Tri Blend Select, explained

Pea protein isolate (50%)

Peas are pulses, the seeds that grow in pods, and the NHS calls pulses particularly important for people who don't get protein from meat, fish or dairy. An isolate is the protein part of the pea, separated from most of its starch and fibre, which is why the whole powder is 51% protein.

For scale, a 100g serving of boiled green lentils, another pulse, gives about 8.8g of protein. One Tri Blend shake gives 20g in total, mostly from the pea.

Why it's in Tri Blend Select: It is the main protein source and makes up half of the powder by weight.

Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.

Rice protein isolate

Rice protein isolate is the protein separated from rice grain. Rice is a cereal, and the British Dietetic Association notes that cereals carry every essential amino acid but some, such as lysine, at low levels.

Your body needs nine essential amino acids from food. A protein that carries all nine in useful amounts on its own is often called complete. Milk, eggs and meat proteins fit that description, and many single plant proteins are lower in one or two.

Why it's in Tri Blend Select: Herbalife adds rice protein to the pea protein because, in its words, the addition of rice protein delivers a complete protein. Pea and rice proteins differ in their amino acid balance, so the blend evens them out.

Dietitians point out that the complete and incomplete labels only judge one food in isolation. A varied plant-based diet supplies all nine over the course of a day, so you don't need to combine proteins at every meal.

Flaxseed powder (11%) and quinoa powder (5%)

Flaxseed, also sold as linseed, is a small oily seed. A tablespoon of flaxseed (10g) carries about 1.8g of protein, so the 4.4g in a shake is a little under half a tablespoon.

Quinoa is a seed cooked and eaten like a grain. A usual 40g dry portion gives about 5.5g of protein, so the 2g of quinoa powder in a shake is a small amount next to a bowlful.

Why it's in Tri Blend Select: Herbalife groups pea protein, flaxseed and quinoa together as its Tri Blend Protein, which gives the product its name.

Most of the shake's fat is polyunsaturated, at 1.4g of the 2.2g per serving. Flaxseed is the oiliest ingredient in the list.

Inulin (chicory), gluten-free oat fibre and organic rice fibre

Inulin is a type of fibre extracted from chicory root. It is made of chains of fructose units that your small intestine cannot digest, which is why it counts as fibre and not as sugar.

Oat fibre and rice fibre are the fibrous outer parts of those grains. The oat fibre is the reason the label says it contains oat.

Why it's in Tri Blend Select: These fibres bring each shake to 6g of fibre, which Herbalife lists as one of the shake's main features.

Adults are advised to eat 30g of fibre a day, and most eat about 20g. One shake gives 6g, a fifth of the daily amount.

Organic coconut blossom nectar powder and steviol glycosides

Coconut blossom nectar is a sweetener made from the sap of coconut palm flowers, dried to a powder. It is listed straight after the protein blend, and it is the main sugary ingredient.

Steviol glycosides are sweet compounds taken from the leaves of the stevia plant. Herbalife adds them so the shake tastes sweeter without more sugar.

Why it's in Tri Blend Select: They sweeten the shake. A serving made with water has 5g of sugars, low enough for Herbalife to call it low in sugar.

The NHS counts sugars from nectars, such as blossom nectar, as free sugars. Adults are advised to keep free sugars under 30g a day, and a shake made with water gives 5g of sugars.

Organic acerola cherry extract

Acerola is a cherry-like fruit, and Herbalife uses an organic extract of it. It is the only vitamin C source in the ingredient list, so all of the vitamin C on the label comes from it.

Adults need about 40mg of vitamin C a day, and the body cannot store it. One shake gives 18mg, a little under half of that.

Why it's in Tri Blend Select: Herbalife lists vitamin C among the shake's nutrients, and the acerola is the only vitamin C source in the ingredient list.

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.

A serving gives 23% of the reference intake, above the 15% needed before the vitamin C claim can be made.