

The real active ingredient in this formula is melatonin. The 1.9 mg per capsule are not there for show: it is the only ingredient in the bottle whose effect on falling asleep is recognised at European level, and it is also what dictates the precautions set out on this page. The rest of the Spanish brand's range can be browsed in our IO Genix section, and the other products in the category in our ZMA section.

What is in one ZMA Plus capsule?

The 1.9 mg of melatonin are worth pausing on, because that figure is not chosen at random. In France, a melatonin-based food supplement remains within the food category as long as it does not exceed 2 mg per daily intake; beyond that, it becomes a medicine. This dose therefore sits just under the limit, and it comfortably exceeds the 1 mg threshold that unlocks the authorised claim: melatonin contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep. A second claim exists and is also met: melatonin contributes to the alleviation of subjective feelings of jet lag.

The three minerals and vitamins in the ZMA base each carry authorised claims, and we stick to the official wordings. Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood, to normal protein synthesis and to the normal function of the immune system. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to the normal functioning of the nervous system. Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity and to normal protein metabolism.

One honest reservation about the magnesium, because it is worth knowing before you buy: the form used here is the oxide. It is the least well absorbed of the magnesiums on the market, the one that offers the most magnesium per gram but the least magnesium actually taken up. It is also the most likely to have a laxative effect. If magnesium is your main goal, this is not the right product: take a look instead at our magnesium section, where the bisglycinate and citrate forms are better tolerated.

L-tryptophan, at 500 mg, is an essential amino acid that acts as a precursor to serotonin and then to melatonin. No claim is authorised in Europe for tryptophan, and that should be said rather than left to be assumed: its presence in the formula follows a logic of composition, not a demonstrated effect at this dose.

Ingredients list

L-tryptophan, magnesium oxide, bulking agent (microcrystalline cellulose), zinc picolinate, anti-caking agent (magnesium stearate), melatonin, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride). Capsule shell: GELATINE and colouring. No added sugar, no sweetener, no preservative, no lactose.

May contain traces of GLUTEN, EGGS, MILK, FISH and SOYA.

How should ZMA Plus be taken?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime, on an empty stomach or at least two hours after the last meal. Frequency: one intake a day, in the evening only. Duration: a 6 to 8 week course, then one to two weeks off.

The instruction to take it away from meals is not a nicety. Tryptophan is an amino acid, and it uses the same transporter as several other amino acids to cross the barrier between the blood and the brain. Taken in the middle of a protein-rich meal, it ends up competing with them and no longer gets through. Two hours after dinner, the way is clear.

The 30 to 60 minute window before bed corresponds to the time melatonin needs to be absorbed and take effect. Taking it as you get into bed delays the effect by just as much. Conversely, taking it far too early can send you to sleep in front of the television.

Do not drive or operate machinery after taking this capsule. The manufacturer says so, and rightly: melatonin causes drowsiness, which is precisely what it is there for. Residual drowsiness on waking is possible in some people; if it happens, bring the time of intake forward rather than reducing the dose, as the capsule cannot be split.

The one to two week break after six to eight weeks of use is good practice, and above all it has the merit of forcing you to check whether the product is still of any use to you. Avoid caffeine in the six hours beforehand: it is probably the most effective lever on this whole page, and it is free. A dark, cool bedroom does the rest. For a different approach to the same subject, our GABA section is built on another molecule.

Who is ZMA Plus for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult who takes a long time to fall asleep, who is dealing with jet lag, or whose training schedule disrupts their sleep pattern.

It is strictly contraindicated for anyone on antidepressant treatment, because of the known interaction between L-tryptophan and those medicines. The manufacturer prints this in capitals on the packaging, and it is the most important warning attached to this product. It is also not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, nor for children and adolescents.

The French national agency for food safety also recommends caution with melatonin for people with inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, epilepsy or asthma, as well as for those on any drug treatment. In all these cases, the question should be put to a doctor before buying. Never combine this capsule with another source of melatonin or tryptophan: the doses add up.

The capsule shell is made of gelatine: the product is suitable for neither vegetarians nor vegans.

What you should not expect from it. Melatonin reduces the time taken to fall asleep — it does not extend the night and it does not prevent waking during it. It does not treat chronic insomnia: if you have not been sleeping for months, it is a doctor you need to see, not a supplement. And ZMA does not build muscle: zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels, which means avoiding a drop caused by a deficiency, not raising a level that is already normal.

ZMA Plus or melatonin on its own?

A common question in the shop, and the answer depends on exactly what you are looking for.

Melatonin on its own does one thing and does it well: it reduces the time taken to fall asleep, from 1 mg upwards. It comes in various doses, as sublingual tablets or as drops, often for a modest budget, and it brings nothing else. If your only problem is taking too long to drop off, that is the most direct choice and our melatonin section answers it.

ZMA Plus makes sense when you wanted a ZMA anyway. An athlete already taking zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6 in the evening gains by bringing it all together in one capsule rather than swallowing three. In that case the melatonin comes on top of a routine that is already in place, and the product is fully justified.

When is neither the answer? If magnesium is your priority. The oxide used here is poorly absorbed, and 200 mg cover only 53 % of the reference value. A dedicated magnesium, in a better form, will give you more. Likewise, if it is zinc alone that interests you, a dedicated product costs less and can be taken at any hour, without causing drowsiness.

Frequently asked questions

How much melatonin per capsule?

1.9 mg, just under the 2 mg threshold above which melatonin is no longer classed as a food supplement in France. That is almost double the 1 mg threshold that gives entitlement to the claim about reducing the time taken to fall asleep, and it is a straightforward dose for this type of product.

Why take it away from meals?

Because of the tryptophan. This amino acid uses the same transporter as other amino acids to reach the brain; taken during a protein meal, it ends up competing with them. The manufacturer therefore asks for it to be taken on an empty stomach or at least two hours after dinner.

Can it be taken with an antidepressant?

No. This is a strict contraindication printed on the packaging, linked to the interaction between L-tryptophan and those treatments. If you are on antidepressant treatment, do not take this product and talk to your doctor about your sleep.

Does it cause drowsiness the next morning?

It is possible in some people, and the manufacturer flags it. If it happens to you, bring the time of intake forward rather than trying to cut the capsule, which cannot be split. Do not drive or operate machinery after the evening dose.

Is magnesium in oxide form a good choice?

It is the least well absorbed form on the market and the most likely to have a laxative effect. It is acceptable here because magnesium is not the formula's main active. If your goal is a magnesium intake, choose a dedicated product in bisglycinate or citrate form.

Does this product increase testosterone?

No. The authorised claim for zinc is that it contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood. Maintaining is not increasing: zinc prevents a drop caused by an insufficient intake, it does not raise a level that is already normal in someone who is not short of it.

Can it be taken every night without a break?

The manufacturer provides for 6 to 8 week courses followed by one to two weeks off. Beyond that, and especially if the difficulty falling asleep persists after several courses, the right move is not to carry on indefinitely but to speak to a doctor about it.

Where can you buy ZMA Plus by IO Genix?

The 60-capsule bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. In the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the first question we ask about this product concerns current medication: the contraindication with antidepressants is real and many customers are unaware of it. The second concerns the afternoon coffee, which accounts for a good deal of insomnia. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection, and B vitamin intakes in our vitamin B section.

What is The Curse by JNX Sports?

JNX Sports The Curse is a powdered pre-workout, to be mixed with water before your session. A 5 g serving delivers 155 mg of anhydrous caffeine, for under 5 kcal. The 250 g tub holds 50 servings, which makes it one of the longest-lasting formats in the category.

The Curse is a long-standing formula, on the market since the early 2010s, and it has kept the same positioning throughout: a very small scoop, 5 g, where most current pre-workouts sit somewhere between 10 and 15 g. Alongside the caffeine you will find CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, creatine monohydrate, L-citrulline, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate and an olive leaf extract.

The flavours in the range: Lemon, Lemon Rush, Peach, Peach Mango, Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry and Green Apple. The composition is identical across all of them, only the flavouring and the colouring change. The other formulas in the category can be browsed in our boosters selection.

What does a serving of The Curse contain?

155 mg of caffeine is the equivalent of two espressos. That is a measured dose for a pre-workout, and it counts in the product's favour: plenty of products in this category climb to 300 or 350 mg per serving, which becomes a genuine problem as soon as you train late in the day or already drink coffee. Here you stay below the 200 mg benchmark set for a single intake in a healthy adult.

The downside, and it needs saying plainly: apart from the caffeine, no dosage is published. Beta-alanine, creatine, citrulline and arginine are bundled into blends for which only the trade name is disclosed. There is no way, then, to know whether the beta-alanine comes close to the 3.2 g usually cited, or whether the creatine even reaches a gram. Given the size of the scoop — 5 g in total, of which 155 mg is caffeine — the arithmetic is quickly done: those four ingredients share less than 5 g between them, flavourings and sweeteners included. They are therefore present in amounts well below the reference dosages, and it would be dishonest to let you believe otherwise.

Put another way: this product is first and foremost a sensibly dosed stimulant, with a token supporting cast. That is not a flaw in itself, provided you buy it for what it is. If you want creatine at a useful dose, that means 3 to 5 g a day and it is taken separately, from our creatine monohydrate category. If citrulline is what interests you, reckon on 6 g per serving, which on its own is more than the entire scoop.

On the regulatory side, there is nothing to claim: no health claim is authorised in Europe for caffeine, beta-alanine, creatine at this dose, citrulline or arginine. We describe ingredients and the one published figure, never a promised effect.

Ingredients list

Beta-alanine (CarnoSyn®), creatine monohydrate, L-citrulline, citric acid, natural and artificial flavourings, L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, anhydrous caffeine, calcium silicate, silicon dioxide, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, olive leaf extract, colours depending on the flavour.

Gluten-free formula, manufactured in the United States. Produced in a facility that also handles peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, crustaceans, fish and soya: traces are possible.

How do you take The Curse?

Serving: 1 scoop of 5 g. Liquid: 150 to 250 ml of cold water. Timing: 20 to 30 minutes before training. Frequency: one serving a day, and no more than 5 consecutive days out of 7. Duration: the manufacturer sets no cycle length, but does impose this 5-days-in-7 pattern.

One scoop, and one only. You will read elsewhere that you can go up to two or three scoops: we do not advise it and we will not repeat it. Two scoops is 310 mg of caffeine; three is 465 mg, more than the 400 mg daily benchmark set for an adult, swallowed in one go. The manufacturer itself recommends assessing your tolerance with a single scoop: stick to that.

The 5-days-in-7 rule deserves to be respected. It is not folklore: tolerance to caffeine builds quickly, and two days off a week are enough to preserve the effect. It is also a simple way of not turning a training-day product into a daily habit.

No evening servings. 155 mg of caffeine at 19:00 is still active at bedtime. If you train late, our caffeine-free booster category suits your situation better, and you will keep your night's sleep.

Finally, expect possible tingling on the skin after taking it: that is the beta-alanine, the sensation is temporary and harmless. And do not combine it with any other source of caffeine on the same day — coffee, an energy can or a stimulant fat burner all add up.

Who is The Curse for, and who is it not for?

It suits a trained adult looking for a straightforward pre-workout, sensibly dosed in caffeine without excess, who has no wish to pay the price of a fifteen-ingredient formula. The ratio between the number of servings and the size of the tub is its strongest argument: 50 sessions in 250 g lasts a long time.

It is not suitable for under-18s, nor for pregnant or breastfeeding women. The manufacturer formally advises against it in cases of caffeine sensitivity or cardiovascular disorders. If you are on medical treatment — particularly for high blood pressure or a heart condition — a doctor's opinion is required before purchase, and the product must not be combined with any other stimulant.

Mind the allergen traces. The formula is gluten-free, but the facility handles peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, crustaceans, fish and soya. In cases of severe allergy this point is decisive, and it is rarely highlighted on product pages in this category.

What you should not expect from it. Do not count on this product for your creatine intake or for a pronounced vascular effect: the amounts involved are too small. A pre-workout does not make you progress, does not make up for a lack of sleep and does not replace a properly built programme. What it gives you is perceived energy at the moment you start — and on that front, at 155 mg, it does exactly what it says.

The Curse or a fully disclosed pre-workout?

That is the real choice in this category today, and it pits two philosophies against each other.

A fully disclosed pre-workout states every line: 6 g of citrulline, 3.2 g of beta-alanine, 200 mg of caffeine. You know what you are paying for and you can compare two products line by line. In return, the scoop is bigger — often 12 to 20 g — and the tub lasts far less time. Our creatine-free pre-workout category and our citrulline selection show you what stated dosages look like.

The Curse plays the other card: small serving, contained price, 50 sessions in a tub. For someone who simply wants a lift before the session without getting into label comparisons, it is a defensible choice and an honest one about its caffeine level.

The most rational solution is often to separate the two: a simple stimulant on one side, and your actives at a useful dose on the other. A beta-alanine is taken every day, rest days included, which a pre-workout does not allow; and an L-arginine or a seriously dosed citrulline will do more for the feeling of a pump than any undisclosed blend.

Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine per serving?

155 mg for a 5 g scoop, roughly two espressos. That is a moderate dose for this category and it stays below the 200 mg benchmark set for a single intake in an adult. One serving a day only, and no other source of caffeine alongside it.

Can you take two or three scoops?

We formally advise against it. Two scoops amount to 310 mg of caffeine and three to 465 mg, more than the 400 mg daily benchmark in a single intake. The manufacturer itself recommends sticking to one scoop to assess your tolerance. Stick to that.

Are the dosages of the other ingredients known?

No. Only the caffeine carries a figure; the beta-alanine, creatine, citrulline and arginine are bundled into blends that are not broken down. The whole scoop weighs only 5 g, flavourings and sweeteners included: these ingredients are therefore present well below the reference dosages.

How many servings in a tub?

Fifty 5 g servings in the 250 g tub. At four training sessions a week, that comes to around three months. It is one of the best ratios in the category on this specific point, most competitors offering 20 to 30 servings per tub.

Why not go beyond 5 days out of 7?

Because tolerance to caffeine builds quickly and the same dose ends up producing nothing at all. Two days off a week are enough to preserve the effect. It is the manufacturer that sets this rule, and it is consistent with what we know about this molecule.

Which flavours are available?

Lemon, Lemon Rush, Peach, Peach Mango, Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry and Green Apple. The composition is identical across all of them; only the flavouring and the colouring change. The scoop is mixed into 150 to 250 ml of cold water depending on how concentrated you want it.

Does the product contain gluten?

No, the formula is declared gluten-free by the manufacturer. It is, however, produced in a facility that handles peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, crustaceans, fish and soya: traces are possible, which matters in cases of severe allergy.

Where can you buy The Curse by JNX Sports?

The 250 g tub can be ordered from this page in the available flavours, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the pre-workout we recommend to anyone who finds recent formulas too heavily loaded with caffeine: 155 mg is reasonable, and the tub lasts a whole season. We simply remind you never to double the scoop. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition category.

What is JNX Sports The Ripper?

The Ripper is a powder to be mixed with water from the fat burners category, sold in a tub and dosed at 5 g per serving. It comes as a fruity drink to be made up in the morning, rather than a capsule to swallow. That is a genuine practical difference: you drink 180 to 250 ml of flavoured water, which often replaces the wake-up coffee.

Its formula is built around two blends named by the manufacturer. The first, Extreme Muscle Fuel Blend, weighs 2,500 mg and brings together beta-alanine, guarana extract, raspberry ketones and anhydrous caffeine. The second, Ripper Shred Matrix, weighs 1,450 mg and gathers taurine, acetyl L-carnitine, green coffee extract, green tea extract, cinnamon bark extract and olive leaf extract standardised to 40% oleuropein. To these are added vitamin C, vitamin B5, vitamin B12 and chromium picolinate.

The flavours listed: Blue Raspberry, Lime, Pineapple, Red Grape, Watermelon, Fruit Punch, Raspberry Lemonade and Peach Mango. The product belongs to our fat burner powder and weight loss sections.

What does a 5 g serving contain?

This table has to be read for what it is. Only one active ingredient in this formula is quantified individually: caffeine, at 200 mg per serving. Everything else is published as a proprietary blend — you know the total weight of the two blends and the list of what they contain, but not the breakdown. It is therefore impossible to know how much beta-alanine, carnitine or green tea extract you are actually taking. That is the manufacturer's right, it is also the product's limitation, and we would rather write it down than work around it.

The same goes for the vitamins and the chromium: their amounts do not appear in the labelling data available to us. Yet a nutrition or health claim can only be used if the product provides at least 15% of the nutrient reference value per serving. Without figures, that threshold cannot be checked, and we will therefore make no claim for the vitamin C, the B5, the B12 or the chromium in this formula.

That leaves the figure that really counts. 200 mg of caffeine is the equivalent of two to three espressos in a single glass. That is a straightforward dose, at the level of a full pre-workout, and it is what you will feel. For reference, EFSA considers that a single intake of 200 mg and a total of 400 mg per day raise no safety concern in healthy adults. You are exactly at the single-intake limit — hence the importance of what follows.

Finally, 10 kcal per serving and 1 g of carbohydrate: the drink is nutritionally neutral. It does not break a fast in the caloric sense of the term and slots into a calorie-restricted diet without a second thought.

How should The Ripper be taken?

Dose: 5 g, i.e. one scoop. Liquid: 180 to 250 ml of well-chilled water. Timing: 15 to 30 minutes before breakfast, or 30 to 45 minutes before the session. Frequency: 1 serving per day, 2 at most for regular users, the second 5 to 6 hours after the first and never after 16:00. Duration: cycles of 60 days at most, followed by 2 to 4 weeks off. The tub covers 30 days at one serving per day.

Start with a single serving for two days, long enough to gauge your tolerance. This is not a token precaution: with 200 mg of caffeine in one go, a body unused to it may react with trembling, a racing heart or nausea. If that happens to you, half a scoop will do perfectly well, and you will lose nothing.

Use well-chilled water: it dissolves better and the taste is markedly more pleasant. Start at 180 ml and go up to 250 ml if the flavour seems too concentrated to you. Drink immediately after making it up.

The 16:00 rule is not negotiable. Caffeine has a half-life of several hours: a serving taken at 17:00 is still working at midnight, and degraded sleep largely cancels out whatever you hoped to gain during the day. Finally, drink enough water throughout the day, and do not combine this product with a caffeinated pre-workout booster: you would double the dose without noticing.

Who is The Ripper for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at healthy adults over 18, used to stimulants, and running a calorie deficit. Outside that framework, it serves no purpose.

The manufacturer does not advise it for pregnant and breastfeeding women, nor in cases of high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, psychological disorders, or liver or kidney disorders. It also states that it should not be combined with alcohol or with other stimulants. These statements are not a matter of style: at 200 mg of caffeine per serving, they exist for a reason.

Two expected effects, worth knowing about before they take you by surprise. Beta-alanine causes passing skin tingling — paraesthesia — on the face, the neck or the forearms. It is unpleasant the first time, harmless, and it fades. Caffeine, for its part, can cause nervousness, restlessness and insomnia, especially if you add coffee on top during the same day.

As for allergens, none is an ingredient, but the product is made in a facility that handles PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, MILK, EGG, WHEAT, CRUSTACEANS, FISH and SOYA. In the event of a severe allergy to any of them, refrain.

What you should not expect from it, and this is the most important paragraph on this page: this product does not make you lose weight. "Fat burner" is a commercial category name, not a promise of an effect, and no weight-loss claim is authorised for the ingredients in this formula. What caffeine does is make you more alert and more inclined to train. The rest — the calorie deficit — is your work, and without it this tub will be of no use at all.

The Ripper or a caffeine-free burner?

That is the real decision in this category, and it does not depend on the formula but on your day. The question to ask yourself is simple: how much caffeine do you already consume, and at what time do you train?

A product from our caffeine-free fat burner section is the better choice in three very common cases. If you already drink three or four coffees during the day — add them up, you will be surprised by the total. If you train in the evening, because no adjustment of timing will make 200 mg of caffeine compatible with a 20:00 session. And if you are simply sensitive: palpitations, clammy hands, anxiety. In those situations the stimulant-free option is objectively better, and we would rather tell you so than sell you this one.

The Ripper keeps two clear advantages. The drink format first: 5 g in a large glass of cold water is more pleasant than a handful of capsules and it contributes to morning hydration. Then the straightforward caffeine dose: if you are looking for a kick before a fasted session, 200 mg does the job without needing a pre-workout on top. If you would still rather have the capsule format, the whole capsule burners section answers the same intention.

Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in one serving, and can two be taken?

200 mg per 5 g serving. Two servings come to 400 mg, the daily total that EFSA considers to raise no safety concern in healthy adults — but on condition that you drink nothing else caffeinated alongside. The manufacturer caps it at two servings per day, the second 5 to 6 hours after the first and never after 16:00.

Why are the ingredient doses not stated?

Because the manufacturer publishes them as proprietary blends: 2,500 mg for the first, 1,450 mg for the second, without detailing the share of each ingredient. Only the caffeine is quantified separately. You therefore cannot compare item by item with a product that does set out its own amounts.

Where does the tingling after taking it come from?

From the beta-alanine. It is a known effect, called paraesthesia: a pins-and-needles sensation on the face, the neck or the arms, appearing 15 to 20 minutes after taking it and lasting half an hour. It is harmless and it lessens with habit. Taking the serving with a little food often eases the sensation.

Can it be taken on an empty stomach in the morning?

Yes, that is the way of using it chosen by the manufacturer: 15 to 30 minutes before breakfast. At 10 kcal, the drink weighs nothing. Just be aware that 200 mg of caffeine on an empty stomach hits harder and sometimes sits less well — if you feel nauseous, take it after a few mouthfuls.

Can it be combined with a pre-workout?

No, not on the same day and above all not a few hours apart. Most pre-workouts contain 150 to 300 mg of caffeine; by combining them, you would go well beyond the 400 mg daily figure. Choose one or the other. The same care applies to a tea, a soft drink or a coffee taken straight afterwards.

How long does a tub last, and should a break be taken?

The manufacturer states 30 days of daily use per tub, at one serving per day. It recommends cycles of 60 days at most followed by 2 to 4 weeks off. That break has a real point: tolerance to caffeine sets in quickly, and it is stopping that resets it, not raising the dose.

Does this product cause weight loss on its own?

No. No weight-loss claim is authorised for these ingredients, and we will make none. What causes fat loss is a calorie deficit held over time. A stimulant can help you train when motivation is lacking — that is a helping hand, not a mechanism.

Where can I buy JNX Sports The Ripper?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe.

This is exactly the kind of product where a two-minute conversation prevents a bad purchase. At our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the first question asked is never "which flavour?" but "how many coffees a day, and at what time do you train?". Depending on the answer, we point you either to this tub or to a stimulant-free version. The full section can be browsed in our sports nutrition.

What is this 700 ml shaker with a mixing grid?

It is a BPA-free plastic sports shaker with a 700 ml capacity, fitted with a removable mixing grid and an airtight screw-on lid. It has a double opening: a wide neck for pouring in powder and a drinking spout for drinking without unscrewing it. Grey and black colourway, screen-printed logo.

On paper, every shaker looks the same. In practice, three details separate the one you keep for two years from the one that ends up at the back of a cupboard: how well the lid seals, the mixing system, and how easy it is to clean. This model addresses all three, and that is the yardstick to judge it by rather than its looks.

The 700 ml size is not incidental either. Entry-level shakers often top out at 500 or 600 ml, which is enough for one scoop of powder but not two, nor for a carbohydrate powder that needs a lot of water. Other items in the same family can be found in our accessories section.

What is this shaker worth day to day?

The 700 ml serves a specific purpose, and it is worth doing the sums. One scoop of protein is prepared in 250 to 300 ml. Two scoops in a row, for someone taking 50 g of powder, need 500 to 600 ml: that works here, and it does not in a 500 ml bottle. And a carbohydrate powder such as waxy maize calls for 500 to 700 ml for a single serving — without a shaker of this size, you have to split it in two.

The second thing that matters is the screw closure with a gasket. Shakers with clip-on lids pop open at the bottom of a bag as soon as any weight is put on them, and a litre of protein spilt over your gym kit is not something you recover from. A screw closure takes two seconds longer to fill and removes the problem entirely.

The drinking spout is the detail you only appreciate in use. It lets you drink during a session without unscrewing the lid, so without risking dropping it between two sets or losing it at the edge of a pitch. It is also what makes the shaker usable as a plain water bottle on days when you are not putting powder in it.

The BPA-free claim refers to bisphenol A, a compound whose use is banned in food containers in France. It is a compliance statement, not a claim of superiority: it simply indicates that the plastic used is suitable for food contact.

Data missing from the manufacturer’s file: dishwasher compatibility, overall dimensions and the presence of graduation marks on the body are not documented. We are not going to infer them. In the absence of any indication, wash it by hand in warm water, as the instructions recommend.

How do you prepare a lump-free shake?

Order: liquid first, powder second. Volume: 250 to 300 ml for a scoop of protein, 500 to 700 ml for a carbohydrate powder. Shaking: 10 to 15 vigorous seconds, lid screwed on tight. Resting: a few seconds before opening. Cleaning: rinse immediately after use.

The filling order is the only rule that really matters, and it is the one almost everybody ignores. If you pour the powder in first and the water on top, the powder sticks to the bottom in a compact cake that the grid will struggle to break up. Liquid first, powder second: the powder disperses as soon as it hits the surface, and ten seconds is enough. It is the advice we give most often in the shop, and it settles nine complaints out of ten about lumps.

Shake with the lid pointing up rather than horizontally: less pressure is put on the gasket, and the drinking spout stays dry. A few seconds of rest before opening lets the foam settle, which avoids an overflow when you go to drink — whey proteins foam a great deal, which is normal and says nothing about their quality.

Cleaning it straight away is not a comfort recommendation, it is what keeps your shaker alive. Protein left for twelve hours in a closed, lukewarm container develops a smell that never fully goes. If you cannot wash it right away, rinse it with clean water and leave the lid unscrewed: that is enough to avoid the worst.

For a proper clean: warm water and washing-up liquid, taking the mixing grid out to reach what has caught in it. Avoid abrasive sponges, which scratch the plastic and create micro-grooves where residue settles in. Dry it completely, lid separate from the body, before putting it away. And never pour boiling liquid into it: the plastic is not designed for it, and the gasket even less so.

This shaker suits every powder in the range: proteins, BCAAs, creatine monohydrate or pre-workouts.

Who is this shaker for, and who is it not for?

It suits anyone preparing powders away from home: the gym, the office, a travel bag. The screw closure and the drinking spout are made for that, and the 700 ml volume means you are not limited to a single scoop.

It is not suitable as a storage container. A shaker is not an insulated flask: it keeps neither cold nor heat, and a protein drink left in it for several hours at room temperature is no longer fit to drink. Mix it when you are about to drink it, not in the morning for the evening.

Nor is it suitable for hot liquids. No coffee, no tea, no heated milk: the plastic and the gasket are not designed for heat, and the pressure that builds up in an airtight container sealed over a hot liquid can send the lid flying when you open it.

And it will not work miracles on a powder that dissolves badly. A mixing grid breaks up clumps; it does not turn a thick casein into a fluid drink, nor a cheap, poorly micronised powder into a silky shake. If your problem comes from the powder, change the powder. A well-made isolate dissolves with a spoon, and our whey isolate section gives a good idea of that.

One last honest point: no shaker lasts forever. The gasket is the part that ages first, and a tired gasket eventually leaks. Check it from time to time, and replace the shaker when it no longer holds liquid, rather than discovering the problem inside your bag.

Mixing grid or metal ball?

The two systems are fitted to almost every shaker on the market, and they are not equally good depending on how you use them.

The mixing grid is a fixed part that breaks the liquid up as it passes through. It has three concrete advantages: it makes no noise at all, it cannot be left behind in the sink after washing, and it does not scratch the plastic inside the shaker. It comes apart for cleaning, which is essential, and it is the system chosen here.

The metal ball, for its part, agitates more violently and copes better with very dense powders, such as certain caseins or certain gainers. In return, it makes an unmistakable racket in a changing room, it ends up marking the inside of the container, and it gets lost. That is the classic trade-off in this category.

When is the ball the better choice? When you regularly mix thick powders, or when you prepare gainers dosed at 100 g and above. For a protein, EAAs or a creatine, the grid is more than enough and spares you the noise. It is also the easier option to keep clean over time, and on an accessory you use every day, that is what counts most.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real capacity, and how many servings?

700 ml. Allow 250 to 300 ml for a scoop of protein, so two scoops fit without difficulty. For a carbohydrate powder needing 500 to 700 ml per serving, a single preparation fills the shaker: that is exactly the case where a 500 ml model falls short.

How do you avoid lumps?

Always pour the liquid in before the powder. The other way round, the powder forms a cake at the bottom that the grid struggles to break up. Then ten to fifteen seconds of vigorous shaking, lid screwed on tight, then a few seconds of rest to let the foam settle before opening.

Is it dishwasher safe?

The manufacturer does not say, and we are not going to assume it on their behalf. The instructions recommend washing in warm water with washing-up liquid, avoiding abrasive products. In the absence of any indication to the contrary, stick to washing it by hand: that is also what best preserves the gasket.

How do you get rid of the protein smell?

Prevention beats cure: rinse it immediately after use and leave the lid unscrewed while it dries. If the smell has set in, take the grid out, leave the parts to soak in warm water with a little bicarbonate of soda, then dry them completely. A smell that has been there for weeks never goes entirely.

Is the lid genuinely leak-proof?

It screws shut and has a sealing gasket, which puts it above lids that simply clip on. All the same, check it is screwed on properly before slipping it into a bag, and inspect the state of the gasket from time to time: it is the part that ages first on any shaker.

Can you put a hot drink in it?

No. No boiling liquid and no hot drinks: the plastic and the gasket are not designed for heat, and the pressure that builds up in an airtight container can throw the contents out when you open it. Keep it for cold or lukewarm preparations.

Does it need replacing regularly?

As long as the gasket holds and the plastic is neither cracked nor deeply scratched, there is no reason to change it. The two signs that should make up your mind: a leak at the lid, and a lingering smell despite a thorough clean. In either case, it is time.

Where can you buy this 700 ml shaker?

The shaker can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is the item we add as a matter of course to a beginner’s first tub of protein, with the same advice every time: water before powder, and a rinse on the way out of the gym. The rest of the accessories and the full range of powders can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is Lenny & Larry's The Complete Cookie?

Lenny & Larry's The Complete Cookie is a vegan protein cookie in a generous format. A 113 g cookie provides 16 g of plant protein and 10 g of fibre, for 400 to 420 kcal depending on the flavour. It can be eaten in one go or shared between two.

The brand is American and it is the one that launched this format in the United States. The thinking behind it is simple: rather than making a protein bar and giving it a round shape, make a real cookie — soft texture, thickness, size — and build a plant protein blend into it. The result has little in common with a bar.

The flavours in the range: Chocolat Chip, Chocolat Donut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolat, Salted Caramel, White Chocolat, Otmeal Raisin, Birthday Cake and Big Time Brownie. The rest of the brand can be browsed in our Lenny & Larry's category, and the other products in the range in our protein cookies selection.

What does one Complete Cookie contain?

The figure that really matters is not 16, it is 113. This cookie weighs 113 g, where a typical protein bar weighs 55 to 65. The 16 g of protein and 10 g of fibre therefore relate to a product twice the size — and at 400 to 420 kcal, that is the calorie equivalent of a light meal, not of a snack. It is the most useful thing we can tell you before you buy, and it is the one thing product pages in this category systematically forget to mention.

The protein blend rests on three plant sources: vital wheat gluten, pea protein and rice protein. The pea-rice pairing is a classic and a coherent one, the two complementing each other on their amino acid profile. Vital wheat gluten provides the structure and a good share of the protein — it is also why this product contains wheat, despite its vegan positioning.

The 10 g of fibre come largely from inulin. It is a soluble fibre widely used in reformulated products, and it has a practical consequence you should know about: the manufacturer itself points out that excessive consumption can have a laxative effect. Ten grams of fibre in a single product is a lot, and for someone not used to it, a whole cookie eaten in one go can make itself felt during the afternoon.

On the regulatory side, the wording “source of fibre” is a regulated nutrition claim, and the protein content justifies the authorised claim that protein contributes to a growth in and the maintenance of muscle mass. No promise of satiety, digestion or weight control, on the other hand, is authorised for this type of product: we are describing a composition, not an effect.

List of ingredients

Chocolate Chip flavour: enriched WHEAT flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), protein blend (vital WHEAT gluten, pea protein, rice protein), dark chocolate chips (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, dextrose, natural vanilla extract), inulin, cane sugar, invert sugar, vegetable glycerine, palm fruit oil, sunflower or rapeseed lecithin, natural flavouring, bicarbonate of soda, salt, xanthan gum, guar gum.

Allergen: WHEAT (gluten). The manufacturer states a recipe with no soya, no dairy, no egg, no high-fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweetener and no polyol. Made in a facility that also handles peanuts, tree nuts, soya, milk and eggs: traces are possible. The composition varies with the flavour — the Peanut Butter versions contain peanuts. Check the packaging of the flavour you receive.

How should the Complete Cookie be eaten?

Portion: half a cookie, or a whole cookie. Drink: a large glass of water, the fibre needs it. Timing: as a snack 30 to 60 minutes before a session, after training, or during the day. Frequency: one portion a day is plenty. Duration: there is no notion of a course here, it is a food.

Start with half. That is not a precaution for the sake of it: 113 g in one go, with 10 g of fibre, is a lot for someone discovering the product. Half a cookie already represents 8 g of protein and around 200 kcal, which amounts to a proper snack. You can keep the other half for the next day, as the wrapper reseals very well.

A few seconds in the microwave completely change the texture. The cookie becomes soft, almost molten, and the chocolate softens. It is the tip we give most often over the counter, and it is the one that wins people over when they found the product dry.

Before a session, allow 30 to 60 minutes. With 10 g of fibre and a dense texture, a whole cookie swallowed ten minutes before training will not sit comfortably. After training, on the other hand, it does the job of a snack very well, particularly alongside a piece of fruit.

As for storage, there is nothing special to it: reseal the wrapper, keep it dry and away from heat. It keeps for several weeks at room temperature, which makes it a useful standby to keep in a bag or a desk drawer — much like protein bars, in a far more substantial format.

Who is the Complete Cookie for, and who is it not for?

It suits someone looking for an indulgent, filling snack with a decent protein contribution, and who is not working to a tight calorie budget. It is particularly well suited to people on a vegan diet: in this category, genuinely vegan and genuinely enjoyable options remain rare.

It is not suitable for people who are gluten-intolerant or coeliac, as wheat flour and vital wheat gluten are two of the first ingredients. This is the most counter-intuitive point about the product: vegan does not mean gluten-free, and a lot of people confuse the two.

Nor is it suitable if you digest soluble fibre badly. Inulin causes bloating and intestinal discomfort in some people, and 10 g in a single product is a high dose. The manufacturer does in fact flag a possible laxative effect in the event of excessive consumption. Start with half, drink water, and you will quickly see how well you tolerate it.

What you should not expect from it. It is not a slimming product: at 400 to 420 kcal, it weighs on a day's intake. It does not replace a balanced meal and it does not build muscle by itself. And if your goal is purely protein intake, 16 g for 410 kcal remains a modest ratio — a serving of protein powder provides more for four times fewer calories. This cookie is bought for the pleasure of it, with a better nutritional profile than an ordinary biscuit: that is honest enough, and it is enough.

Protein cookie or protein bar?

The two take up the same place in a bag, but they do not answer the same need, and the format settles the question.

A protein bar is denser in protein and much lighter in calories. Reckon on 20 g of protein for 200 to 230 kcal in a 60 g bar, against 16 g for 400 to 420 kcal here. If your goal is to cover a protein intake without blowing up the day, our protein bars category is more efficient, no question.

The cookie wins on pleasure and on satiety. It is a real biscuit, soft, eaten slowly, and it fills you up — the 10 g of fibre have a lot to do with that. For a mid-afternoon snack, or for someone who struggles to hit their calories, it does the job better than a bar swallowed in thirty seconds.

Two other options depending on your goal: if you are after a plant-based, low-calorie snack, our plant protein category opens up other possibilities; and if it is the indulgence that counts, a slice of wholemeal bread with peanut butter works out far cheaper for a fairly similar profile.

Frequently asked questions

How much protein is there in one cookie?

16 g of plant protein for a 113 g cookie, from a blend of vital wheat gluten, pea protein and rice protein. Half a cookie provides 8 g. The energy value ranges from 400 to 420 kcal depending on the flavour.

Is the cookie really vegan?

Yes, the manufacturer states a recipe with no dairy, no egg and no soya. Be careful not to confuse vegan with gluten-free: wheat flour and vital wheat gluten are among the first ingredients, so this product does contain gluten.

Can you eat it if you are coeliac?

No. The recipe contains enriched wheat flour and vital wheat gluten. This product is to be avoided in cases of coeliac disease or gluten intolerance, whichever flavour you choose.

Why can 10 g of fibre be a problem?

Because a large part of it comes from inulin, a soluble fibre that ferments in the gut. The manufacturer flags a possible laxative effect in the event of excessive consumption. Start with half a cookie and drink a large glass of water: in most cases, that is enough.

Which flavours are available?

In the range: Chocolat Chip, Chocolat Donut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolat, Salted Caramel, White Chocolat, Otmeal Raisin, Birthday Cake and Big Time Brownie. The composition varies slightly from one flavour to another, particularly on allergens: the Peanut Butter versions contain peanuts.

Should it be eaten in one sitting or two?

As you please, but the manufacturer itself sets the portion at half a cookie. At 400 to 420 kcal each, half already amounts to a complete snack. The wrapper reseals easily and the product keeps for several weeks in a dry place.

Is it suitable before training?

Yes, provided you allow 30 to 60 minutes and stick to half a cookie. The density and the 10 g of fibre make it uncomfortable if you eat it just before you start. After a session, on the other hand, there is no waiting time to observe.

Where can you buy Lenny & Larry's The Complete Cookie?

The cookie can be ordered individually from this page, in the flavours available, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the product we recommend when someone asks us for a vegan snack that will keep them going — but we always warn about two things: it contains gluten, and 113 g is a real mouthful. The rest of our snack ideas can be browsed in the protein snack category.

What is Life Pro Instant Oats?

It is an instant oat flour, milled very finely so that it dissolves in cold or hot liquid without lumps. It provides 377 kcal, 60 g of carbohydrates and 10 to 11 g of fibre per 100 g, with only 1.1 g of sugars.

It is oats, nothing more in the unflavoured version: oat flour, a single ingredient. The flavoured versions add cocoa, flavourings, biscuit pieces depending on the recipe, and sucralose as a sweetener. The composition therefore genuinely varies from one flavour to another, and the label on the pouch you receive is the authority.

The flavours listed here: Choco Monky, Cookies, Brownie, ChocOreo-Nut, Cookies-Choco Dips, Choco-Hazelnut, Vanilla, Croissant and Split. The manufacturer states a resealable 1.6 kg pouch; as this weight does not appear in our labelling data, check it on the pouch. The product joins our oat flour and LifePro Nutrition ranges.

What does a 100 g serving contain?

* Column calculated from the per 100 g values. The manufacturer specifies that these values are averages: they vary by flavour, since the flavoured versions contain cocoa or biscuit pieces. No per-serving column is published, and the table carries no % NRV — which is normal, as a flour provides no nutrient for which an NRV has been established.

Two nutrition claims are solidly supported here, so we are entitled to use them. “High in fibre” first: the regulatory threshold is 6 g per 100 g, and this product provides 10 to 11. “Low in sugars” next: the threshold is 5 g per 100 g for a solid food, and we are at 1.1 g. These are verifiable facts, not sales arguments.

A third one deserves a caveat. “Source of protein” requires protein to supply at least 12% of the energy value: 12 g at 4 kcal makes 48 kcal out of 377, i.e. 12.7%. The threshold is cleared, but only just. Put another way, oats provide protein, but they are not a protein source in the sense you have in mind: 6 g in a 50 g serving replaces no shake.

The figure that really defines this product is the ratio of 60 g of carbohydrates to 1.1 g of sugars. Almost all of the carbohydrate content is starch, accompanied by 10 to 11 g of fibre. That is what sets oat flour apart from maltodextrin: you get the energy with substance, not with sugar. Note in passing the 7 g of fat per 100 g, higher than a cream of rice — that is the cereal's natural fat, and it counts towards the calorie total.

How do you prepare Life Pro Instant Oats?

Dose: 100 g, or 8 to 9 level tablespoons, or 50 g for a more measured serving. Liquid: 250 to 350 ml of water, milk or plant-based drink. Timing: at breakfast, 60 to 90 minutes before your session, or as a snack. Frequency: 1 to 3 servings a day depending on your goal. Duration: none, this is a food.

A word about that 100 g serving, because it comes as a surprise: it represents 377 kcal, the equivalent of a proper meal. That makes sense for a mass-gaining breakfast, and is far too much for a snack. Most of our customers settle on 50 g, or 189 kcal, and that is a more realistic benchmark — adjust the liquid in the same proportions.

Fine-tuning the texture is the real pleasure of this product. At 250 ml per 100 g, you get a thick porridge to eat with a spoon. At 350 ml, a drink you can take from a shaker. The manufacturer suggests four preparations, all of which work: hot porridge (mix with hot milk, leave to swell for two to three minutes), overnight oats made the night before in the fridge, pancakes with an egg and a pinch of baking powder, or a smoothie in the blender with fruit.

On timing, the 60 to 90 minutes before your session benchmark is the only one that calls for discipline. With 10 to 11 g of fibre per 100 g, a large serving swallowed thirty minutes before training will not sit well. If you train early, cut the dose rather than bringing the timing forward.

Reseal the pouch carefully after each use and store it somewhere dry: a fine flour picks up moisture and clumps together.

Who is this oat flour for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed first at those who struggle to get their carbohydrates up: limited appetite, breakfasts eaten on the run, days with no time to cook. Drinking 377 kcal of complex carbohydrates is considerably easier than eating the equivalent in whole rolled oats. It also suits those who cook: the fineness of the milling makes it a flour you can use directly in pancakes or a cake.

It contains GLUTEN — oats, and wheat in the flavours containing biscuit. Traces of MILK, EGG, SOYA and PEANUTS are possible. The manufacturer notes that the sucralose present in the flavoured versions may have a laxative effect if consumed in excess. Keep out of reach of young children.

It is not suitable for people with coeliac disease: even in the unflavoured version, oats are a gluten-containing ingredient under this labelling, and this is not a mere trace. Nor is it suitable immediately before a session, or for a gut that is very sensitive to fibre: 10 g per 100 g is a lot if you are not used to it. Build up gradually.

What you should not expect from it. This is not a protein source: 6 g in a 50 g serving does not count towards a protein total, and you need to pair it with a protein if that is your goal. Nor is it a weight-loss product — 377 kcal per 100 g is dense energy that goes down easily, which is exactly the opposite of what you want in a strict deficit. And there is nothing magical about oats: this is finely milled oats. Its value lies in convenience and texture, not in any superiority over a bowl of rolled oats.

Oat flour or sweet potato flour?

Both are powdered carbohydrate sources you prepare yourself, and the question comes up often at the counter. It is settled on taste and on sugars, not on any nutritional superiority.

Sweet potato flour provides considerably more naturally occurring sugars — often around 12 g per 100 g against 1.1 g here — and a sweetness that all but removes the need to sweeten it. It is the better choice if you cook, in cakes and pancakes, or if you want a carbohydrate source with some taste to it without adding flavouring. It does, however, provide less fibre and less protein.

Oats win on three points: fibre, at 10-11 g per 100 g, the discretion of the sugars, at 1.1 g, and the satiety that comes with it. It is the better option for a breakfast that lasts until midday and for a pre-workout meal taken an hour and a half in advance. If, on the other hand, you are after a very easily digested carbohydrate source to take just before or during exercise, neither one fits: cream of rice or fast carbohydrates are where you should be looking. For mass gain, the two combine very well within the same day.

Frequently asked questions

Hot water or cold water?

Both work, unlike with a cream of rice. In hot liquid, the flour swells in two to three minutes and gives a thick porridge. In cold liquid, the very fine milling allows a lump-free shake, or overnight oats made the night before in the fridge. That is the real advantage of an instant oat flour over whole rolled oats.

Isn't 100 g an enormous serving?

It is the manufacturer's reference serving, and it represents 377 kcal, in other words a proper meal. For a snack or a light breakfast, 50 g is more than enough — 189 kcal, 30 g of carbohydrates and 5 g of fibre. Adjust the liquid in the same proportions, around 150 ml for 50 g.

How many servings are there in a pouch?

The net weight does not appear in the labelling data supplied to us; the manufacturer states a 1.6 kg format, which would represent 16 servings of 100 g or 32 servings of 50 g. Check the weight printed on the pouch and do the division — that is the only reliable figure.

Does the product contain gluten?

Yes. Oats are labelled here as containing gluten, and the flavours that include biscuit pieces add wheat flour and wheat starch. In cases of coeliac disease, this product is not suitable, even in the unflavoured version.

Is the composition the same for every flavour?

No, and this matters. The unflavoured version contains nothing but oat flour. The others add cocoa, flavourings, sweetener and sometimes biscuit pieces, which shifts the nutritional values and the allergen list. The figures on this page are averages: refer to the label of the flavour you receive.

Can it be mixed with protein?

Yes, and it is in fact the most common use, and the most sensible one: the oats provide the carbohydrates, the protein provides what they lack. Prepare the flour first if you are using hot liquid, let it cool for a minute, then add the powder — poured into a scalding liquid, a whey can curdle.

How long before training?

Sixty to ninety minutes, going by the manufacturer's guidance, and that interval is not negotiable upwards in volume. The 10 to 11 g of fibre per 100 g make a large serving hard to digest during exercise. If you train early in the morning, reduce the dose to 30 or 40 g instead.

Where can you buy Life Pro Instant Oats?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. In a pouch this size, the choice of flavour matters more than you might think: you will be eating it for several weeks.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is typically the product where we advise starting with the most neutral version. A Brownie or ChocOreo-Nut flavour is enjoyable in the first bowl and tiresome by the twentieth, whereas a discreet base can be cooked in any direction you like and never goes stale in the cupboard.

What is Life Pro Tasty Rice?

Life Pro Tasty Rice is an instant rice cream, sold in a 1 kg tub by LifePro Nutrition. Behind that trade name is a steam pre-cooked rice flour: the grain is cooked before being milled, which gelatinises the starch and lets the powder thicken in a liquid without ever seeing a saucepan.

That is the only real difference from the rice flour on the supermarket shelf, and it is the one that matters in use. A raw flour has to cook for several minutes with stirring; this one takes on the consistency of porridge in one to two minutes, in a bowl or a shaker.

The ingredients list is short: steam pre-cooked rice flour, flavouring, sweetener sucralose. The flavours stocked here — Nature, Cookies, Chocolat-Peanut, White Chocolate, Strawberry Cheesecake, Procao, Choco Good Cookies and Choco-Monky. The last of these is the exception: it contains 6% chopped speculoos biscuit, and therefore GLUTEN and SOYA.

What does a serving of Tasty Rice contain?

The reference serving is 50 g, roughly one and a half scoops. The 1 kg tub holds 20 of them. Each serving provides around 190 kcal, 39 g of carbohydrate of which less than 0.5 g is sugars, 3.5 g of protein, less than 0.5 g of fat of which less than 0.1 g is saturates, 0.9 g of fibre and less than 0.01 g of salt. The full table appears in the nutritional values tab.

Two figures should be read together. The 39 g of carbohydrate against less than 0.5 g of sugars: the intake is almost entirely starch, not sucrose. And the 190 kcal, a high density for a volume that stays easy to get down — which explains the product's main use, hitting a calorie total when your appetite no longer keeps up.

One clarification is called for on vitamins and minerals. Rice contains them naturally, but the manufacturer publishes no quantities. Without a stated content, there is no way to check the 15% of the nutrient reference value per portion that European regulation requires before anything can be said about them. So we repeat no vitamin claim here. On the carbohydrate itself, no nutrition claim exists: neither “high in carbohydrate” nor “source of carbohydrate”. What remains true is what the serving contains.

How do you prepare Tasty Rice?

Pour 50 g of powder into 200 to 250 ml of hot water, milk or plant drink, and mix. The texture thickens in one to two minutes; adjust the liquid depending on whether you want it as a cream or as a porridge. To avoid lumps, first slake the powder in a little cold liquid, then top up with the hot liquid while stirring.

Three moments of use. 45 to 60 minutes before a session, so you arrive with full stores and no heavy stomach. Within the 30 minutes afterwards, often paired with a serving of protein, which gives you a dessert cream that is complete in macronutrients. Or at breakfast, in place of a bowl of cereal.

One to two servings a day cover almost every use. The manufacturer states no course length, and there is no reason to set one: this is a carbohydrate food, not an active ingredient. You eat it on the days your needs justify it and stop on the others, with no tapering.

Who is Tasty Rice for, and who is it not for?

The product is aimed first at those who need to raise their calorie intake: lean builds bulking, athletes with a high training volume, difficult appetites on waking. It is also useful when a solid meal will not go down before training.

The allergens deserve careful reading. The Choco-Monky flavour contains GLUTEN and SOYA: it is ruled out in cases of coeliac disease or soya allergy. The other seven are gluten-free by composition, but the facility also handles milk proteins, soya, eggs, gluten, fish, celery, sulphites, peanuts and crustaceans; cross-contamination remains possible, which makes them unsuitable for a severe allergy. The manufacturer advises against it for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding without prior medical advice, and it is not intended for children.

What you should not expect from it: this is not a slimming product, and nothing makes it more filling than any other starch. Nor is it a protein source, at 3.5 g per serving. And it makes no digestion easier: no digestive claim is authorised for rice flour. Any question about an intolerance is one for your doctor or your pharmacist.

Tasty Rice or oat flour?

These are the two carbohydrate powders that end up in the same cupboards, and they are not for the same moment.

Oat flour is the better choice in three cases. At breakfast on an ordinary day, because its fibre — several grams per 100 g, against 1.8 g here — stays with you longer. During a cutting phase, for the same reason. And when you are after a genuine plant protein contribution in the same bowl, which rice cream does not give you.

Tasty Rice wins when digestion has to be quick and unobtrusive: before a session, or just after, where oat fibre becomes a drawback. It also wins on texture and on neutrality in cooking. For a powder that is faster still and tasteless, to drink during training, it is neither of these two you should be looking at but maltodextrin. To compare two tubs, divide the price by the weight then look at the carbohydrate per 100 g: that is where the real gap lies.

Frequently asked questions

How many servings does a 1 kg tub contain?

Twenty servings of 50 g. At one serving a day, a little under three weeks; on training days only, comfortably more than a month. Keep the tub closed, in a dry place away from light, and observe the date shown on the packaging.

Which flavour should you choose for cooking?

The Nature flavour. With no pronounced flavouring and no colour, it works in pancakes, in a cake or in a savoury preparation without the taste getting in the way. The flavoured versions are made to be eaten as they are, as a cream or a porridge, and lend themselves poorly to use as an ingredient.

Is rice cream gluten-free?

They are by composition, with one exception. The Choco-Monky flavour is not: it contains speculoos biscuit, and therefore wheat. And none of the eight is suitable for coeliac disease, since the manufacturing facility handles gluten. Check the packaging of the flavour you buy.

What can you use instead of rice cream?

Oat flour for a breakfast equivalent, maltodextrin or cyclic dextrin for carbohydrate to drink during training, or ordinary rice flour if you are happy to cook it. That cooking is what steam pre-cooking saves you, and nothing else.

Can it be mixed with whey?

Yes, and that is the most common use. A 50 g serving with a serving of protein gives you a bowl of around 39 g of carbohydrate and 25 to 30 g of protein depending on the powder. Prepare the rice cream first, let it cool to lukewarm, then stir in the protein: poured into a scalding liquid, it goes lumpy.

Is there sugar in Tasty Rice?

Less than 0.5 g per 50 g serving. The sweet taste of the flavoured versions comes from sucralose, an intense sweetener, and not from added sugar. The 39 g of carbohydrate is rice starch.

What recipes can you make with it?

Porridge, dessert cream, pancakes, a cake base. We have gathered the preparations that genuinely work in a dedicated article on rice cream recipes, rather than making them half of this page.

Where can you buy Life Pro Tasty Rice?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. The question that comes up most in store is not the brand but the flavour: this is a product you eat every day, and a flavour that is too pronounced soon palls. In our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we often advise starting with Nature when the use is culinary, and keeping a chocolate flavour for morning bowls.

The rest of the carbohydrate range can be found in our sports nutrition section.

What is Liot liquid egg white?

Liot liquid egg white is a one-litre bottle of pasteurised, ready-to-use liquid egg white. A single ingredient: 100 % pasteurised hen egg white. No additives, no preservatives, no added protein, no flavourings.

Pasteurisation is what sets this product apart from an egg white separated at home. The liquid is brought to a controlled temperature, high enough to destroy pathogenic micro-organisms but too low to coagulate the albumin. It is this treatment that allows the unopened bottle to be kept at room temperature, below 25 °C, without refrigeration — a detail that changes how a cupboard is organised, since you no longer have to weigh fridge space against the quantity you buy.

The one-litre bottle is the equivalent of 32 egg whites, on the basis of 30 ml for an average white. That is the second advantage of the format: no more shells, no more separating the yolk, no more yolks piling up in the fridge, and dosing to the millilitre where an egg white varies from one size grade to the next.

What does Liot liquid egg white contain?

Per 100 g, the product provides 49 kcal (207 kJ), 10.8 g of protein, 1 g of carbohydrate of which 0.7 g sugars, 0.2 g of fat of which 0 g saturates, 0 g of fibre and 0.42 g of salt. The full table is set out in the nutritional values tab.

The figure that matters is the ratio between the first two. The 10.8 g of protein account for close to 90 % of the 49 kcal provided: the product therefore comfortably exceeds the 20 % of energy threshold that European regulations require for the nutrition claim "high protein". There are three authorised health claims for protein, and they are the only ones we will write: protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass, to the maintenance of muscle mass and to the maintenance of normal bones.

Two honest clarifications are called for. The first: this egg white is not entirely free from fat. It contains 0.2 g per 100 g, and 1 g of carbohydrate. You often read "zero fat" and "100 % pure protein" on this kind of product page; that is untrue in the light of the label, even if the amounts are small. The second: the manufacturer does not publish a quantified amino acid profile for this reference, nor a density allowing millilitres to be converted exactly into grams. So we give the values per 100 g as they appear on the label, and the practical volume equivalents separately, without mixing the two.

How do you use Liot liquid egg white?

Shake the bottle before each use, then pour out the volume you want. The benchmarks are simple: 30 ml for one egg white, 90 ml for three, 150 to 200 ml for an omelette for two to three people.

The rule that overrides all the others: never consume this product raw. Pasteurisation reduces the microbiological risk, it does not remove it, and the manufacturer requires cooking before consumption. That rules out the cold shaker, whatever gym habits may say. The real uses are therefore cooked: omelettes and scrambled eggs, pancakes, muffins and cakes, meringues, or folding it into a preparation that will go in the oven or the pan.

Once the bottle is open, storage changes completely: in the fridge between 0 and 4 °C, and to be used within 48 hours. This is the point buyers get wrong most often, because ambient storage before opening suggests a flexibility that disappears the moment the cap is first unscrewed. An opened litre needs planning over two days: two omelettes and a batch of pancakes, for example. The product is for adults only, and its use is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Who is this product for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at people who cook regularly and want to raise their protein intake without going through a powder: savoury breakfasts, batch cooking for the week, lighter baking. It also helps anyone who digests dairy protein poorly, since it contains none — much like plant proteins, but with a complete amino acid profile.

The product contains EGGS and may contain traces of GLUTEN, MILK and SOYA. An egg allergy rules it out absolutely, with no room for nuance: it is an egg white, not a derivative. It is for adults only, not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and it must never be consumed raw. On any question of allergy or particular diet, speak to your doctor or your pharmacist.

What you should not expect from it. It is not a shaker protein: the requirement to cook it makes it a cooking ingredient, not a post-session drink — for that, look instead at our protein powders. It is not a slimming product: 49 kcal per 100 g help build a low-calorie meal, but it is the meal doing the work, not the bottle. And it is not economical per gram of protein: at 10.8 g per 100 g, you have to pour a lot of it to reach the amounts a scoop of powder delivers in one go. We would rather say so before you buy.

Liquid egg white or egg protein powder?

Both come from the same food, and they do not answer the same need.

Egg protein powder is the better choice in three cases. When you want a shaker: it can be drunk, which the liquid does not allow. When you travel or work away from home, since it requires neither cold storage nor cooking. And when you are aiming for a high protein intake, because it comes in at around 80 g of protein per 100 g of powder where the liquid provides 10.8 g per 100 g of product. On these three points, the bottle clearly loses.

Liquid egg white wins wherever cooking comes into play. It binds a preparation, it gives an omelette or protein pancakes the texture of a real egg — a reconstituted powder cannot manage that. It also wins on composition, with a single ingredient and no sweeteners, and on price per litre against the cost of a tub of powder. In practice, plenty of people keep both: the powder for shakers, the bottle for the pan.

Frequently asked questions

Where can you find liquid egg white?

This is the question most often asked about this product, and availability in supermarkets remains patchy from one chain and one region to the next. The Liot brand is distributed in France; we stock it on this page, in stock, with same-day dispatch on any order placed before 14:00 and collection within two hours at our shop in Vendargues, near Montpellier.

How many egg whites are there in a one-litre bottle?

The equivalent of 32 whites, on the basis of 30 ml for an average egg white. A litre therefore represents roughly 108 g of protein in total, to be spread over the 48 hours following opening — that is where the real constraint lies, not in the volume.

Can you drink it raw in a shaker?

No. The manufacturer requires cooking before consumption, and that instruction overrides the widespread use of raw egg white in bodybuilding. Pasteurisation reduces the microbiological risk without eliminating it, and raw white is in any case poorly digested. If you want a protein to drink, take a powder designed for it.

Does it really keep outside the fridge?

Yes, but only while the bottle is unopened, at a temperature below 25 °C. After opening, the product must go into the fridge between 0 and 4 °C and be used within 48 hours. That is the distinction that matters, and the one most often forgotten.

Does liquid egg white contain cholesterol?

The cholesterol in an egg is found in the yolk, not in the white. The bottle provides only 0.2 g of fat per 100 g. On any question of lipid profile or a prescribed diet, the person to talk to is your doctor, not a product page.

Does it whisk to stiff peaks as well as a fresh white?

No, and that is the most common disappointment with this product — better said before you buy. Pasteurisation has already begun to denature the proteins that stabilise the foam: the white does whip up, but more slowly, with less volume, and it collapses faster than a fresh white. What genuinely helps: take it out twenty to thirty minutes beforehand, use a perfectly grease-free bowl and whisk (stainless steel or glass, never plastic), add a few drops of lemon or a pinch of cream of tartar, and allow twice the whisking time. For a chocolate mousse, a soufflé or classic meringues, it works very well. For macarons or an Italian meringue, where the stability of the foam is critical, use fresh egg whites.

What recipes can you make with liquid egg white?

Omelettes, scrambled eggs, pancakes, meringues, cakes and financiers make up the bulk of it. Rather than lining up recipes here that would teach you nothing about the product, we have gathered them into a complete guide to the ways of using it in cooking, with the proportions and cooking times.

Where to buy Liot liquid egg white?

The one-litre bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is a product people often buy several bottles at a time, which only makes sense if you allow for the 48 hours of storage after opening: better several sealed litres in reserve than one open litre you do not finish. In our shop in Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, that is the first piece of advice we give on this aisle, and collection there takes place within two hours.

The rest of the protein sources can be compared from our sports nutrition range.

What is the More Nutrition 2 Kcals Oil Spray?

It is a cooking spray in a 200 ml bottle, and the idea behind it fits into one sentence: replacing the trickle of oil poured by eye into a pan with a measured spray. A quarter-second press delivers 0.25 ml of oil, that is 2 kcal.

The composition is short and easy to read: 97.5% refined rapeseed oil and one emulsifier, rapeseed lecithins. Nothing else. The manufacturer states there is no palm oil, no preservative, no flavouring and no colouring, and declares the product vegan.

Two technical details are worth explaining, because they are rarely understood. The propellant is compressed air, in what is known as a Bag-On-Valve system: the oil is sealed inside a flexible pouch and never comes into contact with the gas. And the stated smoke point is 210 °C, which allows cooking over a high heat. We stock the brand in our More aisle.

A useful clarification: only the standard vegan version is offered here. The manufacturer makes other variants, notably a butter version, but they contain flavourings of animal origin and we do not list them.

What does one spray contain, and what does the bottle contain?

* Column calculated from the 800 sprays per bottle stated by the manufacturer. The manufacturer publishes no table per 100 ml and puts no figure on the split between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids: it says only that the unsaturates are in the majority, which is consistent with rapeseed oil but remains a qualitative statement. We will not turn it into a percentage, and we will make no health claim about this fat profile.

Now for an honest reading of the figure that gives the product its name. 2 kcal per spray is true, but this is not a light oil: it is a measured oil. The bottle holds around 160 g of fat, roughly what a bottle of oil of the same volume holds. The difference is not in the product, it is in the quantity you put down.

And that is precisely where the gain is real. A tablespoon of oil poured into a pan is around 15 ml and more than 130 kcal. One or two sprays is 2 to 4 kcal. Over daily cooking, the gap runs into tens of thousands of kilocalories a year. The corollary is just as true: press for ten seconds without stopping and you have poured the equivalent of a spoonful, and the benefit has gone. The product does nothing on its own — the saving comes from how you use it.

How do you use the cooking spray?

Dose: 1 to 2 sprays for a pan, 2 to 3 for a cake tin. Distance: 20 to 30 cm from the surface. Timing: on a cold or lukewarm utensil, never on a hot surface. Frequency: as often as needed, this is a cooking ingredient. Life: around 800 sprays per bottle.

Shake vigorously before each use, hold the bottle 20-30 cm away and press briefly — a quarter of a second is enough. For a large surface, use two or three separate presses rather than one continuous spray: you will get a more even film for less oil.

The uses, as the manufacturer gives them: 1 to 2 sprays for a frying pan or a wok; a spray on a griddle or grill before preheating; 2 to 3 sprays in a cake, muffin or brownie tin to turn the bake out cleanly; a light application between each batch on a waffle iron or a crêpe pan; and one spray over vegetables or a salad for measured dressing.

Always apply to a cold or lukewarm utensil. This is not a theoretical precaution: spraying an aerosol onto a hot surface or near a flame carries a risk of ignition. Finally, if the valve becomes blocked, rinse it briefly under warm water and dry it before using the bottle again.

Who is this spray for, and who is it not for?

It suits anyone tracking their calories closely who wants to stop pouring oil by eye, anyone who does a lot of pan cooking, and anyone who bakes and wants a clean turn-out without buttering. It also suits vegetarian and vegan diets, the formula containing no ingredient of animal origin.

One point that will help some people: the emulsifier is a rapeseed lecithin, not a soya one. That is rare enough to be worth flagging, and it may suit people who avoid soya. The manufacturer does state, however, that traces of other allergens remain possible depending on manufacturing conditions.

The precautions are those of an aerosol, and they are serious: pressurised container, which may burst if heated. Do not pierce it, do not burn it, even when empty. Keep it away from hot surfaces, sparks and naked flames, do not spray towards an ignition source, do not smoke nearby, and protect it from direct sunlight. Store it in a dry place, below 25 °C, somewhere ventilated, without refrigerating it, and out of the reach of children.

What you should not expect from it: it is not a weight loss product, and it is not a “calorie free” oil. It is rapeseed oil sprayed in a small quantity. Nor does it suit you if you cook for five people in a large sauté pan — at that volume the bottle will empty quickly and a weighed bottle of oil remains more economical. Finally, do not swallow it directly: this is a product intended for cooking.

Cooking spray or zero sauce?

Both serve the same intention — cooking and seasoning without pushing up the calorie total — but they come in at different points in the meal, and it is better to know that before choosing.

The spray acts at the cooking stage. Its job is mechanical: stopping food from sticking, letting you sear a piece of meat or turn a cake out of its tin. It is a replacement for the cooking fat, and nothing else — it brings neither taste nor sauce.

A zero sauce acts on the plate. It replaces a vinaigrette, a mayonnaise or a ketchup, and its point is taste. Ranges such as Callowfit play on exactly that ground: making a plate of chicken and rice enjoyable without the 90 kcal of a spoonful of shop-bought sauce.

In other words, these are not two competing options but two complementary steps. If you had to take only one: the spray if your problem is the pan and oil poured without measuring, the sauce if your problem is that your cutting meals are bland and that is what makes you crack. Most people who track their calories end up with both. The rest of the lighter products can be compared in our weight loss aisle.

Frequently asked questions

At 2 kcal per spray, is it really a light oil?

No, and it is important to understand that. It is 97.5% rapeseed oil, as calorific as any other oil. What you are buying is a dose: 0.25 ml instead of the 15 ml of a tablespoon. The 200 ml bottle holds around 1,600 kcal in total. The saving comes from how you use it, not from the formula.

How many sprays are there in a bottle?

Around 800, that is 200 ml delivered in 0.25 ml presses. At two sprays per cooking session and two sessions a day, that works out at around six months of use. The Bag-On-Valve system keeps the product good until its use-by date even once opened.

Can you use it at high temperature?

Yes, the manufacturer states a smoke point of 210 °C, which covers a pan over a high heat, the grill and the oven. Just one rule: spray the utensil while it is cold or lukewarm, before heating it. Never spray towards a hot pan or a flame.

Does it contain soya?

No. The emulsifier is a rapeseed lecithin, not a soya one — a rare and useful point if you avoid soya. The manufacturer does flag, however, that traces of other allergens remain possible depending on manufacturing conditions.

Is the propellant a chemical gas?

No, it is compressed air. The Bag-On-Valve system seals the oil inside a flexible pouch: the gas presses on the pouch but never comes into contact with the food product. It is also what gives an even spray whatever angle the bottle is held at.

Should it be kept in the fridge?

No, definitely not. Store it in a dry place, below 25 °C, somewhere ventilated and away from direct sunlight. It is a pressurised container: it must not be heated, pierced or burned, even when empty, and must be kept out of the reach of children.

Does one spray really replace a spoonful of oil?

For stopping food sticking, yes, in a non-stick pan. For frying or confit cooking, no: those methods call for a volume of oil the spray is not designed to deliver. It excels at quick cooking, the grill, tins and light dressing, not at cooking in deep oil.

Where can you buy the More Nutrition 2 Kcals Oil Spray?

It can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe.

It is one of the few products in the aisle whose usefulness can be demonstrated in ten seconds: just compare the weight of a pan oiled with the spray and one oiled from the bottle. At our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is often the purchase people add without thinking and then buy again every time. The other lighter kitchen products, sprays and sauces, are in the Rabeko aisle and in our sports nutrition section.

What is MuscleMeds Carnivor?

MuscleMeds Carnivor is a protein powder whose source is neither milk nor plants, but beef. The raw material is a hydrolysed beef protein isolate, listed on the label under the name CARNIVOR-BPI®. Hydrolysed means the protein chains have been broken down in advance; isolate means purification has been taken far enough to strip out the fats.

The result tastes and feels nothing like meat stock: that is the most common worry we hear across the counter, and it is unfounded. The range covers chocolate-led profiles such as Cookies & Cream or Chocolate-Peanut Butter; the flavours and sizes available are listed above the add-to-basket button. The figures below refer to the cocoa version: other flavours may differ on the ingredient list, and the label on the tub you receive is the authority.

The formula does not stop at the protein. MuscleMeds also adds BCAAs (L-leucine, L-valine, L-isoleucine), which appear in the ingredient list immediately after the isolate, along with four intermediates of nitrogen metabolism grouped under the name Anabolic Nitrogen Retention Technology™: GKG (glutamine alpha-ketoglutarate), OKG (ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate), AKG (alpha-ketoglutarate) and KIC (alpha-ketoisocaproate). One thing to know if these additions are what draw you in: not one of them is quantified on the label. We mention them because they are in the composition, not because they promise anything — for BCAAs at a known dose, the BCAA aisle is what you should be looking at, not this label. The product itself sits in our beef protein aisle.

What does a serving of Carnivor contain?

The reference scoop weighs 33.9 g. Here is what it delivers, taken from the tub label on the cocoa version.

* The original label is American and publishes no European percentages: this column is calculated from the nutrient reference values in Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. A dash indicates that no NRV has been established for the line concerned.

The ratio worth remembering is this one: 23 g of protein for 120 kcal. At 4 kcal per gram, those 23 g account for 92 kcal, or roughly 77 % of the serving's energy. The "high in protein" claim requires at least 20 % of the energy value: Carnivor is comfortably above that, with no need to round anything up. Zero fat, 6 g of carbohydrate of which 1 g fibre: that is an isolate profile, and it explains why we mostly see this product going out during cutting phases.

The "of which sugars" line is not quantified by the manufacturer, but the label carries the wording Sugar Free, alongside Fat Free, Cholesterol Free, Lactose Free and Gluten Free; the tub is also declared Halal, and carries the American wording contains bioengineered food ingredients, which has no mandatory equivalent in France. What the manufacturer does not publish, we do not reconstruct: no per-100 g column, no amino acid profile, no quantity of added BCAAs. Salt is not declared either, only sodium is, at 350 mg.

On protein, the permitted wordings are precise and we stick to them: it contributes to a growth in muscle mass, to the maintenance of muscle mass and to the maintenance of normal bones. There is no recovery claim for protein, contrary to what many labels imply. The protein aisle lets you compare the different families against these same criteria.

How do you prepare Carnivor?

One 33.9 g scoop in 180 to 240 ml of cold water — the range given by the manufacturer, 6 to 8 fl oz — shaken for 30 seconds in a shaker. One to two servings a day depending on your protein needs and your bodyweight. No course duration is stated, and there is no reason to set one for a protein.

That range matters: 180 ml gives a thick shake and a pronounced cocoa flavour, 240 ml a drink that is easier to get down straight after a session. Start at the higher end, then cut back if the taste seems too light.

The usual timings: within 30 minutes after training, between meals to keep intake steady, or at bedtime. That last point deserves to be kept in perspective: what determines the result is your total protein across twenty-four hours, not the time you take it.

One detail of the composition explains a detail of use: the ingredient list includes an anti-foaming agent. Hydrolysed beef protein foams in a shaker, and the manufacturer has dealt with the problem in the formula. If a little foam remains, let it stand for two minutes. Unlike a whey, Carnivor is made up with water: milk adds nothing here except calories and the very lactose you were trying to avoid.

Who is Carnivor right for, and who is it not right for?

The soundest use case: you digest milk proteins poorly, or you have had enough of taking them three times a day, and you are looking for another source. Carnivor is lactose free and gluten free, and it delivers 23 g of protein without a drop of fat. When cutting, that profile is hard to beat.

It is not suitable in several situations. The manufacturer contraindicates it for pregnant and breastfeeding women, advises against it for under-18s, and asks that you seek medical advice first if you are on any ongoing treatment. Above all: this product contains soya. RBD soya oil is not a trace picked up in the factory, it is a component of the anti-foaming agent, written into the ingredient list. If you are allergic to soya, this product is not for you.

Something else to know before ordering: 350 mg of sodium per serving. For a protein powder that is notable, and there is a reason for it — salt appears in the ingredient list. At one or two servings a day it remains a fraction of an adult's daily intake, but if your doctor has asked you to limit sodium, factor it in.

What you should not expect from it: beef protein is not superior to whey for building muscle. The public data does not allow that claim, and nobody should be selling it to you on that basis. It is different, which is already a good enough reason when milk is a problem. And 23 g of protein is a supplement, not a meal.

Carnivor or a whey isolate?

On paper the two look alike: high protein content, few carbohydrates, little or no fat. The difference lies in the source, in what your digestion makes of it, and in what the manufacturer is willing to publish.

A whey isolate remains the better choice in three cases. The price per gram of protein, first of all, which is generally more favourable. The amino acid profile next: whey is naturally rich in leucine, the amino acid most studied for protein synthesis, and most manufacturers publish their amino acid profile. Carnivor's is not published, which rules out any numerical comparison. And finally versatility in cooking, where whey behaves better. If lactose is your only concern, a whey isolate already contains very little of it: the problem is often solved without changing source at all, and a hydrolysed whey takes that reasoning further still.

Carnivor comes out ahead on two concrete points. It is completely free of milk proteins, which genuinely matters in cases of diagnosed cow's milk protein allergy — a case where a whey isolate remains contraindicated, however low in lactose it may be. And it varies your sources: boredom is the number one reason a tub of protein gets abandoned. If it is the amino acid side that interests you rather than complete protein, look at the EAA range, where the doses are published line by line.

Frequently asked questions

Does Carnivor taste of meat?

No. Hydrolysis and purification remove most of the aromatic compounds from beef, and the added flavour covers the rest: on the cocoa version, cocoa is what you taste. The surprise is more the texture, thinner than a whey, without the creaminess milk brings.

How much BCAA does a serving provide?

That is not published. The BCAAs are indeed added and appear in the ingredient list after the isolate and before the maltodextrin, which places their rank without quantifying them. The manufacturer gives neither a quantity nor an amino acid profile, and we will not invent those values.

Does it contain lactose or gluten?

No. The source is beef, and the label carries the Lactose Free and Gluten Free wordings. That is precisely what makes the product interesting for people who struggle with milk proteins.

Does it contain soya?

Yes. RBD soya oil goes into the composition of the anti-foaming agent, and it is listed as an ingredient, not as a manufacturing trace. That distinction matters if you have a soya allergy: this is not a contamination risk, it is a certain presence.

What are the GKG, OKG, AKG and KIC listed in the ingredients?

Amino acid derivatives paired with alpha-ketoglutarate, present in the CARNIVOR-BPI® formula. Their doses are not disclosed and no health claim is authorised in Europe for these compounds: we mention them because they appear on the label, without attributing any effect to them.

How much sodium per serving?

350 mg per 33.9 g serving, a notable figure for a protein powder and consistent with the presence of salt in the ingredient list. The manufacturer does not convert that sodium into a salt equivalent on its label, and we are not going to do it in its place.

Can it be mixed with milk?

Technically yes, but it makes little sense: the whole point of the product is precisely the absence of milk proteins. If you tolerate milk, you may as well take a whey. With water, allow 180 to 240 ml per scoop.

How many servings are in a tub?

Two sizes exist, 28 servings and 56 servings; the choice is made above the add-to-basket button, at the same time as the flavour. The count is based on the 33.9 g scoop and appears on the tub label.

Where to buy MuscleMeds Carnivor?

Flavours and sizes can be ordered on this page. We ship throughout France and Europe. In Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we reach for when customers come back saying no whey suits them: that is where it really comes into its own.

The rest of the brand's catalogue can be found in the MuscleMeds collection. For other milk-free sources, see egg protein and plant proteins.

What is Mutant Mass?

Mutant Mass is a gainer, that is to say a powder whose main purpose is not protein but calories. One 280 g dose, i.e. four scoops, provides 1,100 kcal. The formula is predominantly carbohydrate: the first ingredient on the list is a blend of waxy maize starch, maltodextrin, barley starch, sweet potato and rolled oats.

Next comes the brand's protein matrix, which brings together six dairy fractions: whey protein concentrate, hydrolysate and isolate, micellar casein, milk protein concentrate and isolate. A lipid blend completes the whole (fractionated MCT coconut oil, avocado, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sunflower oil), along with cocoa, flavourings, a caramel colour, salt, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, enzymes and a Cinnulin PF® cinnamon extract. The flavours listed: Vanille Ice Cream, Cookies & Cream, Banana n Strawberry, Triple Chocolat and Fudge Brownie. The rest of the range is in the Mutant Nutrition collection, and the competing formulas in our hard gainer aisle.

What does a 280 g dose of Mutant Mass contain?

The manufacturer's declaration, brought back to the useful references: the 280 g dose and the regulatory 100 g.

* Values recalculated from the declaration per 280 g dose, the only reference published by the manufacturer. Salt is obtained by the regulatory conversion salt = sodium x 2.5. ** No nutrient reference value is established for these nutrients. Three pieces of data are missing from the declaration in our possession and we will not invent them: saturates, fibre, and the full amino acid profile beyond the BCAAs and glutamine. The weight of the tub and the number of doses it contains are not in our data either: refer to the packaging to work out how long it will last you.

Two ingredients call for clarification. The enzymes (lactase, protease) appear on the list; we attribute no digestive effect to them, as no claim of that kind is authorised in Europe. Cinnulin PF® is a cinnamon extract: present, quantity not declared, no property ascribed to it. Protein, for its part, contributes to a growth in muscle mass and to the maintenance of muscle mass, and 56 g per dose is a substantial intake.

How should you take Mutant Mass?

• Dose: 280 g, i.e. 4 scoops, for the full dose. The half dose is 2 scoops.
• Volume of liquid: 500 to 700 ml of cold water or skimmed milk. Below 500 ml, the mixture becomes hard to swallow.
• Timing: full dose within the 30 minutes following the session, half dose as a snack between two meals. Avoid the two hours before a meal, or you will no longer be hungry when it is time to eat.
• Frequency: 2 servings a day at most, never exceeding 2 full doses.
• Duration: the manufacturer sets no length of course. A gainer is used for the time a weight-gain phase lasts, not permanently.

Build up gradually: it is the most important instruction on this page. The manufacturer recommends 2 scoops a day in the first week, 3 in the second, and the full dose only from the third onwards. Going straight in at 280 g and 192 g of carbohydrate is the surest way to give up on the tub. A 700 ml shaker or a blender is necessary; a 500 ml shaker is not enough, and our accessories cover that size.

The dosage, the timing and the composition are covered in detail in our dedicated article: Mutant Mass: dosage, timing and composition. This page describes the product, the article describes the method.

Who is Mutant Mass for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at people who cannot manage to eat enough to gain weight and who have already tried increasing their meals. Drinking 1,100 kcal is easier than chewing them: that is the whole point of the product, and its only justification.

It is not for you if you gain weight easily. At 1,100 kcal a dose, a poorly controlled surplus turns into fat mass, not muscle. In that case, a whey and carbohydrates measured out separately will give you far better control.

Nor is it suitable in the event of an allergy to milk or soya, both declared as allergens. One point deserves your attention: the ingredient list includes barley starch and rolled oats, two cereals affected by gluten, and the label mentions gluten among the possible traces. If you have coeliac disease, this product is not for you. The manufacturer advises against it for the under-18s and for pregnant or breastfeeding women. If you are on any treatment, if you are diabetic or if you have any doubt, speak to your doctor or your pharmacist: 192 g of carbohydrate in a single serving is not trivial.

What you should not expect from it: a gainer does not build muscle in place of training and does not make up for food being absent for the rest of the day.

Mutant Mass or whey and carbohydrates separately?

The comparison does not systematically go in the gainer's favour.

Mutant Mass wins on simplicity. A single powder, a single shaker, a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio already settled at 192 to 56. When the problem is not managing to eat, reducing the number of decisions is a real advantage.

The formula you put together yourself wins on control and on cost. A whey concentrate combined with maltodextrin lets you adjust the protein share and the carbohydrate share independently, week after week, according to what the scales say. It is the right option if you are putting on fat too fast, or if you want to bring the calories down without touching the protein.

Between the two, a lean gainer offers a less carbohydrate-heavy ratio, for a more measured surplus. Whatever the choice, creatine monohydrate is managed separately.

Frequently asked questions

Do you really have to take 4 scoops at once?

No, and it is not advised at the start. The manufacturer's protocol begins at 2 scoops a day in the first week and only reaches the full dose in the third. Staying at 2 or 3 scoops for the long run is still a considerable calorie intake.

Can it be mixed with milk rather than water?

Yes, the manufacturer mentions skimmed milk. You are then adding the calories and carbohydrates of the milk to those of the product, which pushes a full dose well beyond 1,100 kcal. With water, you know exactly what you are drinking.

How many doses does a tub contain?

We cannot tell you: the weight of the tub is not in the data available to us. Divide the weight shown on the packaging by 280 g to get the number of full doses.

Does Mutant Mass contain gluten?

The recipe contains barley starch and rolled oats, and the label flags gluten among the possible traces. It is not a gluten-free product and it is not suitable in the event of coeliac disease.

Which flavour should you choose for everyday use?

Over two servings a day for several weeks, the less sweet profiles such as Vanille Ice Cream generally become tiresome less quickly than the intense chocolates. The flavours listed are set out at the top of this page.

Do the 11 g of BCAAs replace a BCAA supplement?

They are naturally present in the dairy proteins of the formula, they are not added. If your daily protein intake is covered, a BCAA supplement on top has no demonstrated usefulness.

Can it be taken on days without training?

Yes. The calorie surplus is played out over the whole week, not only on session days. Many people then split the product into two half doses between meals rather than a single serving.

Where can you buy Mutant Mass?

Mutant Mass is available on this page in the flavours listed above the add-to-basket button, and in our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier. It is a product that is better discussed before buying: the question is almost never "which flavour" but "do you really need a gainer", and that conversation takes three minutes at the counter.

We ship throughout France and Europe. The rest of the mass gain aisle lets you compare the ratios before making up your mind.

What is Mutant Mass 6800 g?

Mutant Mass is a gainer, that is to say a powder designed to add a lot of calories to your day without having to eat more. One 280 g serving — four scoops — provides 1 100 kcal, 56 g of protein, 192 g of carbohydrate and 12 g of fat. The 6.8 kg bag covers 24 full servings.

Mutant is a Canadian brand, and this product is one of its long-standing formats. What sets it apart is the sheer number of sources: six different proteins and five carbohydrate sources, where many gainers make do with a whey concentrate and maltodextrin.

The flavours in the range: Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Triple Chocolate, Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberry Banana. The rest of the brand can be browsed in our Mutant Nutrition section, and other formulas of the same type in our hard gainer section.

What does a serving of Mutant Mass contain?

1 100 kcal in a shaker is the equivalent of three light meals. That is the reference point that matters, and it should be taken seriously: this is not a protein powder, it is a massive calorie load that you drink. For someone who cannot get past 2 500 kcal a day at the table, it is a formidably effective tool; for someone who already eats properly, it is the fastest way to put on fat.

The 26.1 g of essential amino acids, of which 12.2 g are BCAAs, are not added: they occur naturally in the 56 g of protein. That is an honest clarification the manufacturer makes itself, and it bears repeating, because many brands let you believe they have been added separately. Every milk protein contains these amino acids in these proportions.

The protein blend combines six sources: whey concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate, micellar casein, milk protein concentrate and milk protein isolate. The first three digest quickly, the next three more slowly. It is a coherent build for a product meant to replace a snack, less relevant if you are after a fast post-workout shake — a whey concentrate then does the job better.

On the carbohydrate side, the five sources are waxy maize starch, maltodextrin, barley starch, sweet potato and oat flakes. The first two are fast, the other three slower. A patented cinnamon extract also appears in the formula, along with two enzymes, lactase and protease. Let us note it without crediting it with any effect: no health claim is authorised in Europe for cinnamon extract or for these enzymes. The authorised claim on protein, on the other hand, applies fully here: protein contributes to the maintenance and growth of muscle mass.

Ingredients list

Carbohydrate blend (waxy maize starch, maltodextrin, BARLEY starch, sweet potato, OAT flakes), Mutant Mass Pro-Matrix [whey protein concentrate (MILK), hydrolysed whey protein (MILK), whey protein isolate (MILK), micellar casein protein (MILK), MILK protein concentrate, MILK protein isolate], lipid food blend (fractionated coconut oil, avocado, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed oil), thickeners (defatted SOYA beans, pea, guar gum), natural and artificial flavourings, sweetener (sucralose), emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), enzymes (lactase, protease), cinnamon extract (Cinnulin PF®), sour cherry.

Allergens: MILK, SOYA, GLUTEN (barley, oats). Made on equipment that also handles products containing egg, crustaceans, fish, nuts and peanuts.

How do you take Mutant Mass?

Serving: 4 scoops, that is 280 g. Liquid: 750 ml to 1 litre of cold water. Preparation: shake for 20 to 30 seconds in a shaker, or use a blender. Timing: after your session, or as a snack between two meals. Duration: there is no notion of a course here, it is a food intake.

Start with two scoops, not four. That is the most important piece of advice on this page, and the manufacturer gives it itself. 280 g of powder in one go, for someone who has never taken a gainer, almost always means a heavy stomach, difficult digestion and a skipped next meal — which cancels out the whole point of the product. Two scoops already gives you 550 kcal and 28 g of protein.

The volume of liquid is not negotiable. 750 ml to 1 litre for a full serving: below that, the texture becomes thick to the point of being hard to drink. A blender gives a far better result than a shaker with this kind of powder, and skimmed milk makes the drink creamier than water does, while adding a few calories.

Do not take it just before a meal. That is the mistake that ruins bulking phases: a 1 100 kcal shake an hour before lunch kills your appetite, and you eat less at the table. A gainer should be added to meals, not replace them. Slot it in after your session, or mid-morning and in the afternoon on rest days.

The logical complement, if you are looking to increase your intake without relying entirely on powder, remains food carbohydrates: cream of rice or oat flour are eaten with a spoon and fill you up differently.

Who is Mutant Mass for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at someone whose real problem is appetite: a fast metabolism, days too busy to eat five times, a long-standing difficulty in putting on weight. In that situation, a gainer is the most effective product on the shelf, quite simply because it is easier to drink 1 100 kcal than to chew them.

It is not suitable for anyone under 18, for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for anyone on medical treatment without their doctor's advice. It contains milk, soya and gluten (barley and oats): three major allergens, which rules out a fair number of profiles straight away. Traces of egg, crustaceans, fish, nuts and peanuts are also possible.

Nor is it suitable for someone who already eats enough. Adding 1 100 kcal to a balanced diet does not build muscle: it builds fat. A gainer only makes sense if you have measured your intake and found it wanting. Otherwise, a plain whey isolate powder, at 120 kcal a serving, answers your need better.

What you should not expect from it. No gainer builds muscle mass on its own: it supplies calories, and training decides what the body does with them. Without heavy, regular sessions, weight gained on a gainer is essentially fat. And 480 mg of sucralose per serving is an amount you notice in the taste: some people do not get on with it.

Gainer, or protein and carbohydrates separately?

This is the classic trade-off in the mass-gain aisle, and there is no wrong answer — just two different logics.

Buying them separately costs less and leaves you in control. A protein on one side, maltodextrin or oat flakes on the other, and you build the ratio that suits you: more carbohydrate on training days, less on rest days. You can also step it up gradually rather than swallowing a 1 100 kcal block.

The gainer wins on simplicity and on consistency. Four scoops, a litre of water, done. And for someone who struggles to eat, the main constraint is not the price per kilo: it is managing to take in the calories every day, without thinking about it. A product you actually prepare beats a perfect protocol you abandon after ten days.

One middle-ground option is worth knowing about: a lean gainer offers a ratio more favourable to protein and less loaded with carbohydrate, which suits a controlled bulk better than a product with 192 g of carbohydrate per serving. It is often the best compromise for anyone who does not want to pick up three kilos of fat along the way.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories per serving?

1 100 kcal for a 280 g serving, that is four scoops, with 56 g of protein, 192 g of carbohydrate and 12 g of fat. The 6.8 kg bag covers 24 full servings. At a half serving, allow 550 kcal and 28 g of protein.

Do you really need to take four scoops?

No, and we even recommend starting with two. The manufacturer recommends it too. 280 g in one go, when you are not used to it, almost always causes digestive discomfort and kills your appetite for the next meal — the opposite of what you are after.

Are the BCAAs added to the formula?

No. The 26.1 g of essential amino acids and the 12.2 g of BCAAs occur naturally in the 56 g of milk protein. It is the manufacturer itself that makes this clear, and it is more honest than the way many competing brands present it.

What are the allergens?

Milk, soya and gluten, the last of these coming from the barley and oats in the carbohydrate blend. The product is also made on equipment that handles egg, crustaceans, fish, nuts and peanuts: traces are possible.

Which flavours are available?

Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Triple Chocolate, Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberry Banana. The composition is identical from one flavour to the next. Each contains 480 mg of sucralose per serving, which makes for a very sweet taste.

Water or milk to mix it?

Both work, with 750 ml to 1 litre for a full serving. Milk gives a creamier texture and adds calories, which works in the product's favour. Water remains easier to digest at that sort of volume. A blender gives a better result than a shaker.

Does this product build muscle?

It supplies calories and protein; it is training that determines what the body does with them. Without heavy, regular sessions, the weight you gain will be mostly fat. And if your food intake is already sufficient, adding 1 100 kcal will do you no favours.

Where can you buy Mutant Mass 6800 g?

The 6.8 kg bag can be ordered from this page in the flavours available, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we always start with the same question before selling a gainer: how much are you actually eating at the moment? Nine times out of ten, the answer points towards two scoops rather than four, and sometimes towards a different product altogether. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the mass gain section.

What is Naughty Boy creatine?

Naughty Boy Creatine is pure, micronised creatine monohydrate. A 5 g serving provides 5,000 mg of creatine monohydrate, with zero calories, zero carbohydrate and zero fat. The manufacturer states a micronisation of 200 mesh, meaning a very fine powder that dissolves without lumps.

Naughty Boy is a British brand. On this product, there is nothing to comment on other than the raw material: the ingredient list runs to a single line, with no colouring, no artificial flavouring, no preservative, and no sweetener or bulking agent in the unflavoured version.

The formats in the catalogue: 150 g, 300 g, 450 g and a 120-capsule version. The 300 g format comes in an unflavoured version and in flavoured versions — Lemon + Lime, Fresh Orange, Blue Razz Bon Bons, Pink Lemonade and Strawberry — while the 150 g and 450 g formats are offered unflavoured. The rest of the brand can be browsed in our Naughty Boy section, and the other products in the category in our creatine monohydrate selection.

What does a serving of Naughty Boy creatine contain?

Creatine monohydrate is the only molecule in this catalogue with a health claim genuinely authorised in Europe for performance. The official wording is as follows: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. This claim may only be used if the product provides at least 3 g of creatine per day — which is the case here, even at the half serving. In a category where almost nothing can legally be asserted, that is an exception worth knowing about.

A second claim exists, less well known, and it concerns those over 55: daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55 years. It is conditional on an intake of 3 g per day combined with resistance training carried out at least three times a week. Here again, this is a regulatory fact, not a sales argument.

On micronisation, let us stay measured. A 200 mesh powder dissolves better and settles less at the bottom of the glass: that is a real convenience. It does not, on the other hand, change the amount of creatine the body absorbs, and an ordinary creatine monohydrate, well stirred, does exactly the same job. It is an advantage of texture, not of effectiveness, and it should be presented as such.

The formula contains no additives: no colouring, no preservative, no filler. It suits vegetarian and vegan diets, and it is naturally gluten-free. Note, however: the flavoured versions necessarily contain a flavouring and a sweetener, which are absent from the unflavoured version. If you want the single-ingredient formula, choose the unflavoured version.

Ingredient list

Unflavoured version: 100% pure creatine monohydrate, micronised (200 mesh). Single ingredient.

Flavoured versions: the composition also includes a flavouring and a sweetener. Refer to the label of the flavour you receive, as the detail is not disclosed in the data available to us.

No declared allergens. Gluten-free. Suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. The manufacturer does not disclose the dose per capsule for the 120-capsule format: refer to the packaging.

How do you take Naughty Boy creatine?

Serving: 3 to 5 g a day. Liquid: 200 to 250 ml of water or juice. Timing: the time of day does not matter. Frequency: one serving a day, every day, including rest days. Duration: continuous; the manufacturer suggests a one-week break after eight weeks of use.

The most important point, and the one least often understood: creatine is not taken "before the session". Its effect rests on the gradual saturation of the muscle, which takes one to two weeks to build up and which does not depend on when you take it. Take it whenever you are most certain to remember — at breakfast, in your evening shaker, it makes no difference. Consistency counts, the schedule does not.

Rest days count as much as the others. This is the most common mistake with this product: stopping at the weekend lets muscle stores fall back, and you lose the benefit of the preceding weeks. One serving every day, without exception.

The loading phase is optional. You can saturate faster by taking 20 g a day for five days, but that brings nothing extra after a month — and it causes digestive discomfort in a lot of people. Three to five grams a day, patiently, gives the same result.

Drink more during the period you are taking it. Creatine draws water into the muscle; increasing your fluid intake is a simple precaution and one systematically recommended by manufacturers. Being unflavoured, the powder mixes without any trouble into a pre-workout, a protein shaker or a fruit juice.

Who is this creatine for, and who is it not for?

It suits any adult taking part in a sport involving short, intense efforts: weight training, sprinting, team sports, combat sports. Along with protein, it is the best-documented supplement in the shop, and one of the very few whose effect is recognised by European regulation.

It is not suitable for under-18s, nor for pregnant or breastfeeding women. The manufacturer asks that you seek the advice of a healthcare professional in the case of kidney or heart problems, or ongoing treatment. This point is not negotiable: if you have a known kidney condition, speak to your doctor before buying, not after.

What you should not expect from it. Creatine does not make you lose weight, does not replace training and has no effect at all in someone who does not train. Nor does it artificially "puff you up": the one- to two-kilo weight gain seen at the start of a course is water held in the muscle, which is normal and harmless — but better known before you step on the scales.

One last point, often misunderstood: roughly one person in five responds little or not at all to creatine, because their muscle stores are naturally high already. This shows up on no label and cannot be predicted. If after two months of regular use you notice nothing, it is neither the product's fault nor yours.

Creatine monohydrate or Creapure?

This is the comparison that comes up every time, and the answer is simpler than people think.

Creapure is a creatine monohydrate, manufactured in Germany under a registered trade mark. The molecule is strictly the same; what changes is the manufacturing process and the level of impurity control. For someone who wants maximum traceability, our Creapure section meets that requirement, at a higher price.

A good-quality standard creatine monohydrate does the same job. That is what we say over the counter, and we stand by it: the molecule is identical, the European claim is the same, and the effect depends only on how consistently you take it. The price premium buys a guarantee of process, not extra results.

As for the other forms, let us be direct: creatine HCL and Kre-Alkalyn are more expensive and have never demonstrated any superiority over monohydrate. They are of interest to the rare people who digest the classic form poorly, which is a good reason — the only one.

Frequently asked questions

How much creatine per serving?

5 g of creatine monohydrate per full serving, or 3 g at the half serving. Both doses allow the European claim to be made, which requires at least 3 g a day. Count on 30 servings of 5 g for the 150 g format, 60 for the 300 g and 90 for the 450 g.

What is the best time to take it?

The one you will remember every day. Creatine works through gradual saturation of the muscle, over one to two weeks: when you take it makes no difference at all, contrary to what you often read. Consistency, on the other hand, makes an enormous one.

Do you need a loading phase?

No, it is optional. Twenty grams a day for five days saturates faster, but after a month the result is identical to that of a daily 3 to 5 g intake. Loading also causes digestive discomfort in a lot of people.

Should you take it on rest days?

Yes, absolutely, and this is the most common mistake. Stopping at the weekend lets muscle stores fall back and cancels out part of the work of the preceding weeks. One serving every day, training or not.

Does creatine cause weight gain?

A gain of one to two kilos is common at the start of a course: it is water held in the muscle, not fat. It is normal, harmless, and it even contributes to the effect you are after. Better to know it before stepping on the scales.

What is the difference between the unflavoured and the flavoured versions?

The unflavoured version contains only one ingredient: creatine. The flavoured versions add a flavouring and a sweetener. If you mix your creatine into a shaker or a juice, the unflavoured version is more versatile and its ingredient list shorter.

What is the dose for the capsule version?

The manufacturer does not disclose the dose per capsule in the data available to us, for the 120-capsule format. Refer to the label of the product you receive, and work out how many capsules are needed to reach 3 to 5 g a day.

Where to buy Naughty Boy creatine?

The 150 g, 300 g, 450 g and 120-capsule formats can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is the first product we recommend to someone starting out in weight training, even before a protein: few supplements are as well documented, and none is as simple to use. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition section.

What is Naughty Boy Amino EAA?

It is a mixable essential amino acid powder with an 11.5 g serving delivering 8.5 g of amino acids and only 10 kcal. The 350 g tub covers exactly 30 servings. The flavours listed: PickNMix, Fizzy Peach Sweets, Ultra Energy, Strawberry Mango and Cherry Mango.

What sets this product apart is the raw material: all nine amino acids come from plant fermentation, which makes the formula entirely vegan. The manufacturer also declares it gluten free, lactose free and with no added sugars.

The rest of the composition fits into four lines: malic acid, natural flavourings, sucralose and a colour that varies with the flavour. One clarification along the way, because the manufacturer's own sheet words it differently: sucralose is an artificial sweetener, not a natural one. The full British brand range sits in our Naughty Boy aisle, and the whole category in EAA.

What does an 11.5 g serving contain?

* Column calculated from the values declared for 11.5 g. No NRV is established for amino acids.

The figure worth remembering, and it is a good one: 8.5 g of amino acids out of 11.5 g of powder, that is 74% of the serving. In other words, only 3 grams go to the flavouring, the malic acid and the sweetener. That is an honest ratio for this category, where some heavily flavoured powders drop a good deal lower.

What is missing, on the other hand, has to be flagged, and it matters: the manufacturer does not publish the amount of each individual amino acid. The ingredients list names them in descending order — leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, threonine, phenylalanine, histidine, methionine, tryptophan — but no figure comes with that list. So you cannot know the leucine content, which is the first point of comparison for any EAA. We will not invent it; read the label on the tub you receive.

What the order of the list does tell you is that leucine is the dominant amino acid and that the three BCAAs take the top three places — a classic pattern, consistent with a 2:1:1 ratio across that fraction.

A regulatory note to close: no health claim is authorised in Europe for free amino acids. Not protein synthesis, not recovery, not endurance, not anti-catabolism. We describe a composition, a dose and a use — not an effect.

How do you take Naughty Boy Amino EAA?

Serving: 11.5 g, that is one scoop. Liquid: 400 ml of cold water. Timing: 15 to 30 minutes before the session, during exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, or straight after. Frequency: one serving a day, rest days included according to the manufacturer. Duration: 4 to 12 weeks of use, followed by a 1 to 2 week break.

Four hundred millilitres for 11.5 g is a generous dilution, and it is deliberate. Free amino acids are acidic; at 250 ml the drink becomes hard to finish. Use cold water: warm water dissolves it less well and the taste suffers. Shake until fully dissolved and drink once prepared.

The manufacturer allows for three windows. In practice they are not equally useful depending on your situation: before the session if you train fasted, during beyond an hour of exercise, after if your next meal is a long way off. If you have eaten a full meal two hours before, the extra intake is of little further interest.

The one to two week break after 4 to 12 weeks is a manufacturer recommendation. Nothing compels you to follow it on a product that is only an amino acid supply, but it does have one practical merit: it forces you to check that your diet stands up on its own.

Close the tub properly and store it in a dry place: free amino acid powders take up moisture and cake into a solid block, as the manufacturer points out itself. Stated shelf life: 24 months in the unopened original packaging.

Who is this EAA for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed first and foremost at vegans: the amino acids come from plant fermentation, with no animal raw material. It also suits anyone training fasted or a long way from a meal, and anyone who cannot stomach a milky shaker during exercise — at 10 kcal and with no fat, this drink weighs on nothing.

The manufacturer advises against it for children under 12, and asks pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as people on medication to seek professional advice. Mind the list of traces, which is a long one: the product is made in a facility that handles GLUTEN, MILK, EGGS, SOYA, FISH, CRUSTACEANS, PEANUTS and NUTS. If you are allergic to any of them, the “gluten free” claim made elsewhere is not enough to reassure you. Do not exceed 11.5 g a day.

It suits you less well if you want to compare precisely what you are buying: with no published leucine content, comparison with another EAA remains approximate. That is the real limitation of this product.

What you should not expect from it: 8.5 g of amino acids do not replace a protein intake. This is not a substitute for protein, and the cost per gram is far higher. If your daily intake is already adequate, this product will add nothing measurable — that is the first question to ask yourself, and rarely the one you hear asked in the aisle.

Naughty Boy EAA or Rule One Essential Amino 9?

We sell both, in the same 11.5 g serving size and the same number of servings. The comparison is therefore direct, and it is instructive.

Rule One Essential Amino 9 delivers 7.5 g of amino acids per serving, one gram less, but it publishes the content of each of the nine — 2,500 mg of leucine at the top — and it adds 500 mg of electrolytes. It is the better choice if you want to know exactly what you are drinking, and if the sodium and magnesium intake matters to you on long sessions.

Naughty Boy wins on two concrete points. The amount of amino acids per serving, at 8.5 g against 7.5 g. And the declared plant fermentation, which makes it a genuinely vegan option where not every competitor spells that out. It also offers a wider choice of flavours, in an unashamedly confectionery register.

What settles it, then, is what you value: one extra gram of amino acids, or full transparency on the detail. If your need is mainly mineral hydration, neither will replace a product from the electrolytes aisle. And if you are weighing up a cheaper option, be aware that our BCAA aisle supplies only three amino acids out of nine: the saving is paid for with an incomplete profile.

Frequently asked questions

How much leucine per serving?

The manufacturer does not publish it in the labelling data available to us, and we will not invent it. The ingredients list places leucine first, which indicates it is the dominant one of the nine, with no further precision. The label on the tub you receive is what counts.

Is the formula suitable for vegans?

Yes. The amino acids come from plant fermentation, with no animal raw material, and the manufacturer declares the formula lactose free and gluten free. One caveat, though: the production facility handles milk, eggs and fish, and traces are possible.

How many servings in the 350 g tub?

Thirty exactly, at 11.5 g per serving. At four sessions a week, that works out at around seven weeks; taken daily as the manufacturer suggests, one month. The stated shelf life is 24 months unopened.

Does the Ultra Energy flavour contain caffeine?

The ingredients list supplied to us mentions no stimulant, and no caffeine content has been communicated to us for this flavour. As the name may be misleading, check the label on the tub you receive if you are sensitive to caffeine or if you train in the evening.

Do you really need 400 ml of water?

That is what the manufacturer settles on, and it is a good setting. A free amino acid powder is acidic and concentrated in taste: at 250 ml the drink becomes unpleasant to finish. The generous volume has a second advantage, it makes you drink during the session.

Should you take a break between two periods of use?

The manufacturer advises 4 to 12 weeks of use then a 1 to 2 week break. Nothing requires it on a simple amino acid supply, but that break has one merit: it obliges you to check that your diet stands up on its own.

Can you take it on rest days?

The manufacturer allows it. We are more measured: if your protein intake is already sufficient, taking it on days without a session brings nothing demonstrated and halves how long the tub lasts. Save it for the days when a protein meal is genuinely missing.

Where can you buy Naughty Boy Amino EAA 350 g?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. The 350 g tub with 30 servings is a sensible size to try for a first EAA.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is one of the few products we put straight up against a competitor on the counter, because the two tubs have exactly the same serving size. One extra gram of amino acids on one side, the full label detail on the other: it is up to the customer to say what matters most. The rest of the amino acids can be compared in our sports nutrition aisle.

What is Naughty Boy PUMP?

Naughty Boy PUMP is a pre-workout that is caffeine-free and completely free of stimulants, formulated by the British brand Naughty Boy. The dose is one 16 g scoop, and eleven ingredients are fully disclosed on the label — a level of transparency that remains rare in this category.

The formula is built around three vascular precursors: 6 g of citrulline malate 2:1, 2 g of arginine and 500 mg of PerforMelon® (an extract of Citrullus lanatus, watermelon, a natural source of citrulline). Alongside these sit 3.2 g of beta-alanine, 1 g of taurine, 1 g of L-tyrosine obtained by vegan fermentation, 600 mg of VitaCholine®, 300 mg of sea salt, the patented vitamin C PureWay-C® and vitamin B3.

The flavours on offer: Strawberry Mango, Candy Bubblegum, Ultra Energy, Tropical Punch, Pineapple Crush and Blue Razz Bon Bons. The product joins our caffeine-free booster and Naughty Boy ranges.

What does a 16 g dose contain?

Two figures are missing: the energy value is not declared, and neither is the net weight of the tub — which makes it impossible to state the number of doses. BioPerine® is the only ingredient with no published dosage.

One formulation detail deserves to be flagged, because it genuinely sets this product apart: the vitamin B3 here is nicotinamide, not nicotinic acid. It is the form that does not cause the flush — the facial redness and sensation of heat that some pre-workouts trigger. At 40 mg you will get no skin reaction of that kind. The tingling you do feel will come from the 3.2 g of beta-alanine, and from nothing else.

The authorised wordings that apply are as follows: vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress; niacin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; choline contributes to normal lipid metabolism, the 600 mg comfortably exceeding the 82.5 mg threshold required. For citrulline, arginine, beta-alanine, taurine, tyrosine and watermelon extract, no claim is authorised in Europe.

How should Naughty Boy PUMP be dosed?

Dose: 1 scoop of 16 g, without exceeding the recommended dose. Liquid: 200 to 250 ml of cold water. Timing: 15 to 20 minutes before the session. Frequency: one serving per training day. Duration: the manufacturer imposes neither cycling nor breaks, which is consistent with a stimulant-free formula.

The first time, take a half dose to gauge your tolerance, particularly to the beta-alanine tingling. The powder is fine and mixes without lumps; shake it well.

Three uses stand out depending on the time of day. In the morning, a serving on waking with a light breakfast. In the evening, this is the product's main strength: with no caffeine, it does not disturb sleep. And on long sessions, beyond 90 minutes, there is no stimulant crash to fear towards the end of training.

Hydrate properly during the session. The product can be combined with creatine, BCAAs or a protein in the same routine. What you should avoid is adding another source of arginine or citrulline: you would be stacking with no benefit.

Who is this pre-workout for, and who is it not for?

It targets three situations. End-of-day sessions, where caffeine costs you a night's sleep. People sensitive to stimulants, who have given up on conventional pre-workouts. And long training sessions, where you want the pump without the nervous spike at the start.

The restrictions are clear-cut. Do not use during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you are sensitive to any of the ingredients. Not recommended for under-18s. Consult a healthcare professional before use if you have a medical condition. Do not exceed the recommended dose.

Two specific points. The product is manufactured in a facility that also handles NUTS, MILK, GLUTEN, EGGS, SOYA, CRUSTACEANS and PEANUTS: traces are possible. And depending on the flavour, the formula contains the colours azorubine (E122), tartrazine (E102) or brilliant blue (E133); for the first two, European regulations require the statement may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.

What you should not expect from it: energy. That is the most common misunderstanding about this type of product. With no caffeine, there is no kick and no heightened alertness. You will feel a sensation of full muscles, nothing more. And that sensation is not a result: it is neither strength nor muscle gained.

Naughty Boy PUMP or a stimulant pre-workout?

These two products do not replace one another. The question to settle is a simple one: what is it that you are missing before the session?

A stimulant pre-workout from the boosters range is the right choice if what you are missing is the will to get going. A 6:00 morning session, a heavy end to the week, a short night: only caffeine acts on that, and no amount of citrulline will replace it. These formulas typically deliver 200 to 400 mg of caffeine, often with citrulline dosages comparable to the ones here.

Naughty Boy PUMP wins on three fronts. Timing first: it is the only type of product you can take at 20:00. Frequency next, since there is no stimulant tolerance to manage and no cycles to observe. And the sophistication of the formula: 2 g of arginine on top of the citrulline, 600 mg of choline, a patented vitamin C and, above all, nicotinamide rather than nicotinic acid, which avoids the flush. Many of our customers keep both tubs and alternate according to the time of the session — that is probably the most sensible approach.

Frequently asked questions

Is there really zero caffeine?

Yes. The formula contains neither caffeine nor any other stimulant, and that is its whole purpose. Taking it at 20:00 before a 20:30 session will have no consequences for falling asleep.

How many doses are in a tub?

The net weight does not appear in the data supplied by the manufacturer, so we cannot work it out. Divide the weight shown on the packaging by 16 g to get the number of servings.

Is the tingling normal?

Yes, it comes from the 3.2 g of beta-alanine and appears within a quarter of an hour of taking it, on the face and forearms. It lasts around half an hour and fades with regular use. You will not, however, get facial redness: the vitamin B3 used here is nicotinamide, the form that does not cause a flush.

What is PerforMelon®?

A patented extract of Citrullus lanatus, that is to say watermelon, present at 500 mg. Watermelon is a natural source of citrulline, hence its presence alongside the 6 g of citrulline malate. No health claim is authorised in Europe for this extract.

Can it be combined with a creatine or a whey?

Yes, without any difficulty, and the manufacturer says as much. Just avoid adding another product containing arginine or citrulline: stacking brings nothing and you would be paying twice for the same active.

Which colour do the flavours contain?

Depending on the flavour, the formula contains azorubine (E122), tartrazine (E102) or brilliant blue (E133). The first two require the regulatory statement about activity and attention in children. Check the label of the flavour you choose if this matters to you.

Is it suitable for long sessions?

That is in fact one of its best use cases. On a session longer than 90 minutes, a stimulant product drops off before the end of the workout; here, there is nothing to drop off. Drink enough during the effort.

Where to buy Naughty Boy PUMP?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is one of the few stimulant-free pre-workouts whose label gives figures for eleven ingredients: on that specific point, it stands comparison with far more expensive products.

Our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, keeps the flavours in stock. If you train in the evening and have never tried a caffeine-free formula, this is the product to start with. The full range can be browsed from sports nutrition.

What is Now Foods Adam Men's Multi?

Now Foods Adam Men's Multi is a softgel multivitamin complex, formulated for adult men and sold in bottles of 90 or 180 softgels. The daily dose is two softgels. It is not a powder and it is not a tablet: it is an oil-based softgel capsule, and that detail shapes both how you take it and what it delivers.

The formula reads in three blocks. The first is a vitamin base: A, C, D3, E, vitamin K and the full B complex, with B6 as pyridoxal-5-phosphate and B12 as methylcobalamin. The second is a block of chelated minerals — zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, calcium, potassium — several of them in bisglycinate form. The third is what the manufacturer calls its men's complex: saw palmetto, phytosterols, lycopene, coenzyme Q10 and alpha-lipoic acid.

Now Foods is an American brand whose range we stock in our Now Foods section. Adam is its long-standing men's multivitamin, and what sets it apart is less the originality of the blend than the number of ingredients packed into two capsules.

What does a 2-softgel dose contain?

Here are the amounts declared by the manufacturer for the daily dose of two softgels. The right-hand column relates those values to the European NRVs wherever the conversion is direct and unambiguous.

Two caveats, and they matter. The manufacturer expresses vitamin A in international units and states that 60% comes from beta-carotene and the rest from retinyl palmitate. Since the two forms do not convert in the same way, we are not publishing a percentage: it would be a made-up figure. And above all, the amounts in the B complex and the men's complex do not appear in the labelling data available to us. A “proprietary complex” means the manufacturer gives you the list without giving you the doses. That is its right, but it stops you from genuinely comparing this product's saw palmetto or CoQ10 with those of a dedicated product from our CoQ10 section.

What does stand up, however, stands up well. 15 mg of zinc is a serious baseline dose, not a decorative trace: zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood and to the normal function of the immune system. 200 µg of selenium is generous — selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. We come back to this further down, because that particular figure deserves a close look. As for the 1,000 IU of vitamin D3, they are enough to see you through a winter where many multivitamins stop at 200 IU, and vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and to normal muscle function.

How should you take Adam Men's Multi?

Dose: 2 softgels a day. Liquid: a glass of water is enough, the capsule goes down easily. Timing: with a meal, preferably in the morning. Frequency: 1 serving, or 2 if you prefer to split it. Duration: the manufacturer sets no time limit; expect 45 days from the 90-softgel bottle and 90 days from the 180.

Take them with a meal, not on an empty stomach. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble: they need a little fat to be absorbed, and a breakfast with eggs, peanut butter or olive oil does the job perfectly well. It also limits the stomach discomfort some people feel from a multivitamin taken on an empty stomach.

If you struggle to digest both capsules at once, split them: one at breakfast, one at lunch. Nothing prevents it. Do avoid taking them late in the evening if the B complex makes you restless — it does not affect everyone, but it affects enough people to be worth mentioning. Finally, a multivitamin cannot be judged in three days: give it six weeks before forming an opinion, and remember that its job is to secure your intake, not to produce a sensation.

One practical point that often gets overlooked: this formula supplies neither magnesium in any useful amount nor omega 3. If you already supplement with either, keep them — there is no overlap to worry about on that side.

Who is Adam for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at adult men, and the manufacturer says so plainly: the formulation is suitable for neither women nor children. The iron content is nil or marginal, which makes sense for a man with no deficiency — if you are looking for iron, our iron section is where to go, and after a blood test, not before.

The capsule shell contains bovine gelatine. This product is therefore suitable for neither vegetarians nor vegans. It is the first thing to check before ordering, and it is easy to miss.

On allergens, our labelling data contradicts itself: the allergen statement says “contains soy (lecithin)”, while the ingredient list mentions sunflower lecithin. We will not settle it on your behalf — if you are allergic to soy, read the label on the bottle you receive and, at the slightest doubt, steer clear. The product is otherwise declared gluten-free and dairy-free, though made in a facility that handles other allergens.

Two genuine points of caution. High-dose biotin can interfere with certain blood tests, thyroid and cardiac ones in particular: tell your doctor you are taking it before any analysis. And while the 200 µg of selenium stays under the 300 µg per day safety limit set by EFSA for adults, it does not leave much room: combine it with another selenium-containing supplement, or with regular Brazil nuts, and you can go over. Do not take two multivitamins at the same time.

What not to expect from it: this is not a testosterone booster, it is not a performance product, and saw palmetto, lycopene and alpha-lipoic acid hold no authorised health claim in Europe. We will therefore attribute none to them. If you are on any treatment or have a prostate condition, the question is one for your doctor.

Adam Men's Multi or a ZMA?

This is the comparison that comes up most often over the counter, because the two products overlap on zinc and on the same expectation. A ZMA combines zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6 in a single evening serving. Adam covers thirty-odd micronutrients in a single morning serving.

A ZMA is the better choice in one specific case: you eat a varied diet, you have no reason to fear a vitamin shortfall, but you train hard and you lose magnesium. There, a ZMA targets better, costs less per day, and gives you an exact magnesium figure — which Adam does not do at all, since it supplies none in any useful amount. On the testosterone claim, the two are equal: it is the zinc that carries it, and both contain it.

Adam is the better choice if your diet is irregular, if you skip meals, if you are in a prolonged calorie deficit, or if you want a single serving that covers a broad range. It supplies 1,000 IU of vitamin D, 120 mg of vitamin C and the B complex, none of which a ZMA provides. The trade-off is the proprietary complex: you accept not knowing the dosage of part of the formula. If that vagueness bothers you, buy the zinc and the vitamin D separately, and know every milligram.

Frequently asked questions

How many softgels a day, and which bottle should I choose?

Two a day, with a meal. The 90-softgel bottle covers 45 days, the 180 covers 90. The large size saves you reordering every month and suits continuous use better; the small one is enough if you want to test digestive tolerance first.

Is Adam suitable for vegetarians?

No. The softgel shell is bovine gelatine, not pullulan or plant-based HPMC. That is a deal-breaker for a vegetarian or vegan diet, and there is no alternative version of this product.

Why are the B complex doses not stated?

Because the manufacturer publishes them as a complex without detailing each amount in the data available to us. We are not going to invent them. In practice, this stops you from comparing item by item with a dedicated B complex: the list of vitamins present is known, their quantity is not.

Can it be combined with creatine or whey?

Yes, without difficulty: there is no shared ingredient and no known interaction between a multivitamin and a protein or a creatine. The only stacking to watch is two products containing zinc or selenium — read the labels before piling them up.

Can biotin skew a blood test?

Yes, it is a documented effect and well known to laboratories: supplemental doses of biotin can disrupt certain immunoassays, thyroid and cardiac ones in particular. Always mention that you are taking a multivitamin before an analysis. Your doctor will tell you whether to stop for a few days.

Is 200 µg of selenium too much?

Not in itself: EFSA sets 300 µg a day as the safety limit for adults, and 200 µg stays below it. But the margin is narrow. Add a second selenium-containing supplement or a few Brazil nuts a day, and you cross the threshold. One source at a time.

Does saw palmetto act on the prostate?

No health claim is authorised in Europe for saw palmetto, so we will make none. Add to that the fact that its amount is not quantified here. If your concern is prostate-related, it belongs in a conversation with a doctor, not on a product page.

Where can you buy Now Foods Adam Men's Multi?

Both sizes, 90 and 180 softgels, can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe.

Our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, serves one purpose above all on this particular product: turning the bottle over and reading the “bovine gelatine” line before paying. It is the question that turns one customer in five away, and it is better discovered at the counter than when the parcel arrives. The rest of our everyday supplements can be compared in our sports nutrition section.

What is Now Foods Apple Cider Vinegar 450 mg?

It is dehydrated cider vinegar, put into a vegetable capsule, dosed at 450 mg of powder per capsule. The manufacturer states a vinegar obtained by the natural fermentation of apples.

The entire logic of the product lies in the format. Liquid cider vinegar is acidic, it attacks tooth enamel, and its taste puts most people off taking it regularly. The capsule solves those three problems at a stroke: no taste, no acidity in the mouth, no contact with the teeth. It is a convenience product, and that is its only reason to exist.

The composition is short: cider vinegar powder, maltodextrin as a bulking agent, a hypromellose capsule, stearic acid of plant origin and silicon dioxide. As the capsule is vegetable, the product is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The rest of the American range can be found in our Now Foods section.

What does a two-capsule dose contain?

* No NRV has been established for cider vinegar. Other components: maltodextrin (bulking agent), hypromellose (vegetable capsule), stearic acid of plant origin, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent). The manufacturer declares a product free from gluten, soya, milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, nuts and wheat, made in a facility that otherwise handles those allergens. The number of capsules per bottle does not appear in the data supplied.

Let us now say what those 900 mg represent, because it is the question nobody asks and the one that decides everything. The manufacturer does not publish the acetic acid content of the powder, which is nevertheless the characteristic component of vinegar. Without that figure, it is impossible to say how many spoonfuls of liquid vinegar a two-capsule dose corresponds to, and we will not invent it. What we can say: 900 mg of powder is very little in volume, and probably far less than the tablespoon of vinegar usually talked about.

The second point to put plainly: cider vinegar has no authorised health claim in Europe. None on digestion, none on blood sugar, none on weight. So you will read no promise here, and that is deliberate: what the regulations forbid us to assert, we will not write, not even in a roundabout form.

What remains, and what is true: it is a traditional food, put into a format that lets you take it every day without forcing yourself, with less than 2 kcal per dose and an ingredients list five lines long. If cider vinegar is part of your habits and the taste puts you off, this product answers exactly that need.

How do you take the cider vinegar capsules?

Dose: 1 to 2 capsules. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: with meals, preferably before the main meals. Frequency: up to 3 times a day. Duration: a course of 2 to 3 months.

The manufacturer advises starting with a single capsule a day to gauge digestive tolerance, then increasing as required. That is good advice: vinegar remains an acid, and even in powder form it does not go down the same way for everyone.

Two instructions that carry weight. Take the capsule with a large glass of water, never dry: a capsule that opened in the oesophagus would release its acidic content in the wrong place. And do not chew the capsules — the manufacturer asks this explicitly, and for the same reason.

On duration, two to three months is the marker given. Nothing requires a break, and nothing indicates that going beyond brings anything either. At three daily doses of two capsules, you are taking six capsules a day: that is the stated maximum, and it gets through a bottle quickly.

One piece of data is missing and we would rather put it in writing: the number of capsules per bottle does not appear in the information supplied by the manufacturer. Divide the number printed on the label by your daily consumption to work out how long it will last.

Who are these capsules for, and who are they not for?

The product is for adults only. It suits those who already consume cider vinegar and are looking for a format with no taste and no acidity, those who travel, and those protecting their tooth enamel — liquid vinegar taken daily is aggressive on the teeth, and that is a concrete argument in favour of the capsule.

It is not suitable in case of gastric ulcer or severe digestive disorders: that is the contraindication carried by the manufacturer, and it is logical for an acidic product. In case of pregnancy or breastfeeding, consult a healthcare professional before use. If you are on any medication, tell your doctor you are taking this: the manufacturer explicitly asks that this be done, and the recommendation is worth following.

Nor is it for you if you are expecting a result. We would rather be clear even if it means selling less: since no claim is authorised for cider vinegar, nobody can promise you anything on digestion, appetite or weight without stepping outside the legal framework. What we are selling here is a practical format for a traditional food, not a solution.

What you should not expect from it, precisely: no weight loss. A calorie deficit makes you lose weight; a vinegar capsule does not. Our weight loss range includes useful products, but none of them replaces what you put on your plate. Do not buy it for that.

Cider vinegar or a fat burner in capsules?

This is the comparison that comes up most often, because the two products are bought for the same reasons — and often with the same hopes.

A fat burner in capsules generally contains caffeine, green tea or green coffee extracts, sometimes carnitine. It shares with cider vinegar the absence of an authorised health claim for most of its ingredients, but it has one concrete advantage: caffeine, for its part, produces an effect you will feel — more energy, a session easier to get through during a period of restriction. It is the better choice if you are after a noticeable boost in training.

Cider vinegar capsules have no stimulant, no caffeine, and therefore no felt effect. That is a drawback if you are after a sensation, and a real advantage if you cannot tolerate stimulants, if you are already taking them elsewhere, or if you want something that can be taken in the evening without touching your sleep. They impose neither cycling nor breaks.

If your starting question was rather about digestive comfort, two other ranges are better placed and rest on more direct logics: our probiotics and our digestive enzymes. And if you are simply looking to secure your micronutrient intake, a multivitamin will do more for you than any of those three.

Frequently asked questions

How much liquid vinegar does one capsule represent?

We cannot say: the manufacturer does not publish the acetic acid content of the powder, which is the only figure that allows the conversion. What we do know is that one capsule supplies 450 mg of cider vinegar powder — a modest weight, and in all likelihood well below a tablespoon of liquid vinegar.

Can the capsules be opened or chewed?

No, the manufacturer asks this explicitly. The contents are acidic: released in the mouth or in the oesophagus, they can be irritant, and they would attack tooth enamel exactly as liquid vinegar would. Swallow the capsule whole with a large glass of water.

Do they make you lose weight?

No, and no claim of that kind is authorised for cider vinegar in Europe. So we will not write it, in any form whatsoever. What makes you lose weight is a calorie deficit held over time — a capsule neither replaces it nor makes it easier.

How many should you take a day?

The manufacturer allows 1 to 2 capsules up to 3 times a day, that is 6 capsules at most. It advises starting with a single capsule a day to gauge digestive tolerance. In practice, two capsules a day with a meal are enough for most people.

Are they less aggressive on the teeth than liquid vinegar?

Yes, and that is the format's most solid argument. Liquid vinegar consumed regularly attacks tooth enamel — this is well documented and it is dentists' first reservation about the habit. The capsule, swallowed whole, does not bring the acid into contact with the teeth.

Are there any contraindications?

The manufacturer advises against the product in case of gastric ulcer or severe digestive disorders, asks for professional advice in case of pregnancy or breastfeeding, and invites you to tell your doctor you are taking it if you are on medication. The product is also for adults only.

How many capsules are there in a bottle?

The number does not appear in the data supplied by the manufacturer, and we will not invent it. The figure is printed on the bottle: divide it by your daily consumption to work out how long it will last. At two capsules a day, the two- to three-month course calls for between 120 and 180 capsules.

Where to buy Now Foods cider vinegar capsules?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is a simple product, honestly formulated, and one on which we promise nothing — which, in this category, sets us apart from a good part of the market.

At the Vendargues counter, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the conversation about cider vinegar always starts with the same question: what do you expect from this product? When the answer is “to lose weight”, we recommend something else. When it is “I already take vinegar in the morning and I have had enough of the taste”, this is exactly the right product. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.

What is Now Foods Apple Cider Vinegar 750 mg?

Now Foods Apple Cider Vinegar Extra Strength is dehydrated cider vinegar, presented as coated tablets. One tablet provides 750 mg of apple cider vinegar powder, plus 100 mg of calcium and 7 mg of magnesium from Aquamin, a marine mineral extracted from seaweed. The dose is one tablet a day, with a meal.

Cider vinegar is obtained by a double fermentation of apple juice: alcoholic first, then acetic. What gives it its taste and its acidity is acetic acid. The powder used here is that same vinegar, dried, which makes it possible to put it into a tablet without having to drink an acidic liquid.

That is precisely where the point of the format lies, and it is very concrete: liquid vinegar attacks tooth enamel. A coated tablet goes down without prolonged contact with the teeth. The rest of the American range can be browsed in our Now Foods section, and the other products in the same family in our weight loss section.

What is in one Apple Cider Vinegar tablet?

Let us start with what cannot be said, because it is the most important thing about this particular product. No health claim is authorised in Europe for cider vinegar. Not on weight loss, not on digestion, not on blood sugar, not on appetite. It is a fermented food, sold here in dried form, and nothing can be promised of it. You will read the opposite just about everywhere; it is false, and that is precisely why we take the time to write this.

The two minerals in the formula do not change anything either. At 8% of the reference value for calcium and 2% for magnesium, the amounts stay below the 15% threshold that would allow them to be claimed as a source. They are therefore not there to nourish, but to buffer the acidity of the powder — which, on the other hand, does play a real role in how well the tablet is tolerated.

Aquamin is a raw material extracted from calcified marine algae, of Irish origin according to the manufacturer. It provides calcium and magnesium in a plant-based form, which is consistent with the tablet's vegetarian coating.

What this product does well is what the ingredients list only says by implication. It is short, with no colouring, no flavouring, no sweetener, and the manufacturer declares the absence of yeast, wheat, gluten, soya, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, nuts and sesame. In a section where “slimming” formulas pile up ten plant extracts and two stimulants, a product with a single active ingredient has the merit of clarity.

Data missing from the manufacturer's file: the number of tablets per bottle is not disclosed, which makes it impossible to work out how long a course lasts. The information is on the packaging you receive.

Ingredients list

Apple cider vinegar powder, maltodextrin (non-GMO), vegetarian coating (hypromellose, stearic acid of vegetable origin, sunflower lecithin, triethyl citrate, sunflower oil), stearic acid of vegetable origin, silicon dioxide, Aquamin (calcium and magnesium from marine algae).

Free from yeast, wheat, gluten, soya, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, nuts and sesame. A natural variation in colour from one batch to another is possible.

How do you take Apple Cider Vinegar?

Dose: 1 tablet. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: with the main meal. Frequency: once a day. Duration: a course of 3 to 6 months according to the manufacturer.

Taking it with a meal is an imperative instruction here, not a comfort tip. The manufacturer writes it unambiguously: on an empty stomach, a vinegar concentrate can cause digestive irritation. A full stomach buffers the acidity, and the marine calcium in the formula contributes to that as well. If you have ever had acid reflux after a glass of diluted cider vinegar, you know what this is about.

The tablet can be split if you find it large, which the manufacturer permits. Take it with a large glass of water, which helps it dissolve and keeps the acidity away from the oesophagus.

Leave two hours between this and any medication you take. It is a general precaution with acidic products and with minerals, and it is simple to apply: the tablet at lunch, your treatments at their usual times.

A word on the comparison with liquid vinegar, since everyone asks. The liquid costs less and can be found in any grocer's; in exchange, it attacks tooth enamel and has to be diluted carefully. The tablet solves both problems, travels well, and is dosed exactly. That is the only real argument for the format, and it is enough for some purposes.

This product combines without overlap with digestive enzymes, a probiotic or a multivitamin, none of which provides cider vinegar.

Who is Apple Cider Vinegar for, and who is it not for?

It suits an adult who wants to work cider vinegar into their routine without drinking an acidic liquid, and who appreciates a short, readable formula. The tablet format is also practical when travelling.

It is not recommended in cases of gastric ulcer or gastro-oesophageal reflux without medical advice. That is an explicit contraindication from the manufacturer, and it makes sense: we are talking about a concentrate of acetic acid. If your stomach is fragile, put the question to your doctor before buying.

It is for adults only, and medical advice is required during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Tell your doctor you are taking it if you are on any treatment, not least because of the two-hour spacing precaution.

What not to expect from it, and this is the part most sites would rather keep quiet. It does not make you lose weight. It does not burn fat. It does not “detoxify” anything — the liver and the kidneys do that job without help. It does not suppress appetite and it does not regulate blood sugar: none of those statements has an authorised claim in Europe. If you are looking to lose weight, what counts is the calorie deficit and physical activity, and no tablet replaces those two levers.

Cider vinegar tablets or a fat burner in capsules?

The two products come up in the same searches, and yet they have nothing in common.

This cider vinegar tablet is a sober product: one active ingredient, two buffering minerals, no stimulant. It contains no caffeine, does not disturb sleep and can be taken at any mealtime. That is its main advantage, and it should not be underestimated if you are sensitive to stimulants.

A fat burner in capsules follows a different logic: carnitine, green tea, guarana, caffeine, plant extracts. Those formulas are more complete, but also more stimulating and more demanding — restricted timing, compulsory breaks, cardiovascular contraindications. If that is the route that interests you, our fat burner capsules section covers it fully.

When is neither the answer? If you expect a supplement to do the work for you. No product in this section has a weight-loss claim, and that is as true of cider vinegar as it is of fat burners. If you still want a stimulant-free formula, our caffeine-free fat burner section is the closest in spirit. And if your stomach is the real subject, a magnesium or a digestive enzyme will answer better than an acid concentrate.

Frequently asked questions

How much cider vinegar per tablet?

750 mg of apple cider vinegar powder, obtained by dehydrating the vinegar produced from the fermentation of apples. To that are added 100 mg of calcium and 7 mg of magnesium of marine origin, present to buffer the acidity rather than to nourish.

Does cider vinegar make you lose weight?

No, and no claim of that kind is authorised in Europe, whether on weight loss, on appetite or on blood sugar. It is a fermented food sold in dried form. Fat loss comes from the calorie deficit and from physical activity, not from a tablet.

Why take it during a meal?

Because a vinegar concentrate taken on an empty stomach can irritate the stomach: the manufacturer says so in black and white. A full stomach buffers the acidity, and the marine calcium in the formula plays its part too. A large glass of water completes the precaution.

Tablet or liquid vinegar?

The liquid costs less but attacks tooth enamel and has to be diluted. The coated tablet avoids that contact, travels easily and is dosed exactly. That is the only real advantage of the format, and it is enough for some purposes.

Is this product suitable for vegetarians?

Yes. The coating is declared vegetarian, the stearic acid is of vegetable origin and the Aquamin comes from calcified marine algae. The manufacturer also declares the absence of yeast, wheat, gluten, soya, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, nuts and sesame.

Can it be taken if you have reflux?

Not without medical advice. The manufacturer explicitly advises against the product in cases of ulcer or gastro-oesophageal reflux. We are talking about a concentrate of acetic acid: if your stomach is fragile, this is not the right product and it is better to know beforehand.

How long does a course last?

The manufacturer mentions 3 to 6 months at one tablet a day. The number of tablets per bottle has not been disclosed to us, so we cannot say how many bottles that represents; the information is on the packaging.

Where to buy Now Foods Apple Cider Vinegar?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship anywhere in France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is a product we sell often, but rarely for the reason the customer imagines: we start by explaining that it does not make you lose weight, and those who buy it afterwards do so in full knowledge of the facts. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition section.