The Pacer Blog: Walking, Health and Fitness

Initial Thoughts:

The starter kit arrives in this compact little Neat-brand box.

The starter box contains both chocolate and vanilla flavors in your choice vegan, whey or mixed. We chose mixed, which allows you to try all of the varieties and flavors (one of each). In addition to the 4 protein powder sachets, you’ll get a shaker bottle to mix your protein and some materials including a recipe card and background info on Neat. The little info cards and Neat branded packaging are a nice touch.

Each sachet is a 130-calorie, single-serving pack. It has 130 calories and 26g of protein, with only 2g of fat and 3g of carbs. Pour it into the shaker provided (or you can always buy your own) and mix with 300ml of water (or your milk of choice). Protein powder doesn’t mix well when stirred with a spoon, so make sure to use the shaker when you prepare your shake.

Flavor: Pretty Tasty!

Both the vanilla and chocolate taste pretty good, especially for a very clean protein powder with only natural flavoring. Vanilla and chocolate flavors are usually hard to mess up, and Neat has done a good job.

We tried both vegan and whey chocolate with water only, and vanilla with milk (we picked oat milk for the vegan protein).

Both the chocolate and vanilla flavors of the whey protein produce a tasty shake with a flavor that comes through even with water only added. As with most protein powders, adding milk improves the texture and flavor and turns the result into almost a milkshake (of course, adding milk adds additional calories). You’ll still get a tasty drink with water only, but it will be a thinner consistency.

The vegan pea/hemp protein itself has a somewhat unique flavor on top of the added chocolate/vanilla. When making a vegan powder/water only shake, you won’t get a pure chocolate or vanilla flavor. That said, you get a rather unique taste that’s quite interesting. If you decide to add a vegan milk substitute, you may need to test a few to find one that matches the flavor of the protein. The oat milk and vanilla/pea flavor created a strange mix of flavors, but it was actually quite drinkable – like one of those green shakes you might get from a juice shop.

What is it like to drink?

The whey protein blends with about the same as other protein powders we’ve tried. Water unsurprisingly gives a watery consistency, while milk creates a fuller, smoothie-like texture.

The vegan protein has a drier, grainy texture like you might expect in a green smoothie. At first, we were a bit turned off by it, but after finishing the shake we found it gives the shake a bit of body even with only water added. With oat milk added, the pea/hemp protein creates a fairly thick shake, though it still retains the dryer consistency. I’m not generally a fan of vegan substitutes, but I think I could get used to these shakes.

We’re not sure if it’s due to differences with the vegan protein, but after drinking the vanilla vegan protein with oat milk and light lunch, we didn’t feel hungry for most of the afternoon. Both the whey and vegan versions have the same fiber content, so it could be just a coincidence. It could also be that the vegan version ends up thicker, which tricked my brain into thinking I ate more. Either way, I highly recommend getting a mixed box and trying both types, even if you’re not a vegan.

What does it do?

If you’re new to protein supplements, we created a blog post all about them! Protein isn’t a magic fitness supplement, so we didn’t expect to feel different with only 4 servings. The single-serve packs are very easy to grab and go, and as long as you can find water (or milk), you can easily make a tasty shake.

The protein itself is very clean – each sachet only contains 2g fat and 3g carbs to 130 calories total. It’s not intended to be a meal replacement, so it doesn’t have a full nutrient profile. It’s more of a supplement/post-workout shake/snack-replacement, but it fills that role well. If you mix it with milk (or a milk substitute), you get a fairly substantial snack – especially the vegan version. You should still eat balanced meals, and not use these to replace them.

You may need to upgrade the shaker

The starter pack comes with a small shaker bottle to mix the powder. It’s about half the size of the large shakers you may see in stores, but it’s the perfect size for the powder + the recommended 300ml of liquid.

The bottle most notably lacks a blending apparatus inside the shaker itself. Higher-end shakers have either a small wire ball or plastic slats inside the bottle that break up clumps, ensuring that the powder mixes completely. As the Neat shaker doesn’t have these features, you’ll need to shake vigorously, and you may still have clumps here and there. You can still drink it fine, even if it does clump, but it’s less enjoyable.

To compensate, you should shake the bottle to mix right away, as clumps will be harder to break up if you let the powder and water sit unshaken.

You get what you pay for

Neat protein powder does run on the higher end for protein powder. After the starter box, the standard 12-sachet boxes cost $28. That’s $2.33 per serving. Organic whey runs around $1.5-$2.5 per serving, so Neat is fairly in line with that pricing. You can find non-organic whey cheaper though.

Vegan protein, especially organic, non-soy vegan protein is generally more expensive than whey (and harder to find). There are slightly cheaper options for plant or vegan protein, but Neat is competitive on that front.

Most protein powder is sold in big jugs that require you to scoop out the protein and carry it with you in a shaker or in a small container. Neat offers convenient single-serving, flat sachets which are easy to carry. If you’re busy and you don’t have a lot of room in your bag or backpack, having a sealed, flat package can save you time and effort which can make up for the slightly higher cost.

Are you comfortable with a subscription?

Neat protein is sold as on a subscription basis. You choose how often you’d like a box of 12 sachets delivered – every 1, 2, or 4 weeks, and you’re charged based on that. You can cancel any time, which means if you don’t like the sample box you can cancel and avoid purchasing additional products.

If you’re ok with the subscription model, you’ll probably like the convenience of your protein sachets appearing at your door on a regular schedule. If you’re not a fan of the subscription model, Neat probably isn’t for you. You’ll have to make that decision going in, although you can always try the sample box and cancel if you’re not a fan!

Final thoughts

Neat Nutrition ships natural, clean and tasty protein powders directly to your door. Whether you’d be interested in Neat will probably come down to whether you can accept their subscription model and whether you’re willing to pay a premium for organic, non-GMO, naturally flavored protein powders. The company has a nice story, and they have a nice blog with a lot of good content as well. The products do taste good and do make a nice snack, so for busy people, Neat makes a good entry point into protein supplements.

Want to try Neat?

You can subscribe to Neat in the UK. As we mentioned earlier, neat has given Pacer users a special deal. Get 50% off your first order when you use promo code MYPACER at checkout!

Neat Nutrition UK – Use Promo Code: MYPACER for 50% off your first order

About Neat

Neat Nutrition was founded in the U.K. by former GB swimmers Lee Forster & Charlie Turner. Their goal was to create a protein powder that tasted great and wasn’t complicated. Neat proteins are produced from grass-fed cows and crops from the British countryside. Production takes place in East Anglia, England using natural flavors and ingredients. Neat is also committed to giving support and advice as well as and creating a community of health-conscious individuals.

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