Meal replacement shakes and products are a major part of the $60 billion a year weight-loss industry. Some diet plans rely on them. Others make them an optional part of the program. Still others eschew them altogether, encouraging dieters to stick with natural food. Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn says they all have their merits, depending on your goals and preferences.
Basics
The concept of a meal replacement product is to take away as much thought and inconvenience as possible from a dieter's routine. It takes effort to choose a meal, prepare it and calculate the calories it contains. Meal replacement means opening a can or package and quickly eating a premeasured, diet-friendly item. Meal replacement shakes and bars are common, as are frozen entrees meant to replace the deciding and preparing part of a meal.
Portions
Portion control is one of the two most important selling points of meal replacement products, notes Bill Phillips, founder of the Body for Life Program. On a regular diet, it can be easy to eat a mistakenly large portion or to cheat because there's more food left on the table. A meal replacement shake or bar limits portions by giving you exactly enough food, with nothing on the serving dish to temp you afterward.
Convenience
Phillips notes convenience as the other major advantage of meal replacement products. This is especially important for busy dieters or people who become stressed out while undergoing a weight-loss program. Philips' Body for Life Program recommends eating six small meals every day, making meal replacement even more important.
Drawbacks
Meal replacement products are not without their negative side. Cohn warns that many meal replacement products are high in sodium -- high enough to risk health problems if you replace all your meals with them. Nutrition is another drawback for some meal replacement products. They fill you up, but don't provide the complete and varied nutrition of a sit-down meal. When considering a meal replacement option, read the ingredient labels carefully for best results.
Examples
Myoplex, Advocare and Nutrisystem all produce meal replacement shakes, which come premixed in cans or as a powder to mix with water or milk. Cliff, Slim-Fast and MET-Rx all manufacture meal replacement bars, which are like dense granola bars. Weight Watchers and Slim-Fast are two popular brand names of "meal replacement meals," full entrees that eliminate the work of meal preparation.
References
- "Body For Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett, M.D.; 2006
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
- CNBC: One Nation, Over Weight
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