Review of NUTRISENS Récup 10 high-protein cream

To aid recovery, Nutrisens offers a ready-to-eat dairy cream to be consumed within 30 minutes after exercise. The goal: to provide the proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals necessary for your body’s regeneration before your next challenges. We tasted it in its three available flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and now apricot, available since January 2019.

By Pierre-Maxime BRANCHE. Photos: 3bikes.fr and Julien Rabier.

Récup 10 is a high-protein dairy cream designed to meet the needs of athletes after exercise. Ready-to-eat in 100g portions, it provides 10g of protein and 18.5g of carbohydrates (of which 12.1g are sugars) to contribute to optimal recovery, as well as minerals (calcium, potassium, and phosphorus) to compensate for losses and prevent exhaustion. Already available in Chocolate and Vanilla flavors, it is now offered in a brand new Apricot flavor.

A pouch format

The packaging of Récup 10 is practical with this flexible 100g pouch, no more than about fifteen centimeters high. It slips easily into bags or pockets to take anywhere. Then, simply twist the cap to taste the cream by squeezing the belly of the pouch or folding it in on itself. This avoids containers like cans or boxes with a lid or cover to remove, which you often don’t know what to do with… There’s no risk of piercing the pouch and getting it all over your fingers, pockets, or bag during transport because the plastic is very resistant when you twist it in all directions.

The texture: a slight lack of indulgence

In terms of texture, you obviously shouldn’t expect a crème… brûlée, caramel, chantilly, or anglaise. But Récup 10 is still quite close to the texture of a pastry cream, both a little firm and a little pasty. This high-protein cream is smooth and lump-free, it holds well, and its consistency is pleasant to enjoy after exercise. You don’t choke on a texture that’s too thick and sticks to the palate, even if it would be more indulgent if it were a little more liquid. But otherwise, it goes down smoothly, as they say.

Faithful flavors

It’s certainly less indulgent than the pastry cream we mentioned earlier, but Récup 10, in its three available flavors, brings pleasure to the taste buds after exercise. If you close your eyes, you’ll have no problem recognizing the flavors as they are very faithful. Starting with Apricot, the new 2019 flavor, which also brings freshness to the mouth, just like the Vanilla flavor. The chocolate version is very strong. With this slightly thick cream, it’s robust to taste, like many chocolate-flavored energy products, for that matter. It’s a shame the flavors aren’t natural. The sugar isn’t too present during and after consumption, which is a good point.

Too many saturated fatty acids

A 100g sachet provides 165 kcal, which is a reasonable portion to start recovering immediately after exercise. The protein content of 10g is a bit limited, however, especially if you’re coming off a big competition or several hours of training. You’ll need to add a protein drink, for example, to reach the 25g of protein needed for good muscle reconstruction. Simple sugars are present in good quantity with 12.5g per 100g, but this poses little problem in the first half-hour after exercise because, during this anabolic window, the body is more inclined to optimally synthesize the nutrients it receives to restore its energy reserves. Finally, note the 2.4g of saturated fatty acids for this small sachet, which is quite a lot. We would then supplement this recovery drink with fruits, for example.

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