Review: Orgain
When I was first diagnosed with gastroparesis back in 2004, Boost and Ensure were pretty much the only meal replacement drinks readily available. Like many people, I found that I didn’t tolerate either particular well and, the more I learned about nutrition, the more I questioned how health promoting they actually were.
In 2009, however, a physician and cancer survivor looking to provide a higher-quality meal replacement drink to his patients developed Orgain. As soon as I discovered it, Orgain became a staple of my diet. It was made of high-quality ingredients, contained real fruits and vegetables, tasted great, and I tolerated it really well. I began recommending it to my clients and sharing about it on my social media and in my books.
Unfortunately around 2013, the formula went through some updates and it’s never been quite as good as the original… but to me, it’s still one of the best meal replacement options on the market for those with gastroparesis. The only drawback is that it is milk-based and, as such, may not be appropriate for those following a low-FODMAP diet and certainly won’t work for anyone on a dairy-free or vegan diet. (See below for an alternative.)
Also keep in mind that Orgain’s offerings have expanded significantly since it was introduced. Today there are multiple versions of the ready-to-drink shakes, as well as a variety of protein powders. The most “gastroparesis-friendly” option is the Organic Nutrition Shake with 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of fiber, and 16 grams of protein per carton. It comes in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and mocha flavors, all of which taste quite good. While some of the other ready-to-drink shakes are technically GP-friendly, they are solely protein shakes, lacking the added nutrition that I would recommend for a meal supplement or replacement.
Quick tip for any meal replacement drink: dilute it with water. Most shakes tend to be on the thicker side and you may find it better tolerated if you thin it out a bit. When I used to drink Orgain regularly, I would fill a 20 ounce reusable bottle with ice, pour a room temperature Orgain over it, and fill whatever was left with the water. The water and the melting ice would create a better consistency for me and I was able to sip it over time to add extra nutrition with no ill effects.
Vegan Orgain
As I mentioned above, original Orgain is milk-based and so I had to stop drinking it in 2013 when my daughter was diagnosed with a severe dairy allergy. They eventually came out with a plant version of the shake, though, and I reviewed in 2014. You can read the details of my review below but overall, I’d say it’s okay. It doesn’t taste fantastic and I don’t think it would as widely well-tolerated at the original seemed to be. But, as far as I know, there isn’t currently a better option (and I have tried nearly all of them).
For a time I was recommending Kate Farms shakes and using them myself. While they were slightly higher in fiber than I would traditionally recommend, they were very nourishing, good tasting, and I found them well-tolerated by the handful of clients I recommended them to. Unfortunately they also changed their formula, increasing the fat content and changing other ingredients that, in my opinion, made the shake significantly less palatable and less GP-friendly. So for now, Orgain remains my recommendation for those looking for a vegan meal replacement drink.
Here is my detailed review:
Flavor
Orgain sent me samples of their Vegan Sweet Vanilla Bean and Vegan Smooth Chocolate shakes. Initially I wasn’t a fan of the Sweet Vanilla Bean flavor. Then I tried sticking it in the freezer for a bit and found it’s much better ice cold! Even so, I preferred the Smooth Chocolate flavor. I thought both flavors had a bit of an aftertaste but they are palatable.
Nutrition
Nutritionally speaking the shakes are pretty similar to their dairy-based counterparts. Each shake has 220 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein. A reasonable replacement for a well-balanced, gastroparesis-friendly snack or as an accompaniment to a meal. (Full nutritional information here.)
Just like the original version, the shakes are Certified Organic and do not contain artificial sweeteners or corn syrup.
As I’ve said before, the Orgain shakes — both the Original and the new Vegan versions — are a better choice than Boost and Ensure based on quality of ingredients alone. It’s also a better choice than most of the shakes marketed by fitness and weight loss companies, which tend to be too high in added fat and/or fiber for many people with gastroparesis to comfortably digest.
While there are many good things about the Vegan Orgain shakes, especially in comparison to what else is on the market, there are a couple of drawbacks. First, the ingredient list is not short. There are about 20 ingredients in the base alone (not counting the added vitamins or those fruit and veggie blends). The more ingredients a product contains, the more likely it becomes that you may not tolerate at least one of them.
There are several ingredients that are not ideal for those with gastroparesis or other functional GI disorders, such as inulin, a high-FODMAP fiber that I typically recommend avoiding. They also contain flax powder and sprouted chia seeds, things that I’ve found many don’t tolerate, as well as a few high-FODMAP fruits and veggies, such as beet, apple, and raspberry.
That said, I drank one Vegan Orgain a day for a week and seemed to tolerate them pretty well. I did find that they seem to exacerbate my reflux a bit.
Ingredients
Filtered Water, Orgain Organic Protein Blend (Organic Brown Rice Protein Concentrate, Organic Sprouted Chia Seeds, Organic Flax Powder, Organic Hemp Protein Concentrate), Organic Cane Sugar Organic Rice Dextrins, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Natural Flavors, Organic Rice Bran Extract, Organic Inulin, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Organic Agar Gum, Tricalcium phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride, Sea Salt, Gellan Gum, Monkfruit Extract.
Organic Fruit Blend (Organic Blueberry, Organic Banana, Organic Acai, Organic Apple, Organic Raspberry) 50mg
Organic Veggie Blend (Organic Kale, Organic Beet, Organic Spinach, Organic Carrot, Organic Tomato) 50mg
Orgain Vitamin Blend (Tocopherol Acetate, Sodium Ascorbate, Zinc Gluconate, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Cholecaciferol, Cyanocobalamin, Magnesium Sulfate).
Final Thoughts
Food-based nutrition is always preferable, and I encourage you to work towards a nutrient-rich diet based on whole foods, as much as possible. But having a good meal replacement shake on hand for an added boost (sipped throughout the day in addition to the rest of your meals) or for use when traveling/away from home, I believe that Orgain shakes are a good choice for those with gastroparesis and the Vegan version is a great option for those who cannot tolerate dairy or follow a plant-based diet.