Breakfast shake with 34% Korean black soybean: Cleanit Black Bean

Why I went looking for a breakfast replacement shake again

Cleanit Black Bean is a plant-based protein shake made with Korean sorité (black soybean), and I tried it as a breakfast substitute. After my second baby, I started noticing more gray hair and my stamina just wasn't what it used to be, so I'd been trying to figure out something simple but healthy to eat every morning.

Honestly, there are so many tasty meal-replacement shakes on the market. I had one I used to drink regularly too. But when I actually looked at the ingredient label, I noticed the protein source was often unclear, or there were a lot of additives for flavor. A pleasant taste is nice, but if it's something I eat every day, I figured I should check the ingredients more carefully. 🤔 While looking for something that could keep things simple in a busy morning but still take care of my health, I found the sorité protein shake 'Cleanit Black Bean' and decided to try it myself. 😊

34% Korean black soybean: how much seoritae is in one cup?

What caught my eye most when choosing Cleanit Black Bean was the raw ingredient content. Based on one serving (40g), it contains 34% roasted sorité powder, meaning you get about 13.6g of sorité per cup. Most regular black soybean soy milk products only contain around 1% actual sorité, so this genuinely felt like it delivered the nutrition of black soybeans themselves.

I already knew that the anthocyanin pigment in sorité skin is good for antioxidants, but while researching this time I learned it also contains isoflavones and dietary fiber. Isoflavones are a plant estrogen compound found in beans, and Korean sorité, being a soybean-family black bean, actually contains a meaningful amount. Apparently, working together with vitamin E, they boost skin elasticity and nourish hair roots, which is why they're known to help with anti-aging and hair loss prevention. Turns out there's a real reason everyone reaches for black beans when worried about aging or hair. 👍

Biotin 1,000μg and brewer's yeast 600mg for postpartum hair worries

Honestly, the thing I was happiest to see on the Cleanit Black Bean label was the biotin and brewer's yeast. After giving birth, my hair started falling out noticeably, and I'd heard from other moms a few times that taking biotin helps. But since I was already taking so many supplements, adding another one felt like a hassle, so I let it slide. Then I saw this shake had biotin and 600mg of brewer's yeast in it and thought, 'wait, this is exactly that.' Haha.

Biotin is known to support keratin synthesis, which makes up hair and nails, and brewer's yeast has an amino acid composition similar to human hair structure, so it's also said to be good for nourishment.

Checking the retailer's page, biotin was listed at 1,000μg, which is 3,333% of the daily recommended intake. That felt like enough that I wouldn't need to take a separate supplement. I never had the confidence to keep up with taking supplements on my own, but knowing it was already in my morning shake felt like one less thing to worry about. 😁

1.9g sugar and 113mg sodium: plant-based and easy on the stomach

Cleanit Black Bean is mainly made up of plant-based ingredients like pea protein, rice protein powder, and chicory dietary fiber, so it's comfortable even for people who have trouble digesting dairy. Looking at the nutrition facts, sugar is 1.9g and sodium is 113mg, both on the lower side. Protein content is around 13g, so it's less of a high-protein product and more of a gentle plant-based protein shake that keeps sugar and sodium in check.

170kcal a cup in 170ml water: how to mix Cleanit Black Bean

With Cleanit Black Bean, you mix 40g of powder with either 170ml of water or 200ml of soy milk/milk. Since a rice spoon holds about 10g, that's about 4 scoops! Each cup comes to around 170kcal, so it's easy to have as a light breakfast substitute.

Of course, mixing it with soy milk or milk does add more calories, right? 😆 Even just with water, it had no fishy taste, tasted nutty, and was sweeter than I expected. There was a slight sweetener aftertaste at the end, but considering how low the sugar content is, it was a pleasant enough sweetness to not mind. Next I tried it with milk, and honestly, it tastes better with milk. 😆

Who is Cleanit Black Bean right for?

Cleanit Black Bean tasted a bit like black soybean milk with a hint of misugaru (roasted grain powder). When I first saw this product marketed as a protein shake loaded with Korean black soybeans, it caught my attention, and tasting it definitely brought back that once-popular flavor.

I think this suits people who want to genuinely get the nutrition of black soybeans without worrying about sugar or sodium, and people like me who care about hair nutrition after giving birth but don't have the energy to keep up with separate supplements. Haha. I know everyone's busy with childcare and daily life, but I hope you can find 5 minutes today just for yourself. ❣️

References: Health Chosun "Beans Aren't All the Same" (Dr. Han Dong-ha), Samsung Seoul Hospital "Isoflavones", Aha Knowledge Q&A "Benefits of Black Soybeans".