MuscleMeds
Carnivor
Carnivor is certainly a different approach to protein consumption, or is it? Beef has long been a fantastic source of protein for building muscle, so we reviewed Musclemeds Carnivor to see how it shaped up.
Carnivor is available at Amazon.
PROTEIN
NET CARBS
FAT
PROTEIN
NET CARBS
FAT
MuscleMeds
Carnivor
Carnivor is certainly a different approach to protein consumption, or is it? Beef has long been a fantastic source of protein for building muscle, so we reviewed Musclemeds Carnivor to see how it shaped up.
Carnivor is available at Amazon.
PROTEIN
NET CARBS
FATS
Ingredients
Carnivor’s protein matrix includes Hydrolyzed Beef Protein Isolate, Creatine Monohydrate and BCAA‘s including L-Leucine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine. This provides 23 grams of protein in a 36.4gram serve. Surprisingly they have managed to do this without any cholesterol content, which is unusual for a beef protein powder. The creatine is also a nice addition that should increase stamina with additional bursts of strength when needed.
In addition to the protein matrix, Carnivor also includes what they call the Anabolic Nitrogen Retention Technology. This includes Glutamine-alpha-ketoglutarate which aids protein synthesis but also has roles in cell growth. Ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate is also added and is especially useful for stimulating the body to build muscle and other tissues, especially when the body is in a stressed state. Alpha-ketoglutarate is used to help stimulate protein synthesis and has an anti carbolic effect, meaning it prevents muscle cells breakdown. And finally, Alpha-ketoisocaproate has been included and has been shown to enhance high-intensity exercise performance and reduce exercise-induced muscle damage.
Cocoa, Natural and Artificial Flavors, and Salt have been added for the chocolate flavor. Silica has been included mainly to make the powder flow easily and to help with mixing. Acesulfame potassium and Sucralose are artificial sweeteners.
Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum and Sunflower Lecithin are added as thickeners and to provide a creamy texture.
Carnivor also includes a long list of ingredients as an antifoaming agent. These include propylene glycol mono, monoglyceride of fatty acid, polyglycerol oleate, RDB soybean oil, dimethylpolysiloxane, hydrophobic silica, polysorbate 60k, sorbitan monostearate and paraffin.
That’s a big list with lots of ingredients including artificial ingredients you may want to avoid. Having said that, this product is packed full of science all geared towards muscle development.
LABEL DETAILS
Ingredients
Chocolate Flavor
Carnivor BPI [hydrolyzed beef protein isolate, creatine monohydrate, BCAAs (l-leucine, l-valine, l-isoleucine), anabolic nitrogen retention technology™ intermediates: GKG (glutamine-alpha-ketoglutarate), OKG (ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate), AKG (alpha-ketoglutarate) and KIC (alpha-ketoisocaproate)], maltodextrin, cocoa, natural and artificial flavors, salt, silica, acesulfame potassium, xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, sucralose, antifoam (propylene glycol mono – and diesters of fats and fatty acids, mono glyceride of fatty acid, polyglycerol oleate, RDB soybean oil, dimethylpolysiloxane, hydrophobic silica, polysorbate 60k, sorbitan monostearate, contains less than 2% of paraffin.)
Gluten Free
Lactose Free
Sugar Free
Allergens
wheat, soy
Watchlist Ingredients
acesulfame potassium, artificial flavor
Nutritional Facts Label
This is a sample nutrition label and some variation can occur between flavours.
Effectiveness
We actually think this product may be pretty effective, especially those simply seeking to bulk on muscle mass. It’s a higher-tech approach built on good old fashion beef protein power.
RECOMMENDED USE
Manufacturers Directions
For a delicious protein shake, mix 1 scoop of Carnivor with 6-8 fl. oz. of cold water in a shaker bottle.
Taste, Texture & Mixability
The taste of chocolate was not too bad but very sweet, perhaps a bit too sweet for us. We could detect a bit of a meaty flavor too, however, the chocolate probably masked it a fair bit. I’m not sure the vanilla flavor would do quite so well as masking its natural beef isolate flavor.
Mixing was a little difficult and we found the best results by using a blender.
MIXED IN MILK
MIXED IN WATER
Value
For all the tech involved with this product, its cost is surprisingly low when compared with similar whey products. We think it represents excellent value for what is a unique and high tech product.
PROTEIN COST
Lower indicates [glossary_tooltip content=”Our Protein Cost indicator represents the calculated cost of the protein component of of a product when compared with similar products.”]lower cost protein[/glossary_tooltip].
PROTEIN QUALITY
Higher indicates [glossary_tooltip content=”Our Protein Quality indicator represents the calculated quality and efficiency of the protein when compared with similar products.”] quality & efficiency [/glossary_tooltip].
Conclusion
This is a higher-tech product which we think is well designed but comes with some artificial ingredients we would rather do without. If you’re motivated by high tech and don’t care much for all-natural products, then that may be fine for you. Price is also good, the taste is not so much. If you want to try something different or you’re lactose intolerant, then this may be your answer and it does offer good value for money when compared with similar whey products.
Where to buy
We recommend using Amazon as they generally provide the best prices and quickest shipping.
Buy Carnivor at Amazon.
Where to buy
We recommend using Amazon as they generally provide the best prices and quickest shipping.
Buy Carnivor at Amazon.