Please, do not ever buy this 2,300 calorie shake from Baskin Robbins, which contains approximately half a pound of sugar. As Consumerist reader Doug points out,
Last time I checked, an adult male should consume 2,500 calories a day, and this shake nearly meets that requirement! The saturated fat present in that shake is over 3 times the RDA of 20 grams, which will put you on the fast track for heart disease. Of course, that’s if the Type 2 diabetes caused by all 266 grams of that sugar doesn’t get you first.
While I believe that people should be held responsible for what they consume, I think corporations need to share just a little responsibility too, and not sell piles of liquid sugar and fat like this. I’d be surprised if even 1 in 100 of the folks that consume that shake know just how bad it is.
On the plus side, it does provide 120% of the RDA for calcium. Oh, and about 1600% of the RDA for Heath candy bars.
(Our tipster, Doug, came up with “death shake.”)
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ahhh, just throw a couple of nuts on it and then people will think it is healthy!
Holy crap – a milkshake should not have such a long ingredient list!
I totally want one now. I love Heath Bars….
Maybe people should be allowed to consume what the want…
@TracyHamandEggs!:
I agree. Companies should be putting the nutritional info right there with the price though. I’m sure many many people will buy that thing not knowing how bad it is like it says in the article.
Before I started eating healthy I used to eat whatever I wanted without a care in the world. Now I look back and see something like the chicken crispers at Chilis having 130 grams of fat. (not including fries, dipping sauce, etc.) Thats nuts. Even when I wasn’t eating healthy having 130 grams of fat and 1200 calories written next to the price would have made me eat something else.
@aurf: Thanks for ruining Chili’s for me. I just looked it up and the Honey Chipotle Chicken Chrispers I love so much have 99 grams of fat without dipping sauce or the fries. Almost nothing has a reasonable amount of fat, even the steamed broccoli has 8 grams of fat. Steamed broccoli!
@TracyHamandEggs!: People *are* allowed to consume what they want (unless you’re talking about drugs, but hey, I’m pro-regulation) — but nobody SHOULD consume that. They’re free to, but they’d be stupid to, except under very particular circumstances.
And considering how very infrequently it would be wise for anybody to consume that, it’s doubly sick that the company isn’t forced to provide information to people about what’s in it.
Duh.
@TracyHamandEggs!: “Maybe people should be allowed to consume what the want…”
Maybe? What’s made you so unsure?
I drink your milkshake! (slurp) I drink it up!
this milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.
@weakdome:
Yeah, the GRAVEYARD.
When I used to work at B&R as a kid, you were allowed two free scoops of ice cream per shift and I’d make a shake with the Peanut Butter & Chocolate ice cream.
Now that’s good calorie-laden eatin’…
Hey, if it works for Michael Phelps….
Yes, maybe people should be free to consume what they want.
Nevertheless, our society is one that sets standards about what is and is
not acceptable to consume, where “acceptance” hinges *solely* on real or
perceived health benefits.
That is, as a gambling man, I would bet that this ‘death shake’ is
unhealthier for you than a marijuana joint. I would partake of neither, yet
the former is freely available while the latter is a criminalized,
controlled substance.
I’ll go as far as to say that the “Death Shake” causes more aggregate bodily
harm than all the prostitutes in all of North America, yet which is
criminalized?
And so forth.
Baskin Robbins should be ashamed! Heath Bars? Yuck. Is there any way to get Snickers instead?
Obviously, if you are drinking one of these every day you’ve got problems.
But even with the ludicrously high calorie content, if you have one once every month or two, eat healthy the rest of the time, and are active, it won’t kill you.
@madanthony: Amen. I’m reading a great book right now about how flawed Western attitudes toward eating/consumption are, and it has really freed me up to enjoy things–even milkshakes that are unholy in their nutritional content–as long as I eat sensibly the rest of the time. We have an obsession in this country with “eating healthy,” yet we, as consumers of the Western diet, are one of the least healthy cultures in the world. Quite the contradiction, wouldn’t you say? I cringe when I read articles like this…it totally feeds the obsession. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to down one of these bad boys every day. A little common sense goes a long way.
Unreal!! I follow the Atkins diet, and this drink has FIFTEEN TIMES the number of carbs I eat in a day!!!!!
A deadly shake named after Heath Ledger?! Too soon, Baskin Robbins…
the chocolate oreo shake has 2600 calories.
OVER 1/2 pound of sugar AND 1/3 of a pound of fat……. MMMMMMMM
Good thing im lactose intolerant
Holy. Crap. How is this even possible? This should be featured on an episode of Modern Marvels.
@vpsychward1:
Haha me too. Now I’m not tempted to try it!
@The_Gas_Man: Haha! I can imagine it being on those facts that pop up before commercials. It’d be on the same list as those giant bridges, large cranes, big dump trucks, and mining operations.
Even at 125 lbs, I wouldn’t consume this if I hadn’t eaten anything all day. This makes a Big Mac looks healthy conscious.
They might have attracted less attention by calling it a “Milkshake Phelps” instead of a “Death Shake”. Bad marketing if you ask me.
In Japan, they’re starting to print the calories in snack foods on the front of the boxes in large print so you can see exactly how many calories you’re going to be eating without even picking up the box. I think this is a pretty good idea and should be something manufacturers have to do by law all over the world.
People should do whatever they want to their bodies, but they should also be making informed choices.
@ShariC: Something tells me folks that buy this shake won’t be looking at the nutritional data. But that’s just me.
That sounds perfect for my next ironman race.
The calcium in these will ensure that your ribs do not break as the doctors perform CPR after the eventual massive heart attack.
(I’m the guy who submitted the story, BTW. I figured folks would find it amusing/scary.)
“I think corporations need to share just a little responsibility too”
What do they want a healthy Ice Cream shop? Also I think the inch layer of caramel on the bottom of the glass should be the tip that its not o healthy for you.
PS. I think it looks quite tasty
Mmmm, Heath shake. Perfect finisher for the Six Dollar Burger. Then I’m going to step outside and light up a smoke.
With rising food prices something like this is handy. It is nice to know that baskin robbins knows that you can’t eat out as often as you used to, this handy shake provides a heart days food for under $5.
Woman an a diet? No problem! just split one, and an apple, and you’ll be good to go for the entire day.
Pretty crazy shake, that. But…
1. I love milkshakes.
2. I love Heath bars.
3. I’d probably eat half a small & realize I made a mistake.
Each time I crave a Blizzard from DQ (maybe twice a year), I just remind myself of the last time I had one. It was like getting a new cavity with every spoonful.
Food with nutritional content this grim will taste like it.
Not everyone is on a 3,000 calorie/day diet.
That would make a great dessert to dinner when I am out firefighting.
Seriously, I have eaten an MRE(3,000 calories) between lunch and dinner quite a few times. When you are working hard and exercising, you eat more.
That said, if your recommended diet is around 3,000/day, that would be most of your food for the day.
@corsec67: Professional athletes and the like can eat 10-12k calories a day just to break even. I had a friend with an ULTRA high metabolism who would eat entire pints of Ben & Jerry’s, or 1 lb bags of peanut butter cups as a snack. He ate maybe 5-6k calories when he wasn’t working out, and much more when he was, and he had a wiry thin muscular build. If he didn’t hate baskin robins, this shake would be up his alley.
If you’re recommended diet is 2-3k, and you ate this shake, you’d get your calories for the day, but not much else, like nutrients and such. So, your body would keep craving other things for sustenance. That’s how baskin robbins makes us fat!
@corsec67:
Sure, you can get away with eating a zillion calories, but refined sugar provides only “empty calories”–with no nutrition whatsoever. Furthermore, refined sugars cause insulin spikes, which are destructive to the heart and blood vessels.
If you’re working hard, it’s best to eat more protein and good fats.
At least they’re listing the value for the actual cup size instead of saying a serving is 8oz and there are 4 servings per container. They may be pushing a deathshake, but they’re at least honest about it.
Casket Robbins… (I know, that was lame.)
Here’s what I want to see:
A person whose girth requires them to occupy two seats on an airplane, but only buys one ticket, boards a plane, sits next to me, and then pulls out this drink.
The sheer F-U of that action would be the coolest thing I would ever see.
On the BR’s site, there a chart listing “Allergy Data” – one of the things listed was, ugh, “Crustaceans”. Is there a crab-flavored ice cream that I’m not aware of? Why the hell do they need to list this, if it doesn’t exist in their ice creams? (Or does it?)
@ElleDriver: Kelp extract is a common icecream additive to stabilize the product and produce a more consistent texture. Maybe its processing ends up trace amounts of shell? It’s the only thing from the ocean that I can think of that ends up in icecream, and it would affect all flavors.
That picture makes me want to go on a late night insulin run. Who’s with me?
a nice touch would be the grim reaper
drinking it.
@Firesoul1:
and before i forget, how can
the FDA even approve of this?!
“Crustaceans…”
The hired hands there have crabs. Does that count?
Good god, who eats this crap??? I’m almost vomiting just thinking about all that fat & sugar.
I agree that people should be able to choose their own foods but items like this are just ridiculous. There needs to be some sort of corporate responsibility to not put out HORRIBLY unhealthy things such as this shake. They need to at least start printing the nutrition facts on the cups. I bet you anything that there are people who order this & have NO IDEA just how ungodly bad it really is. I wouldn’t have guessed it was that unhealthy, that’s for sure.
I’m sorry why I can see it having a lot of Calories, but a 1/2lb of sugar at the that size. You would be drinking Cake Icing. Never had one, really never will. I make my own ice cream and shakes (no I do not make the milk, cost to much, and then I have to kill the cow).
@Ben_Q2:
I don’t think you’re milking the cow correctly.
I don’t think I’d eat one of these things even on one of my “gorge” days. I’ve been known to go nuts and ingest close to 10,000 calories in a day. It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if 2,300 of them came from just one milkshake.
I’d like to try it, just to see how they pulled that off. But I’d have to drink so little of it to survive the glucose rush, they should just offer it in shot glasses. Actually, wasn’t there a cupcake bakery that was selling shots of frosting a while ago? Hmm…
I’d seriously pay money for nicely crafted liquid candies served in 1.5 oz sizes. I mean, I know the existing blenders wouldn’t work for that volume, but I want it and I’m not in the mood to be realistic.
Making fun is all well and good but can you imagine that on top of a big slice of dutch apple pie?
That’s what cardiologists are for.
And it really does sound good… doesn’t it?
In the interest of actually having factual information on a fact-based blog, I’d like to point out that eating sugar does NOT cause Diabetes.
Jebus, people.
@grimmtooth:
are you joking? because im
not really good at detecting
sarcasm. for your reading pleasure
i have this for you.
[www.fda.gov]
@Firesoul1: Reading comprehension FAIL.
Diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are too high, as the page says. What it does NOT say is that sugar CAUSES diabetes. It DOES NOT.
Eating a candy bar will not GIVE you diabetes.
Drinking a milkshake will not GIVE you diabetes.
Seriously, I’m over here trying to fight misinformation and this sort of thing is making it worse.
@grimmtooth: You’re never going to be able to fight off the misinformation horde who take things and extrapolate them way too far. This is the Internet.
Having said that, I for one want to try this milkshake. Damn the calories and fat, it’s not like I’m gonna eat two anyways.
as a type I diabetic that’s 44 units of insulin for me… i usually only take an average of 50 in a whole day!
i know better than to even try it, but that amount of sugar would hospitalize me, literally
That thing must taste really really really REALLY good. But yeah, that is a little over the top..
@AbstractConcept:
i did the math and its equivalent
to drinking 360 BAWLS bottles.
one bottle of BAWLS has twice the
amount of caffine than coca-cola.
@Firesoul1:
caffine is still bad though lol.
I had one after I read about this shake back in May -
[health.yahoo.com]
I was going through a milkshake phase at the time (still am), and this seemed like the ultimate one.
It was ok, nothing special. Couldn’t finish it though – too big.
But after hearing the Oreo one has 2600 calories I might have to go back for that one…
/has a very high metabolism (artificial)
//not a fattie, 6′ 200lbs
///I drink your milkshake. I drink it up.
32 ounces of Corn Syrup and high fructose corn syrup.
Yep, yep, yep.
Back in the 70′s, I would have said, “Oh, they’re mixing a candy bar into my favorite ice cream treat — cool!”
But 320% of your recommended daily allowance of saturated fat?
266 g of sugar?
And trans fat — 2.5 grams — is this really necessary??
So, my choice is, have one of these shakes, or have 3 days of sensible meals — but not both?
In any case, in the 70′s, we did not have access to this kind of nutritional information. Kudos to whoever has in 2008 made it available (at least on-line, if not at the point of purchase). Customers should absolutely have the right to buy these toxic confections. They just should have adequate notice of how toxic they are.
@Cliff_Donner: Although your points are generally correct, I have to laugh a little bit at your boldening of 2.5g of Trans Fat. ZOMG 2.5 GRAMS?!! … the MREs I used to eat multiples of per day have quite a bit more than that despite being ‘only’ 1200-ish calories. Besides, given that this thing has more calories than most people should EAT in a day, 2.5g isn’t much.
@ZekeSulastin: Not of trans fat. Trans fat is an industrially created fat which serves no useful purpose in the human body. The only thing it has been shown to do is promote coronary artery disease. Recently, it’s been shown to also play a part in Alzheimer’s, liver problems, infertility, etc, etc.
That’s why you don’t see a daily percentage on that chart.
I would sincerely hope the manufacturers are looking to phase out trans fats in mre’s, since a number of countries are in the process of forcing companies to reduce or eliminate trans fats from the food that their citizens eat.
There’s nothing stopping someone from buying it, sticking it in the freezer, and eating it over the course of a few days.
@Poisonous Taoist: Nobody does that. For example, if you look on the nutrition label of a 20 oz bottle of soda, it says “2.5 servings.”
I don’t know anyone who buys a 20 oz. bottle of soda and then takes 2.5 days to drink it.
@Poisonous Taoist: yeah, but most people don’t do that. they eat the whole thing, and swear up and down that they can’t loose weight. I get people like that at the restuarant i work at all the time. (mostly women) will say things like “i’m trying to watch my weight. i’ll have a caeser salad and a cup of seafood chower (which is a creamy soup.)” that’s almost 30 grams of fat right there.
but yes, thats alot of freakin’ calories. i’m not saying they should stop selling it, but i think places need to be more open as to how many calories are in their food. fat makes food taste good, but i’m sure that if some of the items in this thing were replaced with lower fat items, most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
I’ll take the Angioplasty for $500, Alex.
@ForrestWhitakersLazyEye: Under today’s category, “Deadly Potables.”
@ForrestWhitakersLazyEye: Even if your heart doesn’t cack out, the dental work will wreck you.
This sumbitch outdoes the Hardee’s Monster Thickburger by almost 1,000 calories. And it’s a shake. There’s not even any meat or cheese in it.
“I’m having a health shake.”
“No, moron. That’s a HEATH shake.”
Ingredients: reduced fat milk, heath bar crunch ice cream (cream, nonfat milk, caramel ribbon (corn syrup, sweetened condensed whole milk (milk, sugar), water, high fructose corn syrup, butter (cream, salt), propylene glycol, sodium alginate, salt, natural and artificial vanilla flavors, potassium sorbate (preservative), soy lecithin, annatto color, sodium bicarbonate, propyl paraben (preservative)) , heath® bar candy pieces [milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), salt, and vanillin (an artificial flavoring)), sugar, palm oil, dairy butter (milk), almonds, salt, artificial flavoring, and soy lecithin], sugar, corn syrup, toffee base (sweetened condensed whole milk, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, natural flavor, disodium phosphate, and salt), whey powder, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, guar gum, carrageenan, polysorbate 80), fudge topping (corn syrup, sugar, water, hydrogenated coconut oil, nonfat milk, cocoa (treated with alkali), modified corn starch, salt, sodium bicarbonate, disodium phosphate, potassium sorbate (a preservative), natural and artificial flavors, soy lecithin), jamoca ice cream (cream, nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, jamoca extract (coffee extract, sugar, potassium sorbate and methyl paraben (as preservatives)) whey, caramel color, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, carob bean gum, guar gum), caramel praline topping (corn syrup, sweetened condensed whole mil, water, sugar, modified food starch, butter, salt, propylene glycol, natural and artificial flavor, sodium citrate, xanthan gum, lecithin, potassium sorbate and propyl paraben as preservatives), hershey’s® heath® milk chocolate english toffee (milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], salt, and vanillin [an artificial flavoring]), sugar, palm oil, dairy butter (milk), almonds, salt, artificial flavoring, and soy lecithin), whipped cream (whipped cream (cream, milk, sugar, dextrose, nonfat dry milk, artificial flavor, mono & diglycerides, carrageenan, mixed tocopherols (vitamin e), to protect flavor, propellant: nitrous oxide).
***
I know, I know it’s right at the link. But lordy-lou, look at that list!
I just did the math. This abomination is 55 Weight Watchers points. To be allowed that number of points in one day you would have to weigh almost 550 lbs!
@audiochick: Ahhh, but if you drank one of those every day, you *would* weight 550 lbs.!
I’ve had those a couple timesin the past…well not the heath but the Reeses. Yummy! Never new they wer that loaded tho.
When I used to work at Starbucks (I know, I know….) the Toffee Almond Bars used to be called Toffee Heath bars or something similar to that.
At 5 am, people always misread it as “Health” and would order 2 or 3 of them with their morning coffee, thinking they were healthy. >_<
All I can say is “Yummm!!” That’s decadence at it’s finest. I was hitting the Baskin-Robbins on vacation pretty much every night,but I never tried one of those.
The DQ Moo-Latte rules all,and they’re cheaper than what you get at that coffee place.
I’ve gotten to where I don’t buy any of those types of drinks anymore. I usually treat myself to one onn special occasions such as my birthday,the holidays,vacation etc…
That stuff goes straight to my gut and rear-end.
yea, but it has no HFCS in it, all natural cane sugar so that must make it all right
@papahoth: HFCS is something like the fifth ingredient
@papahoth: Bzz. look at the ingredients list, there’s a of HFCS.
And yes, sugar is less disgusting than HFCS, contrary to the intended point of your sarcastic remark.
@West Coast Secessionist: meant “A lot of HFCS”…
@Kyattsuai: Best laugh I’ve had in a week.
The ingredient list has to be one for the record books. But aren’t we overreacting just a bit? At least it has no trace of crustacean.