Almased is a meal replacement product used for weight loss. It’s a powder that can be mixed into water or other drinks, and the brand claims that the product can “boost metabolism, burn fat, and support weight loss.”
But does Almased contain research-backed ingredients for weight loss? Has the brand been proven in clinical trials to cause weight loss? Does Almased contain any questionable additives? And how do real users rate and describe its taste and effets?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies on Almased to determine if the drink is proven to cause weight loss, and analyze its ingredients to give our take on whether or not the brand is healthy.
We’ll also document the cheapest place to buy Almased, and share real customer reviews.
Is Almased Proven to Cause Weight Loss?
Almased has been studied in several clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals, which is the gold standard of product research.
A clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal tested the effects of Almased supplementation in overweight and obese patients.
One group received health coaching on healthy eating and exercise, and the other group received the same health coaching but also consumed Almased as a meal replacement.
Those using Almased lost an average of 11.62 pounds after one year. While this is an impressive result, the control group lost an average of 9.81 pounds, so the Almased difference only equated to 1.81 pounds.
A 2014 clinical trial tested the effects of Almased supplementation in middle-aged obese women.
The study design was similar to the previous trial: one group with health coaching plus Almased, one with just health coaching.
Again, Almased use led to slightly improved weight loss outcomes.
Women using Almased as a meal replacement lost an average of 16.76 pounds after one year, while women getting health coaching alone lost an average of 14.55 pounds.
Another clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal found that Almased improved quality-of-life in individuals with an unhealthy lifestyle.
Patients who were at a high risk for metabolic disorder and used Almased experienced improvements in physical function and physical symptoms.
Overall, we will conclude that Almased is likely to be effective for weight loss, although the difference between the Almased groups and the control groups in the clinical trials we reviewed only amounted to a few pounds per year of weight loss.
Ingredient Analysis – Is Almased Healthy?
The ingredients in Almased Original are shown above.
Soy protein isolate is the main ingredient, and we consider this an effective choice for a weight loss shake because high protein intake can increase satiation and reduce food cravings.
One serving of Almased provides 27 grams (g) of protein in only 180 calories, which is a relatively high amount.
A medical review published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “meal-specific protein quantities of at least ∼25-30 g protein” can cause improvements to appetite and body weight management, and the protein dose in Almased is right in that range.
Raw honey is not only a nutritious, whole food ingredient, but a 2018 medical review found that honey intake is associated with reduced risk of excessive weight gain.
Skim milk yogurt powder may have beneficial probiotics due to the fermentation process, but Almased doesn’t state whether or not their shake contains probiotics, or whether or not the dairy is sourced from pastured animals.
Calcium citrate and vitamin A are two ingredients in a vitamin and mineral blend.
We haven’t come across any clinical evidence that multivitamin supplemtation causes weight loss, and this is the only section of the ingredient list that we find to be questionable.
Supplemental vitamins and minerals may cause toxicity in consumers without a deficiency in those vitamins and minerals.
As we documented in our Premier Protein Shake reviews article, a different wellness brand was forced to recall their products from the market in early 2022 due to the supplemental vitamins causing toxicity.
Overall, we consider Almased Original to be relatively healthy, but we don’t currently recommend it due to the added vitamins and minerals.
If the shake were made with entirely whole food ingredients we would likely recommend it.
Real People Try Almased
A TikTok creator named "therachelnikk" shared her experience on an Almased-only diet for weight loss:
@therachelnikk #weightloss #fyp #almased #accountability #postpartumweightloss #notdoneyet #postpartumlife #gettingthere💪🏼 #lfg #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Rachel S
A TikTok creator named “megan_j31” claims to have lost weight using Almased:
@megan_j31 #greenscreenvideo #almased #almaseddiet #diet #walgreens #amazon #cortisol #lepton #hormones #lessstress #feelgood #yourhealth #weightloss #beachbody ♬ original sound - ｍ𝑒𝕘𝐚𝐍
What About Almased’s Other Products?
Almased sells three products other than Almased Original.
Here’s our quick takes on each:
Almased Almond-Vanilla: Exact same ingredients as Almased Original except this version is flavored with natural flavoring.
As we documented in our review of Skinny Fit, there is clinical research suggesting that some natural flavoring agents may be toxic.
Our verdict: Less healthy than Almased Original
Almased Wellness Tea: Made entirely from whole herb ingredients and contains no questionable additives.
One of the ingredients in this tea, hawthorn berries, was shown in a 2020 medical review to improve cardiovascular health and reduce cholesterol levels.
Our verdict: A healthy herbal tea blend that may support cardio function
Almased Shaker Bottle: Made from plastic. We recommend avoiding plastic bottles due to the risk of plasticizing chemicals leaching into the drink, and also because they’re harmful to the environment.
Stainless steel, glass or silicone bottles are superior options.
Our verdict: Less healthy than stainless steel
Where to Get the Best Price
Almased is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here’s a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of Almased Original at the time of updating this article:
Walgreens: $34.99 (plus shipping, link)
CVS: $32.49 (plus shipping, link)
Walmart: $34.99 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $34.99 (free shipping, link to Amazon listing)
Amazon and Walmart currently have the best price on this supplement by around 10% when factoring in shipping fees.
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
There are food-based nutrients which have been shown in medical studies to be effective for weight loss.
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
MCT oil was shown in a meta-study to cause more than one pound of weight loss over 10 weeks. This equates to potential annualized weight loss of 6 pounds per year with less than one tablespoon's worth of MCT oil per day.
Performance Lab MCT Oil is our top MCT oil pick because it's certified organic.
Ginger intake "significantly decreased body weight" according to a 2019 meta-study on ginger and weight loss that analyzed data from 14 clinical trials.
Pique La Ginger is our top ginger product, because it's an organic tea in convenient crystallized form, and all that's needed is to pour the powder into a glass and add hot water.
All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Customers Rate Almased
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, Almased Original has been reviewed over 1,500 times on Amazon, with an average customer review rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Mart” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
“I work nights and sleep most of the day. This shake is great to have if I am still away at 1pm, and it's even better to have when I wake up at 9:45pm. I don't have a shake every day, but I do sleep better when I do have one. I don't stay hungry at work if I drink one before I go too.”
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Carey” who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
“Smells & tastes horrible! I threw it out after one try! Yuk!!!”
Almased Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Almased in our opinion:
Pros:
- Impressive clinical backing
- Clinically shown to cause weight loss
- Contains effective protein dose
- Should reduce hunger cravings
- Affordable
- Wellness Tea may support cardiovascular function
- Contains raw honey
Cons:
- Contains synthetic vitamin and mineral additives
- Unclear if dairy is sourced from grass-fed animals
