Questions

A friend tells me that the US makes the best meal replacements and I shouldn’t bother with anything else?

The US were historically very dominant producers. However, many of today’s US meal replacement and protein powders are in fact contract packed by a nutrition company in Europe which is little known and I’m sure you’ll agree, very ironic. Progen is made in our own factory here in Hove, East Sussex, where we personally oversee the selection of raw materials and composition of the formulation, the production of the sachets and the careful packing of sachets into the Progen boxes. It is very unlikely you’ll get that attention to detail from contract packed product.

Which brands are contract packed then?

Two names that spring to mind are EAS and Met-Rx

I read somewhere that there is nothing wrong with maltodextrin in a meal replacement and that using other sources of carbohydrate doesn’t really make a difference. Is this true?

Other brands of meal replacements use maltodextrin. That ultimately is the choice of the brand owner, but it is not good enough for us. There is simply not enough nutrition in maltodextrin to consider its use. The carbohydrate used in Progen is organic barley and Organic Oats, which provides an unrefined, natural, slow energy release source.

How do your products compare with other peoples in terms of price?

The two comparison brands as well as ours all have a RRP of £39.99. You can of course spend more, but it should be remembered that Progen is a premium product.

I’m currently using another brand of Meal Replacement and you’re suggesting I try your brand because you believe it’s the best. What happens if I just don’t like the product?

Customers always feel hesitant changing brands unless they are totally sure that it is the right thing to do. That is why we offer you a free sample to trial the product. If after reading the website and receiving a sample to try, you are not convinced about changing your brand choice to Reflex Progen, then we really would love to hear from you to understand how we’ve failed to convince you. If on the other hand you buy a box of Progen and decide that you don’t like it, we will refund you the purchase price in full or exchange it for another product.

I know that you’ve got a really good product in terms of quality, but I’m really swayed by taste. What are your products like on the taste front?

Progen is made using the very best high quality nature identical flavourings along with Splenda which makes for a very tasty experience.

I am a strict vegetarian. Can I take Progen?

Yes you can. As long as you drink milk, Progen is perfectly suitable for vegetarians

I’m on a diet and find that one serving is too much for me, can I use half a packet in the morning and another half in the afternoon?

Yes, of course. We are finding an increasing number of people, especially women, who are adopting this approach.

Is Progen suitable for women, I know that some brands are especially formulated for men?

Yes, Progen is suitable for both men and women.

I've read claims from other supplement companies that the use of oats and barley will cause bad wind and that the fibre will severely impair the absorption of protein. Is there any truth in this?

We've seen a couple of alarming articles warning customers that oats and barley fibre will cause you severe wind. Firstly, it's quite irresponsible for such companies to imply that you will suffer as a result of dietary fibre; especially since it is widely recognised that a diet high in fibre is very good for you. The Food Standards Agency has some very good information here: http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/starchfoods/

There is also some very misguided advice in these adverts with regard to fibre and protein digestibility. There is some truth that dietary fibre can reduce "apparent protein digestibility", but these companies failed to inform you that the studies used high amounts of fibre and low quality protein sources from vegetables. They also very conveniently failed to tell you that diets containing sources of fibre from oats and barley with milk protein as source of protein had no effect whatsoever on protein digestibility. The very same companies also tout the benefits of dietary fibre in their literature and have products that contain added fibre yet are more than happy to tell you to avoid it. Perhaps they have confused themselves.

My current brand uses a special low DE (dextrose equivalent) or low glycemic index maltodextrin. They say its not like ordinary maltodextrin, is this true?

There are indeed low DE maltodextrins, but that certainly does not mean they are low glycemic. By their very nature, all maltodextrins have a low DE. In fact they must have a DE of 20 or lower to be classified as "maltodextrin". The lowest DE for a maltodextrin is 4 but all maltodextrins regardless of DE are considered to have a glycemic index metabolically equivalent to glucose (dextrose). A telephone call to any maltodextrin company will openly confirm this fact.