Hearing about the meal replacement shakes everywhere, but don’t know what it is actually, what are the benefits and for whom this shake is beneficial?
In this article, we’ll talk about all the details of the meal replacement shakes. Trust me. You’d get to know each and everything by the end of this article.
Many people confuse meal replacement shakes with protein shakes. However, they are not the same. We’ll briefly talk about the difference between the two as well. Are you excited to learn about Meal replacement shakes in detail? Let’s dive into it.
How Can the Meal Replacement Shake Help?
Nowadays, one of the hot topics is meal replacement shakes, and protein shakes. The meal replacement is pretty much self-explanatory. If you’re looking to skip a meal, you can go with the meal replacement shake.
People who want to lose weight would have a diet plan that can’t eat a full meal. That’s why they are told to have a meal replacement shake instead of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The meal replacement shake does have all the nutrients your body requires. However, it won’t contain as many calories as a meal would have. And that’s what makes it significant. People are looking to cut down their calorie intake to lose weight, and meal replacement shakes can fulfill that purpose.
You can get all sorts of meal replacement shakes. Some would contain a higher amount of protein, while others wouldn’t contain as much protein. On the other hand, the calorie would also be mentioned on the shake so that you can track how many calories you’re consuming. Not all the meal replacement shakes are in a can. Some of them come in the form of powder. You just have to add it to the milk or water as you like.
You’d see that the meal replacement shake contains around 400 calories most of the time. Few of the vital ingredients include a large quantity of protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
As these shakes contain a good amount of protein, you’d feel full after taking them. It wouldn’t add unnecessary calories to your diet. That’s the primary target of every individual who’s looking to lose weight. They want to lose weight without losing the muscle mass, and a meal replacement shake helps.
Benefits of Meal Replacement Shakes
There are a bunch of advantages of consuming nutrition drinks. Whether it is a protein shake or a meal replacement, both are advantageous in some way or another. Let’s discuss the pros of meal replacement shakes here.
Nutrition Drink
When you’re running late for your college, you might consider drinking the meal replacement shake as it’s not going to consume much of your time and provide you with the nutrients your body requires. On the other hand, going to the restaurant means you’ll be getting something unhealthy to eat and more expensive than the meal replacement shake. Why not just have a meal replacement drink? It’s a very healthy option than getting anything from a fast-food restaurant.
Contains Low Calorie
You’d feel hungry often when you’re on a journey to lose weight. Fortunately, you will not feel hungry if you drink the meal replacement. As mentioned earlier, meal replacement drinks contain fewer calories, so it’s best for those on a balanced diet.
Contains Fiber
Apart from adding all the vital ingredients, it also has a high amount of fiber. Fiber facilitates the digestion of food. It prevents constipation, and you won’t get bloated.
Disadvantages of Meal Replacement Shakes
Although it has several advantages, it also has a few drawbacks. The meal replacement shakes don’t contain natural ingredients. It has artificial ingredients as well. Those ingredients help to preserve the shakes. And a large number of shakes contain sugar as well. Some meal replacement shake companies are deceiving the public because the shakes they make have sugars more than protein. An ideal nutrition drink wouldn’t have more than a few grams of sugar in it. So, ensure that you read all the things on the shake label before purchasing it. Moreover, you’ve to check whether it is offering the right amount of ingredients or not. Most importantly, it should contain at least 3 grams of fiber.
Protein vs Meal Replacement Shake
Protein and meal replacement shakes are two types of shakes that are the most common ones used everywhere. However, many people confuse them. That’s why it is important to understand the difference between them.
There is a simple difference between the two. The meal replacement shake focuses on people who want to lose weight. It is ideal for them. On the other hand, the protein shake is for those looking to have some kind of athletic performance. It does not serve as a meal replacement. The meal replacement shake can help you skip one or two meals a day. But, the protein shake can not do that. It just aids in the diet. And the ideal time to intake the protein shake is before or after the workout.
Protein and Fiber
Both fiber and protein are responsible for managing a person’s appetite. Protein makes you feel full. It is one of the ingredients which makes you feel full faster than ingredients like carbohydrates or fat. On the other hand, Fiber plays an important role in prolonging the feeling of being full. That happens because glucose absorption is slowed down into the bloodstream.
Conclusion
All the nutrition shakes are used for certain purposes. Meal replacement and protein shakes are among the most famous nutrition shakes. Meal replacement shake helps you to substitute the meal and provides a good amount of nutrients to your body. On the other hand, protein shakes are for those people who are fitness junkies.