After drinking a couple bottles of vanilla Ensure High Protein, I wanted to try some other flavors. There are lots of varieties of Ensure so I compared some nutrition values:
| Nutritional Item | Original | Plus | High Protein | Max Protein |
| Serving Size | 8 oz | 8 oz | 8 oz | 11 oz |
| Calories | 220 | 350 | 160 | 150 |
| Total Fat | 6 g | 11 g | 2 g | 1.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g | 1 g | 0.5 g | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | <5 mg | 10 mg | 20 mg | 20 mg |
| Sodium | 210 mg | 210 mg | 210 mg | 140 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 32 g | 50 g | 19 g | 6 g |
| Protein | 9 g | 13 g | 16 g | 30 g |
| Calcium | 25% | 25% | 40% | 50% |
| Potassium | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Phosphorus | 15% | 15% | 25% | 40% |
Looking at cholesterol and phosphorus levels, the original shake is probably best, though there is only 9 g of protein. After all, these are protein shakes. I wonder how Abbot decides on the nutritional content of each Ensure product. Do scientists or nutritionists come up with the recipe or does marketing?
Amazon seems to have the best prices: you can get a 24 packs for ~$26, or a 16 pack for $20. Target sells six packs for $8, which is more expensive but you don’t have to buy a lot at once. I think I want to try out the chocolate and the strawberry flavors. Abbott’s website lists a lot more flavors but they’re hard to find in stores.
Life with chronic diseases 
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