Trying to Be a Lean1 Even on Busy Days

For a long time I’ve resisted any kind of shake meal replacement. I just thought I couldn’t justify these types of drinks when all I preach is to eat whole food.

Then my life got hectic and my morning green smoothie routine was thrown off and I started either skipping breakfast or eating whatever I could shove in my mouth on the way out the door. In the midst of these horrible habits, I realized this is what my clients mean when they say they’re too busy for breakfast or lunch or dinner or whatever meal I’m trying to get them to eat. I used to secretly roll my eyes and think if they really wanted to get better, they’d wake up earlier and grind up some kale. Smug little brat, aren’t I?

As it turns out, all my eye-rolling was not really justified and maybe just plain old hypocritically mean. Sometimes, you really are so pressed for time that a complete meal shake is exactly the right thing for your day. What is important then, is finding one that isn’t full of lots of harsh chemicals and is designed to provide nutrients, not just make you skinny. It helps if it doesn’t taste disgusting either.  Although Lean1 does suggest one use is weight loss, the overall components are adequate for a quick-breakfast or lunch alternative, whether you’re trying to lose weight or not. And, it’s not disgusting.

When I first read about Lean1, I was intrigued, not just because the founder of it’s parent company Nutrition53 is former NFL star Bill Romanowski, but  because of the story behind the company. See, Romanowski had the first nutritional produce developed in an attempt to undo the damage caused by the multiple concussions he sustained through the course of his career. Neuro1 is that product and it’s designed for optimum brain function.I figured, if a man with means wants to use his money to improve his brain, then the resulting products must be pretty impressive because they were created for him personally. Lean1 is one such product, this time designed as a fat-burning meal replacement protein shake. It’s base is whey protein, not soy and the product label has NON GMO right there in big capital letters so I felt confident that the ingredients were good. Of course, it’s always better to eat the real thing, but in a pinch, drum-dried non-gmo fruits and veggies would have to do. 

I went to Duane Reade and purchased a canister of  Lean1 to try for a month. (To see my entire store visit, including my two cute helpers, visit my shopping album on Google+). I even brought the can of mix with us on vacation. I used vanilla, which tasted fine on it’s own but I will admit there were days I added a little fruit or vegetable to it for a different flavor. I used strawberry and bananas one day and pear and cilantro another.

Both were delicious. As was the one I had on vacation with blueberries and flax seed thrown in.

Lean1 was easy to make and not to bad to taste. I felt satisfied enough to not nibble in between meals, and it filled me with enough energy to get through my days-even the ones playing tourist with kids! It is a great solution on days when even this hard-core veggie girl just doesn’t have enough time for that homemade green smoothie.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. While this shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insight study for Collective Bias®, Duane Reade and Nutrition53, all opinions (and smoothie concoctions) are my own. #DRLean1 #cbias #SocialFabric