You may have read or heard before that some people use meal replacement shakes as a way to lose weight or even for other health, ethical or political reasons. But for those of you considering using meal replacement shakes, you may be unaware of how they work.
Essentially, meal replacement shakes are simply that – a way to replace your regular meal with a shake, but still receive the correct amount of nutrients and fullness that a meal would contain.
But what meals can you replace? What are the best meals to replace with a health shake? What else do you need to know?
Luckily we’ve covered all of this below. So, if you’re ready to find out a lot more, then read on for all the answers!
What Meals Can A Shake Replace?
In theory, a shake can replace any kind of meal, in terms of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
However, some meals should be kept as “real” meals if possible. There are a number of reasons for this, but we will explore that later.
For now though, as we said, a shake can technically replace any meal. Generally speaking, a full day of food consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe snacks throughout.
Let’s examine these meals a little more.
Breakfast
Many medical professionals and fitness fanatics will tell you that skipping breakfast is not recommended.
It’s been linked with binge eating later in the day, especially towards the late morning – and due to the urgency of the feeling, many people opt for fast foods.
As a result, this is one of the worst things to do if you’re actively trying to lose weight. Of course, at the same time, if you’re someone who lives a busy lifestyle – perhaps with a family at home – then your time in the morning is limited.
So, something like an omelet will be off the menu! Therefore, a meal replacement shake would be ideal here. It takes little time and little effort to make, and you can take it wherever you’re going.
One of the best meal replacement shakes for breakfast is the Exante Meal Replacement Shake. It’s packed full of flavor and hunger-blocking agents like Slendesta and plenty of protein.
Lunch
Lunch is one of the most contentious times for eaters. Depending on the kind of job you have, you may have a ritual of a quick sandwich you made at home, or perhaps more likely, you step out of the office for a tasty burger!
Obviously, to lose weight, fast food should be avoided as much as possible – but what if you need to stay at work during lunch, or if you don’t have time to step out of the office to make something healthy?
That’s where a protein shake like Ensure Complete can come in. It has all the nutrients you need for lunch and it’s light on your stomach, meaning no afternoon bloating and slobbiness.
Your productivity throughout the second half of your working day should remain high!
Dinner
In reality, you should keep dinner as a real meal. It’s one of the most important meals of the day to set you right for the evening, throughout your sleep, and keep your digestive system operating as usual until the morning.
Not only this, but dinner is usually the meal where you absorb the most amount of your nutrients – not to mention the fact that it’s often a family event that keeps you all together!
However, if you’re set on a dinner replacement shake, then you might wish to turn your attention to the Invigor 8 Superfood Shake, which uses high-quality ingredients to give you all of the nutrients you need and specifically help you to lose weight.
Healthy Snacks
We would suggest that if you normally have fruit or a vegetable pack as a healthy snack now, then it’s best to keep it like that, rather than replacing it with a shake. However, for those of you who snack on chips or similar – then you should think of something else.
You may benefit from a meal replacement shake like Premier Protein Shake. It’s the right serving size for a snack and it tastes great!
If you choose the cafe latte version, you can even use that as your afternoon coffee break.
Important Considerations
Of course, while it’s possible to replace any meal with a health shake – there’s a lot more you need to know.
We’ll now go through some of the most important considerations you need to bear in mind.
Dietary Requirements And Restrictions
Typically, when you are making a meal at home, you will know what is going into your dish.
As a result, if you have dietary restrictions and other requirements (for example, you’re allergic to nuts), then you need to pay close attention to the ingredients in the shake.
Luckily, there are hundreds of types of meal replacement shakes on the market, and a lot of these are tailored to dietary needs. For example, you can find meal replacement shakes that are:
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
- Low in fiber
- Sugar-free
- Vegan
- Lactose-free
- Gluten-free
It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor about your requirements and potential risks with some of these shakes – and this leads us to our next point.
The Dangers Of Uncontrolled Meal Replacement
Some people dive right into meal replacement shakes without any regard for their own health and safety.
It’s imperative that you speak with a medical professional before you decide to replace every meal with health shakes.
While health shakes can be useful, and indeed many can be used as meal replacements – you will likely find the majority of medical health professionals will recommend you still consume some food as you normally would have.
Drastic changes to your dietary habits can be significantly detrimental to your health, especially if you are not getting the same amount of calories, nutrients, and vitamins that you previously did.
In reality, replacing a meal with a shake is fine temporarily and in controlled measures but you should consider only replacing one meal with it per day. Speak with a doctor for more tailored advice though.
Not Suitable For Some Conditions
There are some situations where meal replacement shakes aren’t a great idea. If you have a specific health condition or you are pregnant, it’s advised that you speak with your doctor about your plans.
It has been common in the past for pregnant people to use meal replacement shakes as a way to return to their previous weight prior to pregnancy. However, the studies suggest this is largely a myth.
As a result, while you might benefit from meal replacement shakes, it’s always going to be advised to speak with your doctor if you are pregnant and consider this as a dietary option.
The Bottom Line
Meal replacement health shakes can be useful for some people in some scenarios – but you should always use them under controlled conditions after speaking with your doctor.
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