1. What is Meal Replacement Shake?
For people with a fast-paced lifestyle, it makes it difficult for them to prepare fresh and healthy foods and because of that, they don’t get enough calories to fuel their body. This is where meal replacement shakes comes in. Meal replacement shakes are nutritionally balanced meals that provide a quick and concentrated dose of essential micronutrients.
They are helpful in weight management and weight loss. Each serving of meal replacement shakes delivers 200-400 calories. The meal replacement shakes come in the form of a powder, and the most common ingredients of the meal replacement shakes are soy protein, whole and skimmed milk powder, vitamins and minerals, inulin, sucrose (sugar) and flavours such as Vanilla, cocoa etc.
2. What are the benefits of consuming meal replacement shake?
Meal replacement shakes provide essential nutrients including fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. Here are some benefits of meal replacement shakes:
Supports Weight management
If you are planning to shed those extra kilos, adding meal replacement shake into your daily diet can be beneficial. According to research replacing your one meal a day with the meal replacement can help to increase weight loss. As meal replacements are high in fibre and protein, both of which are vital nutrients that speed up the weight loss process. Fibre, for example, promotes satiety and also known to reduce the risk of weight gain. Protein keeps you feeling full for a longer period.
Provide essential nutrients
Replacement shakes provide essential nutrients including fibre, protein and various vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin D, calcium and potassium.
Help you avoid unhealthy alternatives
When you are low on energy or short on time, it becomes difficult to prepare a healthy and nutritious meal. Most people order pizza or have whatever junk food is there in the fridge. Taking meal replacement shakes can be the best way to avoid unhealthy alternatives.
Manages blood sugar levels
Munching on high carb snacks can cause your blood sugar to shoot up and increase the risk of diabetes, increased urination, fatigue and unintentional weight loss.
Meal replacement shakes deliver the right amount of carbohydrates to prevent crashes and spikes in blood sugar levels. They are also high in protein, which slows down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream and helps in improving blood sugar control.
Promotes healthy portion sizes
Controlled and healthy portion sizes are one of the main components of sustainable and successful weight loss. Even if you are taking nutrient-dense foods like nuts, seeds, fruits and legumes, but you are not careful, this may cause calories to stack up and turn it into a calorie bomb.
Meal replacements make it easy to maintain your healthy portion sizes by providing you enough of the nutrients to support satiety and keep you feeling full without going overboard. It not only prevents spikes in blood sugar and help in weight maintenance but also prevent long term health conditions and risk of serious issues caused due to overeating like arthritis and heart disease.
3. What is the recommended dosage of meal replacement shake?
It is recommended to take 1 to 2 shakes per day. These would replace the normal meals. Plus make sure the product you choose delivers 15 to 30 grams of protein, 3+ grams of fibre, no corn syrup, no trans fat, no hydrogenated vegetable oils, less than 10 grams of sugar and at least 30% of the daily value of vitamins and minerals per serving.
4. What is the best time to consume meal replacement shake?
Meal replacement shakes are packed with important nutrients that keep you feeling full for up to 3-4 hours. The best time to take meal replacement shakes is:
Breakfast
What makes breakfast the perfect time for a replacement shake is nutrition value, it is simple and light, supply micronutrients, vitamins and minerals to promote energy when you need it the most. It is convenient and you can make it in 2 minutes or less.
Lunch
Lunch outing with coworkers, ordering junk foods can derail your healthy eating. If you are someone who doesn’t get enough time to prepare a healthy lunch, on such days you can go for meal replacement shakes. They are easy to make as all you have to do is take a scoop of meal replacement, a piece of fruit and mix in a shaker. Shake it until smooth and enjoy.
Pre and post workout
Meal replacement shakes also contains whey protein, which is the perfect source of protein with amazing amino acid profile and effective in muscle repair and recovery. Taking a meal replacement shake as your pre or post workout meal will provide your muscles with the quality amino acids that are helpful in workout recovery and weight loss. You can also add other ingredients like vegetables and fruits your meal replacement shake.
Healthy snack in between meals
Another perfect time to consume meal replacement shake is your snack time. With a busy schedule, eating something nutritious is not possible. As meal replacement shake is easy and convenient, you can store a serving in a bottle or shaker. To keep it a low-calorie snack, stick to shake mix and milk or water.
5. Is meal replacement shake effective for weight loss?
Yes, meal replacement shakes are good for weight loss. Most of the meal replacement shakes contain 200 to 400 calories and fiber, protein and essential vitamins. Because of their nutritional value, they are a convenient way to get a low-calorie and healthy meal on the go.
6. Are meal replacement shakes and protein shakes the same?
Meal replacement shakes works exactly the name says: replace a meal. Most of the meal replacements are low in calories and are designed for weight loss. However, it contains the important nutrients that the body requires for a complete meal. On the other hand protein shakes don’t contain sufficient nutrients to replace a meal; they only used to increase protein intake.