I don’t find out about you, however I undoubtedly didn’t have protein Food regimen Coke on my 2024 bingo card. Sure, actually: Individuals in Utah have apparently made this a factor, and it’s been popping all through TikTok as increasingly more people give it a shot too. Actually, the video that reportedly impressed the fad has amassed a whopping 2.3 million views in three days.

To be clear, protein Food regimen Coke isn’t an precise, official product offered by the Coca-Cola Firm, however somewhat a mashup improvised by macro-focused soda followers. To make one, all it’s essential do is pour a vanilla-flavored protein shake (Core Energy, per the video) right into a cup of fountain soda and slosh the contents round a bit. The meant function? Making your favourite drink that rather more protein-dense.

I had two questions come to thoughts: One, does the mix really style good? And two, are there any dietary advantages (or drawbacks) related to mixing these two components? Primarily based on a fast skim of the feedback part, plenty of people appeared equally involved in regards to the potential GI influence. This remark alone has 16.6k likes: “My digestive system would by no means recuperate.”

Regardless that my colleagues had been skeptical, I figured it was price a strive. I bought a Huge Gulp at a close-by 7-Eleven and waited till I used to be again at my workplace so as to add the Core Energy (partly as a result of I figured it could be simpler to combine the combo at my desk, but additionally as a result of I didn’t wish to face the judgment of the opposite 7-Eleven patrons). Full almost to the brim, my drink resembled a root beer float: a bubbly, pale brown liquid. And far to the shock of my colleagues (and myself), it—shocker—really tasted like one too: fizzy however creamy, with a definite trace of vanilla. Total, fairly good; I’d say my expectations had been exceeded.

With the style query out of the way in which, it was time to verify in with the specialists for the dietary rundown. Is that this development really innocent? Or may the combination of carbonated soda and dairy really damage your abdomen, particularly if you happen to’re consuming up after a exercise, when many people attain for protein shakes? (And even when it is innocent, what precisely is the purpose?)

“I may see some execs,” Jessica Isaacs, RD, CSSD, a sports activities dietitian, tells SELF. Whereas the soda itself doesn’t have any actual dietary advantages, the addition of the shake will clearly present protein (26 grams, to be precise), to not point out some carbs, electrolytes, and calcium—all of that are useful not solely after a exercise, but additionally simply generally. “You’re taking one thing like a Food regimen Coke that doesn’t actually have any vitamin, and also you’re growing the vitamin of it, primarily,” Isaacs says.

For that motive, there’s no benefit to consuming a protein Food regimen Coke over the Core Energy shake by itself, in line with Isaacs. That stated, the mix may very well be a strong choice for individuals who don’t just like the style of protein shakes on their very own or who wish to make their Food regimen Cokes a tad extra nutritious. If you happen to battle to soak up sufficient protein all through the day and this appeals to you, “I may see that being helpful,” Isaacs says. Nevertheless, she notes that the mix of dairy, caffeine, and carbonation may trigger or exacerbate bloating and gasoline in those that have delicate stomachs. (Whereas Core Energy is made with milk, it’s additionally lactose-free attributable to its ultra-filtered manufacturing, so it shouldn’t trigger a difficulty for individuals who have hassle with dairy. Nevertheless, different milk-based protein shakes may not be as effectively tolerated.)