When it comes to a quick and easy breakfast solution, Up & Go drinks have become a popular choice in Australia. These grab-and-go breakfast shakes claim to provide the nutrition needed to start the day, But are Up & Go drinks healthy? In this article, we’ll examine the pros, cons, and alternative breakfast options to help you decide if Up & Go is the right choice for your mornings.
What Exactly is Up & Go?
Up & Go is a liquid breakfast drink manufactured by Sanitarium is marketed as an essential complement and does not need much preparation time. This drink comes in three different flavors which are Chocolate, vanilla, and banana while some varieties include more proteins or less sugar. The drink contains vitamins, minerals, and fiber and is intended to provide the fuel needed for one’s juggling routine. This drink is also enriched with multi vitamins, ensuring an easy grab for all nutrients needed for a healthy diet.
Nutritional Profile of Up & Go: A Breakdown
Each 350 mL serving of Up & Go includes:
- Calories: ~277 kcal
- Protein: 11.6g (from skim milk powder and soy protein)
- Total Fat: 5.3g (with 0.7g saturated fat)
- Carbohydrates: 42.4g, including 26.6g of sugars
- Dietary Fibre: 5.3g (from ingredients like oat flour and inulin)
- Calcium: 400 mg, covering about 40% of daily intake
With added vitamins such as A, B12, and C, Up & Go offers nutrients often found in a balanced breakfast, though the sugar content can be quite high due to added sugars like cane sugar and maltodextrin.
The Pros of Drinking Up & Go
Drinking Up & Go should be beneficial for consumers who do not have time to sit for a comparatively long breakfast, as they are designed to be useful.
1. Convenience
For busy working adults, most of them do not get time for a full meal in the morning, only getting a few minutes to have breakfast. So for those types of individuals, Up & Go is a useful tool. It allows consumers to get supplements such as protein, fiber, and most importantly vitamins in just a few seconds. Instead of skipping breakfast entirely, this is a much better solution.
2. Decent Source of Protein and Calcium
Every serving seems to provide customers with 11.6g of protein, which is similar to a bowl of cereal alongside a glass of milk. It is said that protein aids in the recovery and growth of muscle mass while calcium which makes up 40% of daily requirements aids in the strengthening of the bones which is quite a factor for growing children and teenagers.
3. Fibre Content
Up & Go roughly provides 5.3g of dietary fibre in each of its servings due to the presence of oat flour and inulin, which is a prebiotic fibre. However, while it does not provide as much fibre as a serving of oats or a bowl of whole-grain cereal, every little bit does help towards the daily recommended intake which aids in improving gut health.
The Drawbacks of Up & Go Drinks
In that case, while Up & Go can be of assistance, there are a few certain nutritional aspects which need consideration first:
1. High Sugar Content
One serving of up and go consists of 26.6g of sugar, which is quite a lot to have in just one breakfast option. Additive sugars like cane sugars, maltodextrin, as well as fructose also end up being high and resulting in rapid increases in blood pressure. Looking at a cup of milk, it consists of about 12g of naturally occurring sugars, which is less than half of what is contained in Up and Go.
2. Not a Complete Meal Replacement
Although it is simple to use, Up & Go is not ideal as the sole liquid breakfast option for those who are active. Each packet contains about 1150kJ (277 kcal), less than breakfast and has some of the best cereals, proteins, and fruits. Some concerns that nutritionists have are the working society that is exposed to cruising morning liquid meals might actually get more hungry in mid-morning thereby turning to snacking unnecessarily.
3. Highly Processed Ingredients
In Up & Go the main ingredients are high amounts of reconstituted skim milk powder, vegetable oils, and many stabilisers and gum. In some of the undemanding food items, for example, vegetables or less unnatural sources would contain less additives. These preservatives support the texture and ensure longevity or up to two years of shelf life but that makes Up & Go less ‘clean’ compared to other breakfast alternatives. Nutritionists make an effort to recommend in their articles a divestment in already prepared and doused meals that are low nutritional value.
4. Lower in Micronutrients than Whole Foods
Though Up & Go indeed contains fortified vitamins and minerals it still fails to include whole food nutrients such as that of fruits, vegetables and even complete grains. Instead making breakfast in the functional state using healthy UTI fruits and vegetables might assist in getting more nutritious substances and utilised micronutrients and antioxidants that provide the full nutritional spectrum.
Healthier Breakfast Alternatives to Up & Go
If you are searching for something easy to make while keeping the nutrition up, these healthy breakfast options might help you a lot.
- Homemade Smoothies: Mix some Greek yogurt with a banana, berries, and a few oats, this should keep you healthy while keeping you away from added sugars and preservatives that Up & Go has.
- Yoghurt and Fruit: Plain Greek yogurt combined with sliced apple, banana, or berries topped with some nuts or seeds will give a good taste and nutrients without lots of sugar.
- Overnight Oats: Grab some rolled oats, milk or yogurt, fruits and seeds – mix them all and leave the mixture overnight. Its a great natural solution that is high in fiber and morning’s grab & go option.
Comparison of Nutritional Value
| Nutrient | Up & Go (350mL) | Homemade Smoothie (250mL) | Overnight Oats (1 serve) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11.6g | ~15g | ~10g |
| Fibre | 5.3g | ~6g | ~8g |
| Sugar | 26.6g | ~12g (natural) | ~8g (natural) |
| Calories | 277 kcal | ~250 kcal | ~300 kcal |
Frequently Asked Questions About Up & Go
1. Can I drink Up & Go every day?
Although Up & Go can be one component of a healthy diet, it lacks the nutrients offered by whole foods, therefore if consumed on a daily basis, it is advisable to be restricted to some days only as there are better options available. It is preferable to drink it when you have limited time.
2. Is Up & Go better than skipping breakfast?
Indeed, one of the breakfast options one may have is a Up & Go. But then again, eating foods in their plain states are more effective in staving off hunger even if they are basic.
3. Are there low-sugar options available?
There is a “No Added Sugar” variant of Up & Go which uses natural sweetening options in place of cane sugar and while it as some benefits, it is important to note that it has still sugars from milk and other ingredients.
Conclusion
We can all agree that breakfast is an essential part of any diet, making the quality of breakfast options important. While Up & Go is undeniably convenient due to its portability, it simply can’t compare to a well-prepared homemade meal. At California Beach Nutrition, we do not endorse replacing solid foods with liquid alternatives.
There are indeed situations where preparing a proper breakfast isn’t feasible, and for such times, options like Up & Go breakfast shakes might be a quick fix. However, while these shakes are high in protein, they fall short in overall nutrition, which brings us back to our original point: they are, in our view, entirely inadequate as a true breakfast replacement.
