Calories in H-E-B Opti meal vanilla shake

WeightWatchers Points are estimated by carbohydrates, fats, protein and fiber in product. They are not an affirmation of better quality or nutritional value of the product or its manufacturer. Only way to count for dieters. Less points are better.
Read more at Weight watchers diet review

There is controversy as to the safety of artificial sweeteners consumed over a long period of time. Some studies have linked artificial sweeteners to cancer and other diseases. If you are consuming artificial sweetened food as a means to reduce calories and lose weight, please consider switching to a less sweet state of mind. Getting your palate used to less sweetened foods over the course of several months will save you the hassle of deciding between extra calories and risk of cancer. ------------ Sources: Bryan GT, Erturk E, Yoshida O. Production of urinary bladder carcinomas in mice by sodium saccharin. Science 1970;168:1238–40. Arnold DL, Moodie CA, Grice HC, Charbonneau SM, Stavric B, Collins BT, et al. Long-term toxicity of orthotoluenesulfonamide and sodium saccharin in the rat. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1980;52:113–52. Reuber MD. Carcinogenicity of saccharin. Environ Health Perspect 1978;25:173-200. Murasaki G, Cohen SM. Co-carcinogenicity of sodium saccharin and N- [4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]formamide for the urinary bladder. Carcinogenesis 1983;4:97–9. Hoover RN, Strasser PH. Artificial sweeteners and human bladder cancer: Preliminary results. Lancet 1980;1:837-40. Soffritti M, Padovani M, Tibaldi E, Falcioni L, Manservisi F, Belpoggi F. The carcinogenic effects of aspartame: The urgent need for regulatory re-evaluation. Am J Ind Med. 2014;57(4):383-97. Schernhammer ES, Bertrand KA, Birmann BM, Sampson L, Willett WC, Feskanich D. Consumption of artificial sweetener–and sugar-containing soda and risk of lymphoma and leukemia in men and women. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96:1419–28. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Manservigi M, Tibaldi E, Lauriola M, Falcioni L, Bua L. 2010. Aspartame administered in feed, beginning prenatally through life span, induces cancers of the liver and lung in male Swiss mice. Am J Ind Med. 2010;53(12):1197-206. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Tibaldi E, Degli Esposti D, Lauriola M. Life span exposure to low doses of aspartame beginning during prenatal life increases cancer effects in rats. Environ Health Perspect 2007;115(9):1293-7. Soffriti M, Belpoggi F, Degli Esposti D, Lambertini L, Tibaldi E, Rigano A. First experimental demonstration of the multipotential carcinogenic effects of aspartame administered in the feed to Sprague-Dawley rats. Environ Health Perspect 2006;114:379–385.

This includes both naturally occurring and added sugars. According to the USDA, every man woman and child in the US consumes approximately 80 pounds of caloric sweeteners per year! That works out to 25 tsp of sugars per day, or 400 extra calories!

Fiber is an extremely important part of your daily diet. Its best known benefit is its ability to help keep our bowels moving. Eating enough fiber will help prevent constipation. The added benefit is that it also plays a role in protecting against diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. If that isn’t enough reason to get a daily dose of fiber, it also helps with weight management by helping to keep you fuller longer. The best sources of fiber are whole foods, not processed foods to which fiber has been added.

* FoodPoints are calculated by Fooducate based on fats, carbs, fiber, and protein. They are not an endorsement or approval of the product or its manufacturer. The fewer points - the better.

This product is highly processed. If you'll take a look at its ingredient list, you'll discover new words to add to your vocabulary. Many of theses ingredients are required to increase the shelf life of the product and improve the flavor that disappears when food is not fresh.

Carrageenan is an additive made from seaweed. It is used as a thickener in products such as ice cream, jelly, chocolate milk, infant formula, cottage cheese. It is a vegetarian and vegan alternative to gelatin. It has been used for hundreds of years in Ireland and China, but only made headway into modern food processing in the last 50 years. The processing steps after harvesting the seaweed include drying, grounding, filtration, treatment with potassium hydroxide, removal of cellulose by centrifuge, concentration by evaporation, drying, and grounding. Interestingly, the Philippines account for the vast majority of the world supply of carrageenan. In some animal studies, carrageenan was shown to cause intestinal lacerations and tumors. A 2001 meta-study of 45 peer-reviewed studies concluded that carrageenan consumption may result in gastrointestinal malignancy and inflammatory bowel. The FDA has approved carrageenan as safe, basing its decision on industry funded studies. European agencies and the World Health Organization have also deemed carrageenan safe, with the exception of infant formula. The fear is the a baby's gut may be unable to handle the large carrageenan molecules. In some individuals carrageenan may cause intestinal discomfort or worse. ---- Sources: Tobacman JK. Review of harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments. Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Oct;109(10):983-94. Marcus R, Watt J. Seaweeds and ulcerative colitis in laboratory animals. Lancet. 1969 Aug 30;2(7618):489-90. Yang B, Bhattacharyya S, Linhardt R, Tobacman J. Exposure to common food additive carrageenan leads to reduced sulfatase activity and increase in sulfated glycosaminoglycans in human epithelial cells. Biochimie. 2012 Jun;94(6):1309-16. Bhattacharyya S, O-Sullivan I, Katyal S, Unterman T, Tobacman JK. Exposure to the common food additive carrageenan leads to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and inhibition of insulin signalling in HepG2 cells and C57BL/6J mice. Diabetologia. 2012 Jan;55(1):194-203. Bhattacharyya S, Dudeja PK, Tobacman JK. Tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced inflammation is increased but apoptosis is inhibited by common food additive carrageenan. J Biol Chem. 2010 Dec 10;285(50):39511-22. Bhattacharyya S, Borthakur A, Dudeja PK, Tobacman JK. Carrageenan induces cell cycle arrest in human intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. J Nutr. 2008 Mar;138(3):469-75. Bhattacharyya S, Borthakur A, Dudeja PK, Tobacman JK. Carrageenan reduces bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) and activates the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in normal human colonocytes. Dig Dis Sci. 2007 Oct;52(10):2766-74.

Companies add artificial flavors to products to make them taste better. They are created in a lab and the formulations are guarded as trade secrets. Flavorings can compensate for flavor loss during processing, substitute for ingredients, lower production costs and increase shelf stability. Artificial flavorings are cheaper to source than natural flavors and are perceived as "worse" than natural flavors. They are more stable (and usually less chemically complex) than natural flavors. Artificial flavors are not necessarily bad for you from a health perspective. however, people with food sensitivities or allergies may want to avoid artificial flavors if they are unnamed. You can always contact the manufacturer for more information.

Companies add flavorings to make products taste better. They are created in a lab and the formulations are guarded as trade secrets. Flavorings can compensate for flavor loss during processing, substitute for ingredients, lower production costs and increase shelf stability. Natural flavorings are more expensive to source than artificial flavors, but tend to be better received by consumers. People sensitive to MSG, vegans, vegetarians and those with allergies should pay special attention to the phrase "natural flavorings" since glutamates, animal products or allergens may be the source of natural flavors. You can always contact the manufacturer for more information.

Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame K or Ace K) is an artificial sweetener with zero calories. This sweetener is 180-200 times sweeter than table sugar. Like all artificial sweeteners, safety is a concern. Despite being approved as safe by the FDA, this artificial ingredient has been proven carcinogenic in several studies.

Lecithins are oily substances that occur naturally in plants (soybeans) and animals (egg yolks). Soy lecithin possesses emulsification properties. This means it can keep a candy bar “together” by making sure that the cocoa and the cocoa butter don’t separate. It is also used in bakery items to keep the dough from sticking and to improve its ability to rise.