Sports Nutrition Guide

What is TrainedByJP Ashwagandha KSM-66?

TrainedByJP Ashwagandha KSM-66 is a supplement in vegetable capsules providing 600 mg of ashwagandha root extract (Withania somnifera) per capsule, standardised to 5% withanolides, i.e. 30 mg of withanolides per serving. The formula pairs this extract with whole-plant powder, the amount of which is not published.

Ashwagandha is a plant from the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, long used in the form of dried root. KSM-66® is a raw-material brand, not a variety: it denotes an extract obtained through a water-based process, with no chemical solvent, standardised for its withanolide content. What the patent guarantees is the consistency of the assay from one batch to the next — no small thing for a plant extract, where the content of a raw root varies threefold depending on where it comes from. The rest of the range is in our TrainedByJP section.

The number of capsules per bottle is not published by the manufacturer in the information available to us. The packaging you receive carries it.

What does one Ashwagandha KSM-66 capsule contain?

No nutrient reference value exists for withanolides.

600 mg of extract standardised to 5% is the benchmark dose for this category, and it is the one that recurs across most of the published protocols on the KSM-66® raw material. Plenty of competing products stop at 300 mg, or state 600 mg of root powder — which is an entirely different thing. The distinction matters: 600 mg of dried root powder delivers a few milligrams of withanolides, whereas 600 mg of extract standardised to 5% delivers 30. When you compare two bottles, compare the standardisation, never the weight on the label.

The presence of whole-plant powder alongside the extract deserves a comment. It adds non-standardised plant material whose contribution in withanolides is unknown, since the amount is not published. This is neither a flaw nor an advantage: it is simply a part of the capsule about which we can assert nothing.

A regulatory clarification is essential here: no health claim is authorised in Europe for ashwagandha. Not for stress, not for sleep, not for cortisol, not for recovery, not for strength. The previous description on this page announced a “reduction in cortisol” and an “improvement in resistance to stress”: those wordings were not compliant and have been removed. It also stated that the extraction process “removes withaferin A”, something we cannot verify and will therefore not repeat.

Ingredients list

Ashwagandha root extract KSM-66® (Withania somnifera), ashwagandha powder (whole plant), vegetable capsule shell (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), anti-caking agent (magnesium stearate). May contain traces of MILK, EGG, GLUTEN, SOYA and NUTS through cross-contamination at the factory. The manufacturer states no gluten-free certification.

How do you take Ashwagandha KSM-66?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a large glass of water, 250 ml. Timing: with a meal — in the evening if you are after relaxation, in the morning if you want everyday background use, after training if recovery is what interests you. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: the manufacturer recommends a course of at least three months, followed by a two-week break.

Always take it at the same time of day. That is the most useful piece of advice on this type of extract: the expected effects, if there are any, are gradual and build over several weeks. The manufacturer itself indicates that the first changes generally appear between six and twelve weeks. Irregular use makes any assessment impossible.

A meal improves tolerance. Ashwagandha on an empty stomach causes digestive discomfort in some users — nothing serious, but enough to put them off. One capsule with dinner settles the matter, and coincides with the slot people most often choose.

It combines without difficulty with magnesium in the evening or with a ZMA. That said, if you start several “evening” products at the same time, you will never know which one is doing anything: introduce them one at a time, a fortnight apart.

Do observe the two-week break after three months. With a standardised plant extract, a periodic interruption remains the most sensible approach, and it lets you check whether stopping changes anything — which is the only honest way to assess a product that carries no authorised claim.

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

It is aimed at an adult who wants to try a standardised, transparent extract, with a raw material whose assay is consistent. The capsule is vegetable, which makes it compatible with a vegetarian or vegan diet.

The manufacturer advises against it for pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as for children and adolescents. It also asks that you seek the advice of a healthcare professional if you are on any treatment acting on the central nervous system, the thyroid or the immune system. That last mention is not a turn of phrase: ashwagandha is regularly associated with variations in thyroid parameters, and if you are being monitored for a thyroid condition, the question is one for your doctor before you buy.

One more point has to be added, one the manufacturer does not mention and that a French buyer should know: ANSES has published an opinion on food supplements containing ashwagandha and reported cases of liver damage and thyroid disorders, recommending that several groups avoid these products, among them pregnant and breastfeeding women and people with liver or thyroid disease. That is not a reason to give up if you are in good health; it is a reason not to keep going indefinitely and to seek advice at the slightest unusual sign.

What not to expect from it: it is not an anxiolytic, it is not a sleeping pill, and it is not a treatment. No food supplement is. Nor is it a product whose effect you feel as you take it, contrary to what many people hope: if something does change, it shows over several weeks, not within the hour. Fatigue or anxiety that persists calls for a medical consultation, not a bottle of capsules.

Ashwagandha or melatonin if the problem is sleep?

The question comes up constantly, and the answer is in no way ambiguous.

Melatonin holds a health claim authorised in Europe: it contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep, at 1 mg taken just before bedtime. It is the only ingredient in this family to have passed the EFSA assessment. So it is the better choice if your problem is specifically falling asleep, if you are shifting your hours, or if you want a product whose expected effect is documented and immediate.

Ashwagandha does not play on that ground and cannot legally lay claim to it. Its use follows the logic of a course lasting several months, not a one-off serving before bed. It is the choice of someone going through a demanding period who accepts the idea of trying a standardised plant extract, without guarantees and over time.

If you would rather have a single amino acid taken in the evening, our GABA section offers another approach, also without an authorised claim. And if your sleep has been deteriorating since you started training late, look at your pre-workout before buying anything at all: in many cases the cause is there and the solution is free.

Frequently asked questions

How much withanolide is there per capsule?

30 mg, i.e. 5% of the 600 mg of extract. That is the figure to compare from one product to the next, not the extract weight shown on the label. A product stating 600 mg of root powder with no standardisation provides only a few milligrams of withanolides.

When should it be taken?

With a meal, at a fixed time. The manufacturer describes three possible slots depending on your goal: the evening for relaxation, the morning for everyday background use, after training for recovery. What matters more than the slot is regularity over several weeks.

How long before you can judge?

The manufacturer indicates six to twelve weeks for the first changes, and recommends a course of at least three months. In other words, a trial of a fortnight or so supports no conclusion at all. That is also what makes this product a poor fit for anyone looking for an immediate effect.

Should you take a break between courses?

Yes, the manufacturer recommends two weeks off after three months of continuous use. That is a sensible practice with a standardised plant extract, and it is also the best way to judge honestly what the product is doing for you: if stopping changes nothing, the question is worth asking.

Is the capsule suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, of plant origin, and both active ingredients come from the same plant. The point to watch is the declared manufacturing traces — milk, egg, gluten, soya and nuts — which come from the factory and not from the formula.

Can it be taken alongside thyroid medication?

Not without medical advice. The manufacturer explicitly asks you to seek advice if you are on any treatment acting on the thyroid, and ANSES has reported cases of thyroid disorders associated with these supplements. If you are taking medication of that kind, the question is one for your doctor before you buy, not after.

Is the product gluten-free?

The manufacturer does not state that it is and claims no certification to that effect. On the contrary, it flags possible traces of gluten through cross-contamination at the factory. For a serious intolerance or coeliac disease, this product is therefore not indicated.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Ashwagandha KSM-66?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we sell by saying first of all how long it takes before you can think anything of it: three months, not three days. Those who buy it knowing that are rarely disappointed; the others give up after a fortnight. Other plant extracts can be compared in our ashwagandha section.

What is TrainedByJP Pycnogenol 100 mg?

TrainedByJP Pycnogenol 100 mg is a maritime pine bark extract in capsule form. One capsule supplies 100 mg of Pycnogenol®, a patented extract, alongside just two excipients: microcrystalline cellulose and magnesium stearate. The dose is one capsule a day, taken with a meal.

Pycnogenol® is extracted from the bark of the French maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, which grows in the Landes region among other places. This is not a generic plant extract: it is a patented, standardised raw material produced under a registered process, which makes it one of the most studied plant extracts on the supplement market.

Its richness comes down to a family of molecules, the oligomeric proanthocyanidins, often shortened to OPCs. These are polyphenols also found in grape seed and in the skins of red berries, but here they are concentrated and standardised. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other antioxidants in our catalogue in the coenzyme Q10 section.

What does a Pycnogenol capsule contain?

100 mg per capsule is a straightforward dose for this extract, and it matches what is used in most of the published work on this raw material, which most often sits between 50 and 200 mg a day. You are in the middle of the range, with a single, simple daily intake.

The formula is short, and that is an argument in itself: the active, a bulking agent, an anti-caking agent. Nothing else. In a category dominated by twelve-ingredient complexes, a three-line list lets you know exactly what you are swallowing and rule out any overlap with your other supplements.

On the regulatory side we need to be perfectly clear, because this is one of those products about which you can read absolutely anything: no health claim is authorised in Europe for Pycnogenol® or for maritime pine bark extract. None on circulation, none on joints, none on skin, none on cognitive function, none on sports recovery. The dossiers submitted did not go through. So what we are describing is a patented plant extract, its dose and how to use it — nothing more, and you should be wary of any seller who goes further.

What we can honestly say is that this is a standardised extract, produced under a registered process, which guarantees a consistent composition from one batch to the next. In a plant-extract category where standardisation is often vague or absent, that is a genuine reference point, and it is what explains the price.

Missing from the manufacturer's documentation: the number of capsules per bottle is not disclosed, which makes it impossible to work out how long a course will last. We are not going to estimate it; the information is on the packaging you receive.

Ingredients list

Pycnogenol® (maritime pine bark extract), microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate. No animal gelatine, no artificial colouring, no preservative. Suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Made in a facility that handles CELERY, CRUSTACEANS, FISH, MILK, MUSTARD, PEANUTS, SOYA, GLUTEN, EGG, LUPIN, MOLLUSCS, TREE NUTS, SESAME and SULPHUR DIOXIDE. The manufacturer specifies that the absence of gluten is not certified, although no gluten goes into the raw materials.

How should you take Pycnogenol?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: during a meal. Frequency: one intake a day. Duration: 8 to 12 weeks minimum according to the manufacturer, taken continuously every day.

Taking it with a meal improves the absorption of polyphenols, particularly when fats are present, and that is the manufacturer's instruction. A normal meal containing a drizzle of oil, a few almonds or a little cheese is more than enough. It is not a heavy constraint, and it costs nothing.

The time of day does not matter: lunch or dinner work equally well. What counts is consistency, and taking the capsule with the same meal every day is the simplest way not to forget it.

Duration is the decisive parameter with this extract. The manufacturer specifies 8 to 12 weeks minimum, and is right to say so: polyphenols produce nothing in three days, and a two-week course gives you strictly no basis for forming an opinion. Plan your purchase accordingly, bearing in mind that the number of capsules per bottle is not disclosed.

One point worth knowing: the manufacturer advises spacing it apart from any vitamin C. The two are taken separately rather than at the same time. In practice, vitamin C in the morning and Pycnogenol at lunch settles the matter. Taking them separately is enough to follow this instruction. This extract combines without any overlap with an omega 3 or a turmeric, taken with the same fat-containing meal.

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

It is aimed at an adult who is specifically looking for this patented extract, usually because they have heard about it or because a healthcare professional suggested it. This is not an entry-level product or an impulse buy: it is an expensive extract, with a precise dose and a short formula, meant for someone who knows what they are buying.

It is not advised for people on anticoagulant treatment without medical advice. The manufacturer flags this explicitly because of a possible interaction, and the same warning comes up on most polyphenol-rich extracts. If this applies to you, the question is one for your doctor before you buy.

It is for adults only, and not advised for pregnant or breastfeeding women without the advice of a healthcare professional. The facility statement is unusually broad — fourteen allergens — and should be read carefully by anyone with an allergy. The manufacturer also states that neither gluten-free status nor halal status is certified.

What you should not expect from it, and this is what nobody writes in this category. You will feel nothing when you take it. This product cures nothing, treats nothing and holds no health claim in Europe. It does not improve sports performance, does not build muscle and does not burn fat. Nor does it replace a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, which naturally supplies polyphenols in abundance and for far less money.

Pycnogenol or another antioxidant?

The antioxidant category is a broad one and the products in it are not in the same price bracket.

Pycnogenol® is a patented, standardised extract, and that is what explains its cost. You are paying for consistency of composition from batch to batch and for the documentation that comes with the raw material. That is a legitimate argument for anyone who wants to know precisely what they are taking, but it is not an efficacy argument — no claim supports one.

Against it, vitamin C and vitamin E have a decisive regulatory advantage: each holds an authorised claim on the protection of cells from oxidative stress. For the same budget, they offer something this extract cannot: a framework.

When does Pycnogenol remain the right choice? When this precise raw material is what you are after, for reasons of your own, and when standardisation matters to you. If your goal is more general, our NAC section or our multivitamins section answer other needs, often for less.

Frequently asked questions

How much Pycnogenol is there per capsule?

100 mg of patented maritime pine bark extract. That is a dose sitting in the middle of the range used in the published work on this raw material, which most often runs from 50 to 200 mg a day. A single capsule a day is therefore enough.

Does Pycnogenol have proven effects?

No health claim is authorised in Europe for this extract, none on circulation, none on joints, none on skin, none on cognitive function. We sell a patented, standardised raw material without attributing any effect to it. Be wary of any site promising otherwise.

Where does this extract come from?

From the bark of the maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, a species that grows in the Landes region among other places. Pycnogenol® is a patented raw material, produced under a registered process, which guarantees a consistent composition from one batch to the next — a rare reference point in the plant-extract category.

Should it be taken with a meal?

Yes, the manufacturer recommends it: polyphenols are better absorbed when fats are present. A drizzle of oil, a few almonds or a little cheese in the same meal is enough. The time of day, on the other hand, does not matter.

Can it be combined with vitamin C?

The manufacturer advises separating the two intakes rather than taking them at the same time. In practice, vitamin C in the morning and Pycnogenol at lunch settles the matter with no particular effort.

Can it be taken alongside anticoagulants?

Not without medical advice. The manufacturer flags a possible interaction, as with most polyphenol-rich extracts. If you are on anticoagulant treatment, speak to your doctor before buying rather than after.

How many capsules are there per bottle?

The manufacturer does not disclose it, and we are not going to invent it. It is a missing piece of information, all the more so as it determines how you work out an 8 to 12 week course. It appears on the packaging of the product you will receive.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Pycnogenol?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we never push: the customers who ask for it generally know why they want it, and those who are discovering the name usually leave with a vitamin C, which costs ten times less and does have a regulatory framework behind it. The rest of the category can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is TrainedByJP OH Mega V?

TrainedByJP OH Mega V is a flaxseed oil in plant-based softgel capsules. Three capsules provide 3,000 mg of flaxseed oil, of which 1,650 mg is alpha-linolenic acid — the plant-derived omega-3 — along with 450 mg of oleic acid and 300 mg of linoleic acid. The bottle holds 180 softgels, which is 60 servings.

Flaxseed oil is one of the plant sources most concentrated in alpha-linolenic acid, often shortened to ALA. It is a short-chain fatty acid that the body cannot make and which therefore has to come from food: on that basis it is described as essential, in the same way as linoleic acid from the omega-6 family.

This product answers a precise need: supplying omega-3 without going through fish. That is what appeals to vegans, vegetarians and anyone allergic to marine products. The capsules are plant-based, made from tapioca starch and glycerine, with no gelatine. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other products in the category in our omega 3 section.

What does one serving of OH Mega V contain?

The figure to hold on to is the one for the full daily dose: 3,300 mg of alpha-linolenic acid across six capsules. It matters because a European claim is attached to it and its condition is a precise one: alpha-linolenic acid contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, provided an intake of 2 g a day. At six capsules you are comfortably above that; at three capsules only, you are below it and the claim no longer applies. This is the kind of detail that decides whether a product is genuinely worth it, and it is almost never explained.

Now for the most important thing on this page, and it does not work in favour of the sale. Alpha-linolenic acid is not equivalent to EPA and DHA, the two long-chain omega-3s found in fish. The body can convert ALA into EPA and then into DHA, but that conversion rate is low, particularly for DHA. In other words, a flaxseed oil, however well dosed, does not replace a fish oil for the functions that depend specifically on EPA and DHA — heart function, brain function, vision. Those three claims apply only to EPA and DHA, never to ALA.

That does not disqualify the product: ALA has its own claim, its own nutritional value, and for a vegan diet there are not ten solutions to choose from. But you need to know what you are buying. For anyone genuinely after EPA and DHA without fish, the only equivalent route is algae oil.

A word on the ratio in the formula: 1,650 mg of omega-3 to 300 mg of omega-6, roughly five to one in favour of omega-3. That is the reverse of the profile of the usual Western diet, which is heavily dominated by omega-6.

Ingredients list

Flaxseed oil, tapioca starch, glycerine, purified water. No animal gelatine, no dairy, no artificial colouring.

Made in a facility that handles CELERY, CRUSTACEANS, FISH, MILK, MUSTARD, PEANUTS, SOYA, GLUTEN, EGG, LUPIN, MOLLUSCS, NUTS, SESAME and SULPHUR DIOXIDE. The manufacturer specifies that the absence of gluten is not certified, although no gluten goes into the raw materials.

How do you take OH Mega V?

Dose: 6 capsules a day, in two servings of 3. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: with meals, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. Frequency: two servings daily. Duration: 8 to 12 weeks minimum according to the manufacturer, then continuous use.

Six capsules a day is a lot, and it is this product's main constraint. Better to know it before buying: if you already struggle to swallow one capsule in the morning, six spread across the day will take real discipline. The 180-softgel bottle then covers only one month, where many customers imagine three. That is a direct consequence of the dose needed to reach the 2 g of ALA a day.

Taking them with a meal is not optional. Fatty acids need bile in order to be absorbed, and bile is only released in the presence of fatty foods. A capsule swallowed on an empty stomach with a glass of water loses part of its value.

Do not open the capsules and do not pierce them. Flaxseed oil is one of the most fragile oils there is: it oxidises very quickly on contact with air and light, and an oxidised oil no longer delivers what it promises. That is also why the bottle should be kept somewhere cool, dry and away from light, and why it is best closed carefully.

The manufacturer suggests pairing this product with a source of vitamin E, which protects fatty acids from oxidation. It also combines without overlap with a vitamin D, taken at the same fatty meal, and sits well alongside a plant protein in a routine free of animal products.

Who is OH Mega V for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at vegans, vegetarians and people allergic to fish and shellfish, for whom marine oils are ruled out. It is also an option for anyone who cannot tolerate the taste or the repeats that come with fish oil capsules: here, the problem does not arise.

It is not advised for people on anticoagulant treatment — warfarin, aspirin — without medical advice, nor for those with a clotting disorder. That is an explicit warning from the manufacturer, and it holds for every oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids at these doses. If this applies to you, the question is one for your doctor before you buy.

It is not advised for pregnant and breastfeeding women without the advice of a healthcare professional. The facility statement is very broad and should be read carefully by anyone with allergies.

What not to expect from it. It does not replace a fish oil for the functions linked to EPA and DHA: heart, brain, vision. It will neither make you lose weight nor build muscle. You will feel nothing when you take it, and that is normal. And it does not make up for a diet with no quality vegetable oils in it: a tablespoon of rapeseed or flaxseed oil over raw vegetables remains an excellent idea, and costs a great deal less.

Plant omega 3 or fish oil?

This is the decisive comparison in this aisle, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales argument.

A fish oil supplies EPA and DHA directly, the two long-chain fatty acids carrying the most interesting claims: heart function, brain function, vision. It is the most direct route and the cheapest per milligram of useful fatty acid. If you eat fish, or have nothing against it, a concentrated marine oil will be more direct and cheaper per milligram of useful fatty acid.

Flaxseed oil supplies ALA, which the body converts poorly into EPA and very poorly into DHA. It has a claim of its own, on blood cholesterol, from 2 g a day. It is perfectly legitimate — it simply is not playing on the same ground.

When is it the better choice? When fish is ruled out: a vegan diet, an allergy to marine products, or a refusal of animal oils. In that specific case it is one of the few serious options, and a dose of 3,300 mg of ALA a day is a real dose. For a broader micronutrient intake, our multivitamins section answers another question, and our spirulina section a third one again.

Frequently asked questions

How much omega-3 a day does this product give?

1,650 mg of alpha-linolenic acid across three capsules, that is 3,300 mg at the full dose of six capsules. That figure matters: the European claim on the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels assumes 2 g of ALA a day, which only the full dose reaches.

Is it equivalent to a fish oil?

No, and that is the most important point on this page. Flaxseed oil supplies ALA, which the body converts poorly into EPA and very poorly into DHA. The claims on heart, brain and visual function apply only to EPA and DHA. For a genuine plant equivalent, only algae oil will do.

Why six capsules a day?

Because that quantity is what it takes to reach a meaningful ALA dose. It is the product's main constraint, and it also explains why a bottle of 180 softgels covers only one month. Three in the morning and three in the evening, with meals.

Do they have to be taken with a meal?

Yes. Fatty acids need bile in order to be absorbed, and bile is only released in the presence of food. Taking them on an empty stomach with a plain glass of water markedly reduces the return. Breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening work perfectly well.

Are these capsules suitable for vegans?

Yes, entirely. The oil comes from flaxseed and the shell is made of tapioca starch, glycerine and water, with no animal gelatine. That is in fact the main audience this product is aimed at.

Is there a fishy taste?

No, and that is a genuine argument in its favour. The complaint most often levelled at fish oil capsules — the fishy repeats, especially on an empty stomach — does not apply here. Flaxseed oil has no marine taste at all.

How long does one bottle last?

180 softgels at six a day: one month exactly. Since the manufacturer recommends a course of 8 to 12 weeks minimum, reckon on two to three bottles for a full course. That is a budget best anticipated at the first purchase.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP OH Mega V?

The bottle of 180 softgels can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we sell this product on one condition: that the customer knows a flaxseed oil is not a fish oil. Those who rule out fish leave with it; the others often leave with something else, and that is exactly as it should be. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is TrainedByJP Iron?

TrainedByJP Iron is an iron supplement in vegetable capsules, sold in a bottle of 60 units. The mineral is provided as iron bisglycinate — the iron is chelated to two molecules of glycine, an amino acid. It is the best-tolerated form from a digestive point of view, and on a mineral as notorious for its side effects as iron, that is not a matter of comfort alone: it is often what decides whether a course is seen through or abandoned after ten days.

The formula is minimalist: iron bisglycinate, a hypromellose capsule shell, anti-caking agents. Nothing else. The manufacturer declares it free from gluten, lactose, soya, artificial colours and preservatives, and suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. The brand's full range is in the TrainedByJP aisle.

One word straight away, because it shapes this whole page: iron is not a supplement you take “just in case”. It is the only common mineral in this aisle where an excess is genuinely a problem, and the first thing to do is not to open this bottle but to ask for a ferritin test.

What is in one capsule?

The bottle contains 60 capsules: two months at one capsule a day, one month at two.

The line that counts is the second one. 112 mg of bisglycinate amounts to only 20 mg of elemental iron, the rest of the weight being the glycine the mineral is bound to. That is the rule for every chelated form, and it is the first source of error when comparing two bottles: always compare milligrams of elemental iron, never milligrams of salt.

Those 20 mg cover 143% of the nutrient reference value, set at 14 mg. That is a corrective dose, not a maintenance one — designed to rebuild low stores, not to top up an already adequate diet. In someone whose ferritin is normal, this dose brings nothing and the surplus iron has no active route out: the body stores it.

Iron is, on the other hand, a mineral with solidly established claims. We can write, using the exact wordings of the European regulation, that iron contributes to normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin, to normal oxygen transport in the body, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the immune system and to normal cognitive function. It is these mechanisms that explain why an iron deficiency shows up first as breathlessness and fatigue on exertion.

How do you take TrainedByJP Iron?

Dose: 1 to 2 capsules a day. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: whenever suits you — with meals or away from them, since bisglycinate does not irritate the stomach the way ferrous salts do. Frequency: 1 intake, or 2 split between morning and evening if you take two capsules. Duration: 8 to 12 weeks at the very least to rebuild ferritin stores, with a blood test every 2 to 3 months.

Freedom over timing is the real advantage of bisglycinate. A standard iron sulphate has to be taken on an empty stomach to be absorbed, which causes precisely the nausea and cramps that make people give up on a course. Here, you can take it with a meal if that suits you better.

Two rules on combinations, however, apply to every form of iron. Avoid taking it at the same time as tea, coffee, dairy products, calcium or zinc: tannins and these minerals reduce iron absorption, sometimes considerably. Leave two hours between them. Conversely, vitamin C improves the absorption of non-haem iron: a glass of citrus juice or a few berries at the time you take it are a useful and free habit.

As for duration, do not think in days. Rebuilding ferritin stores takes weeks, and fatigue linked to a deficiency is not corrected in three doses. The manufacturer speaks of 8 to 12 weeks minimum: that is realistic. And have another test done — it is the only way to know whether the course is doing anything and when to stop it.

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

It is aimed at adults whose iron status is low, which mainly concerns four profiles: women with heavy periods, people following a vegetarian or vegan diet, high-volume endurance athletes, and anyone whose blood test has shown low ferritin. It suits vegetarian and vegan diets, the capsule being made of hypromellose.

It is not advised in cases of haemochromatosis, a genetic iron overload disorder, or in cases of thalassaemia or another disorder of iron metabolism. These contraindications are not theoretical: in someone affected, iron supplementation makes matters worse. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should consult a healthcare professional before use.

Keep this bottle out of reach of children, and not merely as a matter of principle. Accidental ingestion of iron tablets is one of the most serious paediatric poisonings, and a handful of capsules is enough in a young child. It is the most important warning on this page.

What you should not expect from it. This is not a product for general tiredness. Iron only reduces fatigue when that fatigue is caused by an iron deficiency — otherwise you are supplementing with no benefit and you are accumulating. Nor is it a performance product: in an athlete whose ferritin is normal, adding 20 mg of iron a day improves nothing. Do not start prolonged supplementation without a blood test — ferritin and serum iron — and discuss it with your doctor. It is the most useful advice we can give on this product, even if it delays the sale.

A dedicated iron or a multivitamin?

The question is worth asking, but it does not arise in the same way depending on who you are — and that is what most product pages forget to say.

If you are an adult man with no medical condition, the answer is simple: neither one nor the other. Most multivitamins aimed at men deliberately contain no iron, precisely because a man with no regular blood loss almost never runs short and accumulates the surplus. That is not an oversight by the manufacturers, it is a considered formulation choice, and it applies to you too.

If you are a menstruating woman, a vegan or an endurance athlete, the comparison becomes a real one. A multivitamin containing iron generally provides 7 to 14 mg, that is a maintenance dose: it is the right choice if your ferritin is normal and you simply want to secure your intake alongside the vitamins. Dedicated iron at 20 mg is the right choice in the opposite case — a documented deficiency to correct, over a two- to three-month course, with a blood test to confirm it. You also gain in clarity: a single line to keep an eye on, and no zinc or calcium in the same capsule competing for absorption. When in doubt, it is the blood test that settles it, not the product page.

Frequently asked questions

Should you have a blood test before taking it?

Yes, and it is the most important recommendation on this page. A ferritin and serum iron test tells you whether you are genuinely short of iron. Supplementing without a deficiency brings no benefit and exposes you to accumulation, since the body has no active mechanism for removing the excess. The manufacturer recommends this test before any prolonged supplementation.

Why does 112 mg of bisglycinate amount to only 20 mg of iron?

Because chelation adds the weight of the two glycine molecules the iron is bound to. Only elemental iron counts. That is the figure to compare from one label to another: a bottle stating “112 mg of iron bisglycinate” is not stating 112 mg of iron, and a great many buyers are caught out by it.

Does bisglycinate cause digestive trouble like other forms of iron?

Far less. Chelation to glycine limits the gastric irritation and constipation associated with standard ferrous salts, and allows it to be taken with meals. It is not an absolute guarantee — some discomfort remains possible — but it is the most tangible difference between the two forms, and often the one that makes a three-month course possible.

Can it be taken with coffee or tea?

No, or rather not at the same time. The tannins in tea and coffee markedly reduce iron absorption. Leave at least two hours between them. The same applies to dairy products, calcium and zinc. Conversely, some vitamin C at the time you take it improves it.

One or two capsules a day?

The manufacturer leaves the choice between 1 and 2, that is 20 or 40 mg of elemental iron. Start with one: that is already 143% of the reference value. Two capsules are for an established deficiency and should be decided with a doctor, splitting them between morning and evening rather than taking them in one go.

How long does a bottle of 60 capsules last?

Two months at one capsule a day, one month at two. Since the minimum recommended course is 8 to 12 weeks, count on one to two bottles for a full course at the single dose. Store it cool and dry, away from light — and out of reach of children.

Are the capsules suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is made of hypromellose, a plant cellulose, and the formula contains no ingredient of animal origin. That is consistent with the profile of the users concerned: iron of plant origin, known as non-haem iron, is less well absorbed than iron from meat, which makes vegan diets one of the cases where the question of iron genuinely arises — just as the question of plant proteins does.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Iron?

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

If there is one product in the aisle for which we would sometimes rather send you to your doctor than take your money, this is it. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the question asked at the counter is always the same: have you had your ferritin measured? When the answer is no, the right course of action starts with a blood test, not with a bottle. The rest of the minerals and vitamins can be compared in our sports nutrition selection.

What is IO Genix Vitamin B12 1000 µg ER?

IO Genix Vitamin B12 1000 µg ER is a coated tablet of vitamin B12 in the form of cyanocobalamin. One tablet provides 1,000 µg, which is 40,000% of the nutrient reference value. The bottle holds 90 of them, which comes to three months at one tablet a day.

The two letters “ER” stand for extended release, prolonged release. The tablet does not release its dose into the stomach all at once: it diffuses it gradually, which the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose used as a thickener in the body of the tablet makes possible. It is the only thing that sets this product apart from a conventional B12, and it determines how it should be taken.

Vitamin B12 is the only nutrient the body can neither make nor find in the plant kingdom. It comes exclusively from foods of animal origin — meat, fish, eggs, dairy products — because it is synthesised by bacteria. That is what makes it the baseline supplement for vegan diets, and one of the few whose necessity is not up for debate in that particular case. The rest of the Spanish range can be browsed in our IO Genix aisle, and the other products in the category in our vitamin B aisle.

What does one Vitamin B12 ER tablet contain?

40,000% of the reference value is a figure that makes you sit up, and it deserves a full explanation rather than a shrug. Oral absorption of vitamin B12 is limited in two ways. The active route, which goes through the intrinsic factor produced in the stomach, saturates at around 1 to 2 µg per dose, and no more. Beyond that, all that is left is passive diffusion across the intestinal wall, whose yield is of the order of 1%. In other words, a lot has to be offered for a little to get through.

That is the whole logic of the 1,000 µg dose: it is not commercial one-upmanship, it is the arithmetical consequence of a saturable absorption mechanism. And it is also why extended release makes sense here: by spreading out when the vitamin becomes available, it calls on the active route several times over rather than just once.

Vitamin B12 carries several authorised claims in Europe, and they are more than enough to describe what it is for. Vitamin B12 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system, contributes to normal red blood cell formation, contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism, contributes to the normal function of the immune system and has a role in the process of cell division. These are the official wordings.

The form used is cyanocobalamin. It is the most stable of the B12 forms, the one that best withstands heat and light, and by far the most studied. The body has to convert it into active forms, a conversion that takes place normally in a healthy person. The manufacturer also states that the product is free from gelatine, gluten, lactose and GMOs.

Information missing from the manufacturer's file: the exact period over which the release is spread is not disclosed. We will not invent it and we stick to the principle: the diffusion is gradual, not immediate.

Ingredients list

Bulking agents (microcrystalline cellulose, calcium carbonate), thickener (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), anti-caking agents (silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate), coating agent (clear HPMC powder), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

May contain traces of TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, EGGS, MILK, SULPHITES, FISH and SOYA. Free from GMOs, gluten, gelatine, artificial colourings, starch, lactose, salt and added sugar.

How do you take Vitamin B12 ER?

Dose: 1 tablet, to be swallowed whole. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: any time of day, preferably with a meal. Frequency: one dose a day. Duration: the manufacturer sets no time limit; supplementation is ongoing for as long as the reason behind it persists.

The most important instruction on this page comes down to three words: do not crunch. Do not chew it, crush it or cut the tablet in half either. Extended release depends entirely on the tablet staying intact; breaking it releases the whole dose at once and does away with the only advantage you are paying for. If you find tablets hard to swallow, take it in the middle of a mouthful of fruit purée or yoghurt, without breaking it up.

Two interactions are worth noting, because they are common and easy to avoid. A high dose of vitamin C, above 500 mg, taken in the hour before or after, reduces the absorption of B12: space the two doses out. And several common medicines — metformin, proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole, H2 blockers, colchicine — reduce the absorption of vitamin B12. The manufacturer recommends leaving two to three hours between them. If this applies to you, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

When will you notice anything? If your levels are normal, you will feel nothing at all, and that is entirely to be expected: B12 is not a stimulant. It combines without any overlap with an omega 3 or a spirulina, the latter not in fact being a reliable source of B12, whatever you may often read.

Who is Vitamin B12 ER for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed first and foremost at people whose diet provides no B12, or very little: vegan and strict vegetarian diets, above all. It also concerns people over sixty, in whom falling stomach acidity reduces the extraction of B12 from food, and those taking a medicine known to hinder its absorption over the long term.

It is not suitable in cases of allergy to cobalt or cobalamin — the B12 molecule is built around a cobalt atom. The manufacturer also flags Leber's disease, a hereditary optic neuropathy for which cyanocobalamin is contraindicated. It is a rare condition, but the warning is explicit on the packaging and we reproduce it as it stands.

In cases of absorption disorders — Crohn's disease, colitis, gastrectomy, pancreatic insufficiency — or diagnosed pernicious anaemia, the oral route may not be enough and follow-up is a matter for a doctor, not a supplement bought online. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, B12 requirements are higher, but what to do about it is decided with a healthcare professional.

What not to expect from it: it is no substitute for a diagnosis. Persistent tiredness can have ten causes, and only a blood test will say whether B12 is one of them. If you belong to an at-risk group, have your B12 measured rather than assuming — it is quicker, more reliable, and it avoids supplementing beside the real issue.

Extended-release tablet or B vitamin complex?

The question comes up every time, and the answer depends entirely on why you are buying.

A B vitamin complex provides all eight vitamins in the group, with B12 dosages that generally hover around a few micrograms — enough to cover the reference value, not to make up for a complete absence of dietary intake. It is the right choice if your diet is simply irregular and you are looking for a broad safety net. Our multivitamins aisle answers the same logic, on an even broader scale.

This tablet does the opposite: a single vitamin, at 1,000 µg, with release spread over time. It is the format that fits when B12 is precisely the nutrient that is lacking, that is to say on a diet excluding all animal products, or when a medicine hinders its absorption. In that case, a general-purpose B complex would be undersized.

There is a third situation, often overlooked: B12 works hand in hand with vitamin B9 and with iron in red blood cell formation. If you follow a vegan diet, these three nutrients deserve to be looked at together, with the help of a healthcare professional. The plant proteins aisle rounds out the same approach on the protein side.

Frequently asked questions

Why 1,000 µg when the reference value is 2.5 µg?

Because oral absorption of B12 saturates: the active route tops out at around 1 to 2 µg per dose, and beyond that only passive diffusion operates, with a yield of about 1%. A high dosage compensates for that low yield. It is not one-upmanship, it is arithmetic.

Can the tablet be cut or crunched?

No, never. It is the one absolute rule with this product. Crunching, chewing or crushing the tablet releases the whole dose instantly and cancels out the extended release. If the tablet goes down badly, swallow it with a spoonful of yoghurt or fruit purée, but whole.

Cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin?

Cyanocobalamin is more stable, better documented and less expensive; the body converts it into active forms without difficulty in a healthy person. Methylcobalamin is already active but more fragile in storage. For everyday use, the form chosen here is a defensible one.

Is this tablet suitable for vegans?

The manufacturer states that it is free from gelatine, gluten, lactose and GMOs, and cyanocobalamin is obtained by bacterial fermentation. Nothing in the ingredients list is of animal origin. Do note, however, the possible traces of eggs, milk and fish linked to the manufacturing plant.

Should vitamin C be avoided at the same time?

Yes, if the dose exceeds 500 mg. The manufacturer asks that you leave at least an hour between them, because a high dose of vitamin C taken at the same time reduces the absorption of B12. If you take a 1,000 mg vitamin C in the morning, move the B12 to lunchtime.

How long before an effect is felt?

None at all if your levels are normal: B12 is not a stimulant and produces no sensation. Where a deficiency has been confirmed by a blood test, an improvement in tiredness is generally seen over several weeks of oral supplementation, and follow-up belongs to the doctor who made the diagnosis.

How long does a bottle last?

90 tablets at one a day: three months. As B12 supplementation is designed for the long run on a vegan diet, it is a pack size suited to ongoing use rather than to a one-off course.

Where can you buy IO Genix Vitamin B12 ER?

The 90-tablet bottle 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 supplement we recommend to a customer who tells us they have gone vegan: before the proteins, before the omega 3, comes B12, because it is the only intake that no plant food supplies reliably. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition aisle.

What is Nutriting nuFer 14 mg?

Nutriting nuFer is an iron supplement in plant-based capsules. One capsule provides 14 mg of elemental iron as Ferrochel® bisglycinate, which is exactly 100% of the nutrient reference value. The bottle holds 30 of them, which works out at one month at a rate of one capsule a day.

Nutriting is a French brand that works on short formulas, where every line on the label has a reason to be there. Here the list runs to four lines: iron bisglycinate, a pullulan capsule shell, magnesium carbonate as an anti-caking agent and a little organic olive oil. There is nothing else, and on a shelf where colourings and pointless coating agents turn up regularly, that gets noticed.

The choice that shapes this product is the dose: 14 mg, not 28 or 40. Plenty of products deliberately go higher in order to display an impressive figure. The body, for its part, regulates how much iron it lets in and does not absorb in proportion to what it is given: beyond a certain threshold, the extra fraction stays in the gut, where it is precisely what causes the digestive discomfort that most people who have already taken iron dread. The rest of the range can be browsed in our Nutriting section, and the other iron products in our iron section.

What does one nuFer capsule contain?

14 mg of elemental iron: that is the figure that counts, and you need to know how to tell it apart from the weight of the iron salt. An iron bisglycinate weighs a great deal more than the iron it contains, since two glycine molecules are attached to the mineral. Some labels announce "200 mg of bisglycinate" without ever spelling out how much iron that really amounts to. Here the line is clear, and it lets you compare.

Bisglycinate is not a marketing argument, it is a difference in absorption mechanism. Iron sulphate, the historic and inexpensive form, releases ionic iron in the stomach; it is this free iron that irritates the lining and causes nausea, constipation and black stools. The chelated form crosses the intestinal wall in another form, which explains the better tolerance users report. We are not claiming it is better absorbed in every case: what we see over the counter is that people who had given up on iron because of digestive trouble often cope with this one.

Iron has authorised European claims, and they are enough to place its role: iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin, to normal oxygen transport in the body, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to normal cognitive function, to the normal function of the immune system and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. That is what is set down in black and white in European regulation. All the rest — the promises of energy restored in three days, of hair growing back — belongs to advertising, not to the scientific dossier.

A word about the shell, because it is unusual. Pullulan is a polysaccharide obtained by fermentation; it gives a transparent, plant-based capsule that stands up to moisture. Most brands use hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, which is nothing to be shocked by, but pullulan costs more and copes better with humid climates. It is a manufacturing detail, not a promise of efficacy.

Ingredients list

Magnesium carbonate (anti-caking agent), plant-based capsule (shell: pullulan), Ferrochel® iron bisglycinate, organic olive oil.

No allergens declared by the manufacturer. Free from titanium dioxide, free from colourings, free from animal gelatine, free from gluten, free from GMOs. The formula is suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.

How do you take nuFer?

Dose: 1 capsule a day. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: in the morning on an empty stomach, or 30 minutes before breakfast. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: 3 months, with a blood test afterwards; for maintenance, one month every three months.

Timing matters more here than with any other mineral. Iron is easily blocked by what surrounds it: the calcium in dairy products, the tannins in tea and coffee, the phytates in wholegrain cereals. A capsule swallowed with a bowl of white coffee and wholemeal toast will give you only a fraction of what it contains. On an empty stomach, or with a light meal low in calcium, is markedly better.

Vitamin C, conversely, works in your favour. Taken at the same time — a glass of orange juice, a kiwi, half a pepper — it makes iron from plant sources easier to take up. It is a free pairing and one documented for a long time; if you want to make it official, our vitamin C section offers straightforward doses to add to breakfast.

Leave at least two hours around anything containing calcium, magnesium or zinc at a high dose. If you already take a magnesium in the evening or a zinc, simply shift them: iron in the morning, the other minerals later in the day. The problem is not combining them, it is swallowing them together.

On duration, do not guess. Three months of supplementation then a blood panel: that is the only way to know whether the course achieved anything. Iron is not a vitamin you take "just in case" all year round, and taking it for a long stretch without checking makes no sense at all.

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

It is aimed at an adult whose iron panel shows low stores, or who belongs to a profile where requirements are structurally higher: menstruating women, pregnant or breastfeeding women on medical advice, vegetarians and vegans who eat no haem iron, endurance athletes who lose iron through sweat and through repeated impact with the ground.

It is entirely unsuitable for certain people, and the list is worth reading before you buy. In cases of haemochromatosis or any known iron overload, this product is to be ruled out: the body has no way of eliminating excess iron, and the build-up reaches the liver, the heart and the pancreas. It is not advised for children under 10 without medical advice. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should have the dose adapted by a healthcare professional rather than deciding on their own. In cases of chronic inflammatory disease or an established digestive disorder — ulcer, Crohn's disease, colitis — medical advice is not a formality.

Drug interactions are real. Leave two to three hours around antibiotics of the tetracycline and fluoroquinolone families, at least four hours around levothyroxine, two hours around bisphosphonates. These are not contraindications, they are gaps in timing — but they change how well both products work.

What not to expect from it. An iron capsule is no substitute for a diagnosis. Fatigue has dozens of causes, and a lack of iron is only one of them; supplementing blind means risking missing something else for three months. This product does not build muscle, does not improve performance in someone whose stores are normal, and does not make up for a poor diet. Have your ferritin measured before you start, and talk to your doctor about it.

nuFer or a multivitamin containing iron?

The question comes up over the counter every single time, and the answer depends on what you are trying to put right.

A multivitamin is the right choice when you do not know what is missing and want to cover a broad field. It provides a little of everything, at maintenance doses, and it has the merit of simplicity. Our multivitamins section brings these complete formulas together. But it has a structural flaw where iron specifically is concerned: most complexes also contain calcium, zinc and magnesium, which is to say exactly the minerals that compete with it in the gut. You are swallowing iron and its inhibitor in the same tablet.

nuFer answers the other situation: you know, with a blood panel to back it up, that iron is lacking. There, a single capsule that you place in the morning on an empty stomach, well away from everything else, is a far more coherent approach. It is also the only way to control the exact dose you are taking, which the "iron" line on a multivitamin does not always allow.

A third case is worth mentioning: if your concern is broader and more dietary than genuinely about iron status, spirulina provides iron among a great many other nutrients, at doses nowhere near 14 mg. It does not correct a deficiency, but it has its place in a plant-based diet. Do not mistake it for a treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Is 14 mg of iron enough to correct a deficiency?

It is 100% of the nutrient reference value, a full daily intake dose. An established deficiency with anaemia, on the other hand, calls for medical management, often at higher doses and under blood monitoring. Have your ferritin measured and follow your doctor's advice rather than adjusting things on your own.

Does bisglycinate cause fewer digestive problems?

That is what most users who first tried iron sulphate report, and it is the whole point of this chelated form. We cannot guarantee it case by case: tolerance varies. If discomfort does occur, take the capsule with a light meal rather than on an empty stomach.

Does it really have to be taken on an empty stomach?

That is the most favourable moment, because iron is blocked by calcium, by the tannins in tea and coffee and by the phytates in wholegrain cereals. If your stomach copes badly with it, a light meal low in calcium remains a good compromise. The important thing is to avoid white coffee and dairy products at the time you take it.

Are the capsules suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is pullulan, a polysaccharide obtained by fermentation, and there is neither animal gelatine nor any ingredient of animal origin in the formula. That is precisely one of the profiles this product exists for, since a plant-based diet provides no haem iron.

Can it be taken at the same time as a zinc or a magnesium?

Not within the same hour. These minerals compete for the same absorption pathways. The solution is simple: iron in the morning on an empty stomach, magnesium or zinc at the end of the day. You keep the benefit of both without setting them against each other.

How long does one bottle last?

Thirty capsules for one serving a day, so exactly one month. A three-month course therefore calls for three bottles, and that is the point at which a blood test makes sense. For maintenance, one month every three months is generally enough.

Why is there olive oil in an iron capsule?

It acts as a carrier for the powder inside the capsule, in a formula that deliberately avoids synthetic excipients. It is not an active ingredient and the manufacturer claims no effect for it. It is a formulation choice, consistent with an ingredients list held to four lines.

Where can you buy Nutriting nuFer?

The 30-capsule bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is a product we are happy to recommend, but rarely without asking the question that comes before all the rest: have you had your ferritin measured? With iron, supplementing without knowing is the one real mistake. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition section.

What is the IO Genix Protein Brownie?

IO Genix Protein Brownie is a ready-to-eat brownie, sold individually. A 60 g brownie provides 7.5 g of protein and 6.3 g of carbohydrate, of which only 0.9 g sugars, for 257 kcal. Several versions exist: dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.

What makes the recipe unusual is its base. The first ingredient is egg white, the second almond flour at 22%, and there is neither wheat flour nor added sugar. That is what explains a nutritional profile very unusual for a baked good: a lot of fat, very little carbohydrate.

Put another way, this is not a conventional protein brownie — those are generally built on a base of flour and glucose syrup. It is a baked good designed for a low-carbohydrate diet, and that is a rare position to take. The rest of the Spanish range is in our IO Genix aisle, and the other snacks of this type in our protein snacks aisle.

What is in a Protein Brownie?

0.9 g of sugars in a whole brownie: that is the figure that defines this product. A conventional bakery brownie of the same weight commonly contains twenty to thirty times more. The per 100 g content, at 1.5 g, puts the product below the European threshold for the low in sugars claim. The sweet taste comes from three sweeteners — isomalt, erythritol and steviol glycosides — and not from sugar.

The fat line, on the other hand, deserves to be faced squarely rather than passed over in silence: 19.4 g per brownie, or 32.4 g per 100 g. That is not a manufacturing flaw, it is the direct consequence of the recipe: almond flour makes up 22% of the product, and almonds are naturally high in fat. Saturates stay low, at 2.9 g per 100 g, which is rather good. But if you are counting your fat, this brownie weighs on the total.

An honest regulatory point, and it runs counter to what you would expect: with 12.5 g of protein for 429 kcal, the share of energy provided by protein works out at approximately 11.7%. The European threshold for the “source of protein” claim is 12%: this product therefore falls just below it, and we will not use the claim. 7.5 g per brownie remains a genuine contribution for a dessert, but this is not a protein snack in the strict sense.

Missing from the manufacturer's file: the fibre content is not disclosed. We will not invent it, even though it would be of interest given the proportion of almond flour. The label on the product you receive is the authority.

Ingredient list

EGG white, ALMOND flour (22%), sunflower oil, sweeteners (isomalt, erythritol, steviol glycosides), chocolate chips (7%) [cocoa mass, sweetener (erythritol), cocoa butter, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), natural vanilla flavouring, sweetener (steviol glycosides)], MILK protein, cocoa powder, skimmed MILK powder, humectant (glycerol), raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, disodium diphosphate), flavourings, preservative (potassium sorbate).

Contains EGGS, MILK and NUTS (almonds). May contain traces of SOYA, PEANUTS, SULPHITES and SESAME.

How do you eat the Protein Brownie?

Serving: 1 brownie of 60 g. Preparation: none, the product is ready to eat. Timing: as a snack between meals, after training, or as a dessert. Frequency: according to your eating plan, allowing for the 257 kcal. Storage: in a cool, dry place.

It is the simplest product in this whole catalogue: there is nothing to measure out, nothing to mix, nothing to bake. That simplicity is its real selling point — a brownie in a gym bag or a desk drawer settles the four o'clock snack question better than a shaker you have to make up.

One warning from the manufacturer deserves to be taken seriously: excessive consumption may have a laxative effect, because of the polyols present. Isomalt and erythritol belong to that family of sweeteners, and how well they are tolerated varies a great deal from one person to the next. One brownie poses no problem at all for the vast majority of people; three in an afternoon is another story. If you are new to this kind of product, start with one and see how you cope with it.

On the calorie side, bear in mind that 257 kcal is not trivial for a snack. It is the equivalent of a light meal, and it comes almost entirely from the fat. On a day when you are counting, it has to be worked in, not added on.

It goes very well with a coffee or a tea, and slips into a low-carbohydrate diet without disrupting it — which is exactly the niche it was designed for. A spoonful of peanut butter on top makes it a more substantial dessert, at the cost of a little extra fat, and a sugar-free topping remains the lightest option.

Who is the Protein Brownie for, and who is it not for?

It suits first of all those following a low-carbohydrate diet and looking for a compatible dessert: with 6.3 g of carbohydrate per unit, it fits into almost any plan. It also suits anyone who needs a portable snack, with no preparation, and who can no longer face protein bars.

It is not suitable for people with a nut allergy: almond flour makes up 22% of the product. This is not a trace, it is the second ingredient in the recipe. Nor is it suitable for people allergic to eggs or milk proteins, or for vegans. Traces of soya, peanuts, sulphites and sesame are also possible.

Nor is it suitable if what you are chiefly after is protein. 7.5 g per unit for 257 kcal is a markedly less favourable ratio than that of a conventional protein bar. This product is first and foremost a low-sugar baked good, not a protein source.

Finally, it is not suitable for people sensitive to polyols, for the reason set out above. That is a matter of individual tolerance, to be tested with one unit, not with a box.

What not to expect from it: this is not a slimming product. 257 kcal is still 257 kcal, and the absence of sugars does not make it a neutral food. What it avoids is the glycaemic load of a conventional baked good — which is genuinely valuable if that is your constraint, and worth nothing if it is the calorie total you are watching.

Protein brownie or protein bar?

Both take up the same space in a bag, and you choose between them according to what you are counting.

A conventional protein bar generally provides 15 to 20 g of protein for a comparable weight, with higher carbohydrate and lower fat. It is the better choice if your aim is protein intake, particularly after training, or if you are watching your fat.

This brownie reverses the profile entirely: little protein, very little carbohydrate, a lot of fat. It is the better choice on a low-carbohydrate diet, at the end of the day when you want a dessert without pushing your carbohydrate up, and for the texture — a bar is still a bar, whereas a brownie is a genuinely moist cake.

If what you need is an indulgent snack with no particular carbohydrate constraint, protein cookies offer a middle ground. And if you are simply trying to hit your daily protein total, a protein powder remains, by a long way, the cheapest solution per gram.

Frequently asked questions

How much sugar is in a brownie?

0.9 g per 60 g brownie, or 1.5 g per 100 g. That is below the European threshold for the “low in sugars” claim. The sweet taste comes from isomalt, erythritol and steviol glycosides, three sugar-free sweeteners.

Why is there so much fat?

Because almond flour makes up 22% of the recipe and almonds are naturally high in fat, with sunflower oil added on top. It is the direct trade-off for a recipe without wheat flour and without sugar: 19.4 g of fat per brownie, of which only 1.7 g saturates.

Is it a source of protein?

Not in the regulatory sense. With 12.5 g of protein for 429 kcal, the share of energy from protein works out at approximately 11.7%, just below the 12% threshold required for the “source of protein” claim. 7.5 g per brownie remains a genuine contribution, but this product is first and foremost a dessert.

Can it have a laxative effect?

The manufacturer flags this in the event of excessive consumption, because of the polyols isomalt and erythritol. One brownie poses a problem for almost nobody; tolerance varies mainly when several are eaten one after another. Start with one unit.

Is it suitable for people with a nut allergy?

No, categorically. Almond flour makes up 22% of the product: it is a main ingredient and not a trace. The brownie is therefore ruled out in cases of nut allergy, with no possible exception.

What is the difference between the versions?

The chocolate chips: dark in one, white in the other. The brownie base remains the same. The exact composition of the chips does differ between versions, however: check the label on the unit you receive if you have an allergy or a specific requirement.

Is it suitable for a low-carbohydrate diet?

That is precisely the product's niche: 6.3 g of carbohydrate per brownie, of which 0.9 g sugars. It fits into most low-carbohydrate plans. Just bear in mind that the 257 kcal count like any other.

Where can you buy the IO Genix Protein Brownie?

The versions can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the product we hand to customers on a low-carbohydrate diet who tell us they are allowed nothing sweet: 0.9 g of sugars is a concrete answer, and it is worth more than advice about willpower. The rest of the aisle can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.

What is the Rabeko Zero Cooking Spray?

It is a rapeseed oil aerosol designed to grease a pan, a tin or the food itself, with a short burst rather than a drizzle poured by hand. One serving corresponds to 0.6 ml, or roughly half a second of spraying, and provides 4.9 kcal.

The composition runs to two lines: 97.5% refined rapeseed oil and 2.5% rapeseed lecithin (E322) as a stabiliser. The propellant is compressed air, not a synthetic gas: that is a genuine point, because on this type of product the propellant is part of what you put on the plate.

Let us say straight away what the name does not. “Zero” is a trade name, not a nutritional value. What the can holds is oil, at 810 kcal per 100 ml, and it is nothing like a calorie-free product in the regulatory sense. What this spray sells is control over quantity: half a second of spraying in place of a splash of oil. The rest of the range is in our Rabeko section, and the whole category in cooking spray.

What does one spray contain?

The net volume of the can does not appear in the data supplied by the manufacturer: we therefore cannot tell you how many sprays it holds. Divide the volume printed on the label by 0.6 ml to work it out.

The calculation that justifies this product is simple, and it is worth doing once. A splash of oil poured by hand into a pan is easily a tablespoon, that is around 10 ml and 90 kcal. One press of the spray is 0.6 ml and 4.9 kcal. On a single dish the gap is around 85 kcal; over two meals a day for a week, it passes the thousand mark. That, and nowhere else, is where the value of the product lies.

A second reading point: 7.2 g of saturates per 100 ml, or 8% of the fat. That is low, and it is the signature of rapeseed oil — markedly less saturated than butter or coconut oil. Per serving that comes to 0.04 g, an amount with no effect on a day's balance.

Two regulatory clarifications to finish, because they are often mishandled in this product category. A “calorie-free” claim requires less than 4 kcal per 100 ml: this spray provides 810, so the claim does not apply to it. And rapeseed oil carries no authorised health claim purely on the strength of its fatty acid composition at this level of intake. What we are describing, then, is a kitchen tool, not a health food.

How should you use the cooking spray?

Dose: one press of about half a second, that is 0.6 ml. Distance: 20 cm from the surface. When: on a cold pan, or straight onto the food before cooking. Frequency: as often as you cook. Duration: none, this is a cooking ingredient and not a supplement.

Two actions determine the result. Shake the can before each use: the oil and the lecithin separate when left to stand, and an unshaken can sprays unevenly. And spray from 20 cm: any closer and you get a puddle in the middle of the pan instead of an even film, which cancels out the whole point of the method.

The most important instruction concerns safety, and it is not decorative. Never spray into a hot oven, towards a naked flame or onto an already scorching hob. This is an extremely flammable aerosol: the jet can catch fire. The right habit is to grease the pan cold, then put it on to heat.

In practice, one press is enough for a 24 cm pan, two for a cake tin. The taste of refined rapeseed oil is neutral, which makes it usable on meat as readily as on pancakes or roast vegetables. It stops food sticking, which remains its primary function: this is not a dressing oil, and it will bring no flavour to a salad.

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

It suits those who weigh their food and have realised that cooking oil is the most underestimated line in a day. It also suits those who cook ahead for the week: over ten pans, the difference is real. And it does a service to anyone who never has a light hand with the oil bottle, which is a great many people.

The safety wording is that of an aerosol and must be followed to the letter. Pressurised container: may burst if heated. Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks and naked flames. Do not smoke nearby. Do not pierce or burn the can, even when empty. Protect from sunlight and do not expose to temperatures above 50 °C. Keep out of reach of children.

It is not for you if you are allergic to rapeseed, the lecithin also being derived from that plant. Nor is it for deep frying or for any cooking that calls for a real volume of fat: 0.6 ml does not replace 20 ml, and a spray is not made for that.

What you should not expect of it: this is not a slimming product, and the name “Zero” must not mislead you. The can contains pure oil at 810 kcal per 100 ml. If you press for five seconds instead of half a second, you have poured the equivalent of a teaspoon of oil and the benefit has gone. Everything hangs on the length of the press.

Rabeko spray or More 2 Kcals spray?

We sell both, and the question comes up regularly at the counter. They do the same job, with two different approaches.

The spray from the More brand is built around an even lower stated energy value per press, with a vegan formulation. It is the better choice if your aim is to go as low as possible on the “cooking fats” line, or if you use many presses over large surfaces.

The Rabeko wins on the simplicity of the ingredients list: two components, both derived from rapeseed, plus compressed air. No third-party emulsifier, no synthetic propellant. If your criterion is “as few ingredients as possible” rather than “as few calories as possible”, this is the one to take. In both cases the technique counts for more than the brand: a short press, from 20 cm, onto a cold surface. The rest of the products that serve the same logic in the kitchen are in our zero sauce and zero-sugar jam sections, and the whole approach in weight loss.

Frequently asked questions

Is the spray really zero calorie?

No, and you should not go by the name. The can contains rapeseed oil at 810 kcal per 100 ml. What is low is the serving: 0.6 ml per press, that is 4.9 kcal. The regulated “calorie-free” claim requires less than 4 kcal per 100 ml, so it does not apply here.

How many presses are there in a can?

We cannot say: the net volume does not appear in the data the manufacturer has supplied to us. The sum is simple once you have the can in hand: divide the volume printed on the label by 0.6 ml, which is the reference serving in the nutrition table.

Can you spray straight into a hot pan?

No, and this is the most important safety instruction. This is an extremely flammable aerosol: never spray towards a naked flame, a scorching hob or the inside of a hot oven. Grease the pan cold, then put it on to heat.

What flavour does it give food?

None, or almost none. Refined rapeseed oil has a neutral taste, which makes it usable on savoury and sweet alike — a pan of vegetables just as much as pancakes. That is an advantage for greasing, and a limitation if you were after an oil with character: this is not a seasoning product.

Does the can need shaking before use?

Yes, every time. The oil and the lecithin separate when left to stand, and an unshaken can sprays unevenly: you get droplets instead of a film. It is the leading cause of disappointment with this type of product, and it is settled in two seconds.

Is it suitable for vegetarians and vegans?

Yes. The only two ingredients are refined rapeseed oil and rapeseed lecithin, both of plant origin, and the propellant is compressed air. Do take care, however, if you are allergic to rapeseed: both components come from it.

Can it be used in the oven or in an air fryer?

On the food before it goes in, yes, and it is a very handy use for roast vegetables or potatoes. Never inside an already hot oven, though, for the safety reason already given. Spray into the cold dish, then start the cooking.

Where to buy the Rabeko Zero Cooking Spray?

The can is available to order from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is an everyday product rather than a one-off purchase: those who adopt it order it again without fail.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is one of the few products we let people try on the spot, because the length of the press changes everything and it is learnt in ten seconds. Half a second, from twenty centimetres: any longer and you are pouring oil just as before.

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 Peak Performance Liquid Glycerol?

Peak Performance Liquid Glycerol is a bottle of pharmaceutical-grade liquid glycerine, standardised to 99.5%. A 5 ml dose provides 6,000 mg of glycerine and 5 kcal. It is a single-ingredient product, with no flavouring, no sweetener and no additives.

Glycerine, or glycerol, is a three-carbon molecule that the body produces itself when breaking down fat. Its particular property is osmotic: it distributes itself through the body's fluid compartments and holds water there. That mechanism, and that alone, explains its use in sports nutrition.

The liquid format is a deliberate choice. Powdered glycerol is in fact glycerol adsorbed onto a carrier, which divides the actual content by two or three and makes it highly sensitive to moisture — the tubs set into a solid block. Here the product is already in its natural form, and it is measured out with the cap. The rest of the range is in our Peak Performance Nutrition aisle.

What does a 5 ml dose contain?

The manufacturer notes that these values are averages, subject to the normal variations of the product. The volume of the bottle is not published in the information available to us; the packaging carries it.

6 g of glycerine per dose is the benchmark dose for this category, and it matches the quantities used in the published protocols on hyperhydration. Plenty of competing products announce as much but in powder form at 65%: for the same stated quantity, they deliver considerably less. That is the calculation to make before comparing two labels.

The second notable point is the absolute brevity of the list: glycerine, and nothing else. No flavouring, no sweetener, no bulking agent. In an aisle where fifteen-line lists are the norm, this is a product you can read in one second.

The regulatory framework does, however, need stating clearly, because this product is often sold with promises that nothing supports. No health claim is authorised in Europe for glycerol. Not on the pump, not on endurance, not on thermoregulation, not on performance. The osmotic mechanism is real and documented; the effect on sports performance, on the other hand, has no validated dossier. We can describe what the molecule is and at what dose it is present; we cannot promise you anything, and the previous description on this page went too far on that point.

Finally, a detail that is useful to competing athletes: the status of glycerol under anti-doping rules has changed over the years. If you are subject to testing, check the status of the substance and of the batch with your federation before taking any. It is a check that takes five minutes and it is yours to make.

Ingredients list

Glycerine 99.5% (pharmaceutical grade). Made in a facility that handles MILK, SOYA, GLUTEN and EGG.

How do you take Liquid Glycerol?

Dose: 5 ml, i.e. one serving. Liquid: 300 ml of water as a minimum. Timing: 30 to 60 minutes before the session. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: no set course length; to be used within three months of opening.

Water is not an option here, it is the product. Glycerol does not create water: it holds on to the water you drink. A dose swallowed neat, with nothing to drink afterwards, is of absolutely no use and causes digestive discomfort into the bargain. The 300 ml are an absolute minimum, and the manufacturer recommends continuing to drink plenty during the session.

The 30 to 60 minute window corresponds to the time needed for the glycerine to distribute itself through the body. Taken five minutes before, it has done nothing; taken two hours before, most of it has already been eliminated.

For a first try, start with half the dose. Glycerol has a laxative effect in some users, and it is better to find that out with 2.5 ml on a Sunday than with 6 g just before an important session. The taste is distinctly sweet and a little syrupy: diluted in 300 ml, it remains perfectly acceptable.

Nothing prevents you from adding the dose to your usual pre-workout, and that is in fact the most common use. As the product is neutral in terms of actives, it doubles up on no ingredient — unlike what happens when you stack two complete pre-workouts.

Who is Liquid Glycerol for, and who is it not for?

It suits someone who trains in the heat, who strings together long sessions, or who is specifically after the sensation of a pump during effort. It also suits those who build their own pre-workout brick by brick and want an isolated ingredient, with no flavouring and no sweetener.

The manufacturer states that it should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women, and flags a possible laxative effect in the event of excessive consumption. It insists on one point that is not negotiable: the product must always be consumed with a sufficient quantity of water.

It is not for you if you have a sensitive stomach during effort: glycerine draws water into the intestine, and at a full dose with little water, the session can go badly. Nor is it for you if you have to watch your weight day by day — a weight-category sport, for instance — since the intended effect is precisely additional water retention.

It is made in a facility that handles milk, soya, gluten and egg: in the event of a severe allergy, that point alone rules it out.

What you should not expect from it: a pump is not muscle building. It makes the session more enjoyable and the mirror more flattering for an hour, it does not make you progress. Nor does glycerol replace proper day-to-day hydration: if you drink a litre a day, that is where to start, and it costs nothing.

Liquid Glycerol or a citrulline pre-workout?

Both are aimed at the pump, through two completely different mechanisms.

A product based on citrulline acts on vascular tone: citrulline is a precursor of arginine, which is itself involved in the production of nitric oxide. The pump obtained comes from a rush of blood. It is the better choice if you are after the classic pump sensation, with doses of 3 to 8 g per serving, and it combines with L-arginine for those who want to go further.

Glycerol acts elsewhere: it dilates nothing, it holds water in the fluid compartments. The result is greater volume, a feeling of fullness, and better heat tolerance thanks to the plasma volume. It is the better choice if you train in summer, if sessions run long, or if citrulline does nothing for you — which happens.

The two are complementary rather than competing: nothing prevents you from combining them, since they do not act on the same lever. If you prefer a ready-made stimulant-free formula, the caffeine-free pre-workouts bring together products of that kind.

Frequently asked questions

How much glycerine per dose?

6,000 mg for 5 ml, at a standardisation of 99.5%. That is the dose used in the published protocols on hyperhydration. Watch out when comparing: the powdered versions are glycerol adsorbed onto a carrier, generally around 65%, which changes the calculation completely.

How much water should it be taken with?

300 ml as a minimum, and more if you can manage it. It is the most important rule with this product: glycerol does not create water, it holds on to the water you drink. A dose taken with nothing to drink is of no use and causes digestive discomfort.

How long before the session?

30 to 60 minutes. That is the time needed for the glycerine to distribute itself through the body's fluid compartments. Taken just before the warm-up, it has not yet worked; taken two hours before, most of it has already been eliminated.

Is there a laxative effect?

In some people, yes, especially at a full dose and with little water. Glycerol draws water into the intestine, exactly as polyols do. Start with half a dose and increase if all goes well: that is the only way to assess your tolerance without ruining a session.

Does the product cause weight gain?

On the scales, yes, temporarily: it is retained water, and that is the intended effect. It is neither fat mass nor muscle mass, and it disappears within a few hours. If you have to make weight in competition, this product is not your friend.

Can it be mixed into your pre-workout?

Yes, and that is the most frequent use. As the product contains only one ingredient, it doubles up on no active in your usual pre-workout. Simply add the dose to the shaker and increase the volume of water accordingly.

What do the anti-doping rules say?

The status of glycerol has changed over the years in the lists of controlled substances. If you are subject to testing, check the substance and the batch with your federation before taking any. We cannot settle that question on your behalf, and it is worth five minutes of checking.

Where to buy Peak Performance Liquid Glycerol?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we mostly talk about in summer: between June and September, when you are training in thirty-degree heat, the question of plasma volume stops being theoretical. The rest of the pre-session aisle can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.

What is Grenade Protein Spread?

It is a spread formulated with whey protein concentrate and sweetened with maltitol instead of sugar. It provides 20 g of protein per 100 g and 1.8 g of sugars per 33 g serving. The flavours listed: Salted Caramel, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate Cookies and Hazel Nutter.

The ingredient list for the milk chocolate version is short: vegetable oil (rapeseed and palm), maltitol as the sweetener, whey protein concentrate, skimmed milk powder, 7% fat-reduced cocoa, lecithins as the emulsifier and natural vanilla flavouring. The manufacturer describes its palm oil as sustainable; we report that statement exactly as it publishes it, without having verified it.

The principle is easy to grasp: the sugar in a conventional spread is replaced by a polyol, and part of the dry matter by milk protein. What you end up with is still a spread — fatty, dense, calorie-rich — and that is the first thing to take on board. The British brand's full range is in our Grenade section, and the category as a whole under protein snacks.

What does a 33 g serving contain?

These values relate to the milk chocolate version. The manufacturer indicates that they vary slightly from one flavour to another; the net weight of the jar is not included in the data supplied, so we cannot work out the number of servings.

The line that explains this entire product is the one for polyols: 29 g per 100 g. Maltitol takes the place that sugar would occupy in an ordinary spread, and that is what brings the sugars down to 5.6 g per 100 g, against around thirty grams for a supermarket product. The gap is real and verifiable.

But read the line above it: 520 kcal and 38 g of fat per 100 g. A conventional spread sits at around 540 kcal. In other words, the sugar has changed, not the calorie density. This product solves a sugar problem, not a calorie problem, and you should buy it knowing that.

One point of regulatory vocabulary is worth stating plainly. The 20 g of protein account for 80 kcal out of the product's 520, or 15.4% of the energy value. The threshold for the “source of protein” claim is 12%: it is cleared. The threshold for “high protein” is 20%: it is not. This spread is therefore a source of protein, not a high-protein spread, and the distinction is not cosmetic. The wording that may be used remains: protein contributes to a growth in and the maintenance of muscle mass.

How should you use Protein Spread?

Dose: 33 g, or roughly two heaped teaspoons. Base: wholemeal bread, pancakes, rice cakes, a bowl of oats. Timing: breakfast or as a snack. Frequency: one serving a day is a sensible benchmark. Duration: none, it is a food; use within three months of opening.

Storage calls for two specific habits, and they are not optional. Keep the jar between 15 and 22 °C and above all do not put it in the fridge: in the cold the spread hardens and becomes impossible to spread. And stir before use: oil separating out at the surface is normal in a spread with no stabilising additive, and it blends back in with thirty seconds of a spoon.

On the serving size, a word of honesty. Thirty-three grams is not much — two teaspoons. Eating it with a spoon straight from the jar, you go past 60 or 80 g very quickly, which is 300 to 400 kcal. The one habit that changes everything: serve yourself onto a plate rather than eating over the jar.

In the kitchen it takes a few seconds of heating quite happily, for drizzling over protein pancakes or a bowl of oats. It also works into a cake batter, bearing in mind that polyols cope poorly with long baking at high temperatures.

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

It suits those who like something sweet at breakfast and are looking to bring their sugars down without giving up the pleasure. It also suits those following a flexible diet who would rather build a treat in than cave in on a whole jar on a Sunday evening.

It contains MILK, in two forms: whey protein concentrate and skimmed milk powder. Traces of GLUTEN, SOYA and NUTS are possible. It is therefore suitable neither for vegans nor for people allergic to milk proteins.

The most important statement concerns the polyols: excessive consumption may produce laxative effects. That sentence is mandatory from 10% polyols onwards, and at 29 g per 100 g we are a very long way above that. In practice: a 33 g serving delivers 10 g of maltitol, which most people tolerate without any trouble. Three servings in a day, or 30 g of polyols, and many will have an unpleasant time of it. If you are affected by irritable bowel syndrome, serious caution is called for.

What you should not expect from it, and this is the most useful point on this page: it is not a weight-loss product. At 520 kcal per 100 g, it sits at the level of a conventional spread. Nor is it a source of protein in the sense you have in mind: 7 g per serving does not replace a shake, and you would have to eat 125 g of it — 650 kcal — to match the protein in a serving of whey. What it does well is replace a sweet spread with the same thing containing far fewer sugars. Nothing more, and that is already useful.

Protein spread or peanut butter?

This is the comparison that settles it, and it is closer than it looks.

A plain peanut butter generally provides 25 to 30 g of protein per 100 g, with no sweetener, no polyol and a single ingredient. It is the better choice if your priority is a simple composition or the protein content, and if your gut does not cope with polyols. Its calories, on the other hand, are higher still, around 600 kcal per 100 g, and it tastes nothing like chocolate.

Protein Spread wins on one front only, but it is the one that triggers the purchase: it answers a craving for something sweet, which a plain peanut butter does not. If your problem is the spread in the cupboard at 30 g of sugars per 100 g, this is a direct and effective replacement. If your problem is your calorie total for the day, neither one will solve it, and you should be looking at zero-sugar jam, which is far less dense. For a genuine protein snack, it is our protein bars or a protein shake you should choose, not a spread.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really lower in calories than a conventional spread?

Barely. This product comes in at 520 kcal per 100 g, a supermarket spread at around 540. The real difference is in the sugars — 5.6 g against around thirty grams — not in the calories. Buy it for that reason, not to lose weight.

What is maltitol, and is it a problem?

It is a polyol, a bulk sweetener that replaces sugar by volume. At 29 g per 100 g, the regulatory statement applies: excessive consumption may produce laxative effects. A 33 g serving delivers 10 g of polyols, generally well tolerated; three servings in a day, much less so.

How much protein is there in a serving?

Seven grams per 33 g of spread. It is a top-up, not a main source: you would have to eat 125 g of it to equal a serving of whey, or 650 kcal. Treat those 7 g as a bonus on a slice of toast, not as a building block of your daily protein total.

Should it be kept in the fridge?

Definitely not, and it is the instruction most often ignored. The manufacturer asks that the jar be kept between 15 and 22 °C: in the cold the spread hardens and becomes impossible to spread. Use within three months of opening.

Why is there oil floating on the surface?

It is natural separation, flagged by the manufacturer, and not a fault. Stir the spread with a spoon before each use to blend the oil back in. A spread that never separates generally contains more stabilisers.

Is it suitable for vegetarians and vegans?

For vegetarians yes, for vegans no. The formula contains whey protein concentrate and skimmed milk powder, two dairy ingredients. Nor is it suitable in cases of milk protein allergy.

Do the flavours all have the same values?

No, the manufacturer states that the figures vary slightly from recipe to recipe: the table on this page relates to the milk chocolate version. Hazel Nutter and White Chocolate Cookies differ more, the former because of its nut content. Refer to the label on the jar you receive.

Where can you buy Grenade Protein Spread?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. This is a cupboard product rather than a supplement: it keeps for three months after opening, so there is no point stockpiling five jars.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is one of the aisles where we talk people out of buying more often than we sell. The question we ask is always the same: how often do you open the jar? One serving a day is a well-managed treat; three is 500 kcal and 30 g of polyols, and that is no longer the same product at all.

What is IO Genix Pure Taurine?

IO Genix Pure Taurine is a single-ingredient taurine powder. A 1 g serving provides 1,000 mg of taurine, and there is nothing else in the tub: no flavouring, no sweetener, no colouring, no bulking agent. The serving is roughly half a scoop, to be mixed into 200 ml of water or the drink of your choice.

Taurine is not an amino acid in the strict sense: it is an aminosulfonic acid, which means it is not used to build proteins. The body can make it from cysteine, and the diet supplies it through fish, seafood and meat. Diets that exclude animal products, by contrast, supply very little of it.

It is the molecule most often associated with energy drinks, where it sits alongside caffeine. That association explains a common confusion: taurine is not a stimulant, and it never has been. The rest of the Spanish range is in our IO Genix section, and the other products in the category in our taurine section.

What does a serving of Pure Taurine contain?

1 g per serving is the simplest format imaginable, and that is its main appeal. One ingredient, a round dose, no formula around it. You can adjust it to the half-gram, which no complete pre-workout allows, and you know exactly what you are taking.

To put that gram in context: it takes around 200 g of seafood or fish to come close to a comparable intake from food. A standard can of energy drink generally contains around 1 g as well — except that it also brings caffeine and sugar, which is not the case here.

On the regulatory side, let us be clear: no health claim is authorised in Europe for taurine. Not for focus, not for energy, not for recovery, not for performance. So we describe the molecule, its dose and how to use it, without attributing any effect to it.

On safety, one figure is worth knowing: EFSA has concluded that taurine intakes of up to 6 g a day do not raise safety concerns in adults. At 1 g per serving, you are well below that benchmark. That does not remove the need to follow the dose stated by the manufacturer, which remains the reference.

Two pieces of information are missing from the manufacturer's file and we will not invent them: the net weight of the tub — and therefore the number of servings — and the energy value per serving are not disclosed. The origin of the taurine, synthetic or otherwise, is not specified either, which makes it impossible to rule on its compatibility with a vegan diet. That information is on the packaging you receive.

Ingredients list

Pure taurine (100%). No flavouring, no sweetener, no colouring, no bulking agent.

May contain traces of MILK, SOYA, GLUTEN, FISH and EGG. Made in a facility that handles these ingredients.

How do you take Pure Taurine?

Serving: 1 g, i.e. about half a scoop. Liquid: 200 ml of water, or your usual drink. Timing: 30 minutes before the session, or immediately after training. Frequency: one serving a day, without exceeding the stated dose. Duration: the manufacturer sets no course length.

The powder dissolves well and has no pronounced taste, which makes it easy to slip in anywhere: into water, into juice, into a shaker or into an already-mixed pre-workout. That is a real advantage over amino acids such as arginine or citrulline, which are frankly bitter.

Mixing it into a pre-workout is in fact the most common use, and the manufacturer suggests it themselves. There is a practical reason for that: taurine is an ingredient found in most complete formulas, and adding it to a caffeine-free base lets you rebuild a pre-workout yourself, gram by gram. Do check the label of your pre-workout, though: if it already contains 1 or 2 g, the addition is redundant.

Two slots are suggested: before the session or just after. Neither is required on regulatory grounds, and the choice comes down mainly to organisation. If you do not use a pre-workout, taking it after training is the easiest option to fit in.

The manufacturer recommends maintaining steady hydration across the day, which is sound advice for this whole category. Taurine combines easily with an electrolyte powder, with creatine monohydrate or with beta-alanine, in the same glass.

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

It appeals to the lifter who puts together their own pre-workout, ingredient by ingredient, and who wants to choose the doses rather than buy a ready-made formula. It also appeals to those looking for an active with no stimulant: there is no caffeine here at all, so the product can be used in the evening with no consequences for sleep.

The manufacturer advises against it for children and for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and asks that the recommended daily dose not be exceeded. As with any supplement, professional advice is essential if you are on medical treatment.

It may contain traces of milk, soya, gluten, fish and egg, since manufacturing takes place in a facility that handles these ingredients. As the manufacturer does not specify the origin of the taurine, we cannot rule on its compatibility with a vegan diet: if that point is decisive for you, the label on the tub you receive is the only reference.

What you should not expect from it: this is not a stimulant. Taurine's reputation comes from its presence in energy drinks, where it is the caffeine that produces the effect you feel. You will feel nothing when you take this powder, and that is perfectly normal. Nor is it a mass-gain or weight-loss product, and no claim is associated with it in Europe.

Finally, if you are looking for a noticeable effect during the session, this tub will not give it to you. It is the caffeinated pre-workouts you should be looking at — bearing in mind that the effect then comes from the stimulant, not from the formula as a whole.

Taurine on its own or a complete pre-workout?

That is the real question in front of this tub, and it depends on how you like to work.

A complete pre-workout brings ten to fifteen ingredients together in a single serving, very often including taurine. It is the simplest choice: a scoop, some water, done. Its weakness is the weakness of all blends: you choose neither the ingredients nor the doses, and some are sometimes present in token amounts.

Taurine on its own is for those who build their own formula: a gram of taurine, a dose of citrulline, a dose of beta-alanine, and you get exactly what you want, generally at a lower cost. It takes longer to prepare, but nothing is left to chance.

One situation makes buying this tub particularly worthwhile: if you use a caffeine-free pre-workout and want to enrich it without adding a stimulant. Taurine fills that role without changing anything about your sleep, and that is the reason we most often sell it.

Frequently asked questions

Is taurine a stimulant?

No. It is a very widespread confusion, kept alive by its presence in energy drinks: in those drinks, the effect you feel comes from the caffeine and the sugar, not from the taurine. This powder contains no stimulant and produces no sensation when you take it.

How much per day?

1 g per serving, i.e. about half a scoop, and one serving a day according to the manufacturer. EFSA has also concluded that intakes of up to 6 g a day do not raise safety concerns in adults, but the dose stated on the packaging remains the reference.

Can it be mixed into a pre-workout?

Yes, that is in fact the most common use and the manufacturer suggests it. Do check the label of your pre-workout, though: taurine appears in most complete formulas, sometimes at 1 or 2 g per serving. In that case, adding more brings nothing.

Does it have a taste?

The powder is unflavoured and unsweetened, but its taste stays discreet and it dissolves easily. That is a clear advantage over other powdered amino acids, such as arginine or citrulline, whose bitterness often forces you to mask the taste in juice.

Is it suitable for vegans?

The manufacturer does not specify the origin of the taurine, and we will not decide in their place. The taurine used in food supplements is generally synthetic, but that information is not confirmed here. If the point is decisive for you, the label on the tub you receive is what counts.

How many servings in a tub?

The manufacturer publishes neither the net weight nor the number of servings, and we will not work them out. The information is on the packaging. For the calculation, bear in mind that one serving is 1 g of powder, i.e. about half a scoop.

Can it be taken in the evening?

There is nothing against it: the formula contains no stimulant, and taurine has no known effect on sleep. That is in fact one of its attractions for anyone who trains late and can no longer take a caffeinated product.

Where can you buy IO Genix Pure Taurine?

The powder can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the product in front of which we most often correct a received idea: no, taurine does not wake you up, and customers who came in looking for a kick generally leave with something else — which is exactly the service you expect from a shop assistant. The rest of the category can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.

What is Viking Power's Leviathan Hardcore PWO?

Viking Power Leviathan Hardcore PWO is a powdered pre-workout whose serving weighs 33 g. That unusual format — three times that of a conventional booster — is no gimmick: it matches the quantity of actives genuinely present in the formula, starting with 12 g of citrulline.

The composition covers four areas. The pump, with citrulline. Endurance, with 6 g of beta-alanine. The stimulant side, with 400 mg of caffeine split between anhydrous caffeine and guarana extract, plus 2 g of tyrosine. And a cognitive side that is considerably fuller than average: lion's mane extract (Hericium erinaceus), phosphatidylserine, inositol, Brainberry® (aronia extract), ashwagandha. To these are added 3 g of leucine, glucuronolactone, CocoMineral™ coconut water powder and three vitamins.

The flavours on offer: Orange and Red Berries. The product joins our boosters and Viking Power sections.

What does a 33 g serving contain?

The manufacturer publishes neither an energy value, nor macronutrients, nor the net weight of the tub: it is impossible to state the number of servings, and we will not estimate it. Ashwagandha and konjac extract appear in the ingredient list without a dose.

The 12 g of citrulline is the standout figure on this label. For context, the best-dosed formulas on the market top out at around 8 g, and the aisle average sits between 2 and 6 g. The 6 g of beta-alanine is of the same order: it is double what you normally come across, and you should know that the tingling will be very pronounced.

A safety point not to be skimmed over. The 14 mg of vitamin B6 per serving exceeds the upper safe limit of 12 mg per day set by EFSA for adults. That is not trivial with prolonged use: high, repeated intakes of vitamin B6 are under review by health authorities. In practice, never exceed one serving a day, do not stack it with a B-vitamin complex or a multivitamin, and do not use this product every day of the week. Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, and vitamin B12 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism: those are the authorised wordings. For citrulline, beta-alanine, leucine, tyrosine, inositol, lion's mane, phosphatidylserine, aronia and ashwagandha, no claim exists in Europe.

How should you dose Leviathan Hardcore?

Dose: 1 scoop of 33 g, never exceeding one serving a day. Liquid: 400 to 500 ml of cold water. Timing: 20 to 30 minutes before training. Frequency: one serving per training day. Duration: the manufacturer gives no cycling advice — for our part we recommend not making daily use of it, because of the vitamin B6 dose.

The manufacturer is explicit and so are we: if this product is new to you, or if you are sensitive to stimulants, start with a half serving of 16.5 g. With 400 mg of caffeine and 6 g of beta-alanine in a full serving, a first attempt at the full dose is a bad idea.

The 400 to 500 ml of liquid is not negotiable either: 33 g of powder in a glass gives a thick, harsh drink that you will not finish. Expect very pronounced tingling on the face, the back of the neck and the forearms within a quarter of an hour of taking it — 6 g of beta-alanine is the top of the range, and the sensation lasts around thirty minutes.

Take no other source of caffeine on the day you use it, and avoid taking it late in the day. The caffeine-free booster section exists precisely for evening sessions.

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

The manufacturer puts it like this: product intended for adults engaged in intense physical activity. We would add: for adults already well used to stimulants, for two or three heavy sessions a week, never as a daily product.

The restrictions are numerous. Not recommended for children or for pregnant and breastfeeding women, because of the high caffeine content. Consult a healthcare professional in case of a medical condition or if you are taking medication. The product contains phenylalanine — decisive information for people with phenylketonuria — and SOYA, in the form of lecithin present in the phosphatidylserine.

Add to that the two points already raised: 400 mg of caffeine in a single serving, double the 200 mg benchmark set by EFSA for a single intake in a healthy adult; and 14 mg of vitamin B6, above the daily limit of 12 mg. Those are two serious reasons to space out your servings.

What not to expect from it: strength or muscle. A pre-workout works on alertness and perceived effort, nothing else. Nor should you expect any perceptible effect from lion's mane, phosphatidylserine or ashwagandha during the session: these ingredients are assessed over weeks, and none of them holds a recognised claim in Europe.

Leviathan Hardcore or a lighter formula?

The real question is not whether this product is good — the doses speak for themselves — but whether it matches the way you will use it.

A lighter formula, at 150 or 200 mg of caffeine and 4 to 6 g of citrulline, is the better choice in three very common cases. You train four to six times a week: Leviathan is not designed for that frequency, neither on caffeine nor on vitamin B6. You are sensitive to stimulants. Or you are simply after a product you can take without giving it a second thought. The creatine-free pre-workout section and the non-stimulant formulas cover those needs, often for less.

Leviathan Hardcore keeps the advantage on one specific front: density. Twelve grams of citrulline and 6 g of beta-alanine in a single serving is something almost nobody does. For a leg session once a week, or for a competition, it is a product that delivers what it promises. Keep it for those occasions, and take something else the rest of the time. The whole pre-training aisle can be compared from sports nutrition.

Frequently asked questions

Why a 33 g serving?

Because the actives genuinely weigh that much: 12 g of citrulline and 6 g of beta-alanine already come to 18 g on their own, on top of which come 3 g of leucine, 2 g of tyrosine, 1.5 g of inositol and the rest. A 10 g scoop could not physically hold this formula.

Is the tingling stronger than with another pre-workout?

Yes, markedly. At 6 g of beta-alanine the paraesthesia is unmistakable: face, back of the neck, forearms, sometimes the scalp. It appears within fifteen minutes, lasts half an hour, and has no known consequence. A half serving halves it.

Can it be taken every day?

We advise against it, for two reasons backed by figures: 400 mg of caffeine per serving, and 14 mg of vitamin B6 per serving when the European safe limit is 12 mg per day. Keep this product for two or three sessions a week at most.

How many servings are there in a tub?

The net weight is not included in the data supplied by the manufacturer, so we cannot work it out. Divide the weight shown on the packaging by 33 g to obtain the number of servings.

What are lion's mane and Brainberry®?

Lion's mane is a mushroom (Hericium erinaceus), present here at 500 mg. Brainberry® is a patented extract of aronia berries, dosed at 65 mg. Neither of the two holds an authorised health claim in Europe: we describe them because they are on the label, without attributing any effect to them.

Does the product contain allergens?

It contains soya, in the form of lecithin associated with the phosphatidylserine, and phenylalanine, important information in cases of phenylketonuria. Both statements appear explicitly on the manufacturer's label.

Can it be mixed with anything else?

Avoid adding another source of caffeine or citrulline, as you would be stacking with no benefit. Unflavoured creatine, on the other hand, goes very well in the same shaker and interferes with nothing.

Where can you buy Viking Power Leviathan Hardcore?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is one of the most heavily dosed pre-workouts in our catalogue, and we present it as such: with its figures, and with its limits of use.

In our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we systematically take the time to explain the half serving before selling this product to someone who does not know it. It is the kind of formula where the first experience determines everything.

What is Viking Power Thor's Hammer?

Viking Power Thor's Hammer is a powdered pre-workout with no creatine. A 25 g serving — roughly two scoops — provides 5,000 mg of beta-alanine, 3,000 mg of AAKG, 3,000 mg of citrulline malate, 2,000 mg of taurine, 2,000 mg of betaine and 300 mg of caffeine. The tub covers 20 servings.

What sets this formula apart is not some exotic ingredient: it is that every dose is published, line by line. In a category dominated by proprietary blends — one headline total, no detail — that is a choice of transparency worth pointing out, and one that finally makes comparison possible.

The flavours in the range: Strawberry Storm and Tropical Thunder. The rest of the brand can be browsed in our Viking Power section, and the other creatine-free formulas in our creatine-free pre-workout section.

What does one serving of Thor's Hammer contain?

5 g of beta-alanine in a single serving is the figure that jumps out — and you need to know what it means in practice. The usual reference dose is 3.2 g a day. At 5 g in one go, expect pronounced tingling on the face, neck and forearms, some twenty minutes after taking it. It is a normal, harmless reaction, but at this amount it is no longer discreet. Plenty of people find it unpleasant the first time.

300 mg of caffeine, on the other hand, calls for genuine caution. The European Food Safety Authority takes 200 mg as a single dose with no adverse effect in healthy adults, and 400 mg across the whole day. One serving of this product therefore puts you 50% above the single-dose benchmark, and at three quarters of the daily one — before your morning coffee.

Citrulline at 3 g is below the reference doses, and it is only honest to say so. Protocols generally work between 6 and 8 g. Here it complements the AAKG rather than playing the leading role. If it is the pump sensation that interests you above all, our citrulline section offers more forthright doses, which you could add on top of this base.

The absence of creatine is a genuine practical argument. Most pre-workouts contain 2 or 3 g of it, which creates a duplicate if you are already taking your 3 to 5 g a day separately — and it takes away control of your dose. Here the question does not arise: you manage your creatine separately, every day, training or not.

On the regulatory side, there is nothing to claim: no health claim is authorised in Europe for caffeine, beta-alanine, arginine, citrulline, taurine, betaine, carnitine, tyrosine or glycine. We describe ingredients and their exact amounts, never promised effects.

Ingredients list

Beta-alanine, L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, L-citrulline-dl-malate, acidity regulators (malic acid, sodium bicarbonate), taurine, betaine, maltodextrin, acetyl-L-carnitine, L-tyrosine, glycine, flavouring, anti-caking agents (tricalcium phosphate, silica), sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K), caffeine, glucuronolactone, colour (copper complexes of chlorophyllins), mineral (potassium chloride).

Contains phenylalanine, from the aspartame: the product is not advised for people with phenylketonuria. High caffeine content: not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women (300 mg per serving).

How should you take Thor's Hammer?

Dose: 25 g, i.e. roughly 2 scoops. Liquid: 300 to 400 ml of water. Timing: before training. Frequency: one serving per training day, with no other source of caffeine. Duration: the manufacturer presents this product as usable at every session, with no course or cycle imposed.

Start with a half serving, without exception. The manufacturer recommends it, and it is particularly justified here: between 300 mg of caffeine and 5 g of beta-alanine, two ingredients with a very pronounced immediate effect are stacked together. A half serving still means 150 mg of caffeine and 2.5 g of beta-alanine — more than enough to gauge your tolerance.

No serving in the late afternoon or the evening. At 300 mg, caffeine stays active for several hours and your night's sleep pays for it. If you train after 18:00, this is simply not the right product: our caffeine-free booster section offers the same vascular actives without the stimulant, and you will keep your sleep.

Do not combine it with any other source of caffeine on the same day. Coffee, tea, an energy can, a fat burner in capsules: it all adds up, and the margin here is very thin. That is the situation in which we see the most palpitations and ruined sessions.

Drink enough before, during and after your session. And if your training runs over an hour, an electrolyte drink or some EAAs to sip during the effort usefully cover what this product does not do: it works before the session, not during it.

Who is Thor's Hammer for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at a trained adult, used to stimulants, who wants a pre-workout with its doses on show and who manages their creatine separately. It is a product for someone who knows how to read a label and is looking for precisely that.

It is not suitable for children, nor for pregnant or breastfeeding women, nor for people sensitive to caffeine — those are the manufacturer's own warnings. It is also not advised in cases of phenylketonuria, the formula containing phenylalanine via the aspartame.

In cases of high blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders, anxiety or ongoing medical treatment, a doctor's opinion comes before the purchase. At 300 mg of caffeine per serving, that is not a token precaution. And if you already sleep badly, this product will make the problem worse rather than help you progress.

What not to expect from it. A pre-workout does not make you progress: it makes a session easier to start, and that is all. It compensates for neither poor sleep, nor inadequate eating, nor a badly built programme. And caffeine tolerance sets in fast: after a few weeks of daily use, the same dose will do very little. If you can no longer train without it, the problem is not the product.

Creatine-free pre-workout, or a complete formula?

This is the choice that shapes the whole category, and it depends entirely on what you are already taking.

A complete formula, creatine included, has simplicity on its side: one tub, one serving, everything is in there. That makes sense for someone starting out who does not want to stack products. The flaw is structural: the creatine is present at 2 or 3 g, below the 3 to 5 g a day usually recommended, and you only take it on training days — whereas it works through saturation and calls for a daily serving, weekends included.

Thor's Hammer follows the other logic: separating the stimulant from the creatine. You take your creatine every day, at the dose you want, and your pre-workout only on session days. It is more rational, and it avoids buying the same molecule twice.

That leaves a third route, the most economical: making it up yourself. A daily beta-alanine at 3.2 g, a citrulline before the session and a coffee do the same job for far less money, at the cost of three tubs instead of one and a little discipline. To compare all the formulas available, our boosters section brings them together.

Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine per serving?

300 mg for a 25 g serving, the equivalent of three to four espressos. That is well above the 200 mg benchmark set for a single dose in adults. One serving a day maximum, with no other source of caffeine at all, morning coffee included.

Why 5 g of beta-alanine?

It is a deliberately high dose, the usual benchmark being 3.2 g a day. The practical consequence is immediate: the skin tingling — face, neck, forearms — is far more pronounced than with a conventional formula. It is normal and harmless, but it is better to know in advance.

Does the product contain creatine?

No, and that is a deliberate choice by the manufacturer. It avoids the duplication if you are already taking creatine separately, and above all it leaves you in charge of your daily dose. Creatine works through saturation: it is taken every day, rest days included.

How many servings in a tub?

Twenty servings of 25 g. At four training sessions a week, that comes to five weeks. Use the two scoops indicated, or a set of scales if you want to be precise: on a product with 300 mg of caffeine, a heaped scoop is not a trivial matter.

Is the product suitable in cases of phenylketonuria?

No. The formula contains aspartame, and therefore phenylalanine, and it is explicitly not advised for people with phenylketonuria. That is an absolute contraindication, not a mere precaution.

Can it be taken every day?

The manufacturer presents it as a routine booster, usable at every session. We are more cautious: caffeine tolerance sets in fast, and a daily serving ends up producing nothing much. Keep it for the sessions that matter, and take regular breaks.

Which flavours are available?

In the range: Strawberry Storm and Tropical Thunder. The composition is identical in both, only the flavouring changes. Two scoops dissolve in 300 to 400 ml of water, or 150 to 200 ml for a half serving during your first few uses.

Where to buy Viking Power Thor's Hammer

The tub 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, this is the product we recommend to those who already take creatine and are tired of buying it again in every booster. We always ask two things first: how used to caffeine you are, and what time your sessions are. At 300 mg per serving, those two answers decide it. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition section.

What is IO Genix Whey Sublime 1.5 kg?

IO Genix Whey Sublime is a whey concentrate in a 1.5 kg tub, dosed at 30 g per serving. Its protein base is a whey concentrate named explicitly by the manufacturer: Lacprodan® SP-8011, produced by the Danish dairy group Arla Foods Ingredients. That is rare enough in this category to be worth pointing out — most labels simply write “whey protein concentrate” without saying where it comes from.

Three ingredients round out the formula. L-glutamine of Kyowa quality, an amino acid produced by fermentation. An enzyme complex called DigeZyme®, bringing together amylase, protease, lactase, lipase and cellulase. And vitamin B6 in the form of pyridoxine hydrochloride. Sucralose provides the sweet taste, with no added sugar.

The flavours in the range: Choco Milk Bar Crunchy, Milkyboom Choc, Cookie Dough, Black Cookies Cheesecake and Rochello. All of them are decidedly indulgent — this is not a range of well-behaved vanillas. The rest of the brand can be found in the IO Genix range.

What does a 30 g serving contain?

Figures for the standard flavour; they may vary slightly from one flavour to another. The manufacturer publishes neither a “fibre” line nor a detailed amino acid profile, and the amount of L-glutamine is not quantified: the ingredient is declared, its dose is not. We will not invent it.

75 g of protein per 100 g is at the top of the range for a concentrate. The category tends to sit around 70 to 77 g, and a concentrate advertising 85 g should raise doubts rather than reassure — at that level, it is an isolate. Translated into a serving: 22.5 g of protein for 117 kcal, roughly the protein equivalent of four egg whites for half the preparation. Protein here supplies more than three quarters of the product's energy, which permits the nutrition claim “high in protein”. And the applicable regulatory wording is this one: protein contributes to a growth in and the maintenance of muscle mass.

Less than one gram of fat per serving — 0.99 g of which 0.33 g saturates — is clean for a concentrate, which by its nature retains a share of fat. The 4.5 g of carbohydrate, of which only 0.75 g sugars, remain modest.

The 0.50 mg of vitamin B6 covers 36% of the NRV, comfortably above the 15% threshold that governs claims. We can therefore write that vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism, to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

That leaves DigeZyme®, 30 mg per serving. Let us be clear: it is an enzyme complex, and no digestive claim is authorised in Europe for this type of ingredient. We will therefore promise you nothing about digestion, unlike what you read elsewhere. What we can say is factual: the lactase it contains is the enzyme that breaks down lactose, and its presence is consistent with a whey concentrate, which contains some. What it produces in your case, only trying it will tell.

How do you prepare Whey Sublime?

Dose: 30 g, that is one scoop. Liquid: 200 to 250 ml of water or skimmed milk. Timing: after the session, at breakfast or as a snack. Frequency: 1 to 3 servings a day depending on the gap between your intake and your target. Duration: ongoing, no course is specified.

Shake for twenty seconds in a shaker. With water the drink stays light and the flavours, which are pronounced, come through clearly. With skimmed milk the texture thickens and the calorie contribution climbs — useful when bulking, to be avoided if you are counting closely.

The 1.5 kg tub covers 50 servings, that is close to two months at one shaker a day, or three weeks at two or three servings. It is the right format if you are a regular consumer: fewer orders, and a cost per serving more favourable than a 1 kg tub.

On the timing of the serving, let us put it plainly: it matters far less than people claim. What determines the result is the protein total over twenty-four hours, not the quarter of an hour following the last set. Take your shaker whenever it suits you. If you also want to cover your carbohydrates after training, pair it with a cream of rice rather than buying a ready-made gainer: you control both doses.

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

It suits anyone who wants an everyday whey with a clean profile, who likes distinctly dessert-like flavours, and who gets through enough to justify a 1.5 kg tub.

The product contains MILK, and therefore lactose. Traces of GLUTEN, EGGS, FISH, SOYA and NUTS are possible. The manufacturer does not recommend it for pregnant or breastfeeding women and asks that it be kept out of the reach of young children.

It is not suitable if you are genuinely lactose intolerant. The presence of lactase in DigeZyme® changes nothing about that answer: we have no data allowing us to state that it is sufficient, and a whey concentrate remains a whey concentrate. In that case, turn to a whey isolate, from which the lactose has been removed by filtration. Nor is it suitable if you want the maximum protein per serving, or if you prefer neutral flavours — the products here are all very pronounced.

What you should not expect from it: it is neither a weight-loss product, nor a meal replacement, nor a performance product. It is a convenient protein source, nothing more. And if your diet does not already cover your basic requirements, a tub of whey will not solve that particular problem.

Whey Sublime or a whey isolate?

This is the comparison everyone makes in front of the shelf, and it comes down to two figures and one situation.

The figures first. Here, 22.5 g of protein for 117 kcal, 0.99 g of fat and 4.5 g of carbohydrate per 30 g serving. With a typical isolate, reckon rather on 24 to 26 g of protein for 105 to 115 kcal, with fat and carbohydrate pulled down towards 0.5 g. The real gap is therefore two to three grams of protein per shaker. Over a day at two servings, that makes five grams — the equivalent of half an egg white. That is not what decides progress, and the isolate costs appreciably more.

Then the situation, and it is this that really settles matters. The isolate is the better choice if you digest lactose poorly, if you are on a strict cut and counting every gram, or if you are after a very fluid texture. In those three cases the argument is beyond dispute and it is worth the extra cost.

Whey Sublime is the better choice everywhere else: better protein-to-price ratio, a creamier texture, more accomplished flavours, and a 1.5 kg format that spaces out the orders. If your objective is simply to hit your daily protein total without thinking about it, this is the one to take. The whole category can be compared in our proteins range.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lacprodan® SP-8011?

It is the trade reference of the whey concentrate used, produced by the Danish dairy group Arla Foods Ingredients. Naming its raw material supplier commits the brand to a precise origin rather than to an adjective. It does not mechanically make the powder better, but it is verifiable information, and that is rare in this category.

How many servings are there in the 1.5 kg tub?

Fifty servings of 30 g exactly. At one shaker a day, that covers close to two months; at two shakers on training days, reckon on five to six weeks. Close the tub properly and store it in a dry place, away from direct light.

Do DigeZyme® enzymes improve digestion?

No digestive claim is authorised in Europe for this type of enzyme complex, and we will therefore make none. Factually: 30 mg per serving, bringing together amylase, protease, lactase, lipase and cellulase. Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose. We have no data allowing us to state that this amount is enough to change anything for someone who is intolerant.

How much glutamine does a serving contain?

The amount is not disclosed by the manufacturer. L-glutamine appears second in the ingredients list, which suggests a not insignificant share, but we will not turn a position in a list into a figure. If your objective is a precise intake, the glutamine range offers pure powders that you dose yourself.

Can it be prepared with milk?

Yes, 200 to 250 ml of skimmed milk gives a denser texture and a rounder taste. Just be aware that you are thereby adding the calories of the milk to those of the serving, which is useful during a weight-gain phase and a drawback during a restriction phase. With water, stick to 200 to 250 ml as well.

Which flavour should you choose first?

The products are indulgent and either chocolatey or biscuity: Choco Milk Bar Crunchy and Milkyboom Choc for milk chocolate lovers, Cookie Dough and Black Cookies Cheesecake for a patisserie profile, Rochello for a hazelnut note. If you drink three shakers a day, be wary of very sweet flavours: you tire of them faster than of a vanilla.

Does it contain added sugars?

No. The sweet taste comes from sucralose, a sweetener, and not from added sugar. The 0.75 g of sugars per serving corresponds to the lactose naturally present in whey, not to an addition. Per 100 g, that gives 2.5 g of sugars for 15 g of carbohydrate.

Where can you buy IO Genix Whey Sublime 1.5 kg?

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

A 1.5 kg tub means fifty shakers of the same taste: best not to get it wrong. At our shop in Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we happily open the conversation with the question that counts — would you rather have a milk chocolate, biscuit or hazelnut taste? — because it is that, and not the “protein” line, that will decide whether you finish the tub. Enzymes and other digestive supplements are grouped together in the digestive enzymes range.

What is Protéalpes Whey Protéine 750 g?

Protéalpes Whey Protéine is a whey isolate in a 750 g tub, whose distinctive feature has less to do with what it contains than with what it does not. A typical flavour comes down to three lines: whey protein isolate, natural flavouring, organically grown coconut flour. No sweeteners, no emulsifiers, no colourings, no added sugar.

This is a French whey, and that is not a cosmetic selling point. Protéalpes processes and packs in Albertville, in the Savoie, from milk collected from the Union des Producteurs de Beaufort — herds that follow the Beaufort PDO specification. Few protein powders sold in France allow you to name both the factory and the dairy catchment; here it is possible.

The flavours stocked: Vanilla, Cocoa, Strawberry, Caramel, Decaffeinated Coffee, Cocoa Red Berry and Mint. The manufacturer describes cold microfiltration and ultrafiltration, and publishes the exact proportion of isolate in each flavour — a figure almost no brand discloses.

What does a 30 g serving of Protéalpes Whey contain?

The reference serving is 30 g, that is one scoop. In the Strawberry flavour, it provides 23 g of protein for 114 kcal (481 kJ), 2.1 g of carbohydrate of which 1.4 g naturally occurring sugars, 1.6 g of fat of which 1.0 g saturates, and 0.12 g of salt. The 750 g tub covers 25 servings.

Per 100 g of powder, that gives 76 g of protein, 379 kcal (1,603 kJ), 6.9 g of carbohydrate of which 4.7 g sugars, 5.3 g of fat of which 3.3 g saturates and 0.40 g of salt. That figure of 76 g is surprising for an isolate, and deserves an explanation: the flavouring and the coconut flour take up room in the powder. A whey loaded with intense sweeteners mechanically shows a higher percentage, since the sweetener weighs almost nothing. The headline percentage is therefore not comparable from one brand to another without reading the ingredient list.

The proportion of isolate varies by flavour, and the manufacturer publishes it: 95 % in Mint, 92 % in Decaffeinated Coffee, 91 % in Vanilla, 88 % in Strawberry, 86 % in Cocoa Red Berry, 85.5 % in Cocoa. The lactose content is stated as below 5 %. The product is gluten free.

What we do not publish: no detailed amino acid profile has been supplied to us, and we display no certification — neither an anti-doping label nor a production certification — because we have seen none. The applicable regulatory wording remains: protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass and to the maintenance of muscle mass.

How do you prepare Protéalpes Whey?

The manufacturer states one 30 g scoop in 200 to 300 ml of liquid — water, milk or a plant-based drink. One to three servings a day, on an ongoing basis, with no fixed course length.

The timing of the serving matters little: after the session, between meals or at breakfast. What determines the result is the day's total protein intake.

Two points specific to this powder. First, it foams more than others: without lecithin, nothing breaks the surface tension. Let it stand for thirty seconds after shaking. Second, it can be cooked with without reservation — the absence of synthetic sweetener avoids bitter aftertastes on cooking, and you can sweeten it yourself to your own taste. Our flavourings and sweeteners let you adjust it, and a porridge made with oat flour turns it into a complete breakfast.

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

It is aimed first at those who are bothered by sweeteners, whether for digestive reasons or by choice, and at those who want a short ingredient list. Then at those for whom the origin of the milk matters: a French whey, processed in Albertville, with an identified dairy catchment, barely exists anywhere else.

The product contains MILK and is gluten free. An allergy to cow's milk protein rules it out. Its lactose content remains below 5 %, which suits most sensitive people, but tolerance is individual. Any medical question is a matter for your doctor or your pharmacist.

It is not for you if you want a very sweet flavour: with no sweetener, the taste is understated, markedly less dessert-like than a conventional flavoured whey. That is the trade-off, and it is better known before ordering. Nor is it for you if the price per kilo of protein is your first criterion: 750 g for 25 servings is a smaller format than most tubs on the shelf, and the arithmetic works against it. Finally, if you are subject to anti-doping testing, check the status of the batch with the manufacturer.

Protéalpes or IO Genix Isolate Professional?

Both are whey isolates, and yet they are not aimed at the same buyers.

The IO Genix isolate is the better choice in three clear cases: if you are looking for the lowest price per kilo of protein among isolates, since it comes in 1 kg and 2 kg; if you want a frankly dessert-like taste and a wide choice of flavours; and if you are aiming for the highest protein percentage per gram of powder, namely 25 g of protein per 30 g against 23 g for Protéalpes.

Protéalpes wins on three other points, every bit as concrete: an ingredient list cut down to three lines against around ten opposite, sweeteners and emulsifier included; an origin documented right down to the dairy catchment; and the proportion of isolate published flavour by flavour. If none of those three points matters to you, logic says take the other one — and if your budget is the real issue, a concentrated whey is enough for most people.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the milk in Protéalpes Whey come from?

From Savoyard herds, collected from the Union des Producteurs de Beaufort, whose farms follow the Beaufort PDO specification. Processing and packing take place in Albertville. Few protein powders sold in France can name both their factory and their dairy catchment.

Why only 76 g of protein per 100 g for an isolate?

Because the natural flavouring and the coconut flour take up room in the powder. A whey sweetened with sucralose shows a higher percentage for a purely arithmetical reason: the intense sweetener weighs virtually nothing. Always compare the headline percentage with the ingredient list in front of you.

Does it contain sweeteners?

No. No sucralose, no aspartame, no acesulfame K, no stevia. Nor is there any emulsifier, colouring or added sugar. The 1.4 g of sugars per serving are those naturally present in the whey and in the flavour ingredients.

Which flavour contains the most isolate?

Mint, at 95 %, followed by Decaffeinated Coffee at 92 % and Vanilla at 91 %. The Cocoa flavours are at the bottom of the ranking, at 85.5 %, because low-fat cocoa powder accounts for up to 13 % of the formula. The manufacturer publishes these percentages for each flavour.

How many servings does the 750 g tub contain?

Twenty-five 30 g servings. That is a smaller format than most tubs on the shelf, which are often sold in 900 g or 1 kg. Work out the price per kilo of protein before comparing: the difference in size distorts the first impression.

Is it suitable in cases of lactose intolerance?

In most cases: the lactose content is stated as below 5 %, a level that sensitive people generally tolerate. That does not make it a lactose-free product. In cases of allergy to cow's milk protein, it is contraindicated.

Is it suitable for athletes subject to anti-doping testing?

We disclose no anti-doping certification for this reference, and we will not invent one. If you are subject to testing, check the status of your batch directly with the manufacturer before consuming any. That is the only honest answer we can give.

Where to buy Protéalpes Whey Protéine 750 g?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. In our shop in Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we can have you read the ingredient list next to that of a conventional whey: it is the most telling comparison, and it takes thirty seconds.

The rest of the range can be compared in our protein collection, and the whole line-up in our sports nutrition section.

What is the ESN Designer Protein Bar?

The ESN Designer Protein Bar is a 45 g protein bar, coated and filled, designed to deliver protein in a format that fits in a pocket. What sets it apart is the way it is sweetened: sugar is very largely replaced here by maltitol, a polyol. That choice explains both its appeal and its main limitation, and we will go into both.

The protein base is a blend of milk proteins and soy protein isolate. Then come maltitol, cocoa butter, glycerol as a humectant — it is what stops the bar from going hard — whole milk powder, and finally the elements specific to each flavour. The list above is the one for the Almond Coconut version; the composition changes from one flavour to another, particularly where nuts are concerned.

The flavours listed: Almond Coconut, Cinnamon Cereal, Dark Chocolate Salted Almond, Dark Cookie White Choc, Fudge Brownie, Hazelnut Nougat, Peanut Caramel, White Chocolate Pistachio, Strawberry Yogurt, Dark Chocolate Raspberry, Strawberry White Chocolate and White Chocolate Raspberry. The German brand is stocked here in our ESN section.

What does a 45 g bar contain?

Figures taken from the Almond Coconut flavour. They vary from one flavour to another — a white chocolate pistachio version does not have the same fat profile as a raspberry one. Read the label on the bar you are buying if you are counting to the gram.

14 g of protein for 166 kcal is the figure that justifies the purchase. Protein here supplies around a third of the bar's energy, which allows the nutrition claim “high protein” within the meaning of the European regulation. In practical terms, you are roughly halfway between a Greek yoghurt and a shake: it is not a serving of whey, but it is well above what a supermarket cereal bar provides.

1.4 g of sugars per bar — that is 3.2 g per 100 g — allows the claim “low sugars”. Let us be plain about it, because the confusion is common: this is not a “sugars-free” bar. That particular wording would require less than 0.5 g per 100 g, and we will not be using it. The sugar has been replaced by 11 g of maltitol per bar, a polyol that provides sweetness and around 2.4 kcal per gram instead of 4.

The line to watch, on the other hand, is the 7.2 g of fat, of which 3.8 g is saturates. That is what sets this bar apart from a shake: it is richer, more filling, and more calorific for the same protein. That is neither good nor bad in itself — it is information to factor in if you are counting your calories.

How does this bar fit into the day?

Dose: 1 bar of 45 g. Liquid: none, but have a glass of water to hand, the texture is dense. Timing: as a snack between meals, after a session, or at the end of a meal. Frequency: 1 to 2 a day at most, for the reason explained below. Duration: none, this is a food.

The most honest use case is the stopgap snack. A day when you have no time to eat properly, a trip, a late afternoon where the real alternative is the vending machine: there, 14 g of protein for 166 kcal solves the problem better than a croissant. After training, it does the job if you have no shaker to hand, and no more than that.

A storage remark that matters: keep it between 15 and 20 °C, away from direct heat. Left in a car in summer, the coating melts and the bar becomes impossible to eat cleanly. Conversely, straight out of a fridge it hardens noticeably — let it come back to room temperature for ten minutes.

Do not use it as a meal replacement. It has neither the volume, nor the composition, nor the micronutrients of a meal. It is a snack, and if you eat three a day to avoid cooking, you are making life harder rather than easier — a tub of protein powder costs less per serving and takes thirty seconds to prepare.

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

It suits anyone looking for a portable protein source, anyone who dislikes shakes, and anyone who wants something sweet that is compatible with a weight-loss goal without resorting to shop-bought cakes.

It is not for you if you tolerate polyols badly. That is the point to know before buying, not after. The manufacturer carries the regulatory statement: excessive consumption may produce laxative effects. With 11 g of maltitol per bar, two bars in a day are enough to cause bloating, wind or intestinal discomfort in sensitive people. If you have irritable bowel syndrome, stick to one, or give it a miss.

Allergens: the bar contains MILK, SOYA and, depending on the flavour, NUTS. Traces of GLUTEN and PEANUTS are possible. The almond, hazelnut and pistachio flavours are obviously the ones most concerned — check the flavour as much as the product.

What not to expect from it: this is not a slimming product. 166 kcal are still 166 kcal, and a bar added to an already complete day is a more calorific day. Its value lies in replacing something else, not in being added on top. Nor is it a performance product, and maltitol is in no way an active ingredient: it is a bulk sweetener.

A protein bar or a whey shake?

That is the real question, and the answer depends entirely on your day. Let us compare like with like: 14 g of protein here for 166 kcal, against roughly 22 to 24 g of protein for 110 to 120 kcal in a standard serving of concentrated whey.

The shake wins on the numbers, and it wins by a wide margin: more protein, fewer calories, a lower cost per serving. If your aim is to cover a daily protein total at the best possible ratio, the powder is the rational choice, no argument.

The bar wins on everything else, and that everything else counts for more than people think. It calls for no shaker, no water and no rinsing. It can be eaten on the train, in a meeting, between two appointments. It is chewed, so it satisfies more than a liquid of the same calorie count. And above all, it actually gets eaten: a bar in a bag is consumed, a shake that has to be made up is often skipped. The best supplement remains the one you actually take. The sensible compromise is this: the powder at home, the bar on the move. The rest of the range can be compared in our protein snacks and our protein cookies.

Frequently asked questions

Is this bar really sugar-free?

No, and we will not write that it is. It contains 1.4 g of sugars per bar, that is 3.2 g per 100 g. That allows it the claim “low sugars”, which requires less than 5 g per 100 g, but not the wording “sugars-free”, reserved for products under 0.5 g per 100 g. The difference is a regulatory one, and it is real.

Why 11 g of polyols, and is that a problem?

Maltitol replaces sugar: it sweetens almost as much for around 2.4 kcal per gram instead of 4, and it is only partly absorbed. That is what makes it possible to declare 1.4 g of sugars. The trade-off is digestive — the legal statement “excessive consumption may produce laxative effects” appears on the packaging, and it is not decorative.

Can you eat several a day?

Two at most, and only one if your gut is sensitive. The limit comes not from the protein but from the polyols: at three bars, you are at 33 g of maltitol, which causes discomfort in a great many people. Add to that 498 kcal, which is no longer a snack.

Which flavour should I choose to start with?

The classic chocolate flavours — Fudge Brownie, Hazelnut Nougat, Peanut Caramel — are the most widely liked and the closest to confectionery. The fruity versions such as Strawberry White Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Raspberry divide opinion more. If you are allergic to nuts, rule out Almond Coconut, White Chocolate Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Salted Almond from the start.

Does it contain gluten?

Gluten is not an ingredient in the Almond Coconut version, but traces are possible, as they are for peanuts. Since the composition varies from one flavour to another, if you have coeliac disease, read the label of the precise flavour you are buying and, at the slightest doubt, leave it.

Is it suitable during a cutting phase?

Yes, provided it replaces something. 166 kcal for 14 g of protein is a decent ratio, and 3.8 g of saturates remains modest. But it is a dense bar, not a free food: build it into your daily total like any other snack.

Is it suitable for vegetarians or vegans?

For vegetarians, yes: the base is a blend of milk and soy proteins, with no meat ingredient. For vegans, no — the milk proteins and the whole milk powder rule it out. For a vegan diet, look to our plant proteins.

Where can you buy the ESN Designer Protein Bar?

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

With a bar, buying blind is a gamble: the flavour is the only thing that decides whether you will buy again, and no photo tells you that. At our Vendargues shop, around ten minutes from Montpellier, the right move is to take two or three different ones rather than a whole box of the same taste — it is less of a commitment and it saves you ending up with eleven bars you do not like.

What is Nutriting nuZinc?

Nutriting nuZinc is a zinc supplement in vegetable capsules, providing 15 mg of elemental zinc per capsule, i.e. 150% of the nutrient reference value. The bottle holds 90 capsules, which covers exactly three months at one serving a day.

The form used is zinc bisglycinate TRAACS®, a raw material from the American manufacturer Albion. The principle is the same as for any bisglycinate: the zinc is bound to two glycine molecules, forming a structure that is electrically neutral and stable in the digestive tract. The practical consequence, the one that genuinely counts: this zinc goes down far better than an oxide or a gluconate in people with a sensitive stomach.

What really sets this product apart is how short its ingredients list is: four lines in all, including the capsule shell. No colouring, no titanium dioxide, no pointless bulking agent. The rest of the French range is in our Nutriting section.

What does one nuZinc capsule contain?

The manufacturer publishes no energy values for this product, and the question makes little sense for a capsule of this size: the calorie contribution is nil over the course of a day. Nor does it disclose the exact quantity of magnesium carbonate or olive oil, which are processing aids rather than actives.

15 mg is the French ceiling for a food supplement, not an average dose. ANSES sets that value as the daily intake not to be exceeded in supplements, and EFSA puts the safety limit from all sources combined at 25 mg a day. In other words, this bottle already takes up all the available room. The consequence is direct and worth spelling out in full: if you are also taking a multivitamin or a ZMA containing zinc, you are going over the ceiling without realising it. We look at these thresholds in detail in our article on zinc bisglycinate dosage.

At this dose the authorised claims are numerous, and it is worth quoting them as they stand because they say precisely what the product can do: zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to normal protein synthesis, to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, to the maintenance of normal skin, hair and nails, to normal cognitive function, to normal fertility and reproduction, and to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood. All of these wordings speak of maintenance and normal function: they concern someone whose intake is insufficient, not an improvement beyond normal.

A word on a figure that gets passed around. The previous description on this page announced absorption “up to 43% better than zinc gluconate”, based on a comparative study by the producer of the raw material. We have removed that figure: it comes from the supplier itself, it cannot be verified independently, and it turns up word for word on products from different brands. What can honestly be said about bisglycinate is that it is well absorbed and markedly better tolerated. That is already a good reason to choose it.

Ingredients list

Magnesium carbonate (anti-caking agent), vegetable capsule (shell: pullulan), zinc bisglycinate (Albion®), organic olive oil. Gluten-free, lactose-free, soya-free, no declared allergen. No titanium dioxide, no colouring, no animal gelatine, no nanoparticles, no GMOs, not irradiated. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Made in France.

How do you take nuZinc?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a glass of water, 200 ml is enough. Timing: away from meals, ideally in the morning or mid-afternoon, at least an hour away from a full meal. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: the manufacturer recommends a course of at least two to three months, repeatable all year round.

The “away from meals” instruction has a precise reason. The phytates in wholegrain cereals and pulses, along with the calcium in dairy products, bind zinc in the gut and reduce its absorption. A capsule taken with a bowl of wholegrain oats delivers markedly less than a capsule taken with a glass of water. If an empty stomach does not agree with you, shift it to an hour after a light meal rather than dropping the serving altogether.

Two supplements call for genuine spacing: iron and copper. They use the same intestinal transporters as zinc and get in each other's way. If you are taking iron, put it in the morning and the zinc in the afternoon, or the other way round. Magnesium is less of a problem, but two hours apart saves you having to think about it.

A three-month course is not an arbitrary length: rebuilding zinc status takes weeks, and a month is generally not enough to observe anything at all. The 90-capsule bottle is sized for exactly that.

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

The manufacturer clearly identifies the profiles concerned, and they match what we see over the counter: vegetarians and vegans, whose diet supplies zinc that is less well absorbed because of phytates; athletes, who lose it through sweat and use more of it; older people; and those with chronic digestive disorders.

The capsule is made from pullulan, a material obtained by fermentation of tapioca: the product is therefore suitable for vegetarians and vegans, which is not the case for most conventional capsule supplements. It is also gluten-free, lactose-free, soya-free and free of declared allergens, which makes it one of the simplest formulas on the shelf for anyone with allergies.

It is for adults only. In case of pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical treatment, the advice of a healthcare professional is needed before starting — zinc interferes in particular with the absorption of certain antibiotics, which need to be spaced several hours apart.

What not to expect from it: it is not a hormonal stimulant, and it will not raise the testosterone of someone whose status is normal. Nor is it a product whose effect you feel. You will not feel anything, and that is expected: zinc corrects an intake, it does not produce a sensation. Finally, if you suspect a genuine deficiency, a blood test prescribed by your doctor is worth more than prolonged supplementation in the dark.

nuZinc or a multivitamin?

That is the real trade-off, and it depends on what you already know about your diet.

A multivitamin covers a broad range: B, C, D and E vitamins, plus a series of trace elements including, almost always, zinc. It is the better choice if you have nothing else, if your diet is erratic on several fronts, and if you want a single bottle to open in the morning. Its drawback is that it doses each element modestly in order to fit everything in, and makes any individual adjustment impossible.

nuZinc follows the opposite logic: a single mineral, at the exact amount you want, at the time you choose. It is the better choice if you know why you are taking zinc — a vegan diet, heavy training, the winter season — and if you want to keep control of the daily total. It pairs without difficulty with a vitamin C, which does not compete with it.

The classic trap is taking both without doing the arithmetic: 15 mg on one side, often 10 mg on the other, and there you are at 25 mg a day, every day. That is not dramatic in the short term, but over several months it degrades copper status. If you do stack them, alternate every other day.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a bottle last?

Three months exactly, at one capsule a day, the bottle holding 90 capsules. That is also the course length recommended by the manufacturer, which makes the format coherent: one bottle equals one course, with nothing left over and nothing missing.

Should it be taken on an empty stomach?

Preferably away from meals, yes. The phytates in wholegrain cereals and the calcium in dairy products both reduce zinc absorption. If an empty stomach bothers you, taking it at a distance from a light meal is still far preferable to taking it in the middle of a full meal.

Is this zinc suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is made from pullulan, obtained by fermentation of tapioca, and no ingredient in the formula is of animal origin. It is a point that sets this product apart from the many supplements in gelatine capsules, and it is all the more relevant given that vegans are among the profiles most concerned by zinc.

What is the difference between TRAACS® and an ordinary bisglycinate?

TRAACS® is a raw-material brand, not a different molecule. It denotes a bisglycinate produced to a given specification, with control of the chelation ratio. The chemistry is the same as that of any other properly manufactured bisglycinate; what you are buying is the supplier's traceability.

Can it be taken all year round?

The manufacturer says it can. That said, at 15 mg a day without a break, it is reasonable to take stock after six months, and a blood test becomes more useful than an automatic renewal. Zinc is not stored by the body, but a prolonged excess ends up disturbing copper.

Does it need to be spaced from iron?

Yes, and it is the only interaction that really matters. Iron, copper and zinc use the same intestinal absorption pathways and compete directly. If you take both, separate them by at least four hours, or put one in the morning and the other in late afternoon.

Does zinc strengthen immunity?

The authorised wording is that zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system. The nuance is a real one: it helps a system to function normally when intake is insufficient, it does not make it perform better in someone whose status is already fine. That is the only thing a seller can honestly write.

Where can you buy Nutriting nuZinc?

It can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the bottle we bring out when someone is after a short formula, free of additives, and readable in three seconds on the back of the pack. On a mineral, that is often the best criterion there is. The rest of the shelf can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.