Our Data and Results-Driven Review of the LyfeFuel Essentials Meal Shake

In this data-driven LyfeFuel review, we will take a deep dive into their meal replacement shake.

As two engineers researching how to become healthier, cleaner, and stronger together (and with our toddler), we are always looking for ways to get excellent nutrition into our diets. 

The goal of this review is to help you easily and accurately compare LyfeFuel to similar shakes on the market. And, since it has earned a spot in our pantry, we’ll share our experience as well. 

LYFEfuel review and experience

We’ve investigated hundreds of shakes and drank dozens of them over the past 10 years. In fact, we have a 52-row spreadsheet that we use to analyze quality meal replacement shakes on the market every 2 years.

You’d be shocked to learn how many times these shakes have changed their ingredients, macros, portion sizes, and quality since we started our blog in 2018.

Plus, not all nutrition shakes are that nutritious — at least by our standards. For most, we wouldn’t put them in our pantry or let our toddler go near them.

Out of the 50+ shakes we’ve analyzed, we pretty much only recommend two or three… LyfeFuel is one of them, and it has the lowest price by far, about 40% less.

In this article, we’ll share what makes LyfeFuel stand out from the rest with its top-quality nutrition and ingredients, its surprisingly unique macro ratio that supports metabolic health, and, of course, our favorite flavors.

What is LyfeFuel?

LyfeFuel is a nutritional supplement company based out of California. It’s co-founded by a married couple (and you know we love that!) and their mission to have a positive impact on folks’ health and the health of the planet rings loud and clear throughout.

LyfeFuel has several products from protein and meal shakes to bars to adaptogen vitamins, with their Chocolate Daily Essentials Shake and Fudge Brownie Essential Bar as our personal favorites.

All of their products are plant-based with superior quality. No cheap fillers here or hidden ingredients, which is, scarily, the norm in the shake industry today. (Especially since shake companies are so adept at hiding it. Ka’Chava, for example, labels their sugar, “coconut flower nectar” as a carb. Yeah, if you’re a hummingbird! I digress…)

Finally, LyfeFuel’s commitment and integrity to delivering a fantastic product is coupled with their philanthropy as well. With every bag purchased, a percentage of the proceeds are donated to charity.

Even with all of these positives, we haven’t touched upon the best parts, including the affordability, macro ratio, nutrient profile, and the LYFER Academy, which is a wellness program available to all LyfeFuel customers of the ‘Transformation Bundle’ to build healthier habits.

Why We Choose to Drink LyfeFuel

If I could sum up this review in two sentences, I would say: that we let our toddler have LyfeFuel, and she loves it. We send it to our parents, too.

Everyone drinks shakes for different reasons. For some, it could be for weight loss or muscle growth. For others, a convenient meal replacement.

LyfeFuel Essentials is all of that and more.

For us, we drink shakes to fill in any nutrition gaps, because not everyone can “eat the rainbow” every single day. Even us vegetarians have trouble with that sometimes.

We know, we know, it’s best to get most of our nutrients from whole foods cooked at home. Trust me, we do our best with that, but realistically, we’re not perfect.

On the busy days when we’re traveling or running errands with our toddler, having LyfeFuel as our nutritious fallback plan makes us feel better as parents and keeps our health and immune systems in tip-top shape.

Why Trust Us

First, our LyfeFuel review is based on data (preview below), we are two engineers after all.

We discovered LyfeFuel by analyzing the meal replacement shakes on the market, decided it was a match for our own nutritional needs (metabolism specifically), and became hooked because we love their products, brand, and mission.

Second, we’re not a review site. Spend some time on our website and you’ll see that we don’t do many product reviews. That’s because we don’t recommend anything that we don’t use regularly ourselves. And we’re minimalists who are very discerning about health and wellness products (most of them are garbage).

Our goal was to provide all the data and information you need to either commit or move on with your life.

Lastly, this is based on our experience. Unlike many other reviews, this is not a regurgitation of the company’s homepage or an unhelpful list of pros and cons.

We’ve collected the data, tested the products, and crafted a comprehensive review. If you appreciate it, please use our 10% discount with code RYANANDALEX so we receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

LYFEfuel Review: our data and experience

Throughout, we’ll share the data alongside our personal experience as LyfeFuel customers. Then, it wouldn’t be a proper review without discussing some product info, pros and cons, and price.

Hopefully, this helps you decide if Lyfefuel Essentials is the right meal replacement for your goals. Please feel free to leave questions, feedback, or your personal experience in the comments section.

What Makes lyfeFuel Different?

• Outstanding Nutritional Profile
• Highest Quality Ingredients
• Best-balanced Macro Ratio
• Far Cheaper than Its Competitors
• It’s Deliciously Creamy
• 21-Day Transformation Program
• LyfeFuel Gives Back to Charity

We’ll share our data and experience to back up these points below.

1. Outstanding Nutritional Profile

With an outstanding nutritional profile, LyfeFuel goes above and beyond with its micronutrient levels, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. No bare minimums here, with each bag often exceeding the recommended daily values of nutrients.

LyfeFuel has a “less is more” philosophy, which we love. Instead of promoting the 50+ superfoods in their formula, they confidently say “Here is what you need in the right amounts.”

Looking at the Chocolate Daily Essentials Shake, you’ll find common nutritional gaps filled with Vitamins D3, B12, K2, Mg, Iodine, Choline, and even Co-Q10. Great stuff here.

The vitamin and mineral content is impressive, and it was one of many factors that put LyfeFuel above all the rest in the “Total Nutrient Rank” analysis.

What is total nutrient rank? We invented it. With all the data in our 52-row spreadsheet, we crunched the numbers and settled on a calculation that highlights the healthiest meal replacement shakes that we would choose to feed our family with.

For more background, see our full article title, “The Best Shakeology Alternatives Based On Data (Not Opinion).”

2. Highest Quality Ingredients

As mentioned in the beginning, shakes change their ingredient list an alarming amount. It is a big business after all, expected to double by 2032.

Since we started our blog in 2018, very few shakes have maintained their formulas, but LyfeFuel is one of them. This gets big bonus points from us because it speaks to the integrity of the product to not have cheapened out.

As it broadcasts right on the bag, LyfeFuel is vegan with no GMO products, no soy, nothing artificial, and no dairy.

LyfeFuel is proud of its ingredients, as it should be. In each bag of the Essentials Shake, you’ll find 14 different supergreens, like spirulina and kale, but also other plants to make a complete protein like sprouted brown rice and yellow peas.

Based on the metabolic data that we collect with our Lumen Metabolism Trackers, the protein blend in LyfeFuel is excellent. Not only is the amount of protein superior to its competitors, but the spouted brown rice seems to be more digestible and usable.

3. Best-Balanced Macro Ratio

Compared to other meal replacement shakes, we’d categorize LyfeFuel Essentials as a high protein, low fat, low carb shake when looking at per-gram servings to equalize the playing field.

Here is a graph showing the macronutrient amounts per 40g serving.

However, our tune changed in 2023 when we started tracking our metabolism when the first at-home, real-time metabolism tracker came onto the market.

While conducting our 3-month metabolism experiment, we realized that when we added LyfeFuel to our diets, our bodies burned more and more fat, which we attribute to our high-quality protein intake. Plus, our metabolic flexibility scores improved, meaning that our body could more easily “switch and choose” when it wanted to burn carbs or burn fat.

After making that discovery, we made sure that LyfeFuel Essentials was a mainstay in our diets and increased our protein intake. Quality plant-based protein was now a priority in our household. Could it be that 97% of Americans are eating the right quantity of protein but the wrong quality?

We were also sold on the benefits of lower-carb shakes in 2023 when we did another round of our meal replacement shake analysis. It’s not that we learned that carbs are bad (they’re not), but we started finding more and more junk ingredients buried in the carbohydrates section of the nutrition label.

High carbs can be a red flag because it gives companies a lot of wiggle room to add poor quality and cheap ingredients. Here is a graph showing carbs per serving of LyfeFuel Essentials and its competitors.

4. Far Cheaper Than Its Competitors

No matter how amazing or nutritious a shake is, cost will likely always come into play.

Well, good news here: the LyfeFuel Essentials Shake is exceptionally affordable compared to its competitors of comparable quality (shown in the graph below).

If you’re interested in reading all about what we mean by “comparable quality,” we did an extensive analysis of meal replacement shakes, that were similar to Shakeology. Only a few passed our scrutiny and anything with soy or artificial ingredients was not considered.

Here is a graph showing the list price of LyfeFuel compared to top competitors.

5. It Tastes Good

Taste will always be a personal preference, but even our toddler can vouch for LyfeFuel. In both a blender or just shaken up in a cup of water, LyfeFuel mixes in well and tastes like a treat.

We always prefer blending our shakes because it makes them taste like a dessert, especially with a banana, handful of frozen spinach, almond milk, and peanut butter, but to each their own.

6. 21-Day Transformation Program

As of January 2024, the LyfeFuel ‘LYFER Academy’ has a new facelift, and we’re starting it alongside everyone else once it’s released. More to come on that soon!

This is a wellness program that goes along with the purchase of LyfeFuel’s Transformation Bundle (pictured below), which includes 2 bags of Essential Shakes, 2 boxes of Essential Bars, and 1 bottle of an Adaptogen Wellness Boost (you pick your own between Balance, Calm, Vitality, and Clarity).

We have access to the older version as well, and here’s what it includes:

• Digital guide and app that acts like a roadmap on what to do for 21 days to build healthier habits
• Recipes and healthy grocery lists
• Checklists and trackers to follow your health journey
• Access to coaching and a member’s forum

This all seems similar to one of our own programs (Couple’s Clean Week, which we’re also revamping soon), so, we are completely supportive and believe in the powers and impact that a guided challenge can yield.

On a personal note, we’ve had the pleasure of chatting with the founding husband-wife team and couldn’t think of better teachers to learn from.

The husband, Chris, is a former NFL player who studied dietary nutrition and sports training theory before LyfeFuel. His wife, Daniela, is a certified health coach and holistic chef. Chatting with them showed how much they genuinely cared about the integrity of their product, delivering exceptional nutrition, and guiding others on how to become the healthiest they can be.

We respect their mission and their product is a perfect reflection of that!

7. LyfeFuel Gives Back to Charity

Finally, something that’s quite special about LyfeFuel is that 1% of sales are donated to a social justice or environmental charity of your choice.

Not a surprise given the mission of the founders, Chris and Daniela!

Here’s the email we got after our last LyfeFuel order.

Given everything that LyfeFuel does — provide superior, responsibly sourced nutrition, sustainable packaging, transformation programs, and all at an affordable price — while giving back to the planet just goes to show that LyfeFuel is a big winner in our book.

LyfeFuel Review – Product INfo, Pros and Cons, Is It WOrth IT?

Essentials Nutritional Information

We’ve already shared graphs of the macros, but here is a deeper dive into the micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Let’s start with a picture of the nutrition facts label.

LyfeFuel claims that the key benefits of drinking the Essentials Shake are:

• Control Sugar & Junk Food Cravings
• Reboot Your Metabolism
• Nourish Your Gut
• Improve Health Span
• Fill Hard-to-Get Nutrient Gaps

Next, let’s take a look at the ingredients.

LyfeFuel Essentials Shake Ingredients

As summarized on the LyfeFuel website, the Essentials shake is made from over 50+ whole food nutrients & superfoods, 27 Essential vitamins & minerals, 18 grams of plant-based protein, and more fruits & veggies than your local farmer’s market.

• Full Spectrum Multivitamin & Mineral
• Excellent Source of Vitamin D3 + K2
• Excellent Source of Vitamin B12
• Prebiotic Fiber, Probiotics & Digestive Enzymes
• Packed With Organic Greens & Superfood Antioxidants

Here is the complete ingredient list for the LYFEfuel Essentials Chocolate Shake.

* means it’s organic

METABOLIC & WEIGHT CONTROL BLEND

• Sprouted Brown Rice *
• Canadian Yellow Peas
• Oligosmart Tapioca Fibre
• Flaxseed

Benefits: Promotes lean muscle building, controls hunger, and strengthens hair and nails.

BALANCE & VITALITY GREENS BLEND

• Alfalfa Grass *
• Wheat Grass *
• Barley Grass *
• Oat Grass *
• Broccoli
• Green Cabbage *
• Parsley *
• Collards Leaf
• Spirulina *
• Chlorella *
• Sea Kelp*
• Dulse *
• Dandelion Leaf
• Broccoli Sprouts *

Benefits: Controls blood sugar, alkalizes the body, and boosts the immune system.

SUPER BERRY BLEND

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Sour Cherries
• Elderberries
• Cranberries

Benefits: Boosts metabolism, regenerates cells, and improves skin health.

ESSENTIAL MICRONUTRIENTS

• 27 Vitamins & Minerals
• Methylated Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin K2
• Vitamin B8
• Choline

Benefits: Increases cellular energy, strengthens total body wellness, improves clarity and focus.

LONGEVITY BLEND

• Grapeseed extract
• Pomegranate Seeds
• Co-enzyme Q10

Benefits: Reduces inflammation, provides powerful antioxidants, and improves cardiac health.

DIGESTIVE BLEND

• Lactobacillus Acidophilus
• Lactobacillus Plantarum
• Lactobacillus Rhamosus
• Bifidobacteruim Breve
• Bifidobacteruim Longum
• Natural Digestive Enzymes

Benefits: Enhances nutrient absorption, improves immune function, and optimizes digestion.

LyfeFuel Pricing and Buying Options

A bag of LyfeFuel Daily Essentials Shake is $70/month for a one-bag purchase or $60/month if you “Subscribe and Save,” which is only $2.50 a serving.

A bag of LyfeFuel Performance Plant-Based Protein Shake is $60/month for a one-bag purchase or $50/month if you “Subscribe and Save,” which is only $2.08 a serving.

The LyfeFuel Essentials Bar is $70/month for a subscription purchase of two boxes, which is 20 bars or $3.50 a bar.

Please use our discount code, RYANANDALEX at checkout.

Is LyfeFuel Worth It?

Here is a highlight list of the pros and cons based on your experience.

Pros

• From a quality and price perspective, it’s an excellent value
• Excellent customer service and rewarding customer journey (they really want their customers to succeed)
• Very clean nutrition and the bars were shockingly tasty
• They care about our earth

Cons

• They only have two flavors (we get variety from the ingredients we add to the blender but for shaker bottle people this matters)
• No free shipping outside the U.S.

At this point, we’ve made it clear that we think their products are worth your investment. We’ve had a great experience and are current customers.

LYFEfuel FAQs and Takeaways

Before we became customers and started the Transformation program, we had questions. I am sure you do too. If you do join the 21-day program, there’s a great community where you can ask questions and post your accountability. 

Additionally, feel free to ask us in the comments section of this article. These are common questions.

LYFEFUEL Review FAQs

Is LyfeFuel healthy?

Compared to over 50 other supplements in our spreadsheets, LyfeFuel Essentials is clean, quality, balanced, and healthy. We’ve also tested it and seen a boost in our metabolic flexibility during a 3-month study.

Yes, LyfeFuel is healthy. Right now, LyfeFuel and Shakeology are the only supplement brands we’re using. To learn more about the founder, company’s story, and philosophy behind LyfeFuel products, we recommend you read this article on their blog.

Is LyfeFuel better than Ka-Chava?

Based on our opinion, the data, and our experience, that’s a strong yes. And we were long-time Ka’Chava customers drinking over 30 bags. We stopped ordering for reasons listed in our full Ka’Chava review.

Last I checked, they have a 2.2 Trustpilot score which is fair based on our experience with them.

If you want to compare LyfeFuel vs. Ka’Chava, take a second look at the graphs above. Or, look at our full analysis of premium meal replacement shakes. Ka’Chava is good, it’s not worth the price and the .  

Is LyfeFuel better than Shake 310?

In our opinion, yes. But, in this case, we have never actually tried it. Honestly, based on our analysis, we didn’t want to test it. 

If you want to compare LyfeFuel vs. Shake 310, take a second look at the graphs above. Or, look at our meal replacement shake data-driven comparison. 

Is LyfeFuel vegan?

Yes, LyfeFuel Essentials is vegan. It’s also keto and soy-free. While many ingredients are organic, the formula is not certified organic.

If it’s vegan, can LyfeFuel be mixed with milk? Yes, there is no issue there. It mixes well with regular milk and almond milk.

Is LyfeFuel FDA approved?

No. But LyfeFuel is third-party tested and manufactured in Texas in GMP plants. Supplements are rarely FDA approved. Which, to us, doesn’t matter much since the FDA approves a McDonalds cheeseburger. Here is what LyfeFuel says.

Manufactured in small batches in the USA in accordance with the latest FDA cGMP guidelines using world-class research & development facilities for guaranteed quality.

Does LyfeFuel have adaptogens?

No, the LyfeFuel Daily Essentials Nutrition Shake does not contain adaptogens like some of its competitors. But, consider the Wellness Boost products. Those are adaptogen mushrooms designed to optimize your day.

LyfeFuel Refund Policy

This is another reason you should only buy LyfeFuel from their company website. It seems like there can be issues returning products if you buy on Amazon. Here is what LyfeFuel says.

We offer a 30 day no-hassle money back guarantee if we fail to meet your expectations. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, for any reason, please contact us at support@lyfefuel.com so we can address what went wrong and work together to find a solution. Although we cannot accept opened items due to safety regulations, we will honor our money-back guarantee if you contact us within 30 days of purchasing the product to let us know about any issues.

Closing Thoughts On Lyfefuel

As parents of a wildly energetic toddler, we keep LyfeFuel’s Essential Shakes and Essential Bars in our pantry to make sure we get all of the nutrients we need when we can’t eat the rainbow. As we like to say, our shakes are like our nutritional insurance plan — filling in the gaps, keeping our digestive systems happy, and our immune systems in the best shape.

After looking at and comparing dozens of shakes over the years, we honestly recommend very few — to you and our family and friends. We all have our own goals with our shakes, but just make sure they’re high quality and that you’re not paying for junk… because so much of the marketing and buzzwords are meaningless.

After diving deep into the fantastic quality of LyfeFuel’s ingredients, reading through their nutrition facts, reviewing the macros of their Essentials Shake, and all at a really good price, we highly recommend LyfeFuel Essentials.

You can’t do better, and that’s why it’s in our pantry too.

Join us in their transformation program. We’ll update this review as we go through it. See you there!

If you have any questions, feedback, or a LyfeFuel experience to share, please do so in the comments section below.

For more resources on clean eating and fueling to show up for life, such as our healthy and cheap grocery list or what poop says about your health, head over to Eat Clean page.

Written by Ryan Gleason
CEO and Co-Founder at Ryan and Alex Duo Life