For several years, I have been drinking adult nutrition drinks such as Chocolate – flavored Ensure on a semi – regular basis. Because I sometimes do not eat as much as I should and / or eat foods that are less then healthy, these adult nutrition drinks are a good, convenient source of vitamins, protein and other nutrients that I might not acquire otherwise. Recently, I had the oppportunity to try CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and I’m very glad that I had the opportunity. CareOne brand products are private label items that are stocked and sold exclusively at Stop & Shop, Martin’s and Giant supermarkets.
Over the course of the past couple of years, I have utilized several different CareOne items and have found every one of them to be very effective and of high quality. To me, the CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink is every bit as good as Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink, but its retail price is significantly lower than the retail price of Ensure. Because these two products are similar in so many ways, I have decided to write a consumer product comparison review of them. Presented here, in an effort to assist the consumer, is a product comparison review of Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink.
Size Both Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink are sold in six – pack containers. The net weight of each brands’ bottles is eight ounces and each bottle provides one serving. In physical size, each six – pack takes up roughly the same amount of space as a six – pack of canned soda.
Price The regular retail price charged for one six – pack of Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink at Hartford, Connecticut area supermarkets is approximately $7.99.
The retail price that my friend recently paid for one six – pack of CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink at a Hartford, Connecticut area Stop & Shop supermarket was $5.49. Although Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink is sometimes on sale at Hartford, Connecticut area supermarkets and pharmacies, I have never seen it priced as low as the sale price of the CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink.
Consistency The consistency of Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink is very similar. Both brands feature smooth and creamy consistencies that are enjoyable to drink. I have noticed however, that each of these brands’ containers need to be shaken before the products are consumed, otherwise, small pieces of chocolate material float throughout the drinks, which is not a pleasant thing.
Nutritional Facts Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink contains 250 calories, with 50 calories from fat, per one bottle serving. This nutrition drink also contains 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams tran fat, 6 grams total fat, 5 mg of cholesterol, 190 mg of sodium, 390 mg of potassium, 41 grams total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 22 grams of sugars and 9 grams of protein, per one bottle serving.
In the interest of fair and accurate reporting, I could not obtain accurate nutritional information for the CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink.
Taste / Flavor Both Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink offer fresh and dynamic chocolate flavors that are really are enjoyable to consume. To me, each of these products closely resembles a chocolate milkshake, only with a slightly thinner consistency. The chocolate flavor of each of these adult nutrition drinks actually tastes like chocolate, without being chalky and neither brand features any type of un – pleasant aftertaste. If I had to pick one of these products as being the tastiest of the two, I think that I would probably pick the Ensure product.
Packaging Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink are both packaged in small bottles that seem to be made of some sort of hybrid material that looks, feels and sounds like a combination of metal and plastic.
Overall Rating
Having consumed several bottles of both Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink, I can honestly state that I really enjoy drinking each of them. Although these chocolate beverages are technically healthy nutritional supplements, I view them as being very tasty chocolate drinks that I enjoy drinking just as much as any milkshake or soda.
In reviewing these two brands of chocolate adult nutrition drinks, I found that I slightly preferred the flavor of the Ensure product, but also found the CareOne product to be more reasonably – priced. At any rate, both Ensure Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink and CareOne brand Chocolate Adult Nutrition Drink are recommended items by this food writer.
Sources : Personal experience with the products
The product labels
