Happy Viking is a meal replacement brand founded by the famous tennis player Venus Williams. The brand claims their products can support digestive health and the immune system, among other health benefits.

But what's actually in Happy Viking? Does it contain research-backed ingredients for promoting optimal health? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is it better or worse than popular meal replacement shakes like Ka'Chava?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Happy Viking to give our take on whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also share a video documenting Venus' supplement routine, and compare Happy Viking to other popular meal replacement powders to pick our winners.

Key takeaways:

• Contains many healthy, whole food ingredients
• Contains a sweetener associated with increased stroke risk
  
• We do not currently recommend Happy Viking

Ingredient Analysis

Happy Viking contains a very large number of ingredients, so we'll analyze them in two sections.

The first section of ingredients in the Iced Coffee flavor are shown below:

Yellow pea protein and brown rice protein are used as vegan protein sources, and the 20 gram (g) protein dose per-serving is clinically shown to support muscle building after exercising.

Vitamin and Mineral Blend contains the majority of ingredients in this section, and we generally prefer getting vitamins and minerals from whole foods than synthetic additives outside of specific deficiencies.

There are two ingredients in this section that we consider to be unhealthy.

Erythritol is a sweetener that's clinically shown to increase the risk of stroke, as we documented in our is Bai good for you article. 

Cane sugar is included at a relatively low dose of 2 g, but we recommend avoiding refined sugar sources entirely, and choosing whole food sources like maple syrup or raw honey instead.

The remaining ingredients in Happy Viking Iced Coffee flavor are shown below:

The majority of ingredients come from the vitamin and mineral blend.

Amaranth is a fibrous grain described as a "nutraceutical" in a 2023 medical review due to its "protection against various ailments."

Acerola is a potent anti-inflammatory according to a medical review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

However, the individual dose isn't listed for these ingredients.

One serving of Happy Viking provides 5 g of fiber, which can be a good thing for weight management, because dietary fiber intake is clinically shown to reduce overall calories consumed.

Natural flavor is the only ingredient in this section that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective, because this term may include preservatives, according to a medical review published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology journal.

Overall, we don't currently recommend Happy Viking due to the inclusion of several inactive ingredients highlighted above; erythritol in particular.

Happy Viking vs. Popular Meal Replacements

Here's how Happy Viking compares to other popular meal replacement powders in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Ka'Chava

Very similar formulation to Happy Viking: whole food ingredients and added vitamin and mineral blend.

While we don't currently recommend Ka'Chava, it's free from erythritol, which gives it the advantage from a health perspective.

Winner: Ka'Chava

Huel

No organic ingredients, and more "processed" ingredients than Happy Viking, as we documented in our Huel review article.

However, free from erythritol which is the deciding factor.

Winner: Huel

310 Nutrition

Sued over allegations of high lead levels by an environmental non-profit organization.

Extremely low calories and unimpressive formulation.

Winner: Happy Viking

What's Venus' Supplement Routine?

Venus Williams breaks down her own supplement routine in a video with over 65,000 views:

Our Clean Meal Replacement Picks

MBG Whey Protein Isolate+ is our top overall meal replacement pick.

This protein powder is derived entirely from grass-fed animals, and whey protein is clinically shown to increase satiation and fullness in overweight and obese individuals.

Anthony's Organic Hemp Protein is our top vegan protein pick.

It's extremely nutrient-dense, providing 25% of the Daily Value (DV) of iron and 8% of the DV of potassium.

Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

Happy Viking Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Happy Viking in our opinion:

Pros:

• High fiber dose
• Many nutrient-rich ingredients
• Could double as a multivitamin
• Free shipping from brand's website
• Favorable customer reviews on TikTok

Cons:

• Contains erythritol
• Contains refined sugar
• Contains natural flavors
• Relatively expensive
• Some "superfoods" may be dosed very low

Conclusion

Happy Viking is a decent meal replacement brand, but not one we currently recommend.

This product has a high fiber dose, contains probiotics and also contains some nutrient-rich "superfoods" which are all good things.

It also contains erythritol, refined sugar and natural flavors, all of which are bad things (in our opinion).

Most reviews of this product that we came across on TikTok while researching this article were highly favorable.

Of all the ingredients in this powder, we really hope the brand removes erythritol in the future, because this sweetener has been shown in at least one clinical study to be associated with increased risk of stroke.

We consider Huel to be a better option than 310 Nutrition, but a worse option than Ka'Chava and Huel due to the inclusion of erythritol.