Can You Drink Herbalife Formula 1 Hot? How to Make a Herbalife Hot Chocolate

Can you drink Herbalife Formula 1 hot?

You can. The Herbalife UK label tells you to mix two scoops (26 g) with 250 ml of cold semi-skimmed milk because that is the standard preparation the nutrition panel is calculated on. It is not a warning against warmth. Herbalife itself publishes recipes that heat its powders: the UK dates and cinnamon porridge stirs Protein Drink Mix into cooked oats, and its chocolate fondant bakes a protein powder at 180°C.

Add Formula 1 Shake Mix to milk that is already warm, rather than heating a made-up shake. Soy protein and oat fibre thicken as they cook, so a shake that goes into the microwave comes out thick, lumpy and often boiled over. Warm milk and a whisk give you a drink that tastes like a proper hot chocolate.

Does heating Herbalife Formula 1 destroy the nutrients?

Not in any meaningful way, provided you warm it rather than boil it.

Protein

Heat changes the shape of a protein (denaturation) but leaves its amino acids intact, and the amino acids are what your body uses. A 2019 study in the journal Foods found that moderately heated soy protein isolate, the main protein in Formula 1, was broken down by digestive enzymes at least as well as unheated protein. Only prolonged, intense heating made the protein clump into aggregates that digest more slowly.

Vitamins and minerals

Minerals such as calcium and iron are not affected by heat. A few vitamins are: vitamin C, folate and thiamin (vitamin B1) are the sensitive ones, and losses rise with higher temperatures and longer times. A mug warmed for ninety seconds to around 60°C is nothing like a pan boiled for fifteen minutes. Nobody has published a test on a warmed Formula 1 shake, so treat this as a guide: expect the protein, fibre and minerals in full, and perhaps a small dip in a handful of the 25 vitamins and minerals. If you want the exact figures on the label every time, prepare the shake cold as directed. If you want a warm drink on a cold morning, the trade-off is small.

Can you microwave a Herbalife shake?

Microwave the milk, not the shake. Heat 250 ml of semi-skimmed milk in a mug for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes at 800 W, until it steams but does not bubble. Stir it before you use it, because microwaves heat unevenly and the top of the mug can be far hotter than the bottom. Then add the powder as described in the recipe below.

The same rule applies on the hob: warm the milk in a small pan over a low heat and take it off before it simmers. If you already have a cold shake made up and want it warm, heat it gently in a pan while stirring. It will thicken, so add a splash more milk.

How do you make a Herbalife hot chocolate?

One mug made this way is around 220 kcal and 18 g of protein with semi-skimmed milk: the same meal as your usual shake, just warm.

Ingredients

• 2 scoops (26 g) Formula 1 Smooth Chocolate
• 250 ml semi-skimmed milk, or fortified soya drink for a vegan version
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional, for a darker chocolate)
• A pinch of cinnamon or a drop of vanilla extract (optional)

Method

1. Pour about 50 ml of the milk, cold, into your mug. Add the Formula 1 and cocoa and whisk with a small whisk or a fork until you have a smooth, thick paste with no dry pockets. This step is what stops clumping.
2. Warm the remaining 200 ml of milk in the microwave (around 90 seconds at 800 W) or in a pan until it is steaming hot but not boiling. If you own a thermometer, aim for 60 to 65°C.
3. Pour the hot milk into the paste a little at a time, whisking as you go. Building up gradually keeps it silky.
4. Taste, add cinnamon or vanilla if you like, and drink straight away. It thickens as it cools.

A shaker works too: paste first, warm milk second, then a brief shake. Never shake boiling liquid in a sealed cup, as the pressure can force the lid off.

Which Formula 1 flavours work best for hot chocolate?

Any chocolate Formula 1 works, and a couple of the others make good winter drinks too.

• Smooth Chocolate is the classic. It tastes like a milk chocolate hot chocolate and takes cocoa, cinnamon or a spoon of peanut butter well.
• Mint & Chocolate gives you an after-dinner-mint hot chocolate. It needs nothing added.
• Cookie Crunch is sweet and biscuity, like a hot chocolate with a biscuit dunked in it. A pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg turns it into a spiced version.
• Café Latte with a teaspoon of cocoa makes a mocha. Add a shot of espresso for proper coffee strength.
• Formula 1 Free From Raspberry and White Chocolate made with hot oat or soya drink is a white hot chocolate, and it is dairy-free.

Every flavour uses the same 26 g serving, so the nutrition barely changes. Our Formula 1 shake recipes cover the cold versions of the same flavours.

Herbalife Protein Drink Mix hot chocolate: lighter, higher in protein

Protein Drink Mix is a vanilla powder, not a meal replacement. Two scoops (28 g) give 15 g of protein for around 110 kcal when made with water. Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass, so this version suits an afternoon or post-gym mug.

• 2 scoops (28 g) Protein Drink Mix
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 250 ml hot water, or milk for a creamier drink
• Sweetener to taste

Make the paste with a splash of cold water, add the hot water, whisk and serve. You can also add one scoop of Protein Drink Mix to the Formula 1 recipe above for a hot chocolate with around 25 g of protein. The Vegan Protein Drink Mix works the same way with hot oat drink.

More warm Herbalife shake ideas for winter

Once you have the warm-milk-then-powder method, the rest is flavouring.

• Chocolate orange: Smooth Chocolate with the zest of half an orange stirred into the warm milk.
• Chilli hot chocolate: a tiny pinch of cayenne, Mexican style.
• Vanilla chai: Vanilla Cream with cinnamon, ground ginger and a crushed cardamom pod.

For something more filling, the same off-the-heat rule gives you Herbalife porridge, and the same powder works in a two-minute Formula 1 mug cake. If you simply want a hot drink first thing, Instant Herbal Tea is the Herbalife product designed for hot water.

FAQ

Can I add Formula 1 straight to boiling milk?

It will clump and go grainy, and you lose more of the heat-sensitive vitamins. Let the milk stand for a minute until it is steaming rather than bubbling, make the paste first, then combine.

Is a hot Formula 1 shake still a meal replacement?

Made with two scoops and 250 ml of semi-skimmed milk, it has the same calories, protein and fibre as the cold shake. Only a few heat-sensitive vitamins may be slightly lower. Herbalife states the nutrition on the label for the standard cold preparation.

Can I make a batch and reheat it later?

Better not. Reheating thickens it further and repeats the heat exposure. Mix one mug at a time; it takes two minutes.

Which milk works best for a hot Herbalife shake?

Semi-skimmed milk gives the creamiest result and matches the label. Fortified soya drink is the vegan option Herbalife lists. Oat drink froths nicely but adds carbohydrate, so check its label.

Ready to swap the cold shaker for a warm mug? Formula 1, Protein Drink Mix and the rest of the everyday range are in our Essential Herbalife Nutrition collection, genuine products dispatched directly by Herbalife UK.