What's the best Ensure drink for me?

The science of nutrition and our knowledge thereof has come an awful long way in the last few decades. Think about it for a moment or two. We have identified five major food groups, 13 vitamins and another 100-odd minerals that our bodies need in order to function optimally.

And, it doesn’t end there – think of how many thousands of foods and recipes have been analyzed for their calorie content. We also know pretty accurately how many calories we need on a daily basis to lead a healthy life. And, when things go wrong, we usually have a fair selection of supplements that can make up for whatever ails us.

The Ensure drink range of nutritional supplements made by Abbot Laboratories is, indeed, such a selection. Ensure has more than a dozen formulations that cater for various conditions or needs. These formulations are available in ready-to-drink liquid portions or in powder form. Some of the drinks also come in several flavors.

Thanks to the large number of product choices, it can be quite difficult to choose the one best suited to our condition or circumstances. We’ll try to make that task a little easier for you with a brief description of each of the products and how you can benefit from them. So, let’s go and meet the team.

Ensure Original

• 9 grams of high-quality protein
• 27 essential vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants
• 25% of the daily value of B vitamins to support brain health
• Available in seven flavors
• Also available in a therapeutic version which can benefit patients who have malnutrition or are experiencing involuntary weight loss.

Ensure Original is a broad-spectrum supplement that is formulated to help gain or maintain a healthy weight. As such, people who are tending towards malnutrition or are experiencing spontaneous weight loss may be able to stabilize their weight with this drink.

Ensure Plus

• 16 grams of high-quality protein
• 27 essential vitamins and minerals
• 350 nutritious calories
• Available in five flavors
• Also available in a therapeutic version which can benefit patients who have malnutrition or are experiencing involuntary weight loss.

Ensure Plus is a protein boosted big brother to Ensure Original. It’s great for people who want to gain or maintain weight. With its relatively high protein content, it can also be used as part of a weight loss plan.

Ensure Complete

• 30 grams of high-quality protein to support muscles
• 350 calories
• Zinc, vitamin A, and antioxidants vitamins C, E, and selenium for immune health
• Plant-based omega-3 ALA to support heart health
• 4g Comfort Fiber Blend, with prebiotic fiber for digestive health
• Vitamin D and calcium for bone health
• Available in three flavors

As the name suggests, this Ensure drink is a complete meal in a bottle. It provides a substantial part of the daily vitamin and mineral requirements for an average adult. It also contains minerals that help to support the immune system. Packing 30g of protein and 350 calories, it’s ideal to use in a weight loss plan.

Ensure Max Protein

• 30 grams of high-quality protein to support your muscles
• 1 gram of sugar
• 25 essential vitamins and minerals
• 150 nutritious calories
• 1.5 grams of fat
• 100 milligrams of caffeine—as much as a cup of coffee
• Available in seven flavors

With only 150 calories, Ensure Max Protein is recommended as a snack rather than a full meal replacement. The addition of sugar and caffeine gives you an energy boost and keeps you feeling full for longer. The Ensure website has two exciting calorie-limited two-day meal plans. Click here to see them.

Ensure High Protein

• 16g high-quality protein to support muscle health
• 27 essential vitamins and minerals
• Key nutrients for immune system health
• 160 nutritious calories
• 4g sugars and 2g fat
• Available in three flavors

Ensure High Protein is good for muscle and immune system health. It provides almost half of the daily vitamin requirements as well as a wide range of minerals.

Ensure Plant-based Protein (not current sold by LL Medico)

• 20g of plant-based protein from a blend of fava bean and pea
• 180 nutritious calories
• 5g of fiber
• 7g of sugars
• Non-GMO* ingredients
• No artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners
• Available in chocolate or vanilla flavors

This vegan and vegetarian friendly Ensure drink shake contains no dairy or soy. It is also gluten and lactose free. A healthy dose of fiber and sugar makes this a substantial snack for people on the go.

Ensure Clear

• 8 grams of high-quality protein
• 15 essential vitamins and minerals
• 180 nutritious calories
• 0 grams of fat

Available in two fresh fruity flavors, this is a refreshing drink that supplements your regular diet and makes up for any shortfalls in your nutrition.

Ensure Light (not currently sold by LL Medico)

• 60% fewer calories than Ensure Original ^*
• 12 grams of high-quality protein
• 22 essential vitamins and minerals
• 0 grams of sugar
• Available in chocolate or vanilla flavors

This is a low-calorie alternative to Ensure Original. With only 80 calories per serving, this sugar-free shake provides a lot of nutrition but without the risk of weight gain. It’s ideal for daily use.

Ensure Compact (not currently sold by LL Medico)

• Complete, balanced nutrition in an easy-to-drink, 4-fl-oz serving
• 9 grams of high-quality protein per serving to help maintain muscle
• 25 essential vitamins and minerals
• 220 nutritious calories
• Available in chocolate or vanilla flavors

All the same nutrition but only half of the quantity. This is ideal for people who need to eat several small meals every day rather than the usual three. It provides 220 calories and 9g of protein for muscle health and energy.

Ensure Enlive

• All-in-One blend to support your health: Muscle, Heart, Immune, Digestion, and Bone
• 20 grams of high-quality protein
• Unique ingredient HMB
• 26 essential vitamins and minerals
• 3 grams of fiber
• 350 nutritious calories
• Available only in milk chocolate flavor

This is the total package. Packed with protein, fiber and HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate), this drink is great for muscles and for your general health. With 350 calories, it can also stand its ground as a meal replacement.

In Conclusion

What all Ensure products have in common is that they’re all gluten free and suitable for lactose intolerant people. However, with the exception of Ensure Plant-based Protein, they should not be used by people with galactosemia. All products are also certified Halal and Kosher.

So, as you can see, Ensure has a product for everyone. We hope that this will help you choose the right shake for your specific needs. To get the best out of your chosen Ensure product, head over to the Ensure recipe collection for some fun and easy meal ideas.

If you need help or have questions regarding these products (or any of our products), please send us an email at [email protected] or call us at (855) 422-4556. Thank you!