Review: Cytosport Muscle Milk Light

Posted By elissa on May 31, 2009 | 0 comments

Muscle Milk Light is Cytosport’s answer to those who like the taste of Muscle Milk, but don’t want the extra calories. Like the original formula, Muscle Milk Light is based on EvoPro, Cytosport’s proprietary protein blend. While Muscle Milk Light doesn’t come in quite as many flavors as regular Muscle Milk, it’s still a pretty impressive array: Banana Creme, Chocolate Caramel Swirl, Chocolate Milk, Chocolate Mint, Cookies N Creme, Creme Brulee, Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Milkshake and Vanilla Creme.

So, what’s the difference between the Light and regular versions? According to Cytosport, Muscle Milk Light has 50% less fat and 35% fewer calories than original Muscle Milk.

That looks about right …

Serving Size 2 Scoops (50g)
Calories 195
Calories From Fat 50
Total Fat 6g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 115mg
Potassium 620mg
Total Carbohydrate 11g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 2g
Protein 25g

One serving has only 6g of fat and contains less than 200 calories. This compares pretty favorably to regular Muscle Milk, which provides 300 calories and 12g of fat. The Light version is also a little lighter on the protein, but there’s still a solid amount (25g). The carbs are also relatively low and the sugar content is virtually nil. For someone on a cutting or maintenance diet, there’s a lot about Muscle Milk Light to like.

What about the ingredients?

Ingredients: EvoPro™(Micellar Alpha And Beta Caseins And Caseinates, Whey Concentrates Rich In Alpha-Lactalbumin, Whey Isolates, Whey Peptides, L-Glutamine, Taurine, Lactoferrin), Maltodextrin, Lean Lipids™(Trans Fat Free Lipid Complex Consisting Of Sunflower And/Or Safflower Oil, MCT’s, Canola Oil, L-Carnitine), Cocoa Powder, CytoVite I™ (Vitamin And Mineral Premix Consisting Of Vitamin A Acetate, Cholecalciferol, D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Folate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCL, Cyanocobalamin, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Di-Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Iodide, Potassium Chloride, Ferrous Fumarate, Magnesium Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Zinc Oxide, Chromium Nicotinate), Fructose, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Acesulfame Potassium, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Sucralose, Soy Lecithin.

Translated, Muscle Milk Liight is a mixture of casein and whey (+ some amino acids and lactoferrin), maltodextrin, blended oils, vitamins/minerals and the usual additives (sweeteners, thickeners, etc.). The list may look a little complicated, but it’s really pretty straightforward.

I liked the look of Muscle Milk Light, so I purchased two 1.65 lb. containers to sample: the Chocolate Peanut Butter and the Cookies N Creme.

I would’ve loved to have sampled them all, but this would have been prohibitively expensive.

At any rate, I was pretty happy with the choices I made: the Chocolate Peanut Butter was more dark than milk chocolatey (which I liked); and the Cookies N Creme was appropriately Oreo-like. I enjoyed both, although taste-wise, I think Muscle Milk Light ranks a bit below regular Muscle Milk.

The difference is that it contains more gums/thickeners to replace the missing fat. Fat not only provides a richer “mouthfeel”, but acts as a carrier for flavors. In addition, the gums give Muscle Milk Light a somewhat thicker texture than the original, although this was less pronounced in milk, or blended with ice cubes to make a faux “milkshake”.

Judged on its own merits, however, Muscle Milk Light is pretty tasty as well as nutritious. The high potassium content (420–620mg) was a pleasant surprise: Americans don’t consume enough of this important mineral. I would have preferred a higher fiber content, though: original Muscle Milk contains 5g/serving, while the Light version contains only 1g.

But this isn’t a fatal flaw… Overall, Muscle Milk Light is a solid product that works well as either a general purpose protein supplement or a reduced calorie meal replacement. It’s tasty, filling and comes in a tempting range of flavors, so it’s worth checking out: it shouldn’t be hard to find one (or more) you’ll love.

Muscle Milk Light is available from Bodybuilding.com!