Citrucel Chocolate Fiber Shake

Fiber and shake are two words that I did not associate with one another; at least not in the traditional sense. When I thought of fiber shakes, I thought of shakes with a lot of undissolved grasses; that had an earthy, mealy and herbal taste to them. I don't necessarily mind shakes like that; it's just that a McDonald's or Wendy's shake was the last thing on my mind when I thought of a fiber shake.

While grocery shopping, the strangest thing caught my eye. Well, I thought it was the strangest thing. Citrucel had a chocolate flavored diet shake. I love chocolate, so I knew I had to try it. I knew I had to buy at least one jar.

Well, it is a very delicious chocolate powder. If you mix it with milk and ice; you have a shake that does rival a fast food restaurant.

I was very excited when I first purchased the product, because I thought that I'd be able to make this like a daily fiber supplement. But, at 50 calories a scoop, and then adding a glass of milk at like 80 more calories. That to me is just unnecessary calories for everyday. But every once in awhile, a 130 calorie shake compared to a 500 calorie one at your local fast food restaurant makes this shake a great alternative. On top of being lower in calories than your standard fast food shake, this product will add 2g of Fiber per scoop. That's decent. Your daily fiber intake should be 26g, so I was a little disappointed that this didn't provide more fiber than it does.

One other thing that I am careful with when it comes to this product is the fact that it does contain aspartame as its sweetener and its fiber is methylcellulose. The bottle describes methylcellulose as a bulk forming laxative. So, in essence I would be careful when it comes to using this more than a couple of times a week. I never personally had any problems with this shake having a strong laxative action. In fact, I was pretty normal. So I don't know. I always make sure to take in my recommended fiber allowance though so it may have a strong reaction to someone who does not. This shake being only 2g of fiber didn't necessarily take me over more than usual.

As far as the aspartame goes, I do eat some foods with artificial sweeteners; but I try to do so in moderation. Artificial sweeteners scare me a bit because they seem too good to be true. So when I want a zero calorie sweetener I will often use stevia; but I will usually use agave or sugar more because they are my favorites. But, using artificial sweeteners from time to time when going out to dinner; at a friend's house or with a special product like this one seem okay to me.