I was left with nowhere to turn. I made homemade shakes with simple rice protein powder and coconut milk, but those hardly contained the calories I needed nor the nutrition. I am already quite thin and my whole life I have been petite. With a genetically fast metabolism things can get dangerous for me very quickly if I lose weight. As I got weaker I searched all over for ready made meal replacement shakes, but they were all FULL of junk like GMO corn syrup, whey protein, soybean oil, etc. They were not allergy friendly, and they were more detrimental to my health than beneficial. I was so surprised that as I searched all of Nestlé Nutrition's weight gain meal replacement shakes I kept finding it full of fillers or other non allergy friendly additives. This is the stuff they tell Cancer patients to drink during chemo, and it horrified me. It seemed like there were no good options for someone like me, and I was really panicked.
I spent weeks tirelessly searching the internet, looking on Crohn's message boards for ideas. All these patients were just sucking it up and drinking Ensure (much to the detriment of their body). Absolutely no one had a good recommendation for me. I wish I could say I discovered something quickly or that it just fell into my lap by luck. But it was very real work on my end to locate an allergy friendly healthy meal replacement shake, which says a LOT about the big conglomerates who run Google ad sense. But I digress..
Finally, around late April (after 4 months of living on essentially air), I found Kate Farms. And that is when everything changed for me for the better. It is vegan, hypoallergenic, and nutritionally complete. Not to mention, they taste SO GOOD. I assure you, even if this begins to sound like an ad, it 100% is not. I am just THAT grateful for this company that I feel the need to shout it from the rooftops and share about it to anyone who might need it.
So now, let me tell you all about Kate Farms shakes..
The story of how this company came to be is inspiring in and of itself. Kate Farms was created when a little girl with cerebral palsy named Kate had a severe failure to thrive. Her parents were in a panic about getting her needed nutrition and took to their kitchen to concoct the perfect formula. They found the precise blend which essentially brought Kate back to life, and that was the basis for their shakes. Their motto is "ALL GOOD THINGS," and it's because they promise that their shakes will have only good things and be packed full of bio-available nutrition that is easy to digest.
They have 3 options for their shakes:
1. Kate Farms Komplete: A well balanced meal in a bottle with vitamins, super-foods, and plant based proteins. (290 calories, approx $43 per 12 pack)
2. Kate Farms Core Essentials Peptide 1.0: A ready to use oral and tube feeding formula that is nutritionally complete. (325 calories, approx $43 per 12 pack)
3. Kate Farms Core Essentials Peptide Plus 1.5: A calorically dense, ready to use oral and tube feeding peptide formula that is nutritionally complete. (500 calories, approx $95 per 12 pack)*
*The Peptide 1.0 and 1.5 is covered by insurance if you need enteral feeding or meal replacement and have a Doctor's RX. You can find a PDF for a Physicians written order to get insurance approval here.
I have been using the Peptide 1.5 mostly, and on occasion the 1.0. These have become a staple of my daily life, and I wholeheartedly mean it when I say that they saved my life. Yes, the Peptide 1.5 is pricey, BUT it is a small easy to drink bottle packed with 500 calories. It is worth every penny for this formula which is like liquid nutrition gold. It is about $8 a bottle which at the end of the day is completely worth it.
Here is the highlight reel about what the shakes offer:
- Completely plant based
- FREE of Common Allergens
- No wheat, dairy, lactose, gluten, soy, corn, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish.
- Corn free, Soy free, Gluten free, VEGAN
- Their peptide 1.0 and 1.5 have complete nutrition in a bottle
- Delivers 24 micronutrients and a blend of superfoods that provide antioxidents
- Hypoallergenic
- Non GMO
- Easy to digest
- Almost 100% organic
- Only 29 ingredients
- Protein sources: Organic pea protein, Organic brown rice protein
- Fat sources: Organic high oleic sunflower oil, Coconut oil, MCT oil (providing Omega 3 & 6)
- Carbohydrate sources: Organic brown rice syrup solids, organic agave syrup
- Prebiotic fiber source: Organic soluble inulin.
- Contains a "superfoods blend" with phytochemicals from 29 fruits and vegetables without ANY of the allergens from the source ingredients. (This was HUGE for me because I am allergic to many fruits, so this way I get the nutrition from them without any of the allergy!)
To top it all off the company itself is extremely kind and helpful. Everyone at Kate Farms are so patient focused and will do everything in their power to help you out or answer any questions you may have. They respond to emails in timely manner, and their staff will go to any length needed to properly answer your questions or remedy an issue. The way a company treats their customers says a lot about them, and in this case they couldn't possible be more generous or caring.
If you are looking for protein shakes or weight gaining meal replacement shakes which are nutritionally complete, non GMO, Vegan, Hypoallergenic, and full of good stuff, then I urge you to give Kate Farms a try! This is not a sponsored post in any way, but it's a really incredible company and product which I adore.
If you have any kind of chronic illness where you struggle to get proper nutrition then this product is for you. Whether its Lyme Disease, MS, Lupus, Crohn's Disease, IBD, IBS, Cancer, or ANYTHING else, this will be so good for you. The nutrition alone in these shakes make it great, so even if you can eat OK but are just having issues with getting good nutrition you can simply sub a shake for a meal each day. Even my mom who is healthy drinks the Kate Farms Komplete because she loves how they make her feel. I can personally attest that once I started drinking the Peptide 1.5 I instantly could feel the difference in how my body reacted. I was putting nutrition in without any inflammatory allergens, and the difference was stark. It gives me needed fuel and I will forever be grateful to Kate Farms.
To purchase these products from Amazon (if that is your preference), here are the links:
Komplete: Vanilla
Komplete: Chocolate
Komplete: Coffee
Core Essentials Peptide 1.0: Vanilla
Core Essentials Peptide 1.5
To purchase these products directly from Kate Farms, here are the links:
Komplete (Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee)
Core Essentials Peptide 1.0 (Vanilla & Chocolate)
Core Essentials Peptide 1.5
Christina