Slim-Fast is a brand of weight-loss products that range from shakes and bars to snacks. It is most notable for it's extensive line of meal replacements shakes that act to provide essential vitamins and nutrients while reducing an individual's caloric intake. Although there is a range of flavors across the product line, each set contains the same main ingredients.
Shakes and Mixes
The main ingredients in slim-fast shakes and shake mixes are fat-free milk, or milk derivative, water, sugar, canola oil and gum Arabic. The product line contains both artificial and natural flavors with a caloric value of 190 calories per one can, which is 325 mL. Shake mixes contain approximately 200 calories, with 30 calories from fat, per 1/3-cup. Approximately 7.6 million dieters consume low-calorie shakes like slim-fast in attempts to reduce their weight, according to a 1997 CNNMoney.com article "Shrink Your Weight While Keeping Your Wallet Plump." Susan Yanovski, director of the Obesity and Eating Disorders Program at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease says that although meal replacement shakes like Slim-Fast can help a person lose a couple of pounds, they are not an adequate tool for long-term weight management.
Snack Bars
The Slim-Fast snack bars have slightly varying main ingredients, which depend on the flavor. The difference is mostly in the first five listed ingredients where they are usually the same except they are in different amounts and flavors. For example, all five types of snack bars contain a flavored coating, which is comprised of sugar and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Each contains non-fat milk or yogurt powder, dextrose and whey. Some varieties, such as the nutty chocolate chew and peanut butter crunch, contain either high-fructose corn syrup or just corn syrup. Each bar is approximately 100 calories, 30 of which are from fat.
Meal Bars
Meal bars, unlike snack bars, are intended to replace actual meals, not supplement them. There are five varieties: chewy chocolate crisp, chocolate peanut caramel, fruit and yogurt trail mix, oatmeal cinnamon raisin and sweet and salty chocolate almond. The main ingredients are soy crisp with cocoa or soy derivative; fructose or high-fructose corn syrup; rolled oats or nuts; flavored coating -- which depends on the type of bar and is made of palm kernel oil, sugar and specific flavor -- and maltodextrin and/or dextrose. Each meal bar is approximately 200 calories, 50 to 70 of which are from fat.
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