Every once in a while, I am delighted when I am contacted by brands who ask me to try their products.  I am in no way indebted to them to write a positive review (or any review for that matter) but it’s fun to try products that I ordinarily would never come across.

When I was contacted by CalNaturale about their product, Svelte , I was excited to try it.

They tout it as a gluten-free, vegan, all-natural protein shakes that give you energy.  While I am not gluten-free nor vegan, an all-natural protein shake that gives you energy sounded like a good idea.  Though I’ve had my share of protein shakes in the past, and frankly, most of them taste pretty chalky and chemically.  I thought it would be an interesting test to see if these guys had a protein shake that I’d actually drink.

I was also amused by the tag line they included in the email:

When the product arrived, I was further entertained by the messaging on the packages:

A product that is good for me AND compliments me?  Sold!

I looked over the assortment of 4 flavors and decided to crack open the spiced chai first.  I was skeptical… but I was immediately enamoured.  It tasted creamy and delicious, almost like dessert.  How could this be good for you?

So I started reading the website… “16g of organic protein from fresh organic soymilk, along with organic complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. Svelte is tested to be low-glycemic and has only 9 grams of sugar per full bottle. It’s also a good source of fiber and is dairy-free and gluten-free. Here’s to you.”

Awesome. But hold the phone… this has soymilk? I HATE soymilk!  What gives?

I cracked open the other 3 flavors and enjoyed them all just as much.  It reminded me a bit of Slim Fast, you know, if Slim Fast actually tasted GOOD.   Soymilk or no soymilk, I liked these things.

I’m not entirely positive if they would be filling enough as a meal replacement, but I drank half of one for breakfast and it held me until lunch.  I actually just ordered a case so I can test it for lunches.

My favorite flavor was definitely the chai, but I’m a chai girl, so I like it spicy.  My second favorite was probably cappuccino, but they’re all good.

(I also found out that they make organic wines! They sent me a white and a red to try and while I liked them, I’m not as excited to purchase these on my own as I am the drinks)

What’s even better is that CalNaturale has given me the opportunity to share these cool products with you!  THREE lucky winners will be able to receive gift packs, each including one of each flavor of Svelte. 

How do you enter?  Simple!  Comment on this post below and answer the question “When do you need an energy boost most?”  Is it when you wake up in the morning? The 2pm slump?  The 4pm “I need to finish my day” rut?

You can also gain one additional entry for every place you post about this giveaway.  (Please link me to your blog, Facebook page, Twitter, etc. so your entry can be counted. You can always email me at sara@nycnomnom.com.)

You have until 10pm EST on Monday, May 2nd to enter.

Good luck Nommers!

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UPDATE: Svelte just informed me that they are also doing a fun promotion called #MeatlessMonday on their Facebook Page where fans can win a tote bag filled with awesome CalNaturale goodies, along with a $50 gift card to Whole Foods!  You can get all the details here.

Tags: calnaturale, diet drinks, drink review, energy shakes, fiber, giveaway, Gluten, Gluten-free diet, inulin, Meal replacement, product review, Protein, protein shakes, Soy milk, svelte, sweepstakes, vegan, vegan meal replacement