Replacing Meals with Protein Shakes

Replacing meals with protein shakes is a great approach to losing weight, building muscle, and just saving time. However not all meal replacement shakes are created equal. It takes a little legwork on your part to find the right supplement to move you towards your goals. Here’s info on why Replacing Meals with Protein Shakes is important.

Nutrition

If you’re replacing a meal with one of these shakes, then you need to consider nutritional balance. Healthy meals consist of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and calories to sate you for several hours. Shakes don’t necessarily come with this amount of nutrition. They tend to be low in calories with good amounts of other nutrients.

Weight Loss

Because these shakes often have much less calorie content than a full meal they are often used as meal replacement shakes to lose weight. A study from 2010 shows that drinking high protein meal replacement shakes when following a low calorie diet can help you lose more weight than not taking a protein shake. Replacing one meal a day with a protein shake has been shown to be an effective short-term strategy for weight loss.

Cautions

There are situations where it would be unhealthy to replace meals, reduce the amount of calories you eat, or increase the amount you burn. Protein shakes often come with less total nutritional content than a full meal. They could also be less satisfying than a full meal. Research from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands has shown that how long you chew your food is related to how satisfied it leaves you feeling. You should also keep in mind that returning to your original diet could make it difficult to maintain the weight loss sustained when drinking protein shakes.

Considerations

No matter why you’re using meal replacement shakes you should always consult with your doctor and get their approval before starting. This is essential if you have medical conditions. You should also consider supplementing your meal replacement shake with fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains to get a good balance of nutrients. Lastly you should avoid a protein shake that comes with a lot of added sugar.