Is Ka'chava Healthy? All-in-One Shake Review

Ka’chava Superfood is a meal replacement shake mix that is chock full of all kinds of ingredients. This powder mix is a filling shake option that provides a wide array of “superfoods”. What makes Ka’chava special, according to the company, is that they include everything but the kitchen sink of high end, superfood ingredients, has completely plant-based ingredients, and boasts some impressive macro numbers. But is Ka'chava healthy?

Jump to:

• Macros
• Vitamins and Minerals
• Antioxidant/Super-fruit blend
• Adaptogen Blend
• Super-Greens / Vegetable Blend
• Probiotic /Prebiotic Blend
• Digestive Enzymes
• So, Is Ka'chava Healthy?

I have personally tried the chocolate flavor, and my Ka’Chava review is that it’s pretty tasty. Here’s what you need to know about this product to determine if Ka'chava is a healthy, balanced choice for you. 

For my opinions on protein powders, read my post called Best Protein Powders for Women.

Macros

• 240 calories
• 7 g fat with 4.4 g saturated fat
• 25 g of carbs with 7 g fiber and 6 g of added sugar
• 25 grams of protein
• 2 scoops is the serving size  and there are 15 servings per bag

The first thing I notice is that a Ka’chava shake is a pretty well rounded choice for macros. The calories are reasonable and leave plenty of room to add it into a meal or add more into your shake (like fruit). The saturated fat is likely coming from coconut milk which is listed as an “other ingredient”, not included in its extensive list of what the company considers its superfood ingredients. 

There is an “Omega EFA/Fiber blend” which is likely what clocks in that great 7 g of fiber content. This is a great dose to help someone really get their dietary fiber intake up quickly. You may want to start with one scoop to help your belly adjust to the 7 g dose and make sure you can handle it without gas or bloating. Give yourself about a week or two on one scoop then increase to 2 if your belly feels ok. 

25 g of plant protein is a great number for a shake, especially one that has so many other ingredients. The “Plant-based protein blend”  is a combination of yellow pea protein, brown rice protein, organic sacha inchi (a South American plant known as “Inca-peanut”), amaranth, and organic quinoa. 

Vitamins and Minerals

Ka’chava has a nutrition facts label that reads like a multivitamin label. This is mostly because they do add a vitamin and mineral blend but they also note that some of these micronutrients are naturally occurring in the ingredients used. While it can’t be determined on the label how much is added versus naturally occurring, I do appreciate the sentiment. For instance, there is 7.5 mg of naturally occurring iron, it’s not added. This is a nutrient of concern for vegetarians so that’s a great call out. Now, it’s likely that this is non-heme, less bioavailable iron and therefore not well absorbed, but it is there. Give this ingredient list panel a good read through and if you are taking a multivitamin as well, you probably don’t need both. 

Antioxidant/Super-fruit blend

There is 6.1 g of this super-fruit blend in this product including coconut flower nectar, acai berry, camu-camu berry, strawberry, tart cherry, blackberry, blueberry and raspberry. Now, here’s the thing - is 6.1 g a significant amount of these foods to reap any benefit? - it’s impossible to tell. This is simply saying that is the weight that was used in a serving.  It’s not a straight forward portion like fiber or protein is. We have context for those macronutrients. What I do appreciate is that they do at least call out the weight, as opposed to listing all these ingredients in one long list and leaving us in complete wonder. 

My guess on this ingredient blend is that these fruits or fruit juices are dried and pulverized to create a powder. What would be very helpful is to know the ORAC score, a measurement of a food’s antioxidant capability, on this ingredient blend. It’s hard to know how well a blend like this holds up over time and if that antioxidant capacity is translating to helping your body. 

Adaptogen Blend

Adaptogens are natural compounds/plants that support the body’s stress response. They don’t have a direct interaction with your physiology like a medication does, but rather support the system to function better. I think of adaptogens like a security blanket for your stress system. 

This blend weighs in at 1020 mg and includes organic maca root (adaptogen for stamina and energy), a variety of medicinal mushrooms that have a variety of potential benefits (shiitake, maitake, reishi, and cordyceps) and ginger root. 

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries for health thanks to their wide array of unique nutrients they contain. There is some research to support their clinical application but most studies are small and not very robust. Once again the dosing here is a big question - is 1020 mg of a blend of ingredients an amount that would offer any benefits to an adult body? The studies we do have seem to use a minimum dose of 1000 mg/1g of one particular type of mushroom but go up to 6 and 7 grams (6000-7000 mg) as the trial dose. 

Super-Greens / Vegetable Blend

Ka'chava shakes use 500 mg of a blend including all kinds of wonderful vegetables. Now, I will never knock a product for adding in more veggies, so kudos to that. As with the other blends in this product, it’s impossible to say if this amount of ½ a gram is adequate to provide benefits and if these foods continue to offer phytonutrient benefits after processing and consumption. 

I do appreciate that the company calls out when ingredients are “100% organic” and there are many. Don’t confuse that 100% though with a RDA value, quality measure, or something similar. It’s simply saying that the cabbage in this veggie blend is 100% from organic sources. 

Probiotic /Prebiotic Blend

Ka’chava superblend contain 50 mg of a mix of inulin (prebiotic fiber that gives good bacteria to eat and grow), lactobacillus rhamnosus, and lactobacillus acidophilus. These two probiotics are typically used to bring regularly, prevent diarrhea and possibly strengthen the immune system. 

The same questions arise here - is this enough to make a difference and are these probiotic strains making it to the gut? The amount of probiotics I typically see in supplement form range from 60 mg up to 1000 mg. I personally wouldn’t count on this product to deliver all your probiotic benefits. 

Digestive Enzymes

50 mg of a digestive enzyme blend are included to in theory help with the breakdown of carbs, protein, fat, fiber, and lactose (although there is no dairy in this product). All I have to compare this number to is what I typically recommend in dietary supplement form. The products I tend to rely on range from 50 mg of digestive enzymes to over 300 mg. With this comparison as my only guide, I could make an educated guess that this is an adequate amount to help with digestion.

In my work with gut health and gut testings, I have found digestive enzymes to be quite helpful for people. So, I think this is a good way to add value to this product. 

So, Is Ka'chava Healthy?

I think generally speaking, the Ka’chava plant-based meal replacement shake can be a great product to support getting high-quality ingredients on the go. From a protein intake perspective alone, this is a great protein shake option. Where the rubber meets the road for me, however, is if the price tag is worth it. It’s impossible to know if one is really benefiting from all the superfoods, adaptogens, and probiotics included in the products - ingredients responsible for driving up the cost. 

At the end of the day it’s important to look at the cost and how Ka’chava can fit with your budget. One serving of Ka’Chava costs $4.67 (a bag is $69.99 for 15 servings). That’s not cheap! Does buying this product keep you from buying other important foods? 

Is Ka'chava worth it?

Another interesting way to look at the cost is by how much it is per gram of protein. By dividing the price per serving by 25 grams of protein, you can determine that 1 g of protein in Kachava meal replacement shakes costs about 19 cents. For comparison, the price of boneless, skinless chicken breast was about $5.25/lb at the time of writing this, and that equates to about 4 cents per gram of protein.

In addition, when I work with clients 1:1, I will recommend individual vitamins, minerals, superfoods, and adaptogens based on a person’s unique needs, health assessment, budget and overall goals. I like recommending products from companies that I trust and know the quality of, some of which I have actually visited their manufacturing plants. 

If you have the budget for Ka’chava, think it has a great taste, feel it meets a need for you and makes you feel good, fantastic! Keep on going! I know how helpful shakes like this can be when you have a busy schedule or you are having a hard time preparing healthy meals. But the good news is that this is not a product that you have to have in your life to achieve great nutrition and overall health. 

For exercise program options that you can do from home, check out my post on At Home Workouts for Women.