Meal Replacement Drinks

Last week, I received an email from a friend asking about a new meal replacement product she had seen advertised. She wanted to know what I thought of it as a way to lose weight.

Meal replacement drinks are nothing new. The most popular ones are SlimFast, Met-Rx and Atkins Nutritionals but a Google search of "meal replacement drinks" will supply you with an almost endless list of options. My friend was asking about a specific drink called Shakeology http://shakeology.com/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=ec8c9e06-5208-4177-8ed3-c43696462193&groupId=59860 which contains not only vitamins and minerals but also a powder blend of high antioxidant fruits, probiotics and enzymes. The drinks either come as a ready to drink beverage or as a powder you add to water. The typical meal replacement drink has approximately 200 calories. Most companies suggest replacing one or two meals per day with one of their drinks. These drinks are not intended to be used exclusively. They are not designed to supply complete nutrition.

Another option are drinks such as Ensure and Boost. These drinks started out in hospitals as a way to increase calories in patients with unintentional weight loss. As the market for meal replacement drinks took off a few years ago, Ensure and Boost were marketed as meal replacements to the general public. Ensure and Boost usually come in ready to drink cans or bottles and have approximately 250 calories per drink. Unlike the other meal replacement drinks mentioned above, Ensure and Boost are formulated to meet all nutritional requirements if several shakes are consumed per day. This should only be done if medically needed and under a doctors care.

Good news! Studies in which meal replacement drinks were substituted for one or two meals per day resulted in weight loss. Is it really surprising that weight loss happened when a 500 calorie meal was replaced with a 200 calorie drink? Of course, you will lose weight when you lower your calorie intake. These studies have been small and short term, however, results are promising. Only one study has been done over 10 years. After the participants were provided shakes in place of 2 meals per day for initial weight loss, those then using shakes for 1 meal/day for the rest of the study kept the weight off compared to those who went back to their usual diet and gained over 20 pounds over the length of the study.

Are meal replacements the way to go for weight loss? It depends on you. Here are some pros can cons of using meal replacements.

Pros:

• Meal replacement drinks are a great way to reduce portions and control calories.
• They are convenient for those who do not like to cook or are on the go.
• The drinks do contain some vitamins and minerals so are better than a soda or other sugary beverage.
• They come in a variety of flavors.

Cons:

• Using meal replacements does not teach you to eat healthy. What happens after you lose the weight and go back to eating three meals/day?
• Although they come in a variety of flavors, drinking them 1-2 times per day will quickly make the flavors boring.
• A drink will not fill you up causing hunger before the next meal. This may lead to "cheating" or "binging" on excess calories.
• They are expensive with the average drink costing around $2.00 per drink. Double that for 2 drinks a day. Think of all the fruit and vegetables you can get for $4.00/day.

Personally, I prefer to chew my food rather than drink it. If you do try meal replacements, add a small salad or a piece of fruit to help stave off hunger. Be sure you make your 1-2 food meals healthy. Splurging on a Big Mac super sized meal for dinner will negate the benefit of limiting calories earlier in the day. Make sure you do eat at least 1200 calories per day to prevent a slowing in your metabolism.

If you are looking for a meal replacement drink as simply a way to add vitamins and minerals to your diet, opt for a daily multivitamin. Not only will you save money, you will save your waistline an extra 200-500 calories per day.