Shakeology vs Green Smoothie

What's a green smoothie? I have a couple samples of Shakeology coming to me in the mail, but there's no way I could justify spending that much money on a shake.

The cost of shakeology really is not that much.

It breaks down to about $4 a meal. I have no idea what green smoothie the op is talking about..

I don't know much about the green smoothie, but from what I understand after learning about it is that Shakeology would have more ingredients (over 70 ingredients). That means that you are getting lots of nutrients (their nutrition information has to be in smaller print with how much is in it)! There is also a lot of foods from around the world and they also try to use ingredients that "don't contain pesticides, aren't destroyed in processing, are produced using the best of fair trade practices and have many of the benefits of what is considered "organic.""

Let me know if you have more questions! You can also look here for A LOT of information on shakeology:
http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/wildeone/the-science?marketLocaleCode=en

I think it's just going to come down to your personal preference. I am a HUGE green smoothie fan because I know what they have done for me personally. I have fibromyalgia and up until last August was in lots of pain, exhausted, discouraged and feeling hopeless about my physical health. Then I went to the fair and was talking to the Vitamix guy (I have owned one for about 5 years so he wasn't selling me a thing.) He gave me a recipe and challenged me to drink the smoothie twice a day for two weeks and see how I felt. I did it and have continued to drink at least one green smoothie every single day. I have lost 23 pounds, two pants sizes and am in my second round of P90X in addition to other exercise and doing Taekwondo twice a week. I have adjusted my calories and track on MFP so there have been other changes besides the smoothies but they were a turning point for me. The nutrition they pack makes me feel so good, healthy and strong that I really don't think I can live without them at this point! I don't think I would be where I am at if it weren't for the green smoothies.

I tried two Shakeology samples (one of each flavor) and they were pretty tasty (especially the chocolate!) They seem to pack a good nutritional punch and I know a lot of people swear by them. I have nothing against Shakeology and would add that to my regime if I could swing it financially (though they aren't that expensive when you break down the costs.) With all the produce in season right now I think the smoothies might have the edge financially speaking. Plus I like to buy local and support my local farmers and I like the idea of fresh. I can also vary the flavors and types of fruits and veggies in my smoothie so there is no flavor boredom.

If you aren't creative, don't like to have to think about what to add to your smoothies or don't want the added work of prepping your fruit or veggies you might prefer the Shakeology. If that stuff doesn't bother you try the smoothies. For me personally the smoothies will be a mainstay because I know they work really well for me. When I can financially swing it I will probably order a thing of chocolate Shakeology just to have it on hand when I want a treat that doesn't make me feel guilty or even to add a little chocolate flavor to my smoothies.

If you want something close to the 'real thing', Ultimate Meal is much closer than Shakeology. I've done green smoothies in the past and I enjoyed them. I like Vega if I want something flavored or Ultimate meal if not.