Nutrition Questions & Answers | Ensure® Nutrition Facts

Ensure Complete will be available in 4-count packages

Complete nutrition with nutrients to support immune system, muscle, heart, digestion and bone health.
Immune health is supported by Zinc, Vitamin A, and antioxidants (Vitamins C and E and Selenium).
Muscle health is supported by 30g of high-quality protein.
Heart health is supported by Ensure Complete being an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid ALA.
Digestive health is supported by 4g of Comfort Fiber Blend with prebiotic fiber.
Bone health is supported by Vitamin D and Calcium.

Yes, Ensure nutrition shakes are SNAP^*/EBT eligible.
^*SNAP is a trademark of the US Department of Agriculture and an abbreviation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. No endorsement of any brand or product by the USDA is implied or intended.

A variety of ingredients are used in Ensure shakes to support one’s nutrition needs. These nutrients are all safe for humans and have been used in various other foods. For example, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and/or soy protein isolate are used to provide high quality protein; canola oil provides healthy fats; vitamins and minerals are included in Ensure drinks as well. Please check the Ingredients section on the label for the complete list.

No, Ensure products are not sugar-free. Ensure Max Protein contains 1 gram of sugar per 11-oz serving. As a comparison, one cup (8oz) of 1% or fat-free milk contains about 12 grams of sugar and a cup of chocolate-flavored skim milk contains 23 grams of sugar.<sup>*

*</sup> Nutrition information sourced from USDA National Nutrient Database. https://ndb.nal.usda.gov

Ensure products are designed for individuals without diabetes. Another Abbott Nutrition product line, Glucerna, is specifically designed for people with diabetes, which contains a blend of more slowly digested carbohydrates to help minimize blood sugar response.

Ensure products, on the other hand, can fit into the meal plan for a person with diabetes. It is important to account for the carbohydrates contributed by Ensure and measure blood sugar at least two hours after consuming to determine the effect on blood sugar levels so that necessary adjustments can be made. We recommend that an individual with diabetes consult with their healthcare provider regarding adult nutritional products or supplements.

All Ensure products contain some lactose but do not represent a medical concern for individuals with lactose intolerance due to the small amount. However, Ensure Plant-Based Protein is lactose free.

Ensure products should not be consumed by people with galactosemia.

Different Ensure products are designed to meet different nutrition needs. Some Ensure Products (Ensure Original, Ensure Plus, and Ensure Complete ) are designed to provide complete, balanced nutrition to help people gain or maintain healthy weight, particularly for patients who are at risk of malnutrition or are experiencing involuntary weight loss. On the other hand, Ensure High Protein and Ensure Max Protein are designed to provide supplemental protein and other nutrients in fewer calories.

Ensure can be used as a delicious meal supplement, occasional meal replacement, or convenient between-meal snack. Ensure can benefit people who are on modified diets, at nutritional risk, experiencing involuntary weight loss, recovering from illness or surgery, or on low-residue diets. Although Ensure was not designed specifically for weight loss, it can be used as part of a balanced, calorie-reduced diet for weight loss, as long as the total calories for the day stay within the weight-loss calorie level recommended for you. We would encourage you to speak with your healthcare professional about an appropriate weight-loss plan for you. Note: Ensure Max Protein is a food supplement and should not be used for weight reduction.

Yes, Ensure ready-to-drink shakes and drinks are gluten-free.

Yes, Ensure ready-to-drink shakes and drinks can be used as a snack and as an occasional meal replacement.

Yes, Ensure ready-to-drink shakes and drinks can be warmed before use. We recommend using more gentle warming techniques that do not reach boiling, such as short duration, low-power microwaving in a microwave-safe container or placing an open container in a hot water bath. If intending to consume the product frozen, we recommend transferring into a freezer-save storage container with a lid that will accommodate a larger space for the product to expand during freezing.

Once a bottle of Ensure ready-to-drink shakes and drinks have been opened, it should be used or refrigerated within four hours. The remaining product should be used or discarded after 48 hours.

Yes, different fruits can be added to Ensure ready-to-drink shakes and drinks to make a smoothie or a shake. Fruits tend to be high in certain essential vitamins and can contain a moderate amount of calories depending on the amount used. Adding fruit can increase the vitamin and total calorie content of the finished product.

Ensure Hi-Cone carriers are made with Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), #4 plastic. Hi-Cone rings will lose approximately 75% of their strength within days when exposed to direct sunlight. So, cutting the rings is not necessary. However, cutting Hi-Cone carriers is always a proactive measure that you can take. Also, there is a small tab located on the front of the package that allows you to open up the package one ring at a time. This makes storage and the removal of bottles easier, eliminating the need to cut the rings after use. Hi-cone carriers can be included in recycling bins wherever #4 LDPE or mixed plastics are accepted. Visit Earth911 ^® to find a recycling center near you.

Hi-Cone carriers are not biodegradable. Biodegradation only occurs in composting facilities, which is not the most likely end-of-life scenario for Hi-Cone carriers. Biodegradation does not occur in landfills. Like any other material, very little happens to Hi-Cone carriers in a landfill. Landfills are constructed so materials do not degrade, contaminate groundwater, or produce harmful by-products.

The recommended intake of Ensure Enlive is 2 servings per day to provide 3 grams of CaHMB.

HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) comes from a building block of protein and is found in small amounts in some foods. It is difficult to get enough HMB from your diet. HMB supports muscle health.

Ensure High Protein is designed as an oral nutritional supplement to be used in addition to a healthy diet. The maximum amount of Ensure High Protein that someone can consume per day is 2 servings. This level will not exceed the Upper Tolerable Intake Levels (ULs) for any vitamins and minerals.

Ensure Clear is not a source of complete, balanced nutrition and it does not contain fat. It is designed for people who need to be on a clear liquid diet, or a fat restricted diet. It is ideal for people who prefer a fruit-flavored alternative to creamy shake-like supplements.

If the patient has followed his/her healthcare professional’s instructions for preparation for the colonoscopy procedure, it is very unlikely that the dyes in Ensure Clear would be present in the GI tract.

Note: Ensure Clear or other Ensure products should not be consumed once the colonoscopy preparation has started.

Yes. One bottle of Ensure Compact provides the same amount of calorie and protein, and complete, balanced nutrition as one bottle of Ensure Original.

Ensure Compact is an easy-to-drink, 4-fl-oz product that provides complete, balanced nutrition to supplement an individual’s diet when they are unable to consume an 8-fl-oz product. It provides 220 calories, 9 grams of protein, and 25 vitamins and minerals.

They are not identical. Both Ensure Original Powder and Ensure Original bottles provide complete, balanced nutrition, delivering protein and energy and helping fill potential nutrition gaps. The bottle (retail) provides 220 calories and 9 grams of high-quality protein. Ensure Original Powder provides 250 calories and 9 grams of high-quality protein. There are minor differences in levels of micronutrients.

	Ensure Original Nutrition Powder	Ensure Original
Serving Size	8 fl oz	8 fl oz
Calories	250	220
Carbohydrates, g	34	32
Sugars	13	10
Protein, g	9	9
Fat, g	9	6

We recommend you follow the instructions on the label for the correct preparation of Ensure powder. If milk is added to Ensure Powder instead of water for oral consumption, it is important to note that the product will no longer be suitable for lactose intolerance and the nutritional profile will be different than the product label.

Ensure Surgery is a nutrition shake containing protein, arginine, and fish oil to help your body recover after surgery.

Surgery creates unique nutrition needs that may not be met through a normal, balanced diet alone. Doctors recommend this specialized Ensure Surgery immunonutrition shake to help your body prepare for, and recover from, surgery.

It’s important that you follow your doctor’s nutrition recommendations. Drinking the recommended number of shakes before and/or after surgery will help you meet your nutrition needs for recovery. Unless otherwise instructed by your healthcare team, you should also continue to eat meals as you normally would. You should not consume more than 3 servings per day.

Patients with diabetes should consult their healthcare provider about changes to their meal plans when drinking Ensure Surgery shake.

Surgical patients are at high risk of malnutrition and need the nutritional support of calories and carbohydrates. Ensure Surgery is calorically dense (1.39 kcal/mL), with high protein to support wound healing and improve outcomes. The caloric density of Ensure Surgery is consistent with most immunonutrition formulas studied to date.

Surgery creates unique nutrition needs for your body. Ensure Pre-Surgery is formulated for those needs, with carbohydrates and antioxidants to help your body recover after surgery.

This specialized Ensure nutrition drink is designed to help your body prepare for, and recover from, surgery. It’s important that you follow your doctor’s nutrition recommendations to help with recovery.

Ensure Clear is an alternative to a milk-based product that can be used 5-7 days prior to surgery and after surgery to improve nutritional status. It is not intended to be used for carbohydrate-loading immediately prior to surgery. The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol recommends a clear beverage containing carbohydrate (maltodextrin) that is low in osmolality, without protein and fat.

Ensure Max Protein offers the same convenience of a ready-to-drink shake and contains 30 grams of protein with 1 gram of sugar per serving.

	Ensure High Protein	Ensure Max Protein
Serving Size	8oz	11oz
High‑Quality Protein	16g	30g
Calories	160	150
Sugar(s)	4g	1g
Net Carbs	19g (Vanilla)	4g
Flavors	Milk Chocolate, Vanilla, & Strawberry	Café Mocha, Milk Chocolate, French Vanilla, Creamy Strawberry, Milk Chocolate with Caffeine, Creamy Peach & Cherry Cheesecake
Vitamins & Minerals	27	25

1-2 per day. Ensure Max Protein shakes can be used as a convenient on-the-go snack or to increase protein intake with meals. Drinking more than 2 servings per day may provide too much protein and too few carbohydrates and calories to meet nutritional needs.

Yes, but no more than 1 serving per day of Ensure Max Protein Café Mocha/Ensure Max Protein Milk Chocolate with caffeine is recommended, due to the caffeine content (100mg/serving). Note: 1 cup (8oz) of coffee contains about 100mg caffeine.

Consult with a healthcare professional to determine which nutrition shakes are right for you.

Yes, there are natural strawberry derivatives and no artificial flavoring in this formulation.

Sucralose was used in order to be more appealing to the palate.

All new food additives, including sweeteners, must be approved by the FDA as safe before they can be marketed in the United States. The FDA reviewed data from multiple studies in animals and humans before approving Ace-K and sucralose to be added to foods and beverages. Many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects; no such effects were found. FDA approval of Ace-K and sucralose is based on its finding that these substances are safe for human consumption.

No, this formulation is colorless and contains no added dyes, similar in appearance to water.

Yes, all ingredients in Ensure Plant-Based Protein are non-GMO.

No.

Yes.

No.

Ensure Plant-Based Protein uses fava bean and pea-based protein sources. With the exception of soy, legume-based proteins are not complete proteins because they contain low levels of some of the nine essential amino acids found in complete protein. However, when these proteins are consumed with other plant-based proteins, such as grains, the diet should supply an adequate amount of all essential amino acids.

A blend of 70% fava bean and 30% pea proteins. Based on the ingredient label, there is more protein coming from fava bean versus pea.

Fava beans are legumes that are a popular source of protein in Middle-Eastern diets.

Fava beans provide a source of protein that has a favorable taste profile relative to other plant-based proteins.

Organic cane sugar, stevia, and monk fruit are sweeteners used in Ensure Plant-Based Protein.

No corn ingredients are added to Ensure Plant-Based Protein. However, because small amounts of cornstarch-based carriers are used for vitamins/minerals, corn may be present in trace amounts.

Carriers are used in manufacturing to ensure that ingredients used in small quantities are properly incorporated during mixing.

Per the FDA definition of milk, Ensure Plant-Based Protein does not contain milk. It is dairy-free and lactose-free.

Yes, this product is lactose-free.

No.

Yes.

No caffeine is added. Although there may be inherent caffeine from the cocoa in the Chocolate flavor, it is likely less than 10 mg.

Vanilla is halal, Chocolate is not.

Yes.

Yes.

No, this product is not intended or recommended to be used as sole-source nutrition.

No. However, Ensure Plant-Based Protein is not intended or recommended to be used as sole-source nutrition.

Yes.

Yes.

No, the product has not been assessed for tube feeding.

Please refer to the below link to understand product availability:

https://ensure.com/where-to-buy-ensure?ps-sku=57231

Ensure Plant-Based Protein is available in Chocolate and Vanilla flavors.

Ensure Plant-Based Protein will be available to institutional customers. The formulation and size are the same as the version available to consumers through retailers.

1. Should you not agree that Ensure Plant-Based Protein has a great taste, you can take advantage of its money-back Great Taste Guarantee via the following steps:
2. Visit https://ensure.com/great-taste-guarantee
3. Click the “download form” button
4. On the original register receipt, circle the purchase price and, if applicable, the discount price. Cut the UPC from your Ensure Plant-Based Protein package.
5. Within 30 days of product purchase, send your completed form, original register receipt, and UPC to the address listed on the web page.

225-275 mOsm/Kg water.

	Ensure Original Shakes Vanilla	Ensure Plant-Based Protein Vanilla
Serving size	8 fl oz	11 fl oz
Calories	220	180
Protein	9 g	20 g
Fiber	<1 g	5 g
Sugars	10 g	7 g
Vitamins & Minerals	27	25
Qualifications	Suitable for lactose intolerance, gluten-free	Non-GMO, no dairy, no soy, no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial colors, gluten-free, lactose-free