Meal Replacements

If you're like me, you're always on the run. Maybe you just don't feel like you have enough time to make sure that every single meal is perfect. Eating right means investing time to buy the best food for your family and investing the time to prepare it all in a healthy way. And you know what? It's absolutely worth it to take the time to do it; but if you just don't have the time, what are your options?

Did you know that meal replacement drinks may be healthier than most of the fast food you'd get otherwise?

Meal replacement shakes have come a long way over the last 10 years. It used to be they were little more than a chocolate milk concoction, loaded with sugar and empty calories. They'd have no fiber, so you'd find yourself wound up from the sugar rush, then sleepy from the sugar letdown. And the taste? Almost intolerable.

If you go to almost any grocery store, you'll find a whole section of ready-made drinks, usually promoted to senior citizens. The idea is a good one - "if you're not getting enough nutrition from your diet, just open a can of this stuff and you'll be fine". If only they'd stop long enough to make the drink healthy! I hate to say it, but these are almost no better than the meal replacements of 10 years ago - full of sugar, low in nutrition. Even the so-called "high protein" varieties have little more than you'd get in a slice of bread.

Here's what a great meal replacement should be: a powder that's easy to mix in water or juice. One that's loaded with vitamins and minerals. It has to be high in protein - over 10 grams, at least. There should be very little sugar, and plenty of fiber to keep you feeling full. And what would really help is if they'd throw in a little fruit and vegetable powder. Make this taste good, and you've got an incredibly nutritious meal replacement that's probably better than most people's actual meals!

Well the good news is, they're here, and in great flavors. When I do a meal replacement, I love throwing it in a blender with some berries and maybe some yogurt. It's so nutritious and so good. In fact, a study was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2003 which said that people who supplemented one meal a day with this kind of shake safely lost significant weight, and lowered the risk of diseases associated with being overweight.

Would you like to know more about choosing a great meal replacement drink? Call my office or visit the PowerPLUS drink mix web page.

I'm Guy Evans, and now you know!