As a gamer, I tend not to maintain the best dietary habits. If I’m loot-deep in Borderlands 3 or busy grinding ranked solo/duos in League of Legends, I don’t exactly have the want or the will to make a home cooked meal. The time spent boiling water or heating up the stove could instead be used to squeeze in another run or two.
We’ve all been there – frantically scrounging around the pantry, searching for something quick and easy to eat that could ideally be consumed whilst gaming.
Unfortunately, the majority of foodstuffs that fit this description are some of the worst for you: chips, ramen, candy, crackers, sugary cereals…the list goes on.
Now enter Meta Meals. This meal shake mix is made specifically with gamers in mind. No longer will you have to resort to scarfing down an unhealthy snack in order to maintain your gaming streak. Simply add water, shake, and enjoy.
On a side note, if you’re not a fan of meal shakes or have never tried them before, hold your reservations until the end; this product could very well be exactly what you need.
Taste
For starters, this meal shake tastes amazing. I’ve tried my fair share of meal replacement/supplement drinks and it is challenging (to say the least) to find ones that don’t taste chalky, bland, or downright gross.
The majority of those powder mixes that don’t immediately disgust, however, are then only viable when using milk as the liquid agent. This again is not the case for Meta Meals; after experimenting with both water and milk, I can say with certainty that the taste is excellent regardless (I actually preferred using water).
Not only is the initial flavor pleasing to the taste buds, but the aftertaste is just as good if not better. In the case of the vanilla, you can really distinguish the sweet oatmeal notes originating from the oat bran powder.
I can only speak to my experience with the vanilla-flavored Meta Meals mix, but I have no doubt the chocolate variety would live up to the same high standard.
Consistency
This category is equally important when considering any shake mix. Few things are more unpleasant than shaking a drink for what seems like an eternity only to still find clumps littered throughout. Sipping one of those clusters and having it explode into powder in your mouth, however, is one of those things.
With Meta Meals, I have yet to discover a single clump in the bottle or in my mouth, regardless of which shaker accessory I used. Whether it was my own metal blender ball or the included plastic blender fitting that comes with the Meta Meals bottle, the result was the same: all shake and no lumps.
Additionally, the team at Meta Meals recommends shaking it for a minute before enjoying, but I found a vigorous shaking session of about 15 seconds was more than enough to thoroughly mix it.
A word of caution, though: the resulting shake is thicker than average, even if you’re using water as the base. Though this is not a complaint, I realize that not everyone enjoys dense drinks. As such, use discretion when mixing with milk (especially whole milk), as the resulting mix may be difficult to swallow.
Texture
The difference between texture and consistency may at first seem negligible in regards to shakes, but just because a powder mixes smoothly does not guarantee that the drink itself is smooth.
Such is the case with Meta Meals, yet this is not a bad thing. Because one of the main ingredients in the mix is oat bran powder, granular pieces of the grain can unsurprisingly be found sprinkled throughout.
These minute fragments impart a coarseness to the drink that I greatly appreciate – I have always preferred my shakes to have a little bit to chew on while drinking (think raspberry seeds in smoothies).
While the texture is nowhere near as gritty as a raspberry smoothie, it is nonetheless there and again, this may not appeal to everyone. Luckily, I did notice that adding milk took the focus away from this trait (for those texture-sensitives out there).
Ingredients and Nutrition
In regards to ingredients – what actually makes up the powder that you are trustingly introducing into your body – Meta Meals thankfully and surprisingly keeps it simple. I say surprisingly because most all meal shakes found on the market today are riddled with lengthy ingredient lists filled to the brim with words capable of baffling the chemists that created them.
With less than 10 ingredients (all of which the average laymen can pronounce) making up their mix, Meta Meals stays true to their mission of providing gamers with a healthier alternative to typical gamer fare.
While the cholesterol for two scoops is a little steep (22% of your daily value), the fat and carbs are within reasonable ranges, the sugar is incredibly low, and the calorie count makes sense when you consider that this drink is serving as a meal.
This was actually the principal advantage I recognized after having a Meta Meals shake in lieu of lunch for several consecutive days. The need to continue snacking disappeared. Two scoops sate my appetite and left me feeling full for hours afterwards, all the way until dinner.
The dangers of junk food then are really two-fold: they are both bad for your body and leave you craving more, a vicious cycle that ensnares gamers and non-gamers alike. With Meta Meals, one serving is all it takes; no running back to the kitchen for thirds.
It is worth mentioning, however, that I did not see a noticeable difference in my energy levels or brain function after finishing a shake, even if that’s what a few of the ingredients purportedly are for. I’m sure the effectiveness will vary from person to person so take this observation with a grain of salt.
The Verdict
Regardless of whether you’re a gamer or not, Meta Meals has a seriously good product that is worth trying. To create a shake that is affordable, tasty, and nutritious while being made with minimal ingredients is no easy task, yet they have made short work of it.
After this test run, I don’t picture myself going back to any other meal shake out there. As a gamer and as a consumer, I’m hooked.
Check out the Meta Meals website here: https://metameals.com/ (10% Off Coupon Code for our readers: YANIB87)
