Boost High Protein Chocolate Sensation: 15g Protein, Labelgrade C+ (69/100)
C+ 69 / 100 — Mass-market clinical-style nutrition drink. Modest 15g protein per bottle puts this below the 'protein shake' tier (Premier/Quest/ON Gold Standard all hit 24-30g per bottle). 33g of carbs (mostly corn syrup + sugar) is the meaningful caloric load — Boost is positioned for calorie/weight gain or medical use, not workout recovery.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Boost High Protein Chocolate Sensation delivers 15 g of protein for 239 calories in an 8 fl oz (237 ml) bottle (USDA FDC 2468764). Read that ratio honestly and it tells you what this product is: roughly 16 calories for every gram of protein, where the shakes it sits next to on the shelf run closer to 5. Boost isn’t a workout shake that happens to have sugar — it’s Nestle’s clinical-nutrition drink, engineered to push calories and a full multivitamin into people who struggle to eat enough, with protein as one line item among many. It earns a Labelgrade C+ (69/100): near-perfect on saturated fat and sodium, fully fortified, but dragged down by a D on sugar (12 of its 15 g are added) and modest protein density. For its actual job — geriatric and recovery nutrition, weight maintenance — it’s a sound pick. As a protein shake, it’s outclassed.
Why the C+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 59 / 100 | 6.3 g per 100 ml. The 15 g per bottle clears the FDA “high in protein” bar (30% of the 50 g DV) but sits well below the 24-42 g of purpose-built shakes |
| Ingredient quality | C | 62 / 100 | Corn syrup is the #2 ingredient and cane sugar the #3 — the calorie-delivery design — followed by soy protein isolate, two caseinates, carrageenan, phosphate salts, and a 24-item vitamin/mineral premix. Honest for clinical nutrition; not “clean” by sports standards |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 98 / 100 | 1 g per bottle — the vegetable-oil blend (canola, sunflower, corn) keeps saturated fat negligible |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 199 mg per bottle, ~84 mg per 100 ml — low, and lower than most RTD shakes despite the added salt and sodium caseinate |
| Sugar load | D | 52 / 100 | 15 g sugar, 12 g of it added; only ~3 g is natural lactose. The honest grade drag — and a real consideration for anyone managing blood sugar |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — structural for a smooth clinical beverage |
The grade isn’t a verdict that Boost is bad — it’s a verdict that Boost is built for a different goal than the shakes it gets shelved beside. Strip away the sugar score and the protein density and the rest of the card is excellent. But Labelgrade weights added sugar heavily, and a clinical-nutrition drink that leads with corn syrup is always going to take that hit. The D is fair, and it’s also kind of the point.
The protein-to-calorie tell
The fastest way to understand Boost is to put its efficiency next to the shakes shoppers actually cross-shop it against. Protein per calorie is the number that separates the categories:
| Product | Protein | Calories | Cal per g protein | Added sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boost High Protein (this product) | 15 g | 239 | ~16 | 12 g |
| Premier Protein Vanilla (11.5 fl oz) | 30 g | 159 | ~5.3 | 0 g |
| Fairlife Core Power Elite 42g (14 fl oz) | 42 g | 232 | ~5.5 | 0 g |
Premier and Fairlife are engineered to make protein cheap in calories — about a gram for every 5 calories, the territory of whey isolate stirred into water. Boost spends three times as many calories per gram of protein because most of its calories aren’t protein at all; they’re the corn syrup and cane sugar doing the work the product was designed to do. Same shelf, opposite missions. If you’re filling a calorie or nutrition gap, Boost’s density is an asset. If you’re filling a protein target without the calories, it’s the wrong bottle and the table shows why.
What it’s genuinely good at
Boost’s heritage is medical nutrition, and that lineage shows up as real strengths the protein number undersells. The fortification is the headline: 351 mg of calcium (about 27% of the Daily Value), 4.5 mg of iron, 450 mg of potassium, and a 24-nutrient vitamin/mineral premix — meaningfully more complete than a sports shake, which tends to optimize macros and skip the micronutrient breadth. The calorie density that hurts the Labelgrade is, in context, the feature: 239 calories in a small 8 oz bottle is easy to finish for someone with a poor appetite, post-surgery, or losing weight through illness, where a leaner shake would mean fewer calories per swallow. And the protein it does carry is complete and high-quality — milk protein concentrate plus soy protein isolate and caseinates, covering the full amino-acid profile. For an older adult fighting muscle loss or low dairy intake, that combination of calories, complete protein, and micronutrients in one drinkable serving is exactly the design brief.
A note on which bottle you have
Boost High Protein has been reformulated more than once, so the label in your hand may not match the data this page is graded on. USDA FDC 2468764 lists 15 g of protein; many current retail bottles print 20 g — a newer formula we haven’t re-ingested. Everything above (the C+, the sugar D, the comparison math) reflects the 15 g USDA snapshot. If your bottle says 20 g, the protein density improves and some of the gap to the sports shakes narrows, but the sugar load and clinical-nutrition positioning are unchanged. The “Chocolate Sensation” name is specific to the High Protein line; if a bottle reads “Rich Chocolate,” that’s a different Boost SKU (Original or Glucose Control) with its own macros — always check the panel.
Ingredients
Water, corn syrup, sugar, milk protein concentrate, vegetable oil (canola, high oleic sunflower, corn), and less than 2% of cocoa processed with alkali, soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, potassium citrate, magnesium chloride, calcium phosphate, salt, cellulose gel and gum, magnesium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, choline bitartrate, DL-alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, carrageenan, stevia leaf extract, potassium chloride, ferric pyrophosphate, natural and artificial flavor, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine hydrochloride, beta-carotene, vitamin A palmitate, riboflavin, folic acid, chromium chloride, biotin, potassium iodide, vitamin K1, sodium selenite, sodium molybdate, vitamin D3, vitamin B12. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2468764.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 bottle (8 fl oz / 237 ml)
041679394878See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 bottle (8 fl oz / 237 ml)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 239 |
| Protein | 15g |
| Total Fat | 6g |
| Saturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 33g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 15g |
| Added Sugars | 12g |
| Sodium | 199mg |
| Cholesterol | 9mg |
| Calcium | 351mg |
| Iron | 4.5mg |
| Potassium | 450mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Boost High Protein Chocolate Sensation Nutritional Drink (8 fl oz (237 ml) bottle) · UPC 041679394878. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Boost High Protein Chocolate Sensation?
15 g per 8 fl oz (237 ml) bottle in USDA's snapshot (FDC 2468764) — about 6.3 g per 100 ml. That's the lower end of the ready-to-drink shake aisle; for context, the same shelf holds Premier Protein at 30 g and Fairlife Core Power Elite at 42 g per bottle. Note that current Boost High Protein retail bottles often print 20 g — a reformulation newer than the USDA data this page is graded on.
Why is the protein only 15g when the bottle says 'High Protein'?
The 'High Protein' name is an FDA claim, not a tier ranking. 15 g is 30% of the 50 g Daily Value, clearing the 20% threshold the FDA requires for 'high in protein' — so the label is legitimate. It just sits at the bottom of the range of products that carry it. 'High Protein' here means 'more than regular Boost' (~10 g), not 'as much as a sports shake.'
Why does a protein drink lead with corn syrup and sugar?
Because Boost is a clinical-nutrition drink first and a protein product second. Corn syrup is the #2 ingredient by weight and cane sugar the #3 — together they drive 12 g of added sugar and most of the 33 g carb load. In its core use case (older adults, post-surgical and chemo recovery, anyone struggling to eat enough), those fast-digesting calories are the feature. For a workout-recovery shake, they're the flaw — which is exactly the gap the Labelgrade's D-on-sugar captures.
Is this a medical food?
No — Boost is a consumer 'nutritional drink' sold without a prescription. It's widely used in elderly care and recovery settings because the calorie + protein + 24-nutrient profile fits patients who can't eat enough, but it isn't formally regulated as a medical food. A separate SKU, Boost Glucose Control, is the lower-sugar version aimed at diabetes management; this Chocolate Sensation bottle is the general-purpose one.
How does it compare to Premier Protein?
Different product classes. Premier Protein Vanilla delivers 30 g protein for 159 calories and 1 g sugar; Boost gives you 15 g for 239 calories and 15 g sugar. Premier is built to maximize protein per calorie (5.3 cal per gram of protein); Boost is built to deliver calories and broad nutrition, so it runs the opposite way (about 16 cal per gram of protein). Pick Boost when calories are wanted, Premier when calories are the constraint.
How much added sugar is that, really?
12 g of added sugar per bottle is roughly 24% of the FDA's 50 g Daily Value for added sugar — in one 8 oz serving. Of the 15 g total sugar, only ~3 g is natural lactose from the milk protein; the rest is the corn syrup and cane sugar. If you're managing blood sugar or counting added sugar, that's the number that matters here, and it's the single biggest reason this lands at C+ instead of higher.
What does the fortification actually deliver?
351 mg calcium (about 27% of the 1,300 mg DV), 4.5 mg iron, 450 mg potassium, plus a 24-item vitamin and mineral premix — genuinely strong for a beverage. For an older adult or anyone with low dairy and produce intake, this fortification is the real value of the product, independent of the protein number.