Horlicks · Health-drink powder

Lite (No Added Sugar)

More snack than supplement.

D46/100
they shout
“No added sugar”
what’s true
13 g protein, 14% of calories. Grade D.
protein / 100 g
13 g
14% of calories · mostly filler
₹100 buys
17 g
of protein
sugar
6 g
none added
price
₹340
450 g jar

How it scored 46/100

DENSITY14% of calories are protein3.1/25
QUALITYamino score 0.8, High16/20
DOSE30 g in 200 ml milk = 3.9 g2.3/15
VALUE₹145 per usable 20 g9.7/20
CLEANno added sugar15/20

The deeper science

quality · DIAAS
1.14
Excellent
leucine / serving
0.4 g
below the 2.7 g trigger
planet / 20 g usable
368 g CO₂
Moderate footprint · 544 L water

What’s actually in it

first on the label · Malt extract (65%), milk solids, hydrolysed corn solids, soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, full list read.

The fine print

Maltodextrin: A starch that legally isn’t ‘sugar’, so it never shows in the sugar line, yet has a glycemic index of 85–105, higher than table sugar. The classic ‘sugar-free’ loophole.
Sucralose: Zero-calorie artificial sweetener. Regulators rate it safe at normal intake; a 2023 lab study flagged a trace impurity (sucralose-6-acetate) as genotoxic in cells. Doses there were far above what a scoop delivers.
FSSAI: 13 g/100 g · 3.5 g/100 kcal, may legally print “HIGH PROTEIN” via the per-100 g route.

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Graded by math, not brands. Macros are label/brand-listed (June 2026); not medical advice. ~ some side-macros estimated.