Carnation Breakfast Essentials Review

As an avid drinker of protein shakes, I was excited to receive this product for review purposes. For the past 15 months, I've religiously made protein shakes for breakfast each morning. --That is, until a week and half ago when my husband and I went on cruise with several friends to celebrate turning 40 this year. After a week of endless food options and chef-prepared meals, it was hard to go back to a strict routine of morning work outs and shakes. So this trial of Carnation's new Breakfast Essentials couldn't have come at a better time.

Available in a variety of flavours, this product comes in convenient individual packages that allow you to make a drink in seconds. I received the chocolate version for testing and it was delicious! Unlike my regular protein mix, there was no weird after-taste that you typically get with drinks made with whey. Instead, it tasted just like a regular chocolate milk. It also heated up well to make a delicious hot chocolate (I heated 8 oz of milk first in my microwave, then added the powder to the already heated milk so not to destroy any of the nutritional properties of the drink).

While the Carnation version did have slightly higher calorie intake (300 calories when prepared with milk as opposed to my regular protein mix which has 260 calories, prepared with water), the flavour was so significantly better, that it was definitely worth the extra intake. The protein factor was also less than my regular morning shake (15 grams when prepared with milk, as opposed to my regular protein mix which has 24 grams, prepared with water); however, it was enough to satiate me until noon and provided necessary energy for my morning work out.

Since most people do not drink protein shakes regularly for breakfast, I also compared this with Shreddies (a healthy whole grain wheat cereal that is popular in Canada) to provide an overview of the nutritional breakdown. 


Both breakfast options had the same fat intake of 1 g. Unprepared (without milk), Carnation had slightly higher protein (7 g vs 5 g), less sodium (115 mg vs 200 mg), more sugar (21 g vs 13 g), but less carbohydrates overall (30 g vs 47 g). Where Carnation stood out was with its vitamin content. A 8 oz Carnation drink unprepared (without milk), provided 50% of vitamin A intake (vs 0%), 50 vitamin C intake (vs 0%), 20% calcium (vs 2%), and 60% riboflavin (vs 2%).

Overall, a pretty health breakfast choice that would be big hit with adults and children alike. With a price point of $7.99 for 10 portions (compared to regular protein can of $57), I highly recommend this breakfast product and will definitely be purchasing this the next time I go grocery shopping for my family of five!

I received this product for free from Carnation in exchange for my honest review.