I Tried BOXD Plant-Based Protein Shakes

AD | This post features a product that has been gifted to me in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Edit Sept 22: BOXD have now rebranded as jrny and I have changed the links in this post to direct to the new website. The protein powders I reviewed here remain the same, just with different branding which you can see in the picture below.

I was delighted when BOXD recently contacted me to ask if I would like to try their plant-based protein shakes. I immediately checked out their website, and I thought, wow, this brand looks amazing! So of course I agreed to try and review their protein shakes.

I must start by saying that I am not a regular protein shake user. I have tried protein shakes in the past but I don’t have a huge amount of experience with them. So this post is coming from the perspective of someone who is quite new to protein shakes. Read on to find out about BOXD and what I thought of their plant-based protein shakes.

Who are BOXD?

BOXD is a female-focused company that produces protein shakes specially designed to provide healthy and balanced nutrition for the modern woman. Their shakes are made with natural ingredients and they contain iron, vitamins B, D and C, electrolytes, omega-3 and fibre among other nutrients, which combined will give you an energy boost and also help to regulate your energy throughout the day. The extensive health benefits of all these nutrients are listed in detail on the BOXD website but they include:

• Improved energy levels
• Improved athletic performance
• Healthy hair, skin and nails
• Healthy immune system
• Good cardiovascular health
• Improved digestive health

BOXD cater for different dietary requirements and preferences by offering plant-based shakes as well as whey shakes. Their plant-based shakes are vegan, and all of their shakes are gluten-free, soy-free and have no added sugars or artificial additives!

BOXD values

I love the values that this company promotes. They are all about wellness, whilst at the same time fighting against the diet culture that can be so harmful in today’s world. BOXD also promote diversity and this is clear on their website and social media sites which feature female bodies of diverse sizes, shapes and colours. They are also a sustainable company and strive to keep their environmental footprint as small as possible through their use of biodegradable and recyclable packaging.

My experience trying BOXD plant-based protein shakes

BOXD kindly sent me their plant-based discovery box which came with 7 sachets in two different flavours: Madagascan Vanilla and Double Chocolate Brownie. They were aesthetically packaged in tissue paper inside a cardboard box and a biodegradable mailing bag.

As a bit of a chocoholic, I decided to try the Double Chocolate Brownie flavour first. The shakes are very easy to prepare because you just mix the contents of the sachet with water (or milk). I used my portable blender to blend the powder with the recommended 300ml of water. You don’t need to use a blender to mix these shakes, you can also use a shaker or just stir the powder into water. However, since I own a portable blender I used it for convenience.

The shake was quite a thin, watery texture but I don’t think that’s a bad thing because hydration is good. It’s more of a refreshing drink rather than a milkshake type texture. There is the option to use less water or use milk, to create a thicker texture if you prefer. The texture was a little grainy but I think that’s normal for protein shakes. There were no lumps.

The taste was pleasant but quite mild. I didn’t think it was especially chocolatey. That might be partly due to the fact that it wasn’t very sweet, which is actually a good thing because it reflects the fact these shakes are sugar-free. They are sweetened with xylitol and other natural sweeteners.

I tried the Madagascan Vanilla flavour the next day. This one had a nice vanilla taste and I think the taste was stronger in this one. If I had to choose, I think the vanilla flavour was my favourite!

How did I feel after drinking the shakes?

I felt refreshed and energised after drinking the shakes and I didn’t experience any negative digestive symptoms after either of them. Because I have only had 5 shakes in total (I gave one of each flavour to a friend, who, incidentally, liked them too), I didn’t especially notice the health benefits. However, I think with longer-term use the benefits would be more apparent.

How did I rate the packaging?

I really liked the design and mint green colour scheme of BOXD’s packaging. It looks clean and minimalistic whilst also having an eco-friendly feel. I love that all the packaging is biodegradable and/or recyclable, including the sachets that the powder came in. My only issue was that there was a lot of powder residue left on the inside of the sachets after use. This made it harder to recycle them because they needed to be wiped clean before going into the recycling bin. This wouldn’t be an issue if you opt to compost them, which unfortunately I don’t currently have the facility for.

Another slight problem is that the writing on the back of the sachets is very small so it is hard to read. BOXD is already aware of this because they included an insert in the box, with the nutritional information written in a bigger font. However, I’m sure they could redesign their sachets to make the writing bigger, perhaps by removing any unessential information and putting that on a separate card. They could also change the colours because currently, it is white writing on a mint green background, which is hard to read.

Would I recommend BOXD protein shakes?

I really enjoyed these plant-based protein shakes and I think they would be a healthy addition to any woman’s diet, whether you are looking to improve your athletic performance, have an energy boost, or just enjoy a refreshing, nutritious drink. I see no reason why men couldn’t drink them too, although the nutrient balance is geared towards women.

From my limited experience with protein shakes, I cannot comment on how they compare to other shakes. However, I certainly had a pleasant experience preparing and drinking them. Based on their great ethics and values, I’d say that BOXD is a great company to buy protein shakes from!

Feeling tempted? You can get a plant-based discovery box of your own for £12.97 or browse the rest of BOXD protein products on their website.

Do you regularly consume protein shakes? What brand do you usually buy from, and would you consider trying BOXD protein shakes? Let me know in the comments below!