Not all meal replacement shakes are created equal and whilst most of the popular shakes on the market are safe and reasonably effective, some shakes are definitely better than others.
Ignore the Hype
When looking for a meal replacement shake, we advise you to ignore glossy marketing materials and persuasive sales tactics and look more closely at the nutritional content, formulation processes and science behind the product.
Be on alert with MLM products
We also advise you to be on alert if a friend recommends a product from a network marketing or multi-level marketing company they are promoting. Whilst we haven’t got anything against MLM, it’s a good idea to make sure you are not paying too much as often similar quality products can be purchased for much less.
Is it a ‘real’ meal replacement?
Because of the publicity around low and no carb diets many meal replacement shake providers are producing shakes with a really low level of carbohydrates in them. In our opinion this doesn’t make them a real meal replacement. Look for a meal replacement which has a good balance of proteins and complex carbohydrates.
Compare apples with apples
Some meal replacement shakes are already complete and just need water adding to them, others advise you to add milk, juice or something else to them before drinking. Adding milk will obviously change the number of calories and the nutritional balance. So when looking at comparisons make sure you are comparing like with like
Protein, Protein, Protein
The most important element of a meal replacement shake is the protein, most people don’t get enough protein in their diets and studies have shown that a high protein diet can aid in weight loss.
There are many different types of proteins used in meal replacement shakes, but the most popular and effective is Whey Protein which comes from cows milk. Whey protein digests quickly and can be tolerated by most people (even some people who have diary intolerances).
Look for a shake which provides at least 15grams of protein (for women – more for men) and one that uses a cold membrane method to extract the Whey proteins. Acid or heat extraction techniques can damage the protein and reduce the nutritional content.
Amino Acids, Vitamins, Minerals…
Does your shake contain added nutrients to help make it a complete meal? Remember you are trying to create a ‘perfect’ meal and in a shake provide your body with everything it needs but in a low calorie serving. So a good shake will contain a range of essential trace minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that would usually be contained in the fruits and vegetables you eat.
Natural V’s Synthetic
Choose a shake that uses premium quality natural ingredients, rather than cheap synthetic ones. It may be a little more expensive upfront but you’ll get more benefit from them in the long run and the results will be well worth it.