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Shake Up Your Shakes!
Preparing healthy food that ticks all of the nutritional boxes can be difficult when you’re constantly on the go. While Mediterranean-style food is always our top recommendation, we understand that there are some days where you simply don’t have the time. In our experience, grab-and-go snacks are often packed with sugar, high in carbohydrates and low in vitamins and minerals and the main shakes on the market aren’t that great, either. We wanted to stand out from the crowd and align our shakes to the principles we stand for, The Mediterranean Diet.
Texture
Our shakes are different to market counterparts. Like The Fast 800 recipes, the shakes are packed with protein, healthy fats and fibre. The fibre content is almost a third of your daily intake due to some powerhouse ingredients: almond flour; coconut flour; and flax seeds.
Almond flour – almonds pack an enormous punch of benefits with a very worthy nutrient profile. They can help manage blood sugar levels and have been recognised to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.1 Almonds are also high in magnesium, vitamin E and B2 and have a low glycemic index, which gives you a sustained release of energy from the slow release of sugar into your bloodstream.2
Flax – flax seeds, like almonds, are loaded with nutrients. Their digestive benefits have connected them to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.3 Flax seeds contain both soluble and insoluble fibre as well as plant based omega-3 fatty acids, meaning they’re especially beneficial for vegetarians and vegans.4 Flaxseeds are one of the richest dietary sources of lignans, which are high in phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are compounds commonly found in plants; they reduce the levels of glucose in your blood and subsequently have been connected to a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome.5
Coconut flour – coconut flour has been scientifically recognised to improve digestion, heart health and blood sugar stability. As a healthy fat, they are a great addition to a Mediterranean-style diet as they show similar benefits by promoting insulin sensitivity and fat loss. Unlike other saturated fats that are chemically made up from long-chain triglycerides LCTs, coconut flour is made up of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which benefit brain function and heart health.6 They are also a fantastic source of plant-based iron, which is a common deficiency amongst the global population.
Fibre: Why is it so important?
Fibre can be separated into two types: soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which have their own benefits. Soluble fibre dissolves in water whereas insoluble fibre doesn’t, yet both have great benefits. Soluble fibre aids digestion and helps to reduce blood sugar levels, which can assist in reducing the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Insoluble fibre also helps to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and promotes bowel regularity by adding water to stools, preventing constipation.7
Both of which are of high importance and should be taken regularly as part of a healthy diet. The Fast 800 shakes contain both soluble and insoluble fibre, something in which we didn’t want to sacrifice in the making of the product.
Shake up your shakes
It’s important to us that these ingredients are in our shakes to help you get the best possible results. The fibre content does give you a different texture from other shakes on the market however, we love it because it shows us our ingredients are unique, with a nutrient profile we can proudly recommend. We do get it though, some people aren’t crazy about the texture so we have a few ideas to make your shakes smoother.
Blend it up – pop your shake into a blender, or use a stick blender if you have one. The shaker is stainless steel so still comes in handy for keeping the shake nice and cool.
Experiment with water – everyone has a different preference, our Health Coaches included, and we’ve found that the right amount of water varies from person to person. Use more or less than the recommended guidance and find what works for you.
Use unsweetened almond milk – unsweetened almond milk is low in calories, carbohydrates and sugar, so won’t make a huge difference to the nutritional values of your shake. Yet, some people love the taste and texture of their shake when they swap water for almond milk, Dr Mosley included!
Add frozen fruit – there’s no harm in adding a couple of frozen berries to your shake and they’re absolutely delicious in all flavours! Pop them in the blender and enjoy.
Cold isn’t the only option – some customers love to mix it up and enjoy their shakes warm. Hot chocolate is a firm favourite however, this is likely to be one of the healthiest hot choccies you’ve ever had!
Try some of our favourite shakes recipes:
We spent a while researching alternative shakes on the market and we just couldn’t find an option that we felt comfortable recommending to The Fast 800 community, which is why we decided to make our own. Proudly, they are different to other shakes out there because their high fibre, low carb and high protein content replicates the principles of a Mediterranean-style diet. Although we will always recommend real food first, we know there are times when cooking just isn’t an option and our shakes are a great alternative to still get the nutrients you need.
We feel confident in recommending our shakes knowing that they contain only natural ingredients, are stress-free to make and can help you on your journey to better health.
References 
Berryman CE, Preston AG, Karmally W, Deckelbaum RJ, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of almond consumption on the reduction of LDL-cholesterol: a discussion of potential mechanisms and future research directions. Nutr Rev. 2011 Apr;69(4):171-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00383.x. PMID: 21457263
Gulati S, Misra A, Pandey RM. Effect of Almond Supplementation on Glycemia and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Asian Indians in North India with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A 24-Week Study. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2017;15(2):98-105. doi:10.1089/met.2016.0066
Parikh M, Maddaford TG, Austria JA, Aliani M, Netticadan T, Pierce GN. Dietary Flaxseed as a Strategy for Improving Human Health. Nutrients. 2019 May 25;11(5):1171. doi: 10.3390/nu11051171. PMID: 31130604; PMCID: PMC6567199.
Jungbauer A, Medjakovic S. Phytoestrogens and the metabolic syndrome. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2014 Jan;139:277-89. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2012.12.009. Epub 2013 Jan 11. PMID: 23318879.
Hewlings S. Coconuts and Health: Different Chain Lengths of Saturated Fats Require Different Consideration. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. 2020;7(4):59. Published 2020 Dec 17. doi:10.3390/jcdd7040059
Lattimer JM, Haub MD. Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients. 2010;2(12):1266-1289. doi:10.3390/nu2121266
